WALKING TO CANTERBURY

When Thomas Becket was murdered by King Henry II in 1170, the journey to his shrine quickly became a popular pilgrimage route, and the 14th century poet Geoffrey Chaucer built his Canterbury Tales round the personalities of a group making the journey. Pilgrimages continue to fascinate us in the 21st century and the author, who had already made pilgrimages in celebration of his Cherokee heritage, entertains his readers with the people he meets and the wisdom he encounters on his own pilgrimage trail, interspersed with fascinating insights into the challenges of the route in the 14th century, when the country was still struggling with the aftermath of the Black Death. Harry Bailey and his 29 pilgrims would stop at inns along the way, sometimes four to a bed. A pilgrimage brings freedoms, and one of the modern characters Jerry encounters is Jack, who does straight-line walking, wherever the line takes him. Entering woodland Jerry feels something drawing him on, as if he is entering a sacred space. He casually asks a boy on a bike if he believes in miracles and gets the answer "You and me are miracles, aren't we?". In the 14th century 90% of the population was rural, and they could be ordered by the lord of the manor to help with the harvest. Medieval women had few options, with marriage being the main one, and the Wife of Bath had five husbands in the betrothal ceremony at the church door. Jerry has high jinks with the teenagers Red Head and Big Top, but never loses sight of the spiritual quest he is on, exchanging tobacco with a stranger to link the Christian pilgrimage with his Cherokee roots. 310pp, paperback, illustrations.