ONE of the long-surviving customs in parish churches featured the display of a Maiden’s Garland at the funeral of an unmarried woman or girl. This was a visible sign of her virginity and innocence.

The date and origins of this custom remain obscure. There are indications the custom was practised in Ancient Egypt, Ancient Rome and Etruria. One theory is that is was introduced to England by the Romans as early as the 1st century AD, and then adopted by the Roman Catholics as that faith spread across the world. It was then a symbol of the virginity of the Blessed Virgin Mary. It has been suggested the garlands were used in Catholic European countries which initially included England, but the custom was concealed in England as a result of the 16th century Protestant Reformation even though the practice was said to continue in secret.

In some countries the garlands were known as Virgins or Crowns, and a curious name was Crants, supposedly from the German word Kranz which meant a garland, wreath or chaplet. A chaplet was a form of circular hat and it was also a string of prayer beads, rather like a shortened rosary.

The garland was usually made from white paper or linen and decorated with rosettes coloured white, pink or some other relevant colour. Streamers in the same colours might also be attached and a white glove would hang from the centre of the garland as a further symbol of the deceased girl’s innocence. The garland was sometimes placed on top of the coffin during the funeral mass or carried into the church by young people dressed in white who preceded the coffin during the funeral procession. The number of young people carrying the garland is not specified but they could be siblings, other relations or merely friends. I am not sure whether a young man would be considered a suitable carrier of the garland.

Once the funeral was over, the garland would be either placed in the grave or retained within the church, being hung in either the chancel or over the pew normally occupied by the girl with her parents and siblings. It appears to have been left there for a period of time that was determined by the vicar and when it was removed, it was hung in another part of the church, perhaps with similar garlands. Most of the surviving examples date from the 18th century, i.e. after the Reformation.

From time to time, churches were subjected to thorough cleaning or orders from vicars for certain unwanted items to be removed, and consequently many garlands were taken away and lost. For the people, this was considered unwise and some thought such an act would bring misfortune to the church and/or its congregation and so the general practice was to leave any garlands hanging in the church until they rotted away. In some cases, the remains were discreetly buried in the churchyard although I am assured many Anglican churches continue to display their garlands, some dating from as recently as the 19th century.

The earliest recorded use of a Maiden’s Garland was at St Mary’s ancient church at Beverley in East Yorkshire, and this dates to 1680 – after the initial heat of the Reformation. There is also a record of one accompanying the funeral of Hannah Phillips of Astley Abbots near Bridgnorth in Shropshire. She died on the eve of her wedding day, May 10, 1707.

One interesting fact is that the garlands could also be carried in memory of a young man who had suffered an early death. If he was innocent, pure and unmarried, a garland of this type may have accompanied his coffin and buried with him. Alternatively it may have been displayed within the church.

The last known time that a Maiden’s Garland was carried during a funeral was in September 1973. The church was at Abbotts Ann, a village near Andover in Hampshire which is appropriately dedicated to St Mary the Virgin. This is one of the churches where such garlands were made for boys or men as well as girls and women. This Anglican parish church maintains a collection of more than 40 Maidens’ Garlands there known as Virgin's Crowns. This is said to be the largest known collection in existence and this parish is the only one in England that continues the tradition of awarding a Virgin’s Crown.

A crown may be requested by the relatives of the deceased who must have been born, baptised, confirmed and died, unmarried, in the parish. The deceased must also have had an unblemished reputation. Such a crown is made of hazel wood and decorated with paper rosettes with five-finger paper gloves or gauntlets attached to it. They represent the challenge thrown down to anyone to asperse the character of the deceased, i.e. to attack the integrity or reputation of the deceased.

During the funeral, the crown is suspended from a small white wand and carried by two girls aged between 12 and 16 who are dressed in white with folded handkerchiefs on their heads. They walk at the head of the funeral procession and once the procession is within church, the crown is laid on the coffin until the body is committed to the earth. The crown is then removed and hung in the church gallery so that all entering the church the following Sunday may pass beneath it. If the presence of the crown remains unchallenged for three weeks, it is hung from the ceiling with a record of the date and the name of the deceased. One such crown records the death of Florence Jane Wisewell, aged 72, who died in 1953.

I am sure that Maidens’ Garlands were used in parts of Yorkshire other than Beverley, but the churches involved seemed to be keeping their secrets.

The equinox

Some of us will regard the coming Sunday, September 21, as the beginning of autumn and the end of summer. The weekend heralds the autumn equinox when day and night are of equal length and it equates with the spring equinox which is around March 20-21, also with equal lengths of day and night. March 21 was also the Feast of St Benedict, but this was eventually transferred to July 11.

The spring equinox seems to have attracted more interest than the autumn one, probably because it is so closely associated with the formula that is used to calculate the date of Easter. The autumn equinox, the feast day of St Matthew, was widely regarded as the day to enclose the bees because the weather took a turn for the worse with winds, rain and chilliness. It was also the day for bringing new candles into the house but if a south wind blows on this equinox, it is said the following autumn will be mild.

Today the magic of those old pieces of wisdom is lost because the Met Office has said autumn began on September 1, which is probably easier for their computers to deal with, although that date is the feast of St Giles. If the weather is fair on St Giles, it is said it will be fair during the whole month.