Mayor of Ock Street Preview

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Mayoroploy
Last Saturday, I was walking along Hich Street when I saw Jennifer & Colin Wiggins, now residents of Port Washington, Long Island, NY. They used to live in Abingdon, and often come back, and Colin took these pictures of the Mayor of Ock Street around 1957.
Mayoroploy
This is a close up.
Mayoroploy
In 1957 there were not so many cars going along Ock Street.
Mayoroploy
This coming Saturday, the Election of the Mayor of Ock Street takes place and in Fat Face there is a fine display to let people know ahead of time.
Mayoroploy
Approximate timings taken from the Abingdon Traditional Morris Danding website look like this …

10:00 Polling Station at Brewery Tap opens, procession into town
10:15 Black Swan
10:45 Bury Street Precinct
11:30 Abbey Gateway
12:00 – 13:00 Market Place
14:00 The Broad Face
14:30 Long Alley Almshouses
15:00 Brewery Cottages, Coopers Lane
16:00 Close of Polling Station at Brewery Tap
16:15 Election of Mayor of Ock Street, followed by chairing and dancing (Brewery Tap) … Jennifer and Colin will also be there for their first chance to see the Mayor of Ock Street in a very long time.
17:15 Procession along Ock Street
17:30 White Horse
18:15 Mayott House
19:15 – 19:45 Market Place
Mayoroploy
Last year in the Fat Face window there was Abingdon Traditional Morris Dancers lego. This year they have added Mayoropoloy.

Abingdon Town Mace in Black

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Abingdon Town Mace
At St Helen’s Church this afternoon the Abingdon Town Mace was there at the Mayor’s pew. The Mace was draped in black for the Service of Thanksgiving for the life of Audrey Hasnip, the Mayor in 1999-2000.

Her husband, Keith Hasnip, had a similar service almost six years ago. He had also been Mayor.

Both services began with the hymn Praise, my soul, the King of Heaven and ended with the hymn Lord of all Hopefulness. Both services asked for donations for the NSPCC, and at both Reverend Dr Charles Miller officiated.

Reverend Charles gave a sermon for Keith’s service, but at Audrey’s service there was no sermon. Instead there were a lot of family tributes. There were also readings from The Wind in the Willows, Harry Potter, and Winnie-the-Pooh.

Regarding the Great Mace, Charles II’s restoration was in 1660, and from that date maces had to have the Royal Emblem again. During Cromwell’s time they bore the emblem of the House of Commons. An inscription at the base says “John Mayott, Gentleman, Mayor when this Mace was made for ye Corporation of Abingdon in ye County of Berks …” John Mayott was Mayor in 1651-1652 as well as 1659-1660. So 1660 could be when the mace was made, or remade with the Royal Emblem. (details from Abingdon and its treasures -1956)

St Ethelwold’s blue borders

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Blue Borders
It is very good to be able to walk round the gardens of St Ethelwold’s House in East St Helen Street. The borders are wonderful at the moment.
Blue Borders
I sometimes attend the share a poem group at St Ethelwold’s. Like many of the activities there is usually poster in the front window. The June theme for poems was gardens, and one of the St Ethelwold’s gardeners attended and read some good poems on gardening.
Blue Borders
Susie Howard, who does a lot on the garden, told me back in March or April that they would have blue borders, and it is very evident now.

Save the Children at 100

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Save the Children
Save the Children has had 100 years of fund raising, caring and campaigning for underprivileged children and the Abingdon volunteers were in the town centre yesterday.
Save the Children
Yesterday morning, in Abingdon, volunteers moved their stall underneath the County Hall as it was raining. They had a tombola and were selling plants and cakes and had second hand goods. Their quiz is also on sale for £2.

In 2019, among many other causes, Save the Children are helping children return to school following the damage of Typhoon Tembin in the Philippines.
Save the Children
Back in 1919, Europe was still being blockaded and that meant children were starving and there were not enough medical supplies. The founders campaigned to make people aware of the blockade. They then set up a fund to get supplies to the children.

You can find more about Save the Children’s history here. (Thankyou to the British Newspaper Archives for the advert from the Bucks Examiner of  30th May 1919).