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Original Box Revels
Alan Payne January 2016 Early History Box Revels started in the middle ages. In pre-Reformation times, the Revel celebrated the patronal day of St Thomas à Becket, and was held annually on 7 July.[1] People assembled in the church, children re-enacted the martyrdom of the saint and there was a formal march in procession to St Thomas’ Well near the mill pond at The Wilderness, then down to the By Brook and back for mass in the church.[2] Right: The well at the Wilderness seen in Francis Allen's 1626 map (courtesy Wiltshire History Centre) |
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It was part of the entertainment sanctioned by the church for holy days but its main purpose was to fundraise. Regular church rituals were funded by weekly donations, fines and the tithe but more organised funding efforts were needed for the costly work of maintaining the church fabric, particularly the roof to stop wet rot in the timbers and rising damp affecting the wall plaster.[3] Maintenance was expensive; the church was highly colourful with painted walls and stained glass to illustrate Biblical stories to the illiterate. Hazelbury chapel has patches of its original bright red paint and remnants of a wall painting behind the chapel altar.[4]
It was also a chance for villagers to let down their hair at a time of enforced conformity. Regular attendance at communion was expected; the kiss of peace by parishioners before mass was part of the duty of being a good citizen and neighbour. The church accepted the need for people to let off steam.
Catholic Revels and Ales
May games, held in the spring, and ales were a major part of the celebration.[5] Mayday ale crawls sometimes involved visits to other local parish churches; the crowning of mock kings and queens accompanied by travelling players; and frequent plays about Robin Hood. The Robin Hood character was the ideal lord of misrule, as befitted an outlaw, and the enactment of his legend became widespread and very popular in the late Middle Ages. On May Day and at Whitsuntide there were celebrations with music, Morris dancing and a maypole. Sometimes there were miracle plays performed by Box’s villagers or by a company of travelling players.
Sundays became a day of leisure for making merry, wrestling, football and stoolball (cricket). However, these activities often deteriorated into mass participation battles without rules played over huge areas and they resulted in frequent fights, injuries and even fatalities. There were complaints about drunkenness and debauchery; excessive gambling over the results of horse-races and bowling competitions; and thefts or physical reprisals by losing competitors or even whole villages.
The church also used these celebrations for charitable purposes, sometimes by selling marriage ales or help ales. The church premises was used for a variety of purposes, many of which we would regard as secular. Wedding parties with dancing and other entertainment took place within the church, whilst the wedding ceremony itself was held on the porch, after which the couple entered the building to celebrate mass. Fairs and markets centred on the church.
The church enforced the area of the parish and its boundaries. On the sixth Monday after Easter a Rogation procession around the village asked God’s blessing for the parish and its crops (rogare in Latin meaning to ask). The procession was a formal affair led by the priest and an image of Christ or the Virgin, preceded by minstrels, followed by the parishioners with banners representing local guilds.[6] This became increasingly symbolic as the area of Box Church became mixed with the land allocated to Ditteridge parish.
The attitude to these celebrations altered totally after the Reformation in the mid 1500s. To the Puritans, these celebrations were evidence of popery (Roman Catholicism) which encouraged licentiousness and ungodly behaviour. It was sacrilege on the Lord's Day. They repressed all such activities, favouring instead the study of the Bible on Sundays. Even the eating of spiced cakes at Easter time (we call them hot-cross buns) was considered to be sinful.
Stuart Revels
There is no doubt, however, that the Revels and Ales remained popular when most people worked six days a week before holiday entitlement and Bank Holidays had been invented. James I tried to bring back a middle route supporting The Book of Sports (recreational activity) in 1617 which listed archery, dancing, leaping, vaulting, or any other such harmless recreation as permissible activities. Considerable unrest developed under his son, Charles I, in 1633 who supported the Book adding ales and revels to the list. The declaration split opinion amongst the clergy and the public.[7]
There were continuing complaints about cultural disorder and a lifestyle of drunkenness in the alehouse, licentiousness at revels and ales, and unseemly behaviour on the Sabbath of stick-fighting, shin-kicking, dice and cards, even bull-baiting, cock-fighting and bear-baiting.[8] Puritan justices warned about disorder arising after church ales and maypole dancing. Complaints were made in Bradford in 1628 against alehouses where: poor workmen and day labourers drown their sorrows whilst their wives and children starved.[9]
After the Civil War and the Commonwealth government, the revels returned. John Aubrey recalled activities in Kington St Michael, Chippenham, in his grandfather's day that probably mirrored activity in Box: the Church Ale at Whitsuntide did their businessse. In every Parish is, or was, a church howse, to which belonged spitts, crocks, etc, utensils for dressing provision. Here the Howsekeepers met, and were merry and gave their Charitie: the young people came there too, and had dancing, bowling, shooting at buttes, etc, the ancients sitting gravely by, looking on. All things were civill and without scandall.[10]
Later Revels
The Revels continued to be held despite attempts to abolish them. In 1779 there was damage to Beckett's Well costing 3s and the village constable had to be called to quell riotous conduct.[11]
The years around the time of the French Revolution brought increased fear of popular revolt. The local magistrates were encouraged to maintain public order and to reduce opportunity for civil disobedience. In 1822 Box Revels resulted in a prosecution at Marlborough Quarter Sessions when local men were charged with an assault on the Constable. It ended with an Act of Parliament in 1822 suppressing Box Revels.[12]
This was not a permanent cessation. In 1864 and 1865 Box School recorded reduced attendance at school owing to Box Revels and in 1929 Rev George Foster tried unsuccessfully to revive the event for the good of Box School.[13] He advocated giving up smoking and drinking for Revel's Week and donating this saving to the fund.
In the early 1980s, vicar Tom Selwyn-Smith, Kate Carless and others proposed reinstituting the event as a Family Fun weekend on Whit Monday 1984 under the theme of Medieval Box Revels. The first two years were held in the Market Place before moving to the Rec and the event has become part of the annual calendar ever since.
It was also a chance for villagers to let down their hair at a time of enforced conformity. Regular attendance at communion was expected; the kiss of peace by parishioners before mass was part of the duty of being a good citizen and neighbour. The church accepted the need for people to let off steam.
Catholic Revels and Ales
May games, held in the spring, and ales were a major part of the celebration.[5] Mayday ale crawls sometimes involved visits to other local parish churches; the crowning of mock kings and queens accompanied by travelling players; and frequent plays about Robin Hood. The Robin Hood character was the ideal lord of misrule, as befitted an outlaw, and the enactment of his legend became widespread and very popular in the late Middle Ages. On May Day and at Whitsuntide there were celebrations with music, Morris dancing and a maypole. Sometimes there were miracle plays performed by Box’s villagers or by a company of travelling players.
Sundays became a day of leisure for making merry, wrestling, football and stoolball (cricket). However, these activities often deteriorated into mass participation battles without rules played over huge areas and they resulted in frequent fights, injuries and even fatalities. There were complaints about drunkenness and debauchery; excessive gambling over the results of horse-races and bowling competitions; and thefts or physical reprisals by losing competitors or even whole villages.
The church also used these celebrations for charitable purposes, sometimes by selling marriage ales or help ales. The church premises was used for a variety of purposes, many of which we would regard as secular. Wedding parties with dancing and other entertainment took place within the church, whilst the wedding ceremony itself was held on the porch, after which the couple entered the building to celebrate mass. Fairs and markets centred on the church.
The church enforced the area of the parish and its boundaries. On the sixth Monday after Easter a Rogation procession around the village asked God’s blessing for the parish and its crops (rogare in Latin meaning to ask). The procession was a formal affair led by the priest and an image of Christ or the Virgin, preceded by minstrels, followed by the parishioners with banners representing local guilds.[6] This became increasingly symbolic as the area of Box Church became mixed with the land allocated to Ditteridge parish.
The attitude to these celebrations altered totally after the Reformation in the mid 1500s. To the Puritans, these celebrations were evidence of popery (Roman Catholicism) which encouraged licentiousness and ungodly behaviour. It was sacrilege on the Lord's Day. They repressed all such activities, favouring instead the study of the Bible on Sundays. Even the eating of spiced cakes at Easter time (we call them hot-cross buns) was considered to be sinful.
Stuart Revels
There is no doubt, however, that the Revels and Ales remained popular when most people worked six days a week before holiday entitlement and Bank Holidays had been invented. James I tried to bring back a middle route supporting The Book of Sports (recreational activity) in 1617 which listed archery, dancing, leaping, vaulting, or any other such harmless recreation as permissible activities. Considerable unrest developed under his son, Charles I, in 1633 who supported the Book adding ales and revels to the list. The declaration split opinion amongst the clergy and the public.[7]
There were continuing complaints about cultural disorder and a lifestyle of drunkenness in the alehouse, licentiousness at revels and ales, and unseemly behaviour on the Sabbath of stick-fighting, shin-kicking, dice and cards, even bull-baiting, cock-fighting and bear-baiting.[8] Puritan justices warned about disorder arising after church ales and maypole dancing. Complaints were made in Bradford in 1628 against alehouses where: poor workmen and day labourers drown their sorrows whilst their wives and children starved.[9]
After the Civil War and the Commonwealth government, the revels returned. John Aubrey recalled activities in Kington St Michael, Chippenham, in his grandfather's day that probably mirrored activity in Box: the Church Ale at Whitsuntide did their businessse. In every Parish is, or was, a church howse, to which belonged spitts, crocks, etc, utensils for dressing provision. Here the Howsekeepers met, and were merry and gave their Charitie: the young people came there too, and had dancing, bowling, shooting at buttes, etc, the ancients sitting gravely by, looking on. All things were civill and without scandall.[10]
Later Revels
The Revels continued to be held despite attempts to abolish them. In 1779 there was damage to Beckett's Well costing 3s and the village constable had to be called to quell riotous conduct.[11]
The years around the time of the French Revolution brought increased fear of popular revolt. The local magistrates were encouraged to maintain public order and to reduce opportunity for civil disobedience. In 1822 Box Revels resulted in a prosecution at Marlborough Quarter Sessions when local men were charged with an assault on the Constable. It ended with an Act of Parliament in 1822 suppressing Box Revels.[12]
This was not a permanent cessation. In 1864 and 1865 Box School recorded reduced attendance at school owing to Box Revels and in 1929 Rev George Foster tried unsuccessfully to revive the event for the good of Box School.[13] He advocated giving up smoking and drinking for Revel's Week and donating this saving to the fund.
In the early 1980s, vicar Tom Selwyn-Smith, Kate Carless and others proposed reinstituting the event as a Family Fun weekend on Whit Monday 1984 under the theme of Medieval Box Revels. The first two years were held in the Market Place before moving to the Rec and the event has become part of the annual calendar ever since.
References
[1] The saint's day of St Thomas in the Catholic Church calendar was 29 December but this was an inconvenient time and his feast changed to July. Martin and Elizabeth Devon, St Thomas à Becket Church Guide and Brief History, p.16
[2] Parish Magazine, July 1929
[3] Richard Morris, Churches in the Landscape, 1989, JM Dent & Sons Ltd, p.317
[4] Martin and Elizabeth Devon, St Thomas à Becket Church Guide and Brief History, p.5
[5] Ronald Hutton, The Rise and Fall of Merry England: 1400 - 1700, 1994, Oxford Univeristy Press, p.28
[6] Ronald Hutton, The Rise and Fall of Merry England, p.36
[7] History Extra podcast, 12 July 2012
[8] David Underdown, Revel, Riot and Rebellion, 1987, Oxord University Press, p.47-50, 64
[9] David Underdown, Revel, Riot and Rebellion, p.84
[10] John Aubrey, The Natural History of Wiltshire, 1656 and 1691, David & Charles Reprint, 1969
[11] Clare Higgens, Box Wiltshire: An Intimate History, 1985, Dowland Press, p.20 and Andrew Jackson and Alan Payne, 10 Years of Box Revels, 1984-1993
[12] Martin and Elizabeth Devon, Guide to St Thomas à Becket Church, p.16
[13] Andrew Jackson and Alan Payne, 10 Years of Box Revels, 1984-1993
[1] The saint's day of St Thomas in the Catholic Church calendar was 29 December but this was an inconvenient time and his feast changed to July. Martin and Elizabeth Devon, St Thomas à Becket Church Guide and Brief History, p.16
[2] Parish Magazine, July 1929
[3] Richard Morris, Churches in the Landscape, 1989, JM Dent & Sons Ltd, p.317
[4] Martin and Elizabeth Devon, St Thomas à Becket Church Guide and Brief History, p.5
[5] Ronald Hutton, The Rise and Fall of Merry England: 1400 - 1700, 1994, Oxford Univeristy Press, p.28
[6] Ronald Hutton, The Rise and Fall of Merry England, p.36
[7] History Extra podcast, 12 July 2012
[8] David Underdown, Revel, Riot and Rebellion, 1987, Oxord University Press, p.47-50, 64
[9] David Underdown, Revel, Riot and Rebellion, p.84
[10] John Aubrey, The Natural History of Wiltshire, 1656 and 1691, David & Charles Reprint, 1969
[11] Clare Higgens, Box Wiltshire: An Intimate History, 1985, Dowland Press, p.20 and Andrew Jackson and Alan Payne, 10 Years of Box Revels, 1984-1993
[12] Martin and Elizabeth Devon, Guide to St Thomas à Becket Church, p.16
[13] Andrew Jackson and Alan Payne, 10 Years of Box Revels, 1984-1993
