Folklore: The Ripon Hornblower (Yorkshire, UK)

Subject: Folklore: The Ripon Hornblower (Yorkshire, UK)
From: Dave the Gnome
Date: 17 Sep 18 - 08:11 AM

Visited Ripon for the first time yesterday and Stopped over in the Unicorn Hotel on the market square. Very nice city and hotel but what I am posting about is something I had never heard of before - The Ripon Hornblower

Amazing tradition that goes back over a thousand years! We saw him last night and as well as blowing the horn he gives a little talk and answers any questions. Well worth a visit if you are ever in the area.

Subject: RE: Folklore: The Ripon Hornblower (Yorkshire, UK)
From: Mr Red
Date: 19 Sep 18 - 05:19 AM

saw him in the 70's. I believe he didn't blow during WWII. The blower I heard was barely a teenager (in fact I think he was), but he was the man for the job. Eloquent and fluent.

Subject: RE: Folklore: The Ripon Hornblower (Yorkshire, UK)
From: Dave the Gnome
Date: 19 Sep 18 - 06:46 AM

I don't think it was missed according to George Pickles, Wakeman of Ripon, Mr R. Quoting from his article for the BBC "That ritual is still carried out at nine o’clock every night at the Obelisk and has not been missed, not for one night, in over 1100 years."

Full BBC article here.

There is a verse inscribed on the town hall that is to do with the Hornblower and Wakemen as well

"Except ye Lord keep ye cittie ye wakeman waketh in vain"

No idea what that means!

Subject: RE: Folklore: The Ripon Hornblower (Yorkshire, UK)
From: Manitas_at_home
Date: 19 Sep 18 - 06:58 AM

If the Lord God isn't looking after Ripon then the Wakeman is keeping watch in vain.

Subject: RE: Folklore: The Ripon Hornblower (Yorkshire, UK)
From: Dave the Gnome
Date: 19 Sep 18 - 06:59 AM

Ahhhh - Thank you Manitas. Makes sense now :-)

Subject: RE: Folklore: The Ripon Hornblower (Yorkshire, UK)
From: Mr Red
Date: 21 Sep 18 - 03:41 AM

My memory is not that good from the married years but I seem to have it stuck in my mind that the war years were mentioned in the Blowers schpiel. And he definitely said the purpose of sounding the horn was to tell people that "all was safe". That's 40149** nights without highwaymen, burglers, riot, civil wars, and general naerdowells. But I bet they lock their doors at night, just in case.

pedants' corner
1) how old is the obelisk?
2) ** yea yea but: start date? Leap Years (I could work those) & Pope Gregory!

Subject: RE: Folklore: The Ripon Hornblower (Yorkshire, UK)
From: Dave the Gnome
Date: 21 Sep 18 - 04:00 AM

One site says 1702 but the plaque, as far as I can make out, says MDCCLXXXI - 1781. Maybe the obelisk was built and the plaque put on 79 years later?

Subject: RE: Folklore: The Ripon Hornblower (Yorkshire, UK)
From: Murpholly
Date: 21 Sep 18 - 04:55 AM

Ripon Hornblower great. Does anyone know if the Hornblower at Bainbridge is still active.

Subject: RE: Folklore: The Ripon Hornblower (Yorkshire, UK)
From: Manitas_at_home
Date: 21 Sep 18 - 05:39 AM

Wikipedia says:

A local custom in Bainbridge is the sounding of an ancient horn which was once used to guide foresters and travellers safely to the village from the surrounding Wensleydale forests. The horn is still located at the Rose and Crown public house and is sounded every night at 10 pm from the Feast of Holy Rood (27 September) to Shrove Tuesday.

Subject: RE: Folklore: The Ripon Hornblower (Yorkshire, UK)
From: Jos
Date: 21 Sep 18 - 05:49 AM

Not much help if you get lost in the forest in summer, Paul (or did they suppose that nobody would venture into the forest outside the hunting season?).

Subject: RE: Folklore: The Ripon Hornblower (Yorkshire, UK)
From: Dave the Gnome
Date: 21 Sep 18 - 05:58 AM

Going off at a tangent, I was once told that the tales of strange things in forests at night could be the result of lack of oxygen to the brain because trees give off CO2 at night. Apropos of nothing at all.

Subject: RE: Folklore: The Ripon Hornblower (Yorkshire, UK)
From: Manitas_at_home
Date: 21 Sep 18 - 06:02 AM

I think it's less needed in the lighter evenings and travellers are less likely to urgently need to find shelter in the warmer months. I think you had to go into the forest to get anywhere as there was so much of it and not much in the way of roads. Did they have a hunting season as such in those days?

Subject: RE: Folklore: The Ripon Hornblower (Yorkshire, UK)
From: Jos
Date: 21 Sep 18 - 09:59 AM

You may be right about not having a hunting season but it is possible that people were aware of the need to let animals and birds breed to produce future supplies. I think this may originally have led to a pre-Christian custom of not eating eggs for a few weeks in spring (now the Lenten fast).

Subject: RE: Folklore: The Ripon Hornblower (Yorkshire, UK)
From: Black belt caterpillar wrestler
Date: 21 Sep 18 - 10:04 AM

You are more likely to be out gathering dead wood for fires in the winter.

Robin

Subject: RE: Folklore: The Ripon Hornblower (Yorkshire, UK)
From: FreddyHeadey
Date: 21 Sep 18 - 10:15 AM

video
https://youtu.be/nFrOoNhYMFk

Subject: RE: Folklore: The Ripon Hornblower (Yorkshire, UK)
From: Dave the Gnome
Date: 21 Sep 18 - 12:43 PM

That's the feller! The last corner he blows at is nearest to the Unicorn Hotel. A Weatherspoons place and at £40 on a Sunday night, a bargain. No lifts though so you have to be mobile.