Lyr Req: John Knill Song

Subject: Lyr Req: John Knill Song
From: Crowdercref
Date: 15 Sep 09 - 06:02 AM

At the five-yearly John Knill ceremony above St Ives Cornwall in 1868 it was reported that the   following lyric was sung "Shun the banter of the bay, hasten upward come away ... "

I'd be grateful if anyone can tell me any more about this lyric and perhaps complete it.

I'm very familiar with the history and ritual of the event, but very interested in the tunes and songs that were played and sung.

Oll an gwella!

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: John Knill Song
From: Crowdercref
Date: 15 Sep 09 - 06:32 AM

By the way, they also sang 'The Old 100th' - All People that on earth Do Dwell.

Crowdercref

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: John Knill Song
From: Joe Offer
Date: 15 Sep 09 - 03:21 PM

Looks like htis could be interesting, although I haven't found the song lyrics. A Website called "England in Particular" has this:

John Knill celebrations, Halsetown nr St Ives, Cornwall. An odd ceremony takes place on 25th July once every five years at the pyramid-shaped Knill Monument. Both monument and ritual were provided for in the will of John Knill, who died in 1811. Headley and Meulenkamp describe it in their book "Follies, Grottoes and Garden Buildings" (Aurum, 1999): "ten girls, each ten years old and dressed in white, climb up to the monument accompanied by two widows, a clergyman, a fiddler, the Mayor of St Ives and the local Customs and Excise man. There they sing the 100th Psalm, after which the girls dance around the monument for a quarter of an hour to the tune of the fiddler, singing an old song which begins 'Shun the banter of the bay Hasten upward, come away ... ' For performing this inexplicable ceremony the young girls, the fiddler and the two widows receive ten shillings each, while the parson, the Mayor and the VAT man get £10 each, which they must use to give a dinner party to which they can invite two friends." Although Knill planned the monument, which he had built in 1782, as a mausoleum, he died in London and is actually buried in Holborn. The ceremony took place in 2001 - one of Knill's descendants has a web-site with information about him and details of the ceremony.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: John Knill Song
From: Crowdercref
Date: 15 Sep 09 - 05:15 PM

Thanks Joe,

Yes I have the above quote - originally from Lakes Parochial History of Cornwall I think. Nowadays they play Bodmin Riding for the dancing, but it would be nice to have a time machine and hear what was played and sung 200 years ago!

Crowdercref