St Chad's, Farndon, & John Speed

St Chad’s Church in the village of Farndon in south-east Cheshire is an old and pleasant place of worship. Little struck me as unusual or notabl, apart from a claim made by its main entrance. It is possible that the great John Speed was once of this parish, and may have been baptised here in the 1550s. Speed became a celebrated cartographer, a maker of high-quality maps, which can still be enjoyed, even as jigsaws. His county maps helped to develop and confirm our British national identity at a time when the crowns of England and Scotland had only just married. Furthermore, he took an interest in the Bible, collaborating with puritan author, Hugh Broughton. He compiled a ‘Map of Canaan’, which both fed, and was the consequence of, the early modern British love affair with the scriptures, in addition to his researches into the genealogy of Christ which were included with some editions of the Authorised Version.

The links to Farndon, even if true, are slight, for Speed was really raised amid the bright lights of London. Yet a man interested in sacred genealogies and obscure places would not, I think, be ashamed to be associated with this remote, northern church and to be welcomed into the world over its stone font. Let us hope that his journey also took him into the tents of Shem and David, wherein he met the Saviour of the world.

We are a lost race- wandering, restless and lacking direction. Deep down, we desire that city which has foundations, whose builder and maker is God. The scriptures are our map, our guide, our A to Z.

Great Job asks:

Canst thou by searching find out God? canst thou find out the Almighty unto perfection? (11:7)

And God, through greater Jeremiah, replies:

And ye shall seek me, and find me, when ye shall search for me with all your heart. (29:13)