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.