Today we take a hop
across to the Channel Islands to visit the famous fairy ring at
Pleinmont, Guernsey.
This fascinating feature
consists of a circular ditch surrounding a flat grassy area in the
middle, the whole contained by a ring of stones. Located at Pezeriez
Point, the south-western tip of the Island, it is the furthest point
away from the capital, St Peter Port.
According to legend, if
you make a wish whilst walking around the ring three times, the
fairies will grant your request. Fairies are also rumoured to have
danced around the ring in ancient times, and although I've not found
any reported cases of wishes coming true, it is a beautiful spot and
a pleasant walk enjoyed by many on a late summer evening.
When the fairy
association started in unknown, but the more earthly function of the
ring is equally fascinating.
The ring's proper name is
La Table des Pions, loosely translated as footman's table, or table
of the pawns. This name and indeed the original purpose of the ring,
originates from the The Chevauchee or Chevaucherie, a procession that
took place around the island to assess the condition of the Chemin du
Roi (King's Way).
From the year 1264,
Corpus Christi (or day de Fete Dieu as it was known in Guernsey) was
celebrated yearly, and in accordance with this, the Abbot of St
Michel du Valle processed around the island with the holy sacrament.
Several days beforehand, officials would travel the route he was to
take, making sure the roads were in a good state of repair and that
there were no obstructions, levelling fines against those in the
areas that failed to meet the required standards. Although the date
the procession was named is unclear, The Chauvachee is mentioned in
an act of the Court of St Michel du Valle dated 2nd
April, 1533, where it is ordained that:
“The King's Serjeant
should cry in the market place for three Saturdays that the
Chevauchee would take place in the following month of May.”
Mention is again made in
16th May, 1573 when:
“It is ordered that
a round table furnished with a table cloth and with bread and wine,
shall be laid out opposite the western gate of the Church of St Peter
Port,” (a place the procession
was due to pass.)
The custom was, at some
point after this, discontinued, but the Chevauchee was revived again
in June 1813, with another Chevauchee taking place on 8th
June, 1825. Although it may have caused grumbling in official
channels, there was a great holiday feel to the day, with the roads
packed with people dressed in their best, turned out to see the
procession and join in the merrymaking.
But what of our fairy
circle? Because the procession took most of the day, (those obliged
to participate were to meet at the Court of St Michael at 7am, with
penalties for anyone who was late or defaulted) there were frequent
stops along the route. One of these took place at the Chateau des
Pezeries at Pleinmont, where a large tent was erected and the whole
party rested for a while. Only the officials were permitted to
partake of the cold meat and wines served in the marquee, however;
their footmen, the Pions, were instead seated on the grass, the
hollowed out circle of the Table des Pions being created for that
purpose.
During the 1825
Chevauchee,the procession halted there until 4pm. Many carriages
arrived during that time, and a great deal of dancing and carousing
went on until the procession moved on to the next location, finally
disbanding around 7pm with further feasting and celebrations.
The Pions who used the
table, said to be carefully selected for their looks, had the
privilege of being allowed to kiss any woman they met during the
procession. However, for the sake of propriety, it was stated that
only one Pion could kiss any one lady, a policy that was strictly
adhered to.
The Pion's dress was also highly regulated, and we have a
fascinating glimpse of their costume from records planning the
Chevauchee for 8th June 1768. It was decreed that the
Pions were, on this occasion, to wear ruffled shirts with wristbands
of black ribbon, and a matching ribbon to fasten at the neck. With
this went black breeches, tied at the knees with red ribbons, and
white stockings. Black caps with a red ribbon at the back and red
rosettes on their wands were to finish the somewhat dashing ensemble.
Nearly half a decade
later in 1813, we find several alterations to reflect the change in
fashions; the caps remained the same, but now they were worn with
white shirts, circular white waistcoats with a red ribbon border and
white cravats or neckerchiefs. The breeches were likewise white this
time, and long, though the ribbons at the knees were again red, and
the white stockings and red rosettes on the wands remain unchanged.
The last recorded
Chevauchee took place on 31st May 1837. A re-enactment of
the old Chevauchee procession took place in 1966, however, to
celebrate the 900th Anniversary of the Norman Conquest.
Last photo in this blog is my own personal photo - how the **** did it find it's way here ?
ReplyDeleteWhen I was very young I wanted a puppy, so I asked my parents if they would take me to the fairy ring so I could make a wish. However I was told that as well as walking around the ring three times, you also had to write your wish on a piece of paper and place It under a rock. A few days later I decided I would like two puppies so they weren’t lonely when no one was at home, my dad took me back with my revised wish. So I walk around the ring three times and I go to the exact same rock to put my wish under so the fairies wouldn’t get confused and give me three puppies, but my original piece of paper was no longer there. To be sure, we checked every single rock which could be lifted, and it was not there. So I leave my new wish anyway... A little while afterwards my parents heard about a lady who had just had a litter of puppies that she was selling. They took me along and unfortunately the one I wanted had already been sold, so I went for the next one I wanted. It’s getting really close to the day the puppy is supposed to come live with us so the woman shows up with two puppies to come and see our house. The other puppy she bought along was the one I originally wanted. As she was leaving she told us that the original person who was taking that puppy didn’t want him anymore, so she asked if we wanted him! It could just be a weird coincidence, but I think it was the fairies granting my wish.
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