Story: Christina White
100 years ago Spring Bank Holiday was then known as Whitsuntide, one of the best and brightest of the Bank Holidays. Whitsuntide is a Christian festival which commemorates the descent of the Holy Spirit upon Christ’s disciples.
Like most bank holidays the weather forecast was not promising but in Sheffield it was hopeful that the rain would hold off for the main event of the weekend on Monday 27th May. This was when children from all over the City marched in processions to the nearest park for the May singing. Whitsuntide, like Christmas, was known as the children’s holiday, a tradition started by the Sunday schools in the early 1800’s.
May Queen
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It was also a tradition that children had new clothes to wear for the Whitsuntide holiday. For some children in the poorest parts of the City this would be the only occasion when they had anything new. Many children would have hand me downs or second hand clothes.
In Burngreave and Fir Vale there were many wealthy people and they would be shopping for their children’s clothes at some of the smartest shops in town. Due to the development of the manufacturing trade, clothes were cheaper and more stylish than they were five years previously.
From the Daily Telegraph May 1912:
A child can be prettily dressed for five or six shillings. The hat may cost 2 shillings and a summer cotton dress 3 or 4 shillings
On the morning of 27th May 1912 children in Burngreave and Firvale would congregate at their local churches. Muriel Hearn who lived at 30 Minna Road would be particularly excited for she was the May Queen for the Burngreave Congregational Church, Pitsmoor Road. Muriel was 16 and she led the church procession to Firth Park. Muriel’s sister Dorothy was the May Queen in 1922 and we have a picture of her in all her finery.
Whitsuntide Parade in Darnall, 1924
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Each Church would have its own May Queen who would walk with her attendants behind the church banner, then came the other children dressed in their new best clothes and often carrying garlands of flowers. Adults followed behind the children. Many churches hired a band for the occasion.
The Catholic children in the area assembled at St Catherine’s School on Andover Street. They marched to the City centre where they joined children from all the other Catholic churches. Then they walked to Norfolk Park where the largest crowd of the day assembled.
From the Daily Telegraph May 1912:
Brilliant Roman Catholic Procession
Banners of various hues stretched back as far as the eye could see. Brass bands played marches and between the gaily bedecked cars marched children in all manner of attractive costumes.
The tradition of the May Queen, Whit Singing and new clothes started to decline in the 1970s.
