{"id":10086,"date":"2021-07-08T01:47:43","date_gmt":"2021-07-08T00:47:43","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.canterbury.ac.uk\/kenthistory\/?p=10086"},"modified":"2021-07-08T07:31:07","modified_gmt":"2021-07-08T06:31:07","slug":"canterbury-dover-and-becket-on-6th-july","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.canterbury.ac.uk\/kenthistory\/canterbury-dover-and-becket-on-6th-july\/","title":{"rendered":"Canterbury, Dover and Becket on 6th July"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

This week I am going to concentrate on events linked to 6 July, but first, as promised, herewith details of Dr Ben Marsh\u2019s<\/strong> talk on Tuesday 20 July at 7pm<\/strong> online through Teams, which promises to be a fascinating exploration and very timely considering the political, social and cultural climate we live in today.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

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Part of one of the St Dunstan’s banners<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Ben, who is a Reader in American History at the University of Kent, is currently focusing on four projects including an exploration of Kent\u2019s historic links to slavery and empire, and the development of a \u2018decolonial overlay\u2019 digital tool that might support clearer and more nuanced understanding of heritage collections\u2019 links to the legacies of empire and slavery. Knowledge gained from these projects will feed into his lecture entitled \u2018<\/strong>Gateways to Empire: Figuring Out Kent\u2019s Black Histories, c.1550-1800\u2019.<\/strong> Furthermore, as he says, \u201cIn this paper I will present some of the insights from my co-authored chapter with Professor David Killingray about racial diversity across maritime Kent. My talk will consider how Kent operated as a gateway for imperial expansionism from the late sixteenth century, and how economic and social links brought new populations and opportunities to communities. Drawing on ongoing research into the arms of the Juxon family, I will also reflect on how commerce and familiarity were mapped onto structures of power, prestige, and the built environment.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The chapter mentioned in Ben\u2019s summary will be part of Maritime Kent through the Ages: Gateway to the Sea<\/em><\/strong> that is due to be published this September by Boydell, so his talk will also act as a taster for those interested in this exciting subject. Please see the publisher\u2019s website and this mammoth collection will be available through the CCCU Bookshop<\/strong>: https:\/\/boydellandbrewer.com\/9781800103054\/maritime-kent-through-the-ages\/<\/a> and features several pieces by CCCU staff.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Maritime Kent<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

For those wishing to see Ben\u2019s presentation, which is free and booking is not<\/strong> required, this is the link: https:\/\/teams.microsoft.com\/l\/meetup-join\/19%3ameeting_NDg2YWU3NzEtYjU4OS00MjM2LTk5ZDYtNWM3ZGY2ODZiMjNl%40thread.v2\/0?context=%7b%22Tid%22%3a%220320b2da-22dd-4dab-8c21-6e644ba14f13%22%2c%22Oid%22%3a%225438ffb7-ff66-44f6-9ccf-cf504309571b%22%2c%22IsBroadcastMeeting%22%3atrue%7d&btype=a&role=a<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

For those not familiar with Teams, don\u2019t worry and here are joining instructions: as soon as you click on the link or open it in your browser \u2013 if you do not<\/strong> have Teams installed, firstly click ‘cancel’ <\/strong>when it prompts you to open Microsoft Teams; second, select ‘Watch on the web instead’, finally <\/strong>select ‘watch anonymously’ <\/strong>unless you have a Teams or Microsoft account. You will see the event has started or be told, it has not started yet. If the latter, wait for the event to start. There is no limit to the number of times you can retry to enter.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I\u2019ll be reporting next week on Dr Claire Bartram\u2019s<\/strong> meeting at Dover<\/strong> later today for her IHR Centenary Celebration<\/strong> where those involved from across the Faculty will discuss onsite what this September event will comprise. Which leads me nicely on to matters for this week because from medieval times Faversham was associated with Dover. As readers may remember, the Centre is part of the Faversham Magna Carta Advisory Group<\/strong> for the town\u2019s new exhibition at the Market Place heritage hub in the centre of Faversham. We have been working with members of the Town Council<\/strong> and experts in the town, such as Dr Justin Croft<\/strong> and Darius Wilson<\/strong>, as well as Sarah Stanley<\/strong>, who leads the Kent Archives Service at Maidstone<\/strong>, and matters are now coming together. Consequently, as well as Faversham\u2019s copy of the 1290 Magna Carta, the display is likely to include at least one more of the town\u2019s charters, that from Henry VIII, plus the Custumal Book and artefacts like the moot horn and one of the Faversham maces. More is due to happen over the summer and when I have news of its opening, I\u2019ll let you know.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Part of another of the St Dunstan’s banners<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

As I am sure many of you know, 6 July has a special resonance for St Dunstan\u2019s church<\/strong> in Westgate, just outside Canterbury\u2019s ancient liberty because it was the day on which Sir Thomas More <\/strong>was executed for high treason in 1535. His severed head was rescued by his daughter Margaret Roper, the wife of William Roper of St Dunstan\u2019s parish, and she kept it with her during the remainder of her life and thereafter was buried with it in the Roper vault at the same church. Consequently, Sir Thomas More is one of the seven pop-up exhibition banners that we at the Centre are hoping to present to the church this month \u2013 they are currently being printed \u2013 and it seems especially appropriate because the church has an annual service to commemorate More\u2019s death. Without giving too much away regarding the subjects of the other six banners, the Ropers as the premier family in 16th<\/sup>-century St Dunstan\u2019s do feature elsewhere, but we also showcase several of the saints which were venerated in late medieval St Dunstan\u2019s and other contemporary aspects of church life.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Today St Dunstan\u2019s parish church has strong links to St Mildred\u2019s church<\/strong>, for which we created the earlier set of history banners, and as anyone who knows Canterbury will appreciate this latter church is in the shadow of Canterbury Castle. So even though this may be somewhat tenuous, it was great to be part of the revitalised Friends of Canterbury Castle <\/strong>group which met on 6th<\/sup> July. Having elected Connie Nolan a city councillor as the chairperson and other officers and trustees, the idea is to go for formal charitable status. One of the key aims of the Friends is to seek to advise the city council, as owners, about how best to restore the castle keep and give it a bright future as a historic building within the city\u2019s heritage offering for visitors and residents alike. Again, I\u2019ll bring you more on this as things develop.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Canterbury castle keep in better times<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

My third 6th<\/sup> July also concerns Canterbury because as the eve of the feast of the Translation of St Thomas<\/strong> in recent years the nearest Saturday has been used to stage the Canterbury Medieval Pageant<\/strong>. Even though this year due to Covid the Pageant has been moved to be part of the Canterbury Festival in October, I thought I would mention that in early 16th<\/sup>-century Canterbury the 6th<\/sup> July was a major date in the civic calendar, as well as that of the cathedral. According to the surviving sources, if the London waits were not in attendance \u2018the gyantes\u2019 were at the head of the procession of the city\u2019s Marching Watch. Such artefacts may have been used at Sandwich in the town\u2019s St Bartholomew\u2019s day celebration and large puppets are also recorded in London, Norwich and Coventry. Close behind the giants were the first of the gunners and pike men and then the first of the five pageants, the \u2018Salutacyn\u2019 (Annunciation). Among those before the second pageant, which depicted St George, were forty \u2018byllmen\u2019 and the Ridingate constable, and a similar contingent followed with the Wor[th] gate constable, who preceded the third pageant of the Nativity. Thereafter archers replaced byllmen with first the constable of Northgate and then his Westgate counterpart, the former preceding the Assumption pageant, the latter St Thomas. This pageant was followed by another group of archers, the other constables, and the great two-handed sword, with the mayor and aldermen leading the rearguard.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It is possible to get a feel for how important this procession was to Canterbury\u2019s leading citizens from the rules governing its conduct. These included the regulation that the aldermen were to come on horseback and, depending on the mayor\u2019s decision, were either to wear their scarlet and crimson gowns or their armour. Moreover, their position towards the rear of the Marching Watch<\/strong> is indicative of their superior role within the city, as is the presence of the sheriff close behind. The placing of St Thomas as the fifth and final pageant may be similarly hierarchical, a reflection of its special nature because it was seemingly the only pageant paid for by the civic authorities, and it is similarly worth remembering that the city\u2019s seal at this time had a representation of the archbishop\u2019s murder.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Canterbury modern day giants<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Even though the Pageant today is not as spectacular and doesn\u2019t involve gunpowder as it did in early Tudor Canterbury, the giants are there and in 2021 a new giant St Thomas will be joining Queen Eleanor and King Henry II all being well. Moreover, the use of drama has been part of recent Pageants as well as the presence of \u2018knights\u2019, a substitute for the mounted mayor and aldermen, but what has been missing since 1536 is the giant Dover candle<\/strong>. I am not sure how this could be revived and, of course, there is no shrine in Canterbury Cathedral where it could be displayed as Dover\u2019s votive offering to St Thomas, but it is good to remember this link between Dover, Canterbury and Becket.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Next time Dover <\/strong>will again feature, but much of the rest will be on west Kent because Janet Clayton<\/strong> will be giving a presentation to the Kent History Postgraduates<\/strong> and the Lossenham wills group<\/strong> are also meeting next week.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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