Flower of the Month: a New Year’s Day play in the East Riding of Yorkshire

Among the usual records of fornication, adultery, playing cards during service times, marrying without having the banns read properly and similar infringements, the Archbishop of York’s Visitation Book for 1615 has a most intriguing entry1:  This is kind of entry REED editors trawl Visitation books in the hope of finding, but what can we make of it? […]

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Flower of the Month: the “Flower of the Well” – shots fired over folk customs in Alborough!

A Flower of the Well for the Flower of the Month – conflicts over old customs in Aldborough Cause papers in the Diocesan Registry of York (Borthwick Institute, York, H.C.C.P. N.D./11 [1594-5]) provide two records of conflict over the performance of folk customs in Aldborough: 1.  In July 1594, Robert Rodes (alias Scotson) heard that […]

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