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Description
In this programme, Charles Phythian-Adams of the University of Leicester, examines the role of public ceremony in the lives of medieval English town-dwellers. He argues that ceremony provided a pu...blic demonstration of the place most established citizens filled in the life of each community; in terms of occupation, of Guild membership, of social position, of locality and also the part ceremony played in marking out seasons of the year and the events of local and material life. Concentrating on Coventry the programme looks at the buildings and objects that played an important part in ceremony - Guild churches and the Guildhall for instance, or the town maces and sword, and then describes their use in a form of colourful pageant closely akin to theatre. Finally Charles Phythian-Adams talks about the decline of civic ceremony at a time when important administrative decisions had ceased to be related to public displays of authority and were made in private.
In this programme, Charles Phythian-Adams of the University of Leicester, examines the role of public ceremony in the lives of medieval English town-dwellers. He argues that ceremony provided a pu...blic demonstration of the place most established citizens filled in the life of each community; in terms of occupation, of Guild membership, of social position, of locality and also the part ceremony played in marking out seasons of the year and the events of local and material life. Concentrating on Coventry the programme looks at the buildings and objects that played an important part in ceremony - Guild churches and the Guildhall for instance, or the town maces and sword, and then describes their use in a form of colourful pageant closely akin to theatre. Finally Charles Phythian-Adams talks about the decline of civic ceremony at a time when important administrative decisions had ceased to be related to public displays of authority and were made in private.
| Module code and title: | A322, English urban history 1500-1780 |
|---|---|
| Item code: | A322; 05 |
| First transmission date: | 11-06-1977 |
| Published: | 1977 |
| Rights Statement: | |
| Restrictions on use: | |
| Duration: | 00:23:12 |
| + Show more... | |
| Producer: | Edward Hayward |
| Contributor: | Charles Phythian-Adams |
| Publisher: | BBC Open University |
| Keyword(s): | Lady Godiva; Mace; Pageant; Procession |
| Footage description: | The programme opens with shots of St. Mary's Hall, Coventry, from where Phythian-Adams describes the ceremonial inauguration of a medieval mayor. A medieval painting shows a similar ceremony in Bristol. He explains the significance of the ceremony, particularly the use of sword and mace. The importance of the church generally, and of St. Michael's in Coventry, in civic ceremony is described. The location of the leading churches in Coventry is shown with the help of a map, which also shows procession routes. Over shots of various Cventry churches Phythia Adams shows how worship reflected the social structure. A hearse at St. Mary's, Warwick, is shown, and the purpose of hearses explained. Medieval attitudes to death are described, and illustrated by sculptures and brasses. The interior of St. John's Bablake is shown. Phythian-Adams then describes the Coventry Corpus Christi procession over film of Corpus Christi Church and a map showing processional routes. Details of two paintings by Denis Van Alsloot of processions held in Brussels in 1615 are shown. Phythian-Adams comments on the significance of various details, especially the representations of angels and devils. Medieval superstitions are described and examples given of their appearance in civic ceremony. A processional giant from Salisbury is shown, and its features discussed. The recreational aspect of civic ceremony is examined, and a painting of morris dancers shown. A painting of Edward VI's coronation procession is displayed, over which Phythian-Adams describes the changes in these ceremonies that took place in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries. Coventry's Lady Godiva procession is examined as an example. The social changes responsible for the decline of medieval ceremonies are described. |
| Master spool number: | 6HT/72290 |
| Production number: | 00525_3267 |
| Videofinder number: | 3325 |
| Available to public: | no |
