Sons of Crispin: the St Crispin Lodges of Edinburgh and Scotland

300 Pages·2014·2.09 MB·English

by  Marwick, Sandra M

Sons of Crispin

Sons of Crispin:
The St Crispin Lodges of Edinburgh and Scotland
By
Sandra M. Marwick
Sons of Crispin:
The St Crispin Lodges of Edinburgh and Scotland,
by Sandra M. Marwick
This book first published 2014
Cambridge Scholars Publishing
12 Back Chapman Street, Newcastle upon Tyne, NE6 2XX, UK
British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data
A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library
Copyright © 2014 by Sandra M. Marwick
All rights for this book reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system,
or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or
otherwise, without the prior permission of the copyright owner.
ISBN (10): 1-4438-6361-0, ISBN (13): 978-1-4438-6361-2
TABLE OF CONTENTS
List of Illustrations .................................................................................... vii
Acknowledgements .................................................................................... ix
Abbreviations .............................................................................................. x
Chapter One ................................................................................................. 1
Introduction: Why Crispin?
Chapter Two .............................................................................................. 17
St Crispin as Patron Saint
Chapter Three ............................................................................................ 52
The Memorable Crispin
Chapter Four .............................................................................................. 87
The Magnificent Pageant of King Crispin
Chapter Five ............................................................................................ 121
The Impulse of an Awakened Spirit
Chapter Six .............................................................................................. 156
A Crispin Led and Blind
Chapter Seven .......................................................................................... 193
Up wi’ Crown and Cutting Knife
Chapter Eight ........................................................................................... 220
Conclusion
Appendix A ............................................................................................. 229
Inventory of all Royal St Crispin Society objects located in Museum
and Archives Collections
vi Table of Contents
Appendix B .............................................................................................. 240
List of Processions
Appendix C .............................................................................................. 245
Main Characters in the Crispin Processions
Bibliography ............................................................................................ 253
Index ........................................................................................................ 284
LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS

Fig. 1-1 Ceremonial candlesticks, Royal St Crispin Society, City of Edinburgh
Museums and Galleries. ..................................................................................... 2
Fig. 2-1 Flag of the Royal St Crispin Society, City of Edinburgh Museums
and Galleries. ....................................................................................................21
Fig. 2-2 Woodcut of Crispin fitting Princess Ursula with a shoe, reproduced
as the frontispiece of Thomas Wright, The Romance of the Shoe, (London,
1922). The original appears in Thomas Deloney, The Gentle Craft,
(London, 1678). ................................................................................................41
Fig. 2-3 Crown and Cutting Knife logo from the Charter of the Royal St Crispin
Society of Dalkeith Lodge No 14, 1844, City of Edinburgh Museums
and Galleries. ....................................................................................................46
Fig. 3-1 King Crispin Procession Frieze, 1778-1825, Dundee Art Galleries
and Museums (Dundee City Council). ..............................................................54
Fig. 3-2 Crown carried on a pole, Royal St Crispin Society, City of Edinburgh
Museums and Galleries. ....................................................................................74
Fig. 3-3 Display Chest, Royal St Crispin Society, City of Edinburgh Museums
and Galleries. ....................................................................................................75
Fig. 3-4 Seal of St Crispin affixed to the Charter of the Royal St Crispin Society
of Dalkeith Lodge No 14, 1844, City of Edinburgh Museums and Galleries. ...79
Fig. 3-5 Seal of Sir Hugh affixed to the Charter of the Royal St Crispin Society
of Dalkeith Lodge No 14, 1844, City of Edinburgh Museums and Galleries. ...80
Fig. 3-6 Charter of the Royal St Crispin Society of Dundee Lodge No 10, 1822,
National Museums of Scotland. ........................................................................80
Fig. 3-7 Detail of apron, Royal St Society, City of Edinburgh Museums
and Galleries. ....................................................................................................83
Fig. 4-1 Detail of framed letter from Lord Hamilton, City of Edinburgh Museums
and Galleries. ....................................................................................................97
Fig. 4-2 Detail of the Champion from William Turner (1789-1862),
The procession of George IV entering Princes Street Edinburgh August,
1822, City of Edinburgh Museums and Galleries. .......................................... 102
Fig. 4-3 Champion on display in the People’s Story Museum, Royal St Crispin
Society, City of Edinburgh Museums and Galleries. ...................................... 105
Fig. 4-4 Detail of the Indian Prince from William Turner (1789-1862),
The procession of George IV entering Princes Street Edinburgh August,
1822, City of Edinburgh Museums and Galleries. .......................................... 108
Fig. 4-5 King Duncan and his retinue, c.1872, Falkirk Archives. ......................... 116
Fig. 5-1 Leather apron, Royal St Crispin Society Linlithgow Lodge No 3,
National Museums of Scotland. ...................................................................... 147
viii List of illustrations
Fig. 6-1 Possibly the “making” tool of an initiation ceremony, Royal St Crispin
Society, City of Edinburgh Museums and Galleries. ...................................... 165
Fig.6-2Collar of the Order of St Hugh, Royal St Crispin Society, City
of Edinburgh Museums and Galleries. ............................................................ 170
Fig. 6-3 Ceremonial awl, Royal St Crispin Society, City of Edinburgh Museums
and Galleries. .................................................................................................. 173
Fig. 6-4 Ceremonial stars,“passports”, Royal St Crispin Society, City
of Edinburgh Museums and Galleries. ............................................................ 173
Fig. 6-5 Ceremonial Skull and Bones, Royal St Crispin Society, City
of Edinburgh Museums and Galleries. ............................................................ 174
Fig. 6-6 Ceremonial Spears displayed to the right of the cutting knives,
Royal St Crispin Society, City of Edinburgh Museums and Galleries. ........... 177
Fig. 6-7 Strips of varnished wood, twenty-eight in total, possibly the sticks
for making a Knight of St Hugh, Dundee Art Galleries and Museums
(Dundee City Council). ................................................................................... 183
Fig. 6-8 Olive Wreath used in the ceremonial of the Court of Masters,
Royal St Crispin Society, City of Edinburgh Museums and Galleries. ........... 184
Fig. 6-9 Painted lid of display chest, Royal St Crispin Society, City
of Edinburgh Museums and Galleries. ............................................................ 185
Fig. 6-10 Court of Masters box, Royal St Crispin Society, City of Edinburgh
Museums and Galleries. .................................................................................. 186
Centrefold
Plate-1 Detail of a ceremonial apron showing St Hugh and St Winifred, Royal St
Crispin Society, City of Edinburgh Museums and Galleries.
Plate-2 Detail of the Lord Mayor and Marshall from the King Crispin Procession
Frieze, Dundee Art Galleries and Museums (Dundee City Council).
Plate-3 Detail of the Indian Prince and the banner of Crispin and Ursula from the
King Crispin Procession Frieze, Dundee Art Galleries and Museums (Dundee
City Council).
Plate-4 Detail of the Champion from the King Crispin Procession Frieze, Dundee
Art Galleries and Museums (Dundee City Council).
Plate-5 Ceremonial apron, Royal St Crispin Society, National Museums of
Scotland.
Plate-6 King Crispin’s crown and a painted metal crown, Royal St Crispin Society,
City of Edinburgh Museums and Galleries.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
The production of this book would not have been possible without the
assistance of colleagues in museums and archives across Scotland and also
in Northampton, England. They provided me with object lists and images
and in so doing, enabled the extent of the Royal St Crispin Society
network and operation to be uncovered. The inventory in Appendix 1
demonstrates the wealth of material evidence hitherto unrelated which
exists in our museums and galleries and provides an insight into the
lingering craft traditions refashioned by nineteenth-century workers as part
of associational life.
Thanks are due to Annette Carruthers and David Allan of the
University of St Andrews who supervised my academic work and
provided valued guidance, suggestions and encouragement. David
Marwick, formerly of the Heriot-Watt University willingly provided
technical support and listening skills. Helen Clark first directed my
attention to the St Crispin collection and without the assistance of my
colleagues of City of Edinburgh Museums and Galleries this study would
not have been produced.