May Pole Dancing Sturminster Marshal 2004

The village of Sturminster Marshal still retains its permanent maypole. A commemorative plaque beside it reads:

In the year of 1101, the Lord of the Manor the Earl of Pembroke, granted permission for a fare to be held on this site and it is probable that the first maypole was erected at the time. Known restorations took place in year 1669, 1867 and 1897. The present maypole follows the design of the 1897 pole and stands thirty-five foot high with a static ring four foot in diameter fixed five foot from the top. A new innovation is the weathervane in the shape of a water rat - the village emblem. The pole weighs three and a half tons. The 1986 restoration was made possible by subscriptions from residents of the village, local organisations and firms.

Discover more Dorset traditions in the book 'Dark Dorset Calendar Customs', by Robert Newland, now available at Amazon.co.uk. Visit the Dark Dorset website, http://www.darkdorset.co.uk or blog http://darkdorset.blogspot.com
and open the door to a world of fascinating folklore and legends.

Category:

Entertainment

Tags:

• May
• Day
• Pole
• Folk
• Dancing
• Sturminster
• Marshal
• Dark
• Dorset
• Darkdorset
• Folklore
• Customs

[IcedCake2009]

wooh, i was in that . x

[SunshinePaula67]

Aww bless them.

[mao88888]

thats ma bro

[XxXwaitingforuXxX]

why did they used to do this?