Lammastide ~ John Barleycorn Must Die

La Belle Jardiniere – August, 1896 by Eugène Grasse

Summer was slow this year and the garden responded reluctantly unfolding only part of it's potential for us to see. Rain and winds destroyed the poppy, peony and damask rose blooms almost as soon as they appeared and the lawns were strewn with the beautiful translucent petals. Despite being spoiled the air was still heavily scented while from the peatls laying fadding in the sun that followed the storms. We had some spectacular skies. The water lillies have still not yet bloomed but as August arrived so did the first Dragonfly we have ever had on our pond. Summer happened rather suddenly, not in the sleepy lazy manner it sometimes takes.

One of my Opium Poppies in the garden and a mass of happy Hover Flies

Already the nights are shorter and leaves are turning from a dark palette of green towards the golden rusted hues of Autumn.

I often write about how much of my early love for, and knowledge of folklore, came from listening to the music of the 60s and 70s. A particular favourite of mine was the band Traffic. I will always remember dancing barefoot to them in the 70s.

 
At the time they were living together in a gamekeepers cottage on a farm near Aston Tirrold in rural Oxfordshire (then it was still part of Berkshire). Down a narrow muddy track and surrounded by farm fields it was no wonder that they were celebrating folklore in their music. Like the songs which they sang both the band and the cottage have become embroidery on the ever growing tapestry of English fables.

The Traffic cottage near Aston Tirrold, Berkshire

In those now far distant days I lived a somewhat isolated life, and every new aspect of a different kind of life which I came across fascinated me. We had little access to history books and there was no internet. My family did not frequent church, attending only on a rare occasion. We lived for a short time in a Californian agricultural area, but not grain, it was tomatoes and green vegetables, usually picked by Mexican workers, nothing like the rural scenes in Europe. I first became aware of the Harvest Festival when I moved to San Francisco and heard Traffic's version of the old folk ballad, John Barleycorn Must Die.

" There were three men come out of the west, their fortunes for to try

And these three men made a solemn vow, John Barleycorn would die

They've ploughed, they've sown, they've harrowed, thrown clods upon his head

Till these three men were satisfied John Barleycorn was dead ...."

It was intriguing and enchanting in equal measure and set me on a journey of discovery which continued when I moved to England a few years later.  While working in London I spent lunch hours in libraries or museums reading about old folk tales including John Barleycorn and viewing paintings of the harvest, in Autumn and earlier. 'Tis a long story not to be told here, but you may read more about poor John if you follow the links at the bottom of this post.And please, do listen to the song it tells this tale far better than I am able to do in words.

What I was most interested in was that although we traditionally think of the harvest being in Autumn, in fact the first one is in August and it is this one from which the fable of John Barleycorn arises.

I've always preferred cooler weather and I love the end of summer, even though it is melancholy as birds leave for winter grounds, flower blooms wither and leaves fall. The Earth begins to still and quiet descends which will follow with the silence of winter.

But first people gather the harvest from the fields and share the first bread from that harvest, which has a magical essence to them. The grain which they work hard to sow and reap not only gives them bread but also whisky and ale, and all of these make are celebrated at Lammastide. John Barleycorn is central in the Lammastide festivity as he is  the personification of the grain, which must be cut down to use. But he is resurrected in the bread and drink and his tale was widely sung in taverns.

Sommer by Leopold Graf von Kalckreuth. Oil on canvas, 1890

Detail, The Corn Harvest

" They've hired men with the sharp-edged scythes to cut him off at the knee

They've rolled him and tied him around the waist, treated him most barbarously

They've hired men with the sharp-edged forks to prick him to the heart

And the loader has served him worse than that for he's bound him to the cart

So they've wheeled him around and around the field till they've come unto a barn

And here they've kept their solemn word concerning Barleycorn

They've hired men with the crab tree sticks to split him skin from bone

And the miller has served him worse than that for he's ground him between two stones

There's beer all in the barrel and brandy in the glass

But little Sir John, with his nut-brown bowl, proved the strongest man at last."

baking bread in a medieval oven

Pieter Bruegel the Elder The Corn Harvest (August)
Here:

Detail, Pieter Bruegel the Elder The Corn Harvest

Living in a small village atop a hill surrounded by golden fields, and funny enough not so very far from that fabled Traffic cottage, I am closer to the times when people lived off the land and in communities than I ever have been. Many of the village cottages have bread ovens, and our local pub and church have a harvest celebration.

Cottage bread oven

 Our workers cottages are much changed but up until the 1930s there was no running water here, there was a well in our garden for the community, and an old bakehouse where bread and other foods were baked daily.  There has been a settlement here since the Romans, and the local church is 12th century. I imagine that many a Lammas loaf was eaten here through time.

village cottages

  

I love this painting which for me sums up what a delicacy bread abd honey was.
The Queen Was In Her Parlour Eating Bread and Honey,
Valentine Cameron Prinsep

Part of my small collection of honey pots

Many years ago when researching the origins of John Barleycorn and Lammas I visited an ancient pub in the New Forest at Cadnam, called The Sir John Barleycorn. It's one of those places where there seems to be a timeslip, as you can feel the past like a thin veil laying just over today.

Francis Frith collection,
Here:

The pub today
their website, Here:

source, here:

Since then I have come across many such name references to John Barleycorn throughout England and I am sure many more lie undiscovered by me yet!

The John Barleycorn at Duxley

I've recently acquired a beautiful book of woodcuts by Mary Azarian which tells the story.

Some 40 years after first hearing it, John Barleycorn remains one of my most beloved songs. There are many worthy versions but I will always love Traffic's best of all.

This is an exquisite version from youtube, done by Stevie Winwood by himself, please listen. Here:

And you can see Stevie Winwood revisit that famous cottage, in a little bit of film made by Artisan Pictures, Here:

FURTHER READING ON JOHN BARLEYCORN:

John Barleycorn Wiki page, Here:

 An article about lammastide, Here:

A most interesting and detailed look at just who this John Barleycorn realy was, by storyteller Austin Hackney. This is a great blog where I could spend hours. Here:


Finally, you can read more about Traffic on the Rural Culture blogspot Here:

SHOPPE KEEPER ~ Hungerford, Berkshire

We sell from a little unit tucked in a corner at the top of the stairs on the first floor of  The Emporium in Hungerford, Bershire. It's only a tiny nook so our mission is to find small Object of Desires to fill it.

A few items which we have sold at Mrs Blacks. 

For those who do not know The Emporium it is in the High Street in Hungerford, Berkshire. It's a lovely old building full of found, rescued and restored treasures of over 30 antique and vintage dealers.
   website of The Emporium



You can always find interesting and beautiful vintage items at The Emporium. 

Items at The Emporium are displayed so well by all the dealers. 

We were so tempted to buy this lovely cat! 

We love Hungerford and feel very lucky to be able to live in the area. The town has a little bit of everything,  history, many old buildings including the Arts and Crafts style Town Hall, lots of antiques, a wonderful florist (Martin and the Magpie), fabulous bookstore, (Hungerford Bookshop), Hungerford Bookshop,  cookshop and plenty of places to eat and drink.  Martin and The Magpie (love the name!) have their own blog with lots of  inspirational style and colour.
Martin and The Magpie

One of the most interesting shops in Hungerford is 'Below Stairs'. It's a warren of little rooms, all filled with carefully curated displays of furniture, china, brass and fascinating objects. They have a fabulous collection of vintage light and light fittings, incredible old signs and lots of garden items in their outside yard.  They have a fabulous old tin tub full of water lilies and frogs who live in the yard.



Below Stairs of Hungerford

Phew! Exhausted now after all of these photos, must go and have a cup of tea (in vintage cups of course!) and a cat nap! 

SEASONAL ~ Let there be light

Littlecote Woods, Berkshire

I love the light in England this time of year. As foilage brightens the days begin and end in a twilight world. It is my favourite hour of the day. The light plays tricks with you, casting an ethereal glow over the landscapes. It makes everything seem as if it is in the distance, just out of reach. I feel very lucky to be surrounded by so much magic. Sometimes it is like living in an illuminated manuscript.

Windows of old cottages, manor houses and religious buildings have always enchanted me. New glass has nothing in common with glass that has aged.  It has a special muted quality, a soft focus.

Windows from The Bell, Ramsbury and  Littlecote House

I have an inquisitive mind (curiosity killed the cat!) and cannot resist looking in as I walk past a window where the curtains are not drawn. Often the owners provide little vignettes to snare our interest. Looking at windows from the outside gives a glimpse into the life of those who lived or are living in a house.

The delightful  'frog' window in Hungerford, Berkshire, and antique china illuminated by lamp light in Aldbourne, Wiltshire

Windows in Chilton Foliat, Berkshire

Looking at the world outside through an old glass window frames the world in a different way than when seen from the ground. 

Looking out at the beautiful views from Littlecote House

Not everything in life that we desire costs a lot of money. This Mintons tea cup is one of our favourite items, collected from a charity shop in Hungerford for truly next to nothing. It was created sometime in the years between 1873 and 1912 which makes it over 100 years old and possibly 140. It wears it's age well despite a crack which has been crudely glued by a previous owner anxious to save the cup. But not for use, simply because it is so very very beautiful. 

No tea pours through it these days, but the light still does. The china is so fine that it is translucent. The hand painted decoration is exquisite. 

When I look at it I am grateful to Mintons for creating it, to whoever it was who did not throw it away when it was broken and to that person who still loved it enough to hope that by giving it to charity it would find a new owner to cherish it. And we do. 

Exquisite fine china Mintons tea cup, broken but it's beauty undimmed

MARKET DAY

The antique dealer who sells at the market had a great stand on Wednesday!

Markets are just one of the many folkloric aspects which I love about Europe. When I was growing up in California 'super' markets were the norm, it was very rare to find an old fashioned market. After moving to England I was fascinated by the history of the market and set about visiting as many as I could.  Of course markets were the places to buy items of food and household goods long before shops opened. There is something magical about market day, especially in the countryside where the old towns were given charters by the kings to hold a market.

Wednesdays are market days in Hungerford. I like being there on those days even though parking can be tricky! Parking further away means more exercise and gazing at the pretty houses and gardens along the way into town.

The sun was shining so I took advantage of it to deliver items to our unit 'Mrs Black's' in The Emporium in the High Street. I put some pieces of vintage china, books and this round crocheted tablecloth in.  I love this tablecloth and it is a craft which I have not mastered myself so I really appreciate the talent and hours which have gone into this piece. I hope it goes to a good home where it can be shown off.



large circular crochet tablecoth £30.00



close up of the delicate crochet flowers

 

These are a few of the items that caught my eye today which other dealers at The Emporium have for sale.  Our little unit is upstairs and it is nearly impossible to pass through the shop without wanting something! 



Some very pretty chintz jugs,
and a pair of darling dog bookends




I love this doorstop - very unusual!



So feminine - a pale and interesting dressing table

Some more of what we have for sale at the moment.

An art student's copy of Constable's 'Cottage in a Cornfield'

Meakin sunflower coffee set

  

Audobon Canada Goose plate

 

Driving home the sky was a dreamy dark blue and the rape seed fields bright yellow, rich with that Heavenly scent. Swallows and Kites circled and chirped and shrieked overhead. And then it rained!