St Mary Redcliffe

St Mary Redcliffe lies on the south bank of the river Avon. It was built outside the walls of the ancient city of Bristol, yet through the centuries it has played an important part in the city's history. And when we come to study the parish history we find not only local happenings but world shattering events. In the late 15th century, a parishioner called John Cabot sailed from Redcliffe to discover New Found Land across the Atlantic Ocean. Christopher Columbus notwithstanding, true Bristolians believe that America was named after Cabot's contemporary, Richard Ameryk. In the 17th century, when America first became colonised by the English, William Penn of St Mary Redcliffe had the state of Pennsylvania named after him. It is not just the celebrated and artistic, but also the ordinary people of the parish who are celebrated in this book. Peter Aughton's lively text does justice to a rich parish history spanning many centuries,