Lustleigh May Day

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Maypole in Lustleigh in Spider's Web pattern Maypole in Lustleigh in Spider's Web pattern.jpg
Maypole in Lustleigh in Spider's Web pattern

The Lustleigh May Day is an annual May Day celebration in the village of Lustleigh, Devon. It involves the traditional maypole dancing, as well as the crowning of a May Queen from the eligible girls of the village. It is generally held on the first Saturday of May. [1] [2]

Contents

History

The tradition of going "a-maying" is long held in the United Kingdom, with the association of collecting fresh flowers to crown the "fairest maiden in the village", and dancing round the maypole is also a tradition linked to the coming of spring. [3] [4]

The current version of this was revived by Cecil Torr of Wreyland in 1905, with children parading through the village to Long Tor farm, on a hill above the village, for maypole dancing and traditional fete games such as bowling for a pig. [5] This corrected what Torr saw as an anomaly of the village children doing maypole dancing at the flower show and other village events, but not actually on May Day. [3] [6]

There is a May-day festival here, for which I am responsible. There used to be dancing round the May-pole at the flower-show and other festivals, but none upon May-day itself; and I put an end to that anomaly. The children at Lustleigh school—boys and girls—elect one of the girls as Queen, and her name is carved upon a rock on the hill behind this house. Then on May-day the Queen walks in procession under a canopy of flowers carried by four of the boys, her crown and sceptre being carried by two others; then come her maids of honour; and then all the other children of the school, most of them carrying flowers in garlands or on staves. The procession winds along through Lustleigh and through Wreyland, halting at certain places to sing the customary songs, and at last ascends the hill behind here. The Queen is enthroned upon a rock looking down upon the May-pole: the crown of flowers is placed upon her head, and the arum-lily sceptre in her hand: the maids of honour do their homage, laying their bouquets at her feet; and the four-and-twenty dancers perform their dance before her. Then comes the serious business of the day—the children’s tea. This year, 1917, there was a shortage of cereals; but I saved the situation with two hundred hard-boiled eggs.

Cecil Torr, Small Talk at Wreyland Vol I

The event was originally held on the second Thursday, being during the week to allow the school children of the village school to take part. [7] From at least the 1950s, the event was moved to a Saturday. [8]

The 1959 May Queen, Christine Moore, fell from the rock following her crowning. [9]

There is also a long tradition of morris dancing accompanying the event. [10]

In 2020, during the COVID-19 pandemic, the in-person event had to be cancelled, and a virtual May Day was held. [11] The May Queen was crowned in person along with the 2021 and 2022 queens during the 2022 event.

May day rock and throne

Part of the Lustleigh celebration is the carving of the name of the May Queen on to a granite boulder in the field. [12] The names of all the May Queens from 1905 to the second world war are carved on the rock at Long Tor, on the hill above Cecil Torr's house at Wreyland.

Following the post-war revival, the event moved to the Town Orchard in the village centre, where a new rock was carved, and all May Queens from 1954 to present are engraved upon it. [3] [13]

On top of the granite boulder in the orchard is a granite throne, [14] carved to celebrate the millennium and bearing the 'MM' mark.

Participants and format

The children who take part are from the village, or connected to it, and are aged between 5 and 15. [15]

The parade takes place with the May Queen leading the procession around the village underneath a canopy of flowers carried by other children, before returning to the May Day rock throne for crowning. [16]

May Queens

May Queen Rock detail Lustleigh May Queen Rock Detail.JPG
May Queen Rock detail

The May Queens since the revival in 1905 were:

YearQueen
1905Mabel Bunclarke
1906Olive Chudley
1907Annie Menhennett
1908Amy Wyatt
1909Florrie Valance
1910Ethel Squires
1911Alice Howard
1912Dorothy Motton
1913Muriel Brimblecombe
1914Janie Lake
1915Guinevere Morecombe
1916Irene Crockford
1917May Yeoman
1918Gertrude Parker
1919Gladys Waldron
1920Vera Hill
1921May Wonnacott
1922Phyllis Yeoman
1923Florrie Aggett
1924Josephine Wilson
1925Romola Wills
1926Dolly White
1927Phyllis Yeoman
1928Kathleen Cooper
1929Mary Marshall
1930Winifred Horrell
1931Brenda Osbourne
1932May Clarke
1933Winifred Olding
1934Nellie Wills
1935Barbara Weeks
1936Veronica Yeoman
1937Eileen Dray
1938Phyllis Wills
1939Edna Dray
1940Rosie Olding
1941 - 1953No Ceremony
1954Gillian Williams
1955Myra Brock
1956Patricia Powell
1957Janet Horrell
1958Helen Beard
1959Christine Moore
1960Iona Jones
1961Jayne Nelson
1962Jennifer Perry
1963Ruth Matthews
1964Carola Woodger
1965Jacqueline Kennett
1966Patricia Johnson
1967Angela Woodger
1968Vivienne Jenkin
1969Suzanna Beaumont
1970Jane Aggett
1971Wendy Harvey
1972Julie Germon
1973Diane Aggett
1974Caroline Williams
1975Annette Stephens
1976Catherine Beaumont
1977Debbie Seabrook
1978Heather Wright
1979Julie Osborne
1979Julie Osbourne
1980Susan Aggett
1981Rebecca French
1982Jeanette Palmer
1983Lisa Rowe
1984Debbie Goodfellow
1985Sarah Jane Lilley
1986Carolyn Tapson
1987Salley Ann Lilley
1988Rebecca Merriott
1989Kim Hopwood
1990Coralie Olver
1991Abigail Mabey
1992Katie Jacoby
1993Simone Olver
1994Lisa Roberts
1995Natalie Davis
1996Rebecca Drewett
1997Laura Dale
1998Louise Baudouy
1999Daisy Beare
2000Emma Wills
2001Joely Badger
2002Harriet Knowles
2003Lucy James
2004Annie Reddaway
2005Chloe May Wright
2006Anna Bell [17]
2007Jessica Beare
2008Alice James
2009Kirsty Heather
2010Bryony Bell
2011Lauren Heather
2012Celia Coleman
2013Abigail Pelling
2014Harmony Bidder
2015Abigail Carroll
2016Talia Sullivan
2017Amy Jaggs [18]
2018Maisie Roper Melland
2019Keevie Oaff
2020Imogen Woodcock [19]
2021Isla McCabe [19]
2022Arabella Kennaird-Melling [19]
2023Aurelia Fanshawe [20]
2024Bridie Gregson [21]

References

  1. Viccars, Sue (2008). Devon and Cornwall with your family. p. 85.
  2. Schofield, Bernard (1981). Events in Britain. p. 40. ISBN   0713712309.
  3. 1 2 3 "Lustleigh May Day - A History". The Lustleigh Society.
  4. Groom, Nick (2013). The seasons:an elegy for the passing of the year.
  5. "Lustleigh". Exeter and Plymouth Gazette. 8 May 1914.
  6. Torr, Cecil (1918). Small Talk at Wreyland. Volume I. Cambridge University Press.
  7. "Lustleigh". Western Times. 9 May 1924.
  8. "Lustleigh May Day". Torquay Times. 25 April 1958.
  9. "Lustleigh Queen in fall, but unhurt". Herald Express. 11 May 1959. p. 8.
  10. "Rain did not depress them". Torbay Express. 5 May 1969.
  11. Lustleigh May Day 2020. Luminance Media.
  12. "Granite Boulder as May Queen's Throne". Western Times. 5 May 1933.
  13. "Lustleigh, Dartmoor's Prettiest Village". Britain Express.
  14. Parkman, Chloe (23 August 2022). "19 Devon villages and towns so pretty you'll want to move there immediately". Devon Live.
  15. "May Day marked in a number of ways". Mid Devon Advertiser. 14 May 2006.
  16. "Around Lustleigh Cleave". The AA.
  17. "May Day marked in variety of ways". Mid-Devon Advertiser . 14 May 2006.
  18. "Lustleigh May Day date". Mid-Devon Advertiser. 1 April 2018.
  19. 1 2 3 Heppell, Ethan (15 May 2022). "Lustleigh May Spring Fair picture special". Mid-Devon Advertiser.
  20. Heppell, Ethan (15 May 2023). "Queen Aurelia crowned at this year's May Day festival". Mid-Devon Advertiser.
  21. "Lustleigh May Day". Visit Devon.