Land of Nod

1 September 2000

Land of Nod

Bible readers will recognise the name of this estate at Headley, Hants.

Back in the 15th-16th Century, it was home to a man called Mr Cain, explains its current owner Major Jeremy Whitaker.

But he "misbehaved", was ex-communicated by the vicar and banned from church. So, with tongue firmly in cheek, he gave the place its name – an obvious reference to Genesis Chapter 4, verse 16, which tells of how Cain was rebuked and "settled in the Land of Nod east of Eden" after killing his brother Abel.

"This Mr Cain must have had a sense of humour," says Major Whitaker, whose family came here in 1884.

Nowadays, B&B visitors virtually always ask about the name, he says. "Its a lovely name and a lovely place."