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The Lapford Revel!
The Origins of the Revel
It must now be almost
seven hundred years since our Lapford Revel first began...
When King Henry I died
in 1135, civil war broke out between his daughter Matilda and her
cousin Stephen. After a short series of battles Stephen was
proclaimed King. But war broke out again as Matilda’s son, the
Prince Henry, fought the King in a series of battles in England,
defeating him on many occasions and, in 1153, King Stephen made
Henry his adopted son and heir to the throne. When Stephen died
just one year later, the young Prince became King Henry II, one of
England’s greatest kings.
A short, powerful man
who ruled all England, most of Ireland, and more than half of
France, he had a furious temper. He would often travel swiftly from
the Scottish borders to the edge of Spain and back again ruling his
huge empire. Above all, in England, he sought to bring the church
and its Bishops and priests under the same law that governed
ordinary people.
For some years he had
befriended Thomas Becket, a London merchant’s son, who was an
archdeacon at the court of Theobald, Archbishop of Canterbury. The
two became close friends, often hunting together, and in 1155, King
Henry appointed Becket as his Chancellor. For seven years Becket
became more and more important, and more and more wealthy, rivaling
the King in his magnificence.
Thomas
Becket was appointed Archbishop of Canterbury in June 1162 by his
close friend King Henry II. At once Becket began to champion the
church’s rights against those of the King. In particular he opposed
the King’s wishes to put the church and priests under the same laws
as ordinary people. After a series of more and more angry quarrels,
the King called out for someone to act against Becket.
On the evening of 29th December 1170, four of the King’s knights
burst into Canterbury Cathedral and killed Becket with their swords.
One of them was William de Tracey who held many manors and lands in
Devon, including Lapford. As a penance, de Tracey had to enlarge
many of the churches on his manors – including Lapfords. The
chancel, porch, and tower were added.
Becket was very soon proclaimed as a saint and venerated by pilgrims
and people all over England, and many miracles ascribed to him. In
early July of 1220, Becket’s body was taken up from the crypt to a
magnificent golden tomb in the choir chapel. That date began to be
celebrated in many villages all over England where some churches
became associated with Becket – by celebrations, a holiday, and
Revel celebrations – always on the Sunday and usually on the Monday
after.
Adapted from piece by Noel Parry |
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