A Mother who with every Grace was Blest, With all the Ornaments of Vertue Drest, With whatso'ere Religion recommends, The best of Wifes, of Mothers, and of Friends, And tho' by Death, her Body's turn'd to Dust, 'Tis fitt we still Commemorate the just.
'Twas here, she did adore the highest Lord, Who to her Soul great Comfort did afford, 'Twas here she did with great Joy and Content, Receive Gods Holy Word and Sacrament, Since then she loved, this Sacred Place so well, 'Tis very meet, that here her Name should Dwell.
On a grave-stone in the church,
Here lyeth buried the Body of Mary Pearson, Wid. Relict of the Rev. Will. Pearson LL. D. late Chancellour of the Diocess of York, whose undissembl'd Goodness made her whilst living beloved, when dead, lamented by all that knew her. She died Apr. 9th. 1736. Æt. 72.
By the bounds of this parish, is Ringmere Pit, which I find Mr. Salmon, in his Roman Stations in Britain, (pag. 9,) takes notice of in these words:
"On the side of this way from Hockham, in East-Wrettam parish, is a remarkable cavity called Ringmere Pit, it is in form of an amphitheatre, to the bigness of six or seven acres, with an uniform descent on every side to the arena. So exact is its figure, even yet, one cannot help believing it was contrived for show. There was not in the latter end of October, a drop of water in it, which the wet summer must have filled, if it ever had been a pond. More of this kind, I have heard of hereabouts but not seen."
I must own, a stranger, who saw it in 1724, or 1725, (as I suppose he did,) when it was entirely dry, might have been of the same opinion with him. But there is nothing uncommon to those that have been acquainted with it; it is a large cavity indeed, generally full of water, and the ground being a sand, the water occasioned that uniform descent; it is supplied with land springs from the adjacent hills, which in the extreme dry year ceased running, and so the water shrank into the sand; it is a very old mere or large water, as the Saxon name which it still bears tells us, Ring-mere being no more than, the round mere or water. I have angled fine perch out of it when I was a schoolboy at Thetford; and am apt to think there are good fish in it now, it being stored, as I am informed, since it was last dry. But this pit is not to compare with that, which lies nearer Croxton; and though it is three times as big, was then also dry; this is called Foulmere Pit; the greater part of its fishery belongs to the estate in Croxton, settled on the school and hospital of Thetford, as I am informed, and that of Ringmere, to the lord of East-Wrotham; there are other large pits on these heaths, (though not so big as either of the former,) that have water in them in winter, but being mostly dried up in summer time, they look very regular to the beholder's eye.
