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4th December 2011

By Ian Cardinal - Posted on 04 December 2012

The Parish Churches of

St Michael & St Wulfad, Stone, with

St Saviour Aston by Stone

DELIVERIES, DELIVERIES!! this year we are sending a CHRISTMAS CARD to every house in our benefice with service times for our Christmas services! They will need delivering too – please see Andy King at St Michael’s and Mary Babb at St Saviour’s. The Cards will be printed this week – YOUR PARISH CHURCH NEEDS YOU!

A medieval seal thought to have once

belonged to Stone Priory in north

Staffordshire has been discovered in a

field in Surrey. The bronze object, which

bears the image of the Virgin and Child,

was found in Cobham by a metal

detector enthusiast.

Finds Liaison Officer for Surrey County

Council, David Williams, said it was a

"complete mystery" how the seal had

ended up there. It is thought to date from

between the 13th and 14th Centuries.

The seal is an oval shape and pointed at each end. It is about 7cm long, 5cm wide and weighs just 84 grams. In the image the child holds a book in this left hand and appears to be pointing upwards with his right.

The inscription around the seal reads: "S'ecc Sce Marie et Sci W(v)lfadi Martiris de Stanis" which can be translated as "seal of the church of Saint Mary and Saint Wulfad, Martyr of Stone". This led Mr Williams to believe the seal originated in Stone.

Stone Priory was built in the 7th Century by Wulfhere, who was the first Christian king of all of Mercia. It was dedicated to Mary and a local martyr, Saint Wulfad. "The first thing you say is 'wow'," said Mr Williams, who deals with archaeological discoveries at Surrey council. "Then you sit back and think what on Earth does this mean because it's twice the size of any other medieval seal that I'd seen? When you get a large one like this, it's clearly something quite important. It is a huge and massive seal in the great world of seals."

Now showing in St Michael & St

Hymns for today

Aston Stone

470 49

Ps 198

98 209

198 67/529

566 566

Please pray for the sick in the benefice:

Val Gerrard, Dorothy Burton, Mavis Pick, Dorothy Shelton, Helen Zeter, Mary Townsend, Francis Wright, Mavis Foster, Tristan Simms, Kerris Sutherland, Linda Timms, Malcolm Nixon, Neil & Pat Wynne, , Malcolm Clark, Poppy Buckley, Christine Thomas, Sarah Wright, Terry Malkin, Emma Davis, Ben King, John Allbut, Philip Hulme, Mervyn Griffiths, Shirley Myerson, Joan Morris, Peggy Sims, Sam Potts, Billy Scotton

And for the departed:

Susan Gray, Michael Fletcher, James Daglish

Remembering their families and friends at this time

This week:

Sunday 4^th 4.00pm Christingle service – St M&W

Monday 4^th 7.30pm Countdown to Christmas – Rectory (11 Farrier Close)

Tuesday 6^th 11.45am – 1pm Drop Inn Café – St Michael’s Hall

1.30pm Holy Communion – Summerfield Court

Thursday 8^th 9.30am Holy Communion - The Moorings

10.30am Holy Communion St Michael & St Wulfad

CHRISTMAS TREE FESTIVAL This weekend! 20 Christmas Displays plus the Stone Priory Seal. Do come and view these

CHRISTINGLE SERVICE supporting the work of the Children’s society. This will be held this Sunday at 4pm, and includes the children from our Church school. Please come and support them! (the Town Mayor will be announcing the winner of the Christmas tree displays at this service)

COUNTDOWN TO CHRISTMAS few devotional addresses/Bible studies on the well-known Christmas readings: A busy time of year, but do come! At the Rectory 7.30pm – this week Micah Ch. 5 Just bring yourself and a bible

STONE TOWN MAYOR’S CHRISTMAS CAROL SERVICE Sunday 13^th December at 3pm. Do come and support the many groups this represents

Wulfad’s Church!

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