Canterbury's Christmas Tale

Our story begins in 1647 when Christmas was officially cancelled and the eating of mince pies declared illegal! Welcome to what has become known as the ‘Plum Pudding Riots’.

During the 1600s Christmas became a traditional 12-day festival of merriment and revelry characterised by rich food, dancing and excess. Puritans sought to abolish Christmas.

Across England, church services, decorations, mince pies, plum puddings and carol singing were banned. Shops were ordered to open and many churches were locked to prevent them holding a service.

In Canterbury, there were no garlands, wreaths and boughs that usually marked the season. Citizens had been unenthusiastically compliant, until Christmas Day 1647.

A shopkeeper refused to open his shop. He was put in the stocks to be made an example of. But the crowd took the shopkeeper's side and it brought more people out into the streets.

Someone in the crowd produced inflated pigs ’ bladders and games of street football broke out. These were the days when football had no pitches or rules. The game (involving most of the population, whether they wanted to take part or not!) criss-crossed through the streets of Canterbury, breaking a few windows of puritan supporters and shouting ‘Conquest’ .

The sporting action was interspersed with traditional Christmas acts. Holly bushes were set up in doorways and entertainment offered.

And that could have been the end of this unruly Canterbury Christmas.

Boxing Day was relatively peaceful, being a Sunday, but fresh riots broke out on Monday and continued until early January.

However, it all came to an end when Oliver Cromwell's Parliamentary forces burnt down the wooden gates of the Westgate tower, demolished the city wall between the Westgate and Canterbury Castle and made a high number of arrests.

Courtesy of Sam, CT Tours (cttours.co.uk)