“Before the last civil wars, in gentlemen’s houses at Christmas, the first diet that was brought to table was a boar’s head with a lemon in his mouth.”
John Aubrey, MS. dated 1678
The Boar’s head is a tradition associated with Christmas particularly in wealthy and high status families and there are a number of such processions recorded, some surviving and others demised. The Boar head was so pivotal to Christmas that it even gained its own carol sung when it was processed.
A bit of a boar
The tradition is associated with a parcel of land which was given to the company in 1343 to clean and dispose of any beast entrails by the then city’s Lord Mayor John Hammond a grocer after complaints were made by the monks at the Greyfriars as they had been discarding their “offal and ordure” into the streets.
Thus on 12th March 1343, the City granted them:
“…a parcel of land in Secollane adjoining the Flete, for the purposes of cleansing the entrails of beasts in the said water”
So they could:
“dispose of the offal in the Flete Ditch.”
To pay for this:
“…for which said butchers to repair and maintain a certain wharf, they and their successors, for ever, rendering yearly to the Mayor of London, at Christmas, a boar’s head.”
The cost to the Butchers according to early accounts stating
“Pd. For a boar to my Lord Mayor £1.4.0d.”
The land apparently has long gone and the practice no longer happens but the fee – a boars head continues to be asked for and delivered to the Lord Mayor apparently every year since although evidence of this is not that forth coming.
Not very boaring!
As I arrived the members of the company were just finishing off their apparent sausage and mash lunch but soon appeared outside resplendent in their furs and hats. As soon as the band arrived they began to organise themselves into a procession. This procession was lead by a bagpipe band with the company being lead by a beadle with his silver staff. In the middle was the boar’s head or rather a rather splendid red papermache head surrounded by plastic fruit carried on a wooden platter by four members of the company. Soon a band had arrived, this time a bagpipe band, the lead this curious procession to the Mansion house to deliver the papermache head to the Lord Mayor…rather pointless but certainly colourful and tuneful!
The procession stopped the traffic and passes a number of London landmarks such as the Museum of London and St Paul’s cathedral on its way. Once it had arrived the Mayor came out to inspect the Boar’s head although apparently a real boars head which is still given to the Mayor and I was informed by one of the company it had already been delivered and eaten…which seemed a bit strange as you would have thought they would have eaten after the procession – albeit a token procession it may be! Overall an extremely colourful event and one which certainly caught the eye and the mobile phones of the public as it went by.
Its very early, before 5 am on a dark, fortunately dry but cold morning. We are in the middle of nowhere it seems but despite the time and location, there are a number of cars appearing and parking with their occupants jumping out. Soon there is a steady concourse of people crossing the rather busy A road much to the confusion of the drivers who speed at some breakneck speed along this highway. 252 days of the year there is no one and to anyone driving along this is a confusing scene. Its no rave they are going to but the oldest continuously held ceremony in Britain. It is the morning of the 11th of November and just as dawn appears those who have made the early morning pilgrimage are here to see the Wroth silver.
A fair sized crowd have assembled in the darkness around a small mound at the edge of a rather unprepossessing field. This has varied over the years from over 300 to 6 during the war years and in Covid it was probably done digitally! Upon the mound is the base of a worn cross base called the Knightlow Cross. Here representatives of 25 villages which made up of the hundred of Knightlow part of the county of Warwickshire assembly with the Mayor and the representative of the Lord of the Manor to give their dues at first light. A ceremony that has continued at least 800 years if not longer dating back some say to Saxon times, although the first written record in 1210 when a collection of 14s 1/2d was made. Why? No one is not sure but it may have provided moneys for the King to travel through the parish as the land was originally owned by the King. In 1629 the rights to the ceremony and its collection were ‘sold’; granted by letters patent by Charles I to Sir Francis Leigh and his heirs for ever for £40. Interestingly, the parishes of Baginton, Bilton, Cestersover, Frankton, Harborough Magna, Newnham Paddox, Rugby, Shuckborough, and Whitnash were included, but the 1687 return lists these under the heading—’Wroth money denied to be paid’ and one wonders whether as it was no longer to the king they decided no longer to pay. Whether they paid a fine is unknown.
At the cross stood the Mayor is their bright red coat and beside them the steward, representative of the Duke of Buccleuch and Queensberry whose estate is in Scotland but who owns the field dressed in the similarly tradition tweed and beige slacks. Everyone fancies east to greet the dawn. The custom starts at first light usually 6.45 but when I attended it was a bit earlier as the Duke’s representative got his mobile out to read the charter of assembly which perhaps is not really in keeping perhaps. It was added that if anyone felt not enough money was added they could add more!
As the names of the parishes were read out various people came forward to throw the money owned into the cross base, saying ‘Wroth Silver’ with an occasional additional cry being any more money from that parish or is there a representative here from that parish? With rumbling and giggles if there was not anyone forthcoming but usually someone was available although sometimes it was the same person! One regular attendee since the 1970s is the noted folklorist Doc Rowe who attended nearly every Wroth silver since and has become a valued part of the custom himself even contributing some monies himself!
As soon as the custom had started it had sort of finished and the Duke’s representative reached down into the cross and grabbed the coins to fill a money bag with wroth silver on it as he counted how much there was. The traditional amount should add up to 46p now at some point it was higher as nine other villages contributed but it looked a bit more than that.
Fortunately, all the villages paid for if they had not a fine would be made. This would be 100 pence for every penny owned or else produce a white bull with red ears and a red nose which may be impossible as it thought to have been tacked up by a previous duke, the second Duke of Montagu in 1729 as he did like a wind up. No-one has paid it that I am aware but maybe that’s why these other parishes also no longer attend.
Soon we got back into the car for the next part of the ceremony which is the traditional breakfast with toasts and speeches. The warmth of the opening fire, hot tea and great hospitality was much welcome although it was noted how we had been blessed with the weather. Here the Duke and monarch are toasted with hot milk and rum and I noticed they were already on the table and there long churchwarden pipes adorned with Wroth silver on them. Sadly I did not attend for the full event as I had to attend the Lord Mayor’s show but I was lucky enough to be given a pipe by my host for the day fellow folklorist Steve Badon who despite living in Rugby had never attended.
This post is dedicated to Steve Bladon who sadly passed away a few months after
Waltham Abbey despite being absorbed into the London metropolitan leviathan still retains its village feel in parts. Its a place that is suggestive of somewhere which has also retained some custom or tradition but also no. So the development of a custom focused on Waltham Abbey most famed resident is much welcomed. The organisation website recalls its foundation
“Elaine Fletcher and Tricia Gurnett, who both used to work in the area, decided they would like to do something to promote the rich history of this ancient town. They soon found that Isabelle Perrichon, owner of the historic tearooms in the town and a French national, had the same idea, and had spoken to the Rector at the Abbey Church, who had asked Dave and Sheila Giles to represent the Church on the group. The sixth person who joined was Garth Gregory, a local amateur dramatics enthusiast. This little group put together the first event…
It was decided that King Harold Day would be on the nearest Saturday to 14 October each year, (the anniversary of Harold’s death), and the Abbey Church authorities and the Lee Valley Regional Park kindly allow the use of the Church, the Churchyard and the Abbey Gardens, which together provide a magnificent site for the festival. “
And so was established the first King Harold Day in 2004. That first year attracted 3000 people and in 2010 it won Best Event in the Essex Tourism Awards.
Now King Harold Day has become an established part of Waltham Abbey’s year.
Hasting to get there.
I arrived in good time to see a small group of costumed performers started to assemble at the towns museum to process to the churchyard when the last Saxon King of England’s grave is to be found. Watching various medieval folk wander through the busy Saturday market crowd headed by a horn blower, musicians and the rector was quite surreal and certainly turned a few heads although it was pretty evident that the locals knew why was going on.
Watch out for with that spear!
We soon arrived at the grave side where the Saxon soldiers raised their spears as we solemnly paid tribute to this long lost monarch. At the grave a pa system was ready for this al fresco service but clearly it was having some tething problems and was soon abandoned.
The commemoration started with a recital in Old English by a member of the English Companions fortunately given a modern translation. Some interesting details about Harold given by the Chairman of Waltham Abbey Historical Society. And the finally the Rev’d Tim Yeager asked us to remember Harold Godwinson as the Mayor of Waltham and others laid floral tributes until the whole grave was covered with floral tributes. It was a poignant moment.
Afterwards we we treated to the local Morris team dancing in the path by the church which might seem a little out of place but as I have mentioned before Morris is a bit of a standard for any newly developed custom
Overall, King Harold’ day is a welcome addition to the custom calendar
Canada Day may be a new custom relatively in London, transcribed from the country, but on the south coast in Folkestone, Canada Day has been celebrated since 1917 in a colourful and poignant unique custom at the Shorncliffe Cemetery below the old barracks. The cemetery at Shorncliffe could rank as one of the most picturesque overlooking the bay at Hythe, here 305 Canadians lay far from the native soil.
The custom was established by Edward Palmer, the founder-editor of the Hythe Reporter newspaper, the son of the first headmaster of Hythe’s National School. He thought up the idea in 1916. Canadians at the time were a common sight in the town, being stationed during the First World War and many injured soldiers returned to the camp above the town. At the time the Canadians already held there Canada Day celebration, then called Dominion Day, with a parade consisting of massed marching bands through union jack and maple lead flagged streets. The event culminated in a military tattoo in Radnor Park. Thus it is worth noting that Canada Day celebrations existed for more than over a 100 years from Edward Palmer’s involvement. Of course, many Canadian soldiers did not recover from the injuries of war and were buried in the Shorncliffe cemetery.
Edward Palmer wrote in the Hythe reporter that he was concerned that the soldier’s families being many thousands of miles away prevented that visiting and attending to the grave and he suggested that a that a day should be established when flowers should be placed on each grave. Stating that ‘who is more fitted to this than the children who wave flags and salute the flag on Empire Day?’
Thus Palmer organise the first event in 1917. In the early evening of the 13th July, 1500 school children assembled at the cemetery joined by the Band of the Canadian Artillery playing the ‘The Maple Leaf’ and the National Anthem. There was no religious service but brief speeches given by two serving Canadian officers as well as the Folkestone Mayor Stephen Penfold and the Vicar of Hythe, Reverend H Dale as well as other Canadian soldiers. After which, the children then solemnly and quietly walked among the graves and left their bouquets and posies on each grave. An account is recorded in Folkestone, Hythe, Sandgate and Cheriton Herald June 1917.
“Children Honour Canadians Graves – Tribute to Maple leaf heroes – Pretty Ceremony at Shorncliffe
A very pretty and pleasing ceremony, which it is hoped will be an annual event, was witnessed at the Moore Barracks Cemetery on Wednesday afternoon, when some 1500 school children from Folkestone, Hythe, Sandgate and Cheriton gathered to do honour to the Canadian soldiers buried there by placing flowers on all he graves. Every juvenile carried a bunch of flowers, manuy of them being of large size and beautifully arranged and the scene was a remarkably pretty one. The Children were arranged in a square, each school being under the care of its own teachers, while in the centre were the speakers, and the band of the Canadian Cavalry Brigade, under Lieutenant Dickinson.”
Palmer continued to organise until his death in 1927, thus ensuring it was well established by the start of the Second World War which as often put a momentary pause to the proceedings but was fortunately reinstated in 1952. It has continued since, even in 2020 a service was held albeit without children, a small number of children attending in 2021 for a socially distanced one.
Over time the custom has changed its name from Flower day to a more obvious Canada Day, but appears to be little known despite its age. The children still attend some walking from their primary schools, others being bused in. They continue to process down the slope. Some holding their flowers which range from large bouquets to small posies. Some holding flags. Much of the ceremony remains as Palmer established, there is still music from an assembled brass band, speeches from the Mayor and Canadian officers, the later recording the significance of the day. Now there is a religious aspect to the ceremony, which adds the necessary solemnity to the event. Many current and old soldiers pay their respects by laying wreaths and attending, often the most elderly watching over from the hillside above. At the end of the ceremony, the children who has sat very patiently and attentively during the 40 minutes or so of the service, knew it was their time. They dutifully stood, and then at the allotted time knelt placing their flowers and then their small wooden cross upon the grave in front, nodding their heads with respect. Their duty undertaken the children were row by row, one by one, dismissed and processed back.
Over time the number of children have dropped and today there is little over a third attending meaning sadly not all graves get flowers, perhaps two graves could be attended by one child if numbers drop to lower numbers. Furthermore, perhaps the custom requires a new name, as the ceremony has now acknowledged the role of the Gurkhas, a number of whom are buried within the cemetery and even today a small population lives in the town. The military band was a Gurkha band in fact.
These points notwithstanding, Folkestone’s celebration of Canada’s contribution continues to be a poignant and picturesque tradition
As a county Suffolk could be said to lack a wide range of surviving calendar traditions. As a consequence the Clopton Rose ceremony is a delightful revival in the picture perfect village of Long Melford.
The rose ceremony is of course a quit rent and such rose quit rents were relatively common in the mid-medieval period and were due to when they were in flower; given in June often at Midsummer. Indeed in 2003 all three existing rose rents; Knollys, Leicester and this one were in the same week with Leicester and Clopton the same weekend.
A rose by any other name
Local records record that in 1436 William Clopton then the Lord of Toppesfield Manor, granted the town of Hadleigh the guildhall and market land, for the rent of one mark a year. This as at some point and unexplained reason was commuted to a red rose. The Cloptons later moved to the larger and more impressive Kentwell and subsequently were no longer interested in the Hadleigh Toppesfield property selling it in 1470 to the Bendysshe family. This family was related to the Clopton’s by marriage and continued to receive the rose rent as presumably did all owners of the property as they had the same manorial rights.
Ironically then, it would seem that although the Cloptons theoretically parted company over 553 with the property and thus the rent; their name would be remembered. I do suppose they did introduce it and it was their generosity that is being thanked.
Such rose rents signified fidelity, as indeed we give roses today for that reason. As the medieval tradition of serfdom was being dismantled, the landlords required something that suggested the same sort of loyalty and the thus to the rose rent was established. Accepting a rose as a token payment was an acknowledgement of the tenant’s fidelity to his manorial lord.
A rose again.
Customs and traditions can sometimes surprise you. Often completely dead customs get revived. Even 100s of years after. It is unknown when the last rose rent was played to the Cloptons such rents were formally removed in an 1922 parliamentary act anyhow. However, the Clopton family has a large social organization with many based in the USA and as such a Jean Clopton came across the existence of the rent which had not been paid for many years. Those surprisingly in 1984 with the agreement of the mayorial office of Hadleigh and Long Melford church where the William Clopton memorial is, to revive the giving of the rose and those develop a revised custom around it. Fortunately, she did not ask for the unpaid roses to be given -otherwise the whole church would have been swamped with roses. Indeed in an article in the East Anglian Daily Times by Gemma Jarvis, ‘Famous church upholds historic tradition with red rose ceremony’, the Reverend Matthew Lawson notes:
“Originally Clopton had planned to charge two percent interest on the debt, in which case the village would have owed 1,303,365 roses. But Clopton says ‘for the sake of good international relations, the family will probably decide to cancel the debt, providing that the village pay us another rose for the next 500 years of rental.”
This first giving may have been more informal in an article in the Hadleigh Society Newsletter, June and July 1990 editor notes under the article “ONE RED ROSE” – An explanation by ‘W.A.B. Jones, that:
“The family have, of course, recently visited Hadleigh from the U.S.A. and were duly presented with one red rose, by the deputy Mayor.”
A bed of roses
When I arrived, a small crowd assembled on the green outside to see some re-enactors firing an old cannon. It was a lively start to the day; but unconnected to the actual Clopton rose ceremony.
The ceremony itself is part of the Sunday eucharist and thus had scant mention of the ceremony until the sermon. In 2023, the sermon supported by powerpoint explained the importance of the rose and mentions in the bible. He speaker stated that the only mention of roses in the bible was ‘rose of Sharon’; I did not have the heart to say to him afterwards that that was a hibiscus. Thus, there were no roses mentioned in the bible.
After the sermon the chair of Long Melford councillors Liz Malvisi and the Mayor of Hadleigh, Counsellor Gordon McLeod, supported by the members of the ministry team carrying staves processed into the chapel where William Clopton’s beautiful white marble tomb was found. The Mayor carried a fresh red rose, the older red rose having been removed previously, and those with a quiet hush, the newer one was placed atop William’s hands held in prayer. The Mayor then bowing his head in respect processed back to the main body of the church.
A simple but moving ceremony which reinforces the importance of the Clopton family to the village. The Reverend Matthew Lawson continued in the article that:
“This usually brings up to 80 members of the Clopton family to Long Melford, however it was a privilege to represent them at the Clopton rose ceremony.
I felt it was important to continue this tradition that has its roots as far back as 1436 in the village and with social distancing measures in place we managed to achieve this.
The Clopton rose ceremony maintains links between the people of Hadleigh and Long Melford. And with oursleves and the Clopton family of America whose ancestors helped to build the church. The ceremony also reminds us that acts of generosity can bear good fruit over many centuries.”
In 2023 the congregation was asked if there were any members of the Clopton family present; sadly there was not although since the Covid pandemic the service is livestreamed and so this has meant that many overseas family members could watch via Facebook.
As said simple service but one which underlines the importance of service and public sacrifice, a theme discussed by the mayor.
The Bodmin wassail is one of the few surviving house visiting wassails and has been on my to do list for some time. I did plan to attend in 2020, but as we all know Covid struck and despite plans to revive in 2021 and 2022 they were not full bodied revivals I believe and indeed one of these years it was cancelled last minute. 2023 was the year then to attend! So I organised myself to get down to Bodmin the day before so I could attend.
Always held on the 6th or 5th if the 6th is a Sunday, the custom dates at least back to the will of one Nicholas Sprey, a three-time mayor of Bodmin who died in 1624. He bequeathed the sum of 13s 4d for an “annual wassail cup” aiming “the continuance of love and neighbourly meetings” and to “remember all others to carry a more charitable conscience”. It is possible that Sprey, a Town Clerk and once MP for Bodmin may have established the custom for he directed that the wassail cup should be taken to the mayor’s house each year on the 12th day of Christmas, raising funds as it passed through the town. This stipend was withdrawn in 1838 the stipend but as we know the custom continued which suggests it doubtlessly had an earlier origin.
I arrived at the old town hall, now a museum to see the wassailers assembling on the steps. They are without exception the best dressed of any wassails, being dressed as they describe on their website as:
“top hat and tails, smart outfits comprised of “gentlemen’s hand-me-downs” – clothes acquired from the local gentry and passed down from one wassailer to another over the decades.”
Assembled on the steps in their black morning suits and notable top hats, they certainly look like a scene from another era and as they processed around the town certainly looked even more distinctive. The group chatted to the curious onlooker as they assembled and it was interesting to hear how long some members had been in the group; and heartening to see their was a relative new recruit in their ranks.
The day begun at the offices of Bodmin Town Council and soon in a curious crocodile they made their way where they were greeted by the mayor and local councillors. Here the wassail cup was removed from the case and dutifully filled with wine for the first wassail with the Mayor. The wassail bowl is an important part of the custom; the cup usually being made of wood and decorated with holly, laurel and later tinsel. In Bodmin, however, it was always made of pottery. The original bowl of course has long gone, it was made of pottery. Apparently, according to a Mr. Tom Green Snr, a wassailer for around 70 years finishing late 1980s, it disappeared following the outbreak of the Second World War. At that time it disappeared having last being seen on display on top of a plant pot in a shop in Honey Street in Bodmin. Thus the wassailers continued without a drinking vessel.
In 2008 a former mayor John Chapman donated a specially commissioned bowl, made by Lostwithiel potter John Webb. When not on wassail service it is displayed throughout the year in the Tourist Information Centre in Bodmin’s Shire Hall. Of this Vic Legg, who has been part of the wassailing tradition for 33 years said:
“John has been a keen supporter of the tradition, as was his father and grandfather, and we are extremely grateful to him for this generous gift…We’ve carried on without a bowl since before the war, visiting houses, pubs and residential homes, but now we can fill it up with beer or cider and offer people a drink, the original intention when Nicholas Sprey bought the first wassailing cup all those years ago. Having the new bowl makes a tremendous difference as we can use it as the focal point of the wassail.”
The receptible for collection had become closer to the tradition method too, when 2014, a new leather purse was donated replacing the plastic ice cream tub. Apparently, it inspired by the lyrics from one wassail song:
“We’ve got a little purse made of stretching leather skin. We want a little of your money, to bind it well within.”
They started as traditional with one of three of their traditional wassail songs:
“Chorus
For singing Wassail, Wassail, Wassail,
And Johnney come to our jolly Wassail.
We wish you a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year,
Pockets of money and a cellar of beer.
Chorus
If Master and Mistress be sitting at ease,
Put your hands in your pockets and give what you please.
Chorus
If Master and Mistress are both wide awake,
Please go to the cupboard and bring us some cake.
Chorus
Here comes a ship out in full sail,
Ploughs the wide ocean in many a gale.
Chorus
If you’ve got an apple I hope you’ve got 10,
To make some sweet cider ‘gainst we comes again.
Chorus
Come knock on the knocker and ring on the bell,
I hope you’ll reward us for singing Wassail.
Chorus”
The songs are the most important element of the wassail. Bodmin’s tradition has three, which is unique amongst wassail traditions – they usually have just one. Their website states:
“The first is sung on arrival before we enter the house or premises. The second was passed on to us by Mr Charlie Wilson, and is often sung during the eating, drinking, storytelling, fundraising and singing that goes on at each stop. The third is sung as we leave, thanking our hosts for their hospitality: “So now we must be gone to seek for more good cheer, where bounty will be shown, as we have found it here, in our Wassail.”
Of this first song the website notes:
“The verses are not always sung in this order, or indeed all of them sung at each stop. It is possible that in the chorus the word Johnney was originally ‘joy’, as in most wassails, but this is how Bodmin Wassail inherited the song.”
The old song is sung as they leave:
“Chorus Wassail, Wassail, Wassail, Wassail, I am joy, come to our jolly Wassail.
This is our merry night, For choosing King and Queen, Then be it your delight, That something may be seen, In our Wassail.
Chorus
Is there any butler here? Or dweller in this house, I hope he’ll take a full carouse, And enter to our bowl, In our Wassail.
Chorus
We fellows are all poor, Can’t buy no house nor land, Unless we do gain, In our Wassail.
Chorus
Our Wassail bowl to fill, With apples and good spice, Then grant us your good will, To taste here, once or twice, Of our Wassail.
Chorus
So now we must be gone, To seek for more good cheer, Where bounty will be shown, As we have found it here, In our Wassail
Chorus”
As the website states:
“The old song is sung as they leave, sometimes in its entirety, and sometimes just the last verse and chorus. It has been around and sung, in either complete or truncated form, since at least the late 19th century, according to the late Wassailer Tom Green, Snr. A printed copy of the song was carried around on Wassail night. This copy was believed to have been lost until it came into the possession of Vic Legg in the mid 1970s via his colleague Vic Barratt. His father, Vic Barratt, Snr, had been a Wassailer for a short period in the 1940s and passed it down to his son.”
After around an hour here, taking advantage of the fine spread of food, the wassailers disappeared into a taxi to start a rather gruelling especially in the rather dreadful weather tour of at first residential homes, then local businesses and finally public houses of the town. At each place they would announce themselves with a wassail song.
The weather continued to be grim when we caught they entering a pub along Bodmin high street, despite singing and no doubt indulging in hospitality the entire morning there was no sign of fatigue as they song heartly and were received rapturously by those in the pub. After chatting and laughing with regulars there was a nod around the wassailers who then broke into their out song, grabbed hats and umbrellas and went their way to the next pub. And so, it went on through the town. Their repertoire varied little except for some poetry and discussion of the history of the songs to the local folk group who were keen to hear. I left them at their last pub, less packed and with a slightly more bemused assemblage, before the entered the dark gloom to finish some private sings and then rest for another year!
Bodmin’s wassail tradition is one indeed to be proud of. There are other wassails in Cornwall and beyond but these tend to be revivals. This is the oldest recorded and continually attended custom, even the pandemic did not prevent some wassailing, that being a socially distanced one of the Mayor….and no one mentioned it was probably bending the rules then,…but in a way that underlines the love Bodmin has for the wassail.
“October Plenty is such a special way to celebrate the Autumn Harvest and show off the beautiful colours of the season’s fruit & veg piled high on our traders’ stalls. We are really looking forward to welcoming the event back to the Market this year and sharing festivities, stories and dancing for a lovely family event. The Corn Queene and Berry Man are always particular favourites of ours and we are excited to host visitors as well as the many different characters in the procession!”
Kate Howell, Director of Communications and Engagement at Borough Market
The autumn period is packed with curious customs and celebrations associated with the changing seasons; from harvest festivals to Hallowe’en, from Diwali to Bonfire Night. In recent years, a celebration of that quintessential season fruit; the apple has attracted its day. Attempting to join many ideas together in one place; as a sort of smorgasbord of autumn, is the Lion’s Part’s October Plenty, which is undertaken in London’s Southwark. Indeed, as the organiser’s website records:
“Over 20 years ago, fired with enthusiasm for amazing autumn festivies that people celebrated world wide and influenced by the organisation Common Ground, whose creation of Apple Day has inspired so many, I gathered with local friends and members of the Lions part and we launched October Plenty. At the heart of it was the iconic Corn Queene. Since then, in collaboration with Roots and Shoots, Lambeth, through David Perkins and Sarah Wilson, she has become an annual wonder.”
A bit corny!
The most remarkable feature is the Corn Queene whose appearance at the front of the Globe marks the beginning and is central to the procession. The website for the event records how this Corn Queene has been made since 2004 and that:
“she has emerged each year at Roots and Shoots in Lambeth and, like another mythical old bird, she takes form, rises, briefly reigns, before dissipating in a great shout…..Her demeanour can seem bemused, condescending, even dismissive, of the antics of much smaller humans.”
What is interesting about this Corn Queene is that although clearly a modern invention it has the feel of something more ancient and authenticate. She plays a central role in the October Plenty festival and her annual reincarnation is a central point and theme to this custom. Each year although she follows a similar design, she is also different; she metamorphosizes and since 2003 she parades on an old market barrow. She is described as:
“The Queene’s facial features are very colourful, often with an interesting complexion and skin texture. Her nose generally resembles a small gourd (regrettably warty at times) and she almost always has decidedly hot lips. Lashes can be long, perhaps enhanced with extensions (wire, right). Beauty spots have appeared now and then and she has favoured ear decorations on a number of occasions (small gourds or radish, maybe).”
Originally it was made by the actors on the day then as the event became more successful and merged with the markets own Apple Day since 2012 it had allowed the Queene to take place under cover in a then newly refurbished area of the Market; taking around 3 or 4 days to build her.
The procession has also changed and since 2019, the Queene now emerges from Lambeth, passes the Tibetan Peace Garden/Imperial War Museum via Lambeth Walk.
On my visit this Corn Queene was indeed a very odd, comical but still rather eerie ‘creature’ looming over the crowd that had assembled for the start of the procession. Joining her was the equally odd Berry Man..now we had seen him before at the beginning of the year as the Green man of course and this autumnal version adorned with shades of brown and orange and suitably seasonal fruits and berries was perhaps even more impressive. It certainly turned a few heads as he, the Corn Queene and the Mayor headed a procession of players down the streets on the southbank and into the market.
Here one could sample that wonderful autumnal produce, and the assembled crowd certainly took advantage of that opportunity as the market was bustling. Soon as a large enough audience had developed the actors presented them with Tudor dancing and a Georgian play which was the correct mix of bawdy and bizarre. Once the play had been presented the procession reformed and made its way to the George Inn, a delightful galleried inn which has survived considerable progress around. Here there was conker competitions, apple bobbing, a wishing tree….and that traditional staple of a countryside custom – Morris dancers.
October Plenty is certainly a fun and colourful custom; completely made up with a feel of authenticity, a modern take on the Harvest home perhaps, and one might add playing a vital role in our modern life. Especially in the city. For in our modern city lives it’s important to understand the countryside and how we are very dependent on it. October Plenty provides a historical nod to how this was done in the past in a very modern spin. When seasonality often lost in the 21st century, when everything is available irrespective of the time of year, October plenty allows the city folk to reconnect in a fun way, with the season and the wonderful colours and bounty that autumn provides.
“EDWARD VI, by the grace of God King of England, France, and Ireland, defender of the faith and of the Church of England and also of Ireland in earth the supreme head, to all our most loving, faithful, and obedient subjects, and to every of them, greeting.
Where it hath pleased Almighty God, on Friday last past in the morning to call unto his infinite mercy the most excellent high and mighty prince, King Henry VIII of most noble and famous memory, our most dear and entirely beloved father, whose soul God pardon; forasmuch as we, being his only son and undoubted heir, be now invested and established in the crown imperial of this realm, and other his realms, dominions, and countries, with all regalities, pre-eminences, styles, names, titles, and dignities to the same belonging or in any wise appertaining:
We do by these presents signify unto all our said most loving, faithful, and obedient subjects that like as we for our part shall, by God’s grace, show ourself a most gracious and benign sovereign lord to all our good subjects in all their just and lawful suits and causes, so we mistrust not but they and every of them will again, for their parts, at all times and in all cases, show themselves unto us, their natural liege lord, most faithful, loving, and obedient subjects, according to their bounden duties and allegiances, whereby they shall please God and do the thing that shall tend to their own preservations and sureties; willing and commanding all men of all estates, degrees, and conditions to see our peace kept and to be obedient to our laws, as they tender our favor and will answer for the contrary at their extreme peril.”
Thus reads the oldest surviving Proclamation of the King that of Edward IV and whilst early Proclamations were made by the monarch over time a accession council set the date and made the announcements. However, nowadays news spreads very quickly. Within seconds of an official or even unofficial announcement the world knows so when Charles ascended to the British Throne one might expect a Twitter tweet or a Facebook feed to do the job but of course this might well have happened on top of a more of the most traditional custom of the proclamation. Indeed at the Proclamation I attended the Lord Mayor stated:
“In an age where modern methods of communication convey news around the globe in an instant, the proclamation is no longer the means by which people learn for the first time that they have a new Monarch. Today, however, is one of the first occasions when communities have an opportunity to come together and reflect on the moment in our nation’s history when the reign of our longest-serving Monarch came to an end and our new Sovereign succeeded.”
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What is interesting is that the proclamation works as a cascade mechanism. The first official or principal public proclamation being that at St James’s Palace. This being read by the Garter King of Arms from the balcony overlooking Friary court. This then is repeated by the City of London at the Royal Exchange. This then progressed to the separate countries of Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland and then it dissolved to the counties, then the cities and then the boroughs…I was half expecting at some point a person dressed in ceremonial robes shouting the proclamation through my letterbox at one point!
The High Sheriff of Nottinghamshire, Paul Southby gave the proclamation on the banks of the Trent at 1pm however I failed to attend this feeling the Nottingham city proclamation sat outside the impressive town hall. Thus, I attended the City of Nottingham’s proclamation. By the time I had reached there a large number of people had attended, many previously laying the flowers in memory of Her Majesty the Queen. The flag was at half mast and a large number of dignitaries were arriving, many of whom had driven over from the earlier proclamation at the county offices. Despite there being a fair sized crowd I still managed to get right in front, they must have believed me to an official photographer.
Soon the town crier appeared and rang the bell to start the proceedings and out processed the Lord Mayor of Nottingham, Cllr Wendy Smith, Sir John Peace, the Lord Lieutenant of Nottinghamshire; the High Sheriff of Nottinghamshire, Paul Southby; City Council Leader, Cllr David Mellen; Sheriff of Nottingham, Cllr Nicola Heaton and other special dignitaries. The Lord Mayor naturally referred to the recent events stating that:
“Our sadness at this time is shared by people across the globe, as we remember with affection and gratitude the lifetime of service given by Queen Elizabeth II, our longest-reigning Monarch.”
She continued to explain that:
“The basis on which our monarchy is built has ensured that through the centuries the Crown has passed in an unbroken line of succession. Today’s ceremony marks the formal Proclamation to the people of Nottingham of the beginning of our new King’s reign. The proclamation of the new Sovereign is a very old tradition which can be traced back over many centuries. The ceremony does not create a new King. It is simply an announcement of the accession which took place immediately on the death of the reigning monarch.”
The amassed stood on a special platform to witness the Proclamation facing stoically into the crowd as the Proclamation was read:
“Whereas it has pleased Almighty God to call to His Mercy our late Sovereign Lady Queen Elizabeth the Second of Blessed and Glorious Memory, by whose Decease the Crown of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is solely and rightfully come to The Prince Charles Philip Arthur George: We, therefore, the Lords Spiritual and Temporal of this Realm and Members of the House of Commons, together with other members of Her late Majesty’s Privy Council and representatives of the Realms and Territories, Aldermen and Citizens of London, and others, do now hereby with one voice and Consent of Tongue and Heart publish and proclaim that The Prince Charles Philip Arthur George is now, by the Death of our late Sovereign of Happy Memory, become our only lawful and rightful Liege Lord Charles the Third, by the Grace of God of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and of His other Realms and Territories, King, Head of the Commonwealth, Defender of the Faith, to whom we do acknowledge all Faith and Obedience with humble Affection; beseeching God by whom Kings and Queens do reign to bless His Majesty with long and happy Years to reign over us.
Given at St. James’s Palace this tenth day of September in the year of Our Lord two thousand.”
The flag being raised for the Proclamation temporarily but also a curious custom where the mace bearer turned the ceremonial mace over; a tradition undertaken in cities which had been visited by the monarch as a sign of respect. There was a curious moment where the tape recording used to play the National Anthem did not appear to work. To be honest with a city as notable as Nottingham I would have thought that they might have managed some live music. Come what may though the Lord Mayor used their initiative and got the crowd to join in three rounds of ‘God Save the King’. Then finally the tape worked, and the crowd sung ‘God save the King’ many I am sure for the first time.
The Proclamation over I left the City to experience it all over again at Gedling Borough council. Here the Mayor and Mayoress were joined by the councillors, the current MP Tom Randall and the previous MP, now Baron, Vernon Coaker. The reading was of course exactly the same but less people were assembled and after the singing of God Save the King, for the second time that day…for me…the party processed down to a small monument in the grounds of the park which had become a temporary memorial for the Queen. The custom of course is a rare one but naturally also a very historic one and who knows when we shall hear it again.
“At Corby near Rockingham, every twentieth year, the inhabitants assemble at an early hour, and stop up all roads and bye-ways in the parish, and demand a certain toll of every person, gentle or simple, who may have occasion to pass through the village on that day. In case of non-compliance a stout pole is produced, and the nonconformist is placed thereon, in a riding attitude, carried through the village, and taken to the parish stocks and imprisoned until the authorities choose to grant a dismissal. It appears that Queen Elizabeth granted to the inhabitants of Corby a charter to free them from town toll throughout England, Wales, and Scotland; and also to exempt them from serving on juries at Northampton, and to free the knights of the shire from the militia law. This custom of taking toll has been observed every twenty years in commemoration of the granting of the charter.—N. & Q. 3rd S. vol. i. p. 424.”
And much as the notes and queries records this is what greats the visitor today on Corby’s most important day.
Be fair
My first and at that time only experience of the Corby Pole fair was unsurprisingly 20 years previous in 2002. I had found out about it from Charles Kighty’s The Customs and Ceremonies of Britain which at the time was one of my sole sources for calendar customs and was curious to see this rare event. However, I must admit it did not impress; true there were the gates and the stocks, but no riding the stang, more of in a moment. It was to all intents and purposes it was just a big funfair sandwiched into a suburb. The sky was grey and the town busy. I did not find it an interesting experience. Thus 20 years later I was slightly wary of what I would experience. To be fair to the fair, I did not experience the traditional proclamation – which the book did not mention, and it was this I was particularly interested in experiencing!
Staying overnight within the village is to be recommended because then you can appreciate the rather surreal nature of being enclosed with a fair village. One of the traditions of the custom is the setting up of the barriers, the tolls, which are then covered with flowers. For 2022 these were set up in three places and decorated with foliage and children’s artwork. Being within the boundary of course also meant no toll!
Fairly early
Fairs like their proclamations and they are always colourful but I would say that Corby’s proclamation is one of the most interesting starting as it does at dawn with the chiming of the bells of St John the Baptist Church in Corby Old Village to gather all the village folk to hear it. I could not hear the bells but fortunately my alarm had got me up early enough and I made my way to the church following the then obvious chimes. There a fair sized congregation had assembled; many of which were press. At the foot of the church steps were three wooden sedan chairs as part of the tradition is the chairing of the proclamation party between the sites. This party consists of the vicar, the Mayor and the oldest resident of the village. Soon the bells stopped and a small choir appeared and started to sing; their sound magically swirling around in the air as the vicar read out the proclamation. Then Rev Paul Frost was given the honour of reading the Charter granted to the village in 1585 by Queen Elizabeth I. After it was read for the first time in public for 20 years of course; the three walked down and settled themselves into their chairs ready to be carried. There was a considerable amount of laughter and nervousness from all involved, as well as considerable press interest, as the volunteers grabbed each corner of the chairs and one by one, they lifted their charges up – first the oldest resident, an overjoyed June Thompson, then the vicar and lastly the mayor, Tafadwa Chikoto.
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The crowd parted and off they paraded down the street to the next proclamation point – a local pub, the White Hart, located at another entrance. Here standing on a wall the proclamation was again read and the party moved back to their chairs…noticing the lack of volunteers I opted to help. Well, it would be another 20 year until I have the next chance and I do not honestly think I’d be able to carry the vicar. Plus I noticed it was downhill from here and surprisingly it was quite easy…and I hoped that it put a good word in for me ‘upstairs’. At the final pub, the Jamb, it had been moved to accommodate the radio show, the chairs were lowered for a final time and the proclamation read for the final time. Then it was time for another Pole fair tradition, missed last time also – the free breakfast! Rather surreally attended by Vikings, knights and ordinary people…
Pole axed!
T. F. Thistleton-Dwyer’s 1875 British Popular customs present and past notes that:
“Why it is held every 20 years has never been discovered, nor why it is called a pole fair. But one theory suggests that when the Danes settled in the area, naming Corby village ‘The BY of Kori’, they brought many customs and punishments with them.
One such punishment, which lends itself to the theory, was ‘riding the stang’.
This involved men who had committed minor offences being carried astride an ash pole or stang. Insults and missiles where then thrown at the punished as they were carried through the town or village.”
Further ‘The Rutland Appendix to Almanacks for 1826’ states
“They went on to describe the demands for tolls from every person who passed through Corby that day with non-payers being made to ride through the town to jeers and shouts from the locals as penance, followed by a period of time spent in the stocks.”
This was one of the aspects I had missed in 2002 and despite seeing the stocks there was no-one in them and at the point of entry I was half minded not to pay so that that I would have to be carried ‘riding the stang’…but I don’t think that was the done thing or not! Photos of the custom show up – including in 1982!
Twenty years on and there were new stocks at Stock’s Lane and plenty of people queuing up to be put inside them for their amusing photo. But would there be a stang? Then by chance I was standing by the stocks when three people arrived two carrying a pole between their shoulders…and then as modern electro soundtrack blasted out the entered into a fluid dance, weaving in and out of each other and the pole in an interpretative dance the aim to avoid the stang! Then after much toing and froing one of them was captured onto the stang and was raised into the air and carried to the stocks. It was certainly a very interesting way of keeping the tradition alive and one which was certainly an improvement from 2002 (I could not be sure that they did this then to be honest)
There was also the traditional procession with large figures of important Corby people, including Queen Elizabeth of course and a colourful interjection of Romanian folk dancers – who indeed added a delightfully unique experience at one of the stages. Later in the afternoon was the pageant, and after a technical issue, was a splendid re-telling of the Elizabeth charter giving in wonderful custom.
There were other traditions associated with the custom which continued – the ox roast and the greasy pole – however, unlike 2002, the dreaded health and safety had prevented anyone attempting it and it was replaced by a photo opportunity…shame but also I thought I was glad that the healthy and safety brigade had not stopped the sedan chair carrying.
Fairly old?
The agreed account is that Elizabeth gave the fair but needless to say that no such charter can be found, but Charles II did confirm the fair in 1682, Furthermore, there is evidence of fairs in 1226. Henry III granted the right to hold two annual fairs and markets. Of the Pole fair first documented account is written in Latin which is said to be the charter authorising the event, which states the last time it was celebrated was the 11th of June 1821. Furthermore, The Mercury Herald of November 6, 1936 has an article recalling the memories of a Miss Collier recalls attending five Pole Fairs, the earliest being 1842, 21 years later!1862 appears to be the possible date when after which the 20 years was introduced…but why is unclear! Perhaps it was a cost thing? However, the pole fair is a real boost to the local economy and a joyful experience and as by Laura Malpas in an article for Northamptonshire surprise notes:
“The last five Pole Fairs have come at a time when the people of Corby most needed to be cheered and to celebrate life. In 1922, the effects of the Great War were still evident as the village had lost forty-one men, and the fragility of the peace in Europe was still a concern. In 1942, the country was still in the grip of the Second World War and so the Pole fair was delayed until 1947, when the celebration was sweet indeed. 1962 saw the growth of the new town and an increased population as Corby was strong economically, but the following fair in 1982 was very different. Corby had suffered dreadfully from hardship following the decision by British Steel to close the steelworks and let the blast furnaces go out. However, there was still steel inside the hearts of the people of Corby to survive and thrive. The 1982 Pole Fair was a much-needed boost to the locals, and in 2002, the most recent fair held was a great celebration by the newly revitalised town which even today is still experiencing spectacular growth.”
And one could add 2022 with the cost of living crisis and Ukraine conflict. With the fantastic Viking camp, jousting knights, Morris dancers and all the fun of the fair…2022 was one of those rare things for me; much much better than last time! See you in 2042!
This year being a jubilee year the celebration of Queen has been everywhere, from shop windows to suburban streets, the country has been on full on royal revels and rejoicing. However, one town has been celebrating the Queen annually for much longer. This is Southwell. Southwell is a very picturesque small town which as I have said before should have more traditions especially considering the delightful ancient minster.
The Queen’s birthday surprisingly is not celebrated much in the United Kingdom, bar a gun salute and Trooping the Colour. However, in much of the Commonwealth it is annually celebrated and is indeed a national holiday in such places. Not so here, so Southwell’s tradition is on the Sunday closest to the Queen’s official birthday in June.
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It’s my birthday and I’ll have two if I want to!
Indeed although Elizabeth II’s real birthday is in April, the tradition of celebrating a set date irrespective of who the king or queen is, is older. This set monarch’s birthday has been celebrated in the United Kingdom since the reign of King George II in 1748 being subsequently determined by at first the British Empire and then the Commonwealth of Nations and the date set by each country depends on that country although to make use of supposed good weather in the northern hemisphere June is set.
Originally Queen Elizabeth II’s was the same as her father the second Thursday but was changed in 1959, and since then her Official Birthday has since then been celebrated on the second Saturday of June. Southwell undertake it usually the day after.
Queening up for the day
The service starts with a procession of the dignitaries attending this civic event and in the bright June sunshine it is an eye catching spectacle. Just a way down from the entrance of the Minster, mace bearer lead the Queen’s representative in the county, the Lord-Lieutenant, the High Sheriff of Nottinghamshire, officers of the local army and judges in their ceremonial robes. They processed through the Minster archway and were created by the dean and church officials for the final procession into the church for the service.
How long the service has been undertaken I have been unable to fully discover but one of the local attendees suggested since the silver jubilee, another said the 80s, however the earliest newspaper account I can locate is from 1994 but it is clear that it was already been established by then:
“SWORD CARRIED TO SERVICE TRADITION was broken on Sunday when Mrs Richard Abel Smith, the first woman High Sheriff of Nottinghamshire, took part in the Queen’s official birthday service in Southwell Minster. Instead of wearing her ceremonial sword, it was borne in front of her by grand-daughter Amelia Beaumont (6), who travelled from Ireland for the occasion. The sword was used by Mrs Abel Smith’s father, General Sir Douglas Kendrew, when he was Governor of Western Australia. Preacher at the service was the Bishop of Southwell, the Rt Rev Patrick Harris, and prayers were led by the high sheriff’s chaplain, the Rev Keith Turner, Vicar of Linby-cum-Papplewick. The Sherwood Rangers Yeomanry were ushers and Nottinghamshire Constabulary Band provided music before and after the service.”
Little did I know but I was to attend the last one before the national Covid lockdown. The year after it went digital and was reported more than any time before by the press. An article on the Southwell Minster website, the Queen’s Birthday Service: A Unique Celebration of Public Service in Nottinghamshire, reported that the then High Sheriff of Nottinghamshire, Dame Elizabeth Fradd, explained that:
“The Queen’s Birthday Service is usually a grand occasion at Southwell Minster but this year, like so much else, it will take a very different form. It will also have a new significance as a result of the pandemic and the public’s renewed appreciation of the value and importance of public service in all its forms.”
The Queen’s representative in Nottinghamshire is the Lord-Lieutenant, Sir John Peace, who said:
“What I see in local communities, across Nottinghamshire and across the country is an unprecedented crisis; what provides room for hope is the commitment to work together for the common good. Front line workers of all kinds deserve the public’s praise and appreciation but it is just as important to recognise the immense contribution of those behind the scenes. As Her Majesty said in her speech to mark the 75th anniversary of VE Day: ‘We will succeed, and that success will belong to every one of us’. Following Her Majesty’s lead, this online service will be an occasion for us to demonstrate our pride in all aspects of public service and common endeavour. I invite everyone to join us online for this special celebration.”
Southwell’s Queen’s birthday celebration may be a small custom but it is certainly unique and worthy of attending.
In search of traditional customs and ceremonies 