Review Ripon Article
The St Wilfrid's Tradition
Sunday 01 July
In the year 1108, King Henry I granted to the Archbishop of York the privilege of holding a fair at Ripon at the Feast of St Wilfrid, and the fair has been held ever since.
Whether a procession commemorating the return of Ripon's patron saint from exile formed part of those early fairs is not known as the records are vague, but it seems certain that the processions have been held from a very early date as the earliest mentions of the procession refer to it as an ‘ancient custom’.
A couple of hundred years ago it was the custom to dress up a dummy to represent St. Wilfrid and to take it out of the City the night before the procession so that it could be brought back in triumph on the day. This form of a procession lasted into the 19th century and a woodcut in the Illustrated London News of 1844 shows the dummy St. Wilfrid on a led horse, accompanied by two musicians with another man carrying St Wilfrid's hat around.
In the second half of the 19th century there were great changes, proper vestments were provided for 'St Wilfrid' who was now no longer a dummy, but a Ripon citizen. The procession now started from the Town Hall and followed a meandering route through the City to finish at the Cathedral. The procession followed in this form for about a hundred years. However, all was not entirely well; rumour had it that this route was arranged to pass every pub in the City and somehow a superstition arose that was unlucky for St Wilfrid to pass a pub without calling in for a quick drink!
With the passing of years the people of Ripon were tending to lose interest in the procession so in 1962 a committee was formed to bring new life and interest to the parade. It was this newly formed committee who decided to add a tail of carnival floats to entertain the crowds of Ripon who would gather on St Wilfrid's Day.
This year a new St Wilfrid's Procession Committee has been formed and are inviting entrants to the 2007 parade which takes place on Saturday 4th August. As we are celebrating 45 years of the floats we are expecting the day to be one of the best ever! It's a fun family day for all and it's FREE to enter.
The committee meet each Tuesday and are happy to accept any offers of help to organise this fantastic event. Why not support your city’s unique medieval heritage and join in? Entry forms or further information can be obtained by calling Janet (07714 421783), Annette (07904162118) or Sheila (07971 501944).
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