Although they laughed off the cruel words of a rather nasty little rhyme, the villagers of Much Cowarne failed to see why they should take the blame for an 'act of God' which happened around 140 years ago.

THE good people of Much Cowarne had long learned to take on the chin the words of a rather nasty little rhyme which ran: Dirty Cowarne, wooden steeple, Crack'd bell, wicked people.

They were neither dirty nor wicked and laughed it off. But they refused to take lying down accusations made in a national newspaper that they had been neglectful. It was claimed they cared not for the memorial to a local hero and, even worse, had 'lost' an effigy of his courageous wife.

The row raged in the early 1980s and centred on Sir Grimbaldus de Pauncefort and the lovely Lady Constantia Lingayn.

It was claimed in one of the 'top people's' newspapers that 'time and neglect' had separated the gent and his lady. The couple had married in 1253 and were buried together in the village church where their stone effigies lay side by side, facing each other. Legend has it that Grimbaldus was captured by the Moors at Tunis during the Crusades and could be freed if 'a joint of his wife' was sent as ransom. It is said that Constantia did not hesitate and despatched a message by pigeon to monks at Gloucester who had among their number a surgeon.

Grimbaldus and Constantia

He amputated her hand which was preserved in salt and wine and shipped abroad to obtain Grimbaldus's release. Constantia survived the horrific operation and her husband flourished in his freedom. So did Much Cowarne, with the knight obtaining a charter for a major market and fair for the area. Her effigy in the church showed her right hand 'couped betwixt the wrist and the elbow' under the left arm of her husband's effigy.

The stump of her right arm was slightly elevated, presumably to show off the loss borne of her great sacrifice. For some centuries pilgrims to the church paid homage to the heroic Constantia, but then came disaster in 1840 when lighting struck the church, devastating the building.

Nothing was seen again of Constantia's effigy. A fuss flared about 17 years ago, when a woman - descended from Constantia's brother - visited Cowarne and was horrified to find no trace of the heroine's effigy.

Nowhere to be seen Word reached columnist Peterborough in the Daily Telegraph who wrote:''Their effigies looked lovingly at each other instead of up to Heaven. Now, I am told, time and neglect have separated them. Sir Grimbaldus lies ignominiously on the floor of the church and the lovely Constantia is nowhere to be seen.'' Locals resented any suggestion that they were to blame.

They could hardly be at fault for a fire that happened 140 years earlier and it was even possible that the effigies had been separated in the 16th century. And one leading resident declared:''It is certainly not neglect but time.

Much Cowarne people are very proud to have him in the church. He has always been looked after and always will be.''