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Ickwell May Day
Ickwell May Day is an annual celebration held in the village of Ickwell, Bedfordshire. The event is a celebration of May Day, a festival marking the beginning of summer, and has been celebrated from at least 1651. The festival includes elements of traditional English culture, such as morris and maypole dancing. Ickwell is unusual in having a permanent maypole, located on the village green, as well as including adult dancers in its maypole dancing. Background May Day is an ancient European festival celebrating the beginning of summer, usually celebrated on 1 May. In England, the festival usually includes the crowning of a May Queen, and Morris dancing. Dancing around a maypole, a long trunk implanted in the ground, is common, with dancers plaiting ribbons attached to the pole to form patterns. Ickwell is a village in the parish of Northill, in Bedfordshire, which had a population of 636 in the 2011 United Kingdom census. The name "Ickwell", meaning "Gicca's spring", was firs ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Ickwell
Ickwell is a small, rural village in the Central Bedfordshire district of the county of Bedfordshire, England about south-east of the county town of Bedford. The 2011 census shows its population as 298. Ickwell is part of the civil parish of Northill. The village is known for its maypole and for being the birthplace of Thomas Tompion, the "Father of English Clockmaking". History Ickwell is not mentioned in Domesday Book of 1086. Its name is first documented in the thirteenth century, as 'Ikewelle'. Variations in the name's spelling (including Chikewelle, Geykewelle, Gigewel, Yekewell; Yikewell; Zekewekk and Zykwell) suggest that its origin is an Anglo-Saxon toponym meaning 'Gicca's spring'.Bedfordshire County Council: Ickwell at bedfordshire.gov. ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Minstrel
A minstrel was an entertainer, initially in medieval Europe. It originally described any type of entertainer such as a musician, juggler, acrobat, singer or fool; later, from the sixteenth century, it came to mean a specialist entertainer who sang songs and played musical instruments. Description Minstrels performed songs which told stories of distant places or of existing or imaginary historical events. Although minstrels created their own tales, often they would memorize and embellish the works of others. Frequently they were retained by royalty and high society. As the courts became more sophisticated, minstrels were eventually replaced at court by the troubadours, and many became wandering minstrels, performing in the streets; a decline in their popularity began in the late 15th century. Minstrels fed into later traditions of travelling entertainers, which continued to be moderately strong into the early 20th century, and which has some continuity in the form of today's ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
May Blossom
''Crataegus monogyna'', known as common hawthorn, one-seed hawthorn, or single-seeded hawthorn, is a species of flowering plant in the rose family Rosaceae. It is native to Europe, northwestern Africa, and West Asia, but has been introduced in many other parts of the world. Names This species is one of several that have been referred to as ''Crataegus oxyacantha'', a name that has been rejected by the botanical community as too ambiguous. In 1793, Medikus published the name ''C. apiifolia'' for a European hawthorn now included in ''C. monogyna,'' but that name is illegitimate under the rules of botanical nomenclature. Other common names include may, mayblossom, maythorn, (as the plant generally flowers in May in the English-speaking parts of Europe) quickthorn, whitethorn, motherdie, and haw. Description The common hawthorn is a shrub or small tree up to about tall, with a dense crown. The bark is dull brown with vertical orange cracks. The younger stems bear s ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Victorian Era
In the history of the United Kingdom and the British Empire, the Victorian era was the period of Queen Victoria's reign, from 20 June 1837 until her death on 22 January 1901. The era followed the Georgian period and preceded the Edwardian period, and its later half overlaps with the first part of the ''Belle Époque'' era of Continental Europe. There was a strong religious drive for higher moral standards led by the nonconformist churches, such as the Methodists and the evangelical wing of the established Church of England. Ideologically, the Victorian era witnessed resistance to the rationalism that defined the Georgian period, and an increasing turn towards romanticism and even mysticism in religion, social values, and arts. This era saw a staggering amount of technological innovations that proved key to Britain's power and prosperity. Doctors started moving away from tradition and mysticism towards a science-based approach; medicine advanced thanks to the adopti ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Bank Holiday
A bank holiday is a national public holiday in the United Kingdom, Republic of Ireland and the Crown Dependencies. The term refers to all public holidays in the United Kingdom, be they set out in statute, declared by royal proclamation or held by convention under common law. The term "bank holiday" refers to the fact that banking institutions typically close for business on such holidays, as they once used to do on certain Saint's days. List of current holidays Notes See also * List of holidays by country * Bank Holidays Act 1871 * Proposed St David's Day bank holiday Saint David's Day is currently not a bank holiday in Wales. Some Welsh politicians have proposed that St David's Day, a celebration of Welsh identity, observed on 1 March, be designated as a public holiday. Polls show the proposal to have majo ... References External links UK bank holidaysScotland Bank Holidays - Scottish Government* {{DEFAULTSORT:Bank Holiday British culture Irish ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Ickwell May Day Morris Dancing 2023
Ickwell is a small, rural village in the Central Bedfordshire district of the county of Bedfordshire, England about south-east of the county town of Bedford. The 2011 census shows its population as 298. Ickwell is part of the civil parish of Northill. The village is known for its maypole and for being the birthplace of Thomas Tompion, the "Father of English Clockmaking". History Ickwell is not mentioned in Domesday Book of 1086. Its name is first documented in the thirteenth century, as 'Ikewelle'. Variations in the name's spelling (including Chikewelle, Geykewelle, Gigewel, Yekewell; Yikewell; Zekewekk and Zykwell) suggest that its origin is an Anglo-Saxon toponym meaning 'Gicca's spring'.Bedfordshire County Council: Ickwell at bedfordshir ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Will (document)
A will or testament is a legal document that expresses a person's ( testator) wishes as to how their property (estate) is to be distributed after their death and as to which person (executor) is to manage the property until its final distribution. For the distribution (devolution) of property not determined by a will, see inheritance and intestacy. Though it has at times been thought that a "will" historically applied only to real property while "testament" applied only to personal property (thus giving rise to the popular title of the document as "last will and testament"), the historical records show that the terms have been used interchangeably. Thus, the word "will" validly applies to both personal and real property. A will may also create a testamentary trust that is effective only after the death of the testator. History Throughout most of the world, the disposition of a dead person's estate has been a matter of social custom. According to Plutarch, the written will w ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Union Jack
The Union Jack, or Union Flag, is the ''de facto'' national flag of the United Kingdom. Although no law has been passed making the Union Flag the official national flag of the United Kingdom, it has effectively become such through precedent. It is sometimes asserted that the term ''Union Jack'' properly refers only to naval usage, but this assertion was dismissed by the Flag Institute in 2013 following historical investigations. The flag has official status in Canada, by parliamentary resolution, where it is known as the Royal Union Flag. It is the national flag of all British overseas territories, being localities within the British state, or realm, although local flags have also been authorised for most, usually comprising the blue or red ensign with the Union Flag in the Flag terminology#Flag elements, canton and Defacement (flag), defaced with the distinguishing arms of the territory. These may be flown in place of, or along with (but taking precedence after) the national f ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Bedfordshire Times
The ''Times & Citizen'' is a free local newspaper published on Thursdays in Bedford, Bedfordshire, England. The newspaper is distributed all over the Borough of Bedford and much of Mid Bedfordshire. Current circulation is around 31,000. History First published in 1845, the ''Bedford Times'' was the first regular paper published for the Bedfordshire area. A rival paper, the ''Bedfordshire Independent'', was established in 1857, but the two titles merged in 1859 to become the ''Bedford Times and Bedfordshire Independent''. The title became the ''Bedfordshire Times and Independent'' in 1872, ''The Bedfordshire Times and Bedfordshire Standard'' in 1939, and simply the ''Bedfordshire Times'' in 1965. The newspaper had an unbroken weekly production record throughout this period, apart from one week in 1959 due to a printing industry strike. In 1995, the ''Times'' merged with another local paper, the ''Bedford Citizen'', to become the ''Times & Citizen''. Two years later in 1997 The pap ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Ickwell Bury
Ickwell Bury, at the heart of the former manor of Ickwell, Bedfordshire, was first built by John Harvey in 1683 near the site of an older manor house. The Harvey family continued to own the house until 1925, although from 1900 it had housed Horton Preparatory School.Ickwell Bury at bedfordshire.gov.uk (accessed 26 April 2008) In 1898, Ickwell Bury was the property of John Edmund Audley Harvey DL JP and was described as "a mansion of red brick, in the Queen Anne style, standing in a park and woodlands of about five hundred acres, approached by an avenue of trees about ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Village Green
A village green is a common open area within a village or other settlement. Historically, a village green was common grassland with a pond for watering cattle and other stock, often at the edge of a rural settlement, used for gathering cattle to bring them later on to a common land for grazing. Later, planned greens were built into the centres of villages. The village green also provided, and may still provide, an open-air meeting place for the local people, which may be used for public celebrations such as May Day festivities. The term is used more broadly to encompass woodland, moorland, sports grounds, buildings, roads and urban parks. History Most village greens in England originated in the Middle Ages. Individual greens may have been created for various reasons, including protecting livestock from wild animals or human raiders during the night, or providing a space for market trading. In most cases where a village green is planned, it is placed in the centre of a settlem ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Old Warden
Old Warden is a village and civil parish in the Central Bedfordshire district of the county of Bedfordshire, England, about south-east of the county town of Bedford. The 2011 census shows its population as 328. The Shuttleworth Collection of historic airplanes and motor vehicles is at Old Warden Aerodrome. History The village grew up under the protection of the Cistercian Wardon or Warden Abbey nearby. The first mention of a post office in the village is in 1873. The post office national archives record the issue to Old Warden in April 1890 of a type of postmark known as a rubber datestamp. The village post office closed on 14 October 2008. It was one of about 2,500 compulsory compensated closures of UK post office branches announced by the Government in 2007. St Leonard's Parish Church is located in the village. Francis William Bourdillon (1852–1921), poet, translator, bibliophile, and scholar was a vicar of Old Warden of 1880th. The village is also noted for being th ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
