Monday 30 January 2012

Death of King Charles I (1649)

Today being the anniversary of the martyrdom of Charles I, we're abandoning any normal liturgy.
Instead we're going to remember how, on that cold morning outside Whitehall Palace, the forces of nothing-being-much-fun won. And we remember how the monstrous Cromwell went on to found a hereditary institution in place of the existing hereditary institution - which lasted right up to the point where everybody realised how useless his son was. But not before he'd murdered anD enslaved an awful lot of Irish people.

So, as an insult to Oliver Cromwell, we're going to start the day with mince pies and Christmas cake. Ignoring the cold, we're going to dance round a maypole. We're going to have Spaniel-Racing on the Big Meadow. And a game of football, should the ground thaw at all. Finally we're going to drag Cromwell and Ireton in effigy round the grounds and then hang them from a big tree. We're not quite sure which side Ireton was on, but we reckon a plague on all their houses.

For today, everybody must wear wigs. Today's universal greeting will be "Rupert - you're so dashing!"
Please can Beaker People all wear vests for the outside activities. I wouldn't like to see anyone shivering, especially during the Oak-tree Climbing competition.

1 comment :

  1. Sounds great.

    There was, perhaps still is a pub in Farborough, Hants (just outside the aircraft establishment) named after Cromwell's son.

    It was called 'The Tumble down Dick', which apparently was the nickname given to him after his deposition

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