Tudor Revels

This is a rather belated post about May Day, I was staying with my son and his family in Suffolk and on the Sunday we went to the Tudor Re-enactment at Kentwell Hall. Kentwell is an Elizabethan manor house which was built in the late 16th Century by the Cloptons, a wealthy local gentry family.

Kentwell is a moated manor house. Originally built as a first line of defence the moats gradually became ornamental rather than practical.

In the kitchen servants were busy preparing the midday meal.

I really love all the  baskets and pottery from this period, I have quite a few replica bowls and jugs in my kitchen and would like more of them too:)

The lord of the manor and his guests at their midday meal.I thought this was interesting as it shows details of the clothes and also you can see that only the head of the household sat on a proper chair. The other guests and members of the household are sitting on wooden benches.

People are eating off either pewter plates or wooden trenchers and the utensils consist of only a knife and a spoon.It was perfectly acceptable, even in the most aristocratic circles, to use your fingers to pick up and eat many items of food.They are probably drinking ale as most water was polluted and dangerous to drink. Even children would drink 'small beer' which had a very low alcohol content.

Meanwhile these young girls were making May garlands weaving wildflowers and sprigs of willow or honeysuckle onto a circle made of willow withies. They are so pretty that I'm going to have a go myself next year as it's only the same priciple as I use to make my wreaths at Yule.

The procession of villagers going towards the Hall to begin the day's revelries. The man dressed in the colourful costume made of rags is the Master of Ceremonies who will  be taking part in the Mummer's play.

St George being despatched by Saladin! Of course being a Mummer's play St George is eventually restored to life in a very dramatic fashion by the Quack Doctor and lives to fight the Dragon another day:)

After the excitement of the play the gentry can relax and enjoy a quiet chat....

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.....while the villagers look forward to the next part of the May Day celebrations as they return to the Village Green.

The high spot of May Day is the raising of the Maypole, a young tree gaily decorated with coloured ribbons.

The village band strikes up and......

.....the revels begin.

A certain young man has his first archery lesson. Through his grandmother (me!) the blood of Cheshire bowmen runs in his veins - they were reknowned as the finest archers of medieval England.

Earlier we had George and the Dragon, here we have George and the peacock:)

A quiet moment at the end of a wonderful day.