The Vault

06/01/2024

The outlaws V The sheriff's men

06/01/2024

06/01/2024

Annual 12th night festivities, fools parade and banishing of the outlaws

06/01/2024

06/01/2024

06/01/2024

https://www.facebook.com/100063828619097/posts/809981454472801/

A Twelfth Night Cake
In England, the Twelfth Night cake was a rich, heavy fruitcake that contained honey, flour, ginger, pepper and lots of raisins. The cake could be a huge work of art and was cut into slices: one portion was reserved for God, another for the Virgin Mary and three more slices for the Magi. These portions were given to the poor who came begging alms that day.
Edit: the image is of a King Cake or Galette des rois - a cake traditionally shared at Epiphany, on 6 January

05/01/2024

The twelfth day of Christmastide is known as Twelfth Night. While it may have signalled the end of Christmas, most people celebrated it with great feasts, games and plays. At the Tudor court, there were masques and huge banquets. In 1532, a temporary kitchen was set up in the grounds of Greenwich Palace, to help make the 200 dishes which were served up to the guests!
Included in the feasts was a Twelfth Night cake. It was a huge fruit cake, tasting a bit like a giant brioche, and was baked with a coin or dried bean hidden in the mixture on each half of the cake. Men and women took slices from opposite sides of the cake, and whoever found the bean or coin in their piece became the king or queen of the bean. It was their job to host the evening's entertainment, of singing, dancing and games.
People left up their decorations until Candlemas on 2 February, but officially the twelve days of Christmastide were over for another year.

Source:
www.english-heritage.org.uk

05/01/2024

Did you know that this Sunday is Plough Sunday, a traditional celebration of the beginning of the agricultural year? The observance of Plough Sunday on the First Sunday of Epiphany goes back to Victorian times, but behind it, there is a much older observance, associated with the first working day after the twelve days of Christmas, hence ‘Plough Monday’ in some places. In the Middle Ages ploughs were sometimes kept in the parish church, and some churches kept a ‘plough-light’- – a candle that burned over the plough throughout the winter. Plough Sunday is a time to look forward to the time of sowing with the promise of a harvest to come.

Neighbours, Jack and Samson, were apprenticed at Culpho Hall near Ipswich and were taught how to use the plough in 1908. (K681/2/30/20)

02/01/2024

02/01/2024

https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=933621381463584&id=100044471918094

05/12/2023

https://www.facebook.com/100063524172086/posts/840045311456267/

02/12/2023

https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=1102936857706936&id=100039718967829

Crying Christmas - A 15th century tradition

St Thomas Day 21st December

The purpose of the crying event being to inform citizens that unless written permission was given by the King, during the 12 days of Christmas no man would be arrested by the city’s authorities. Thus, at regular intervals through the evening of the 21st December verses would be delivered either sung or spoken by three Senatours, possibly City Waites, appointed by the Mayor.

Hear these ancient cries at the Church of St Mary Magdalene during a performance of seasonal medieval music and song in aid of The City of Lincoln Mayor’s charities.

22/11/2023

Today we commemorate the death of 2nd Lt Lionel Frank Wheatley.

2nd Lt Wheatley, who was born in Crookham, Hampshire in 1894, was serving with the 154th company of the Machine Gun Corps (Infantry), when he was killed in action on 22nd November 1917. He was 23 years old and is buried in the Louverval Cemetery, Departement du Nord, Nord-Pas-de-Calais, France.

12/11/2023

Remembering Private Francis Thomas Foy

Private Foy served with the Border Regiment, and was killed on 28th April 1915 at Gallipol. He was 21 years old

Private Foy is commemorated on the Helles Memorial, in Turkey.

12/11/2023

Remembering 2nd Lt Gilbert John Wilson.

2nd Lt Wilson was serving with the Household Cavalry and Cavalry of the line (including Yeomanry and Imperial Camel corps) in Palestine when he was killed in action on 6th November 1917, aged 31

He is buried in the Beersheba War Cemetry, Israel.

12/11/2023

Remebering father and son Quartermaster Sergeant William George Pitcher and Private Victor Richard Pitcher who were both killed in WW1.

Quartermaster Sergeant Pitcher served with the Royal Scots (Lothian Regiment). He was severly injured but brought back to the UK for treatment in a Military Hospital in Manchester, but died there on 24th December 1917 aged 56. He was buried in the Haddington CWGC Cemetery, East Lothian

Private Pitcher served with the 1st Bn, The Gordon Highlanders, and was killed at the Battle of the Somme on 25th July 1916, aged 20. He is commemortated on the Thiepval Memorial.

12/11/2023

Remembering Flight Sergeant Ronald Jack Colley.

Flight Sergeant Colley Served in 51 Squadron of the RAF. He took off in a Halifax BIII LV778 at 18:25 24 Feb 1944 from Snaith. His plane crashed over Germany, killing the entire crew of 8 men, but the reasons for this were never established.

Flight Sergeant Colley was 22 years old and is buried in the Durnbach War Cemetery, Germany.

12/11/2023

Remembering Staff Sergeant Spencer Avis

A saddle tree maker by profession, Spencer Avis joined the 18th [Queen Mary’s Own] Hussars. He was in action at the battles of Mons and Le Cateau, the retreat from Mons, and then the battles of the Marne, the Aisne, La Brassee, Messines, Armentieres and Ypres – all in 1914. In the following years he saw further action at: Gravenstafel, St. Julien, Frezenberg, Bellewaarde, the Somme 1916 '18, Flers-Courcelette, Arras 1917, Scarpe 1917 and Cambrai 1917.

Staff Serjeant Avis was killed in action on the 18th April 1917 aged 42 and was buried at Etaples Cemetery, France

12/11/2023

Remembering brothers Eric and Arthur Fenner.

Sub-Lieutenant Eric Fenner served with the Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve Unit, 1st Royal Marine Bn. He died in the 56th Casualty Clearing Station of bomb wounds to his back and face on 12th October 1918, which he had suffered on 8th December 1918. He died at the age of 22.

Lt (T Cap) Arthur Fenner served with the Army Service Corps, Horse Transport Divison. He was killed just over a month after his brother, on 20th November 1918, aged 30.

Eric is buried at Grevillers British Cemetery, Departement du Pas-de-Calais, Nord-Pas-de-Calais, France. Arthur is buried in the Saint Sever Cemetery Extension, Rouen, Departement de la Seine-Maritime, Haute-Normandie, France

12/11/2023

Remembering Flight Sgt Rainald Russell Salzman.

Flight Sergeant Salzman was a Solicitor from London when he joined the RAF, 229 Squadron. He was killed when his Spitfire was shot down over Malta on 5th July 1942. He was 28 years old.

Flight Sgt Salzman is commemorated on the Malta Memorial.

12/11/2023

Remembering Private Thomas William Kirby.

Private Kirby served with the (Queen's Own (Royal West Kent) Regiment and was part of the Mesopotamian Expeditionary Force.

He was killed in action on 17th April 1916, aged 30 and is commemorated on the Basra Memorial in Iraq

12/11/2023

Remembering Rifleman William Henry Knight.

Rifleman Knight served with the 1st Bat. of the Rifle Brigade. He was killed in action on 2nd June 1918, aged 18 years old.

He is commemorated on the Loos Memorial.

12/11/2023

Remembering brothers Leonard and Samuel Paine, from Lewisham.

Ordinary Seaman Leonard Paine was a bricklayer when he joined the Royal Navy and served upon HMS Achates, which was an A-class destroyer that formed part of the es**rt for a convoy to Russia. On 31st December 1942, the convoy was to the north of Norway when two German heavy cruisers (Admiral Hipper and Lutzow) attacked it. The destroyers es**rting the convoy fought off the cruisers and prevented them damaging the merchant ships of the convoy. The Germans were then driven off by two smaller British cruisers, which was known as the Battle of the Barents Sea. During this battle Admiral Hipper hit HMS Achates with a number of large shells, causing heavy damage. HMS Achates sunk with the loss of her crew, including Ordinary Seaman Paine, who was 28 years old.

Ordinary Seaman Paine is commemorated on the Chatham Naval Memorial, Chatham, Medway Unitary Authority, Kent

Gunner Samuel Paine was a bricklayer when he joined the British Army. He served with the Royal Artillery, 2 Airlanding Anti-Tank batallion.

Samuel was killed in action on 10th September 1943, aged 31 years old and is commemorated at the Cassino Memorial, in Italy.

12/11/2023

Remembering Corporal Arthur William Lacey.

Corporal Lacey served with the Royal Army Pay Corps. He was wounded and brought back to the UK for treatment, but died on 19th March 1918 in Bethnal Green Military Hospital, London, England aged 40.

He is buried in the City of London and Tower Hamlets Cemetery.

12/11/2023

Remembering Bombardier Raymond Arthur Fenner.

Bombardier Fenner was serving with the Royal Artillery when he was taken prisoner of war on 8 March 1942 at Garut Java. He was held by the Japanese in the Borneo POW camp, where he died on 17th February 1945, aged 30.

He is commemorated on the Singapore Memorial, Kranji, North West, Singapore

12/11/2023

Remembering Private Henry (Harry) Robinson

Private Robinson served with the Royal West Kent Regiment (Queen´s Own) and was killed on 21st March 1918, aged 30. He is buried in the Chauny Communal Cemetery, British Extension.

12/11/2023

Remembering 2nd Lt Alan Thomas Fenner

2nd Lt Fenner was serving with the North Staffordshire Regiment in Bourlon Wood, Somme, France, when on 30th November 1917 he was shot through the lung. He died in hospital as a result of his wounds on 8th December 1917 aged 18.

2nd Lt Fenner is buried in the Abberville Communal Cemetery Extension.

12/11/2023

Remembering Private Ernest Edmund Coleman and Private Ernest William Maryam

Private Coleman and Private Maryan both served with the Royal Sussex Regiment and were both part of the British Expeditionary Force

Private Coleman was killed in action on 3rd September 1916 , aged 26, and is commemorated on the Thiepval Memorial.

Private Maryam was killed in action on 1st November 1914, aged 31. He is commemorated on the Menin Gate.

12/11/2023

Remembering Sgt Vernon Hardcastle Leng.

Sgt Hardcastle-Leng was travelling in a Vickers Wellington Bomber that had taken off from Alconbury, Cambrideshire on 16th July 1941, bound for Hamburg. The pilot became dazzled by search lights at 500 foot and crashed the plane at West Caistor, Norfolk, resulting in the death of himself and 4 other men, including Sgt Hardcastle-Leng, who was 20 years old.

Sgt Hardcastle-Leng is buried in the Mortlake Crematorium.

11/11/2023

Remembering Private Ernest Peter Aylwin.

Private Alywin served as an Infantry man with the Machine Gun Corps, and was killed on 3rd May 1917, aged 28.

He is buried at the Arras Memorial in France.

11/11/2023

Remembering Able Seaman Frank Thomas Wilson.

Able-Seaman Wilson was serving with the Royal Navy, upon HMS Prince Eugene, when it came under enemy attack on 10th May 1918. He was killed aged 23 years old.

He is buried in the Noordwijk Cemetery, Holland

11/11/2023

Remembering Private Joseph James Nicholson and his nephew 2nd Lt John Thomas Nicholson.

Private Nicholson was serving with the Royal Dublin Fusiliers in France, when he was killed on 28th April 1917, aged 23 years old. He is buried in the Arras Cemetery.

2nd Lt Nicholson was serving as a driver with the Royal Engineers, when he was killed, aged 30, on 26 May 1942 in Iraq. He is buried in the Basra War Cemetery