Of
this exploit a poet sings:--
Here Oxford's hero, famous for his boar,
While clashing swords upon his target sound,
And showers of arrows from his breast rebound,
Prepared for worst of fates, undaunted stood,
And urged his heart into the rapid flood.
The waves in triumph bore him, and were proud
To sink beneath their honourable load.
Religious communities, monasteries and priories, often constructed
bridges. There is a very curious one at Croyland, probably erected by
one of the abbots of the famous abbey of Croyland or Crowland. This
bridge is regarded as one of the greatest curiosities in the kingdom.
It is triangular in shape, and has been supposed to be emblematical of
the Trinity. The rivers Welland, Nene, and a drain called Catwater
flow under it. The ascent is very steep, so that carriages go under
it. The triangular bridge of Croyland is mentioned in a charter of
King Edred about the year 941, but the present bridge is probably not
earlier than the fourteenth century. However, there is a rude statue
said to be that of King Ethelbald, and may have been taken from the
earlier structure and built into the present bridge. It is in a
sitting posture at the end of the south-west wall of the bridge.
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