From: 154 Autumn 2021
Authors: Howard Crapper and Chris Butterfield
It has become a well-established tradition for the Freemen to celebrate St George’s Day by participating in the civic service that takes place on the Sunday nearest to 23rd April. Freemen gather at the Town Hall to join in the procession to the City Church of St Michael at the North Gate. Dating from Anglo-Saxon times, St Michael’s is undoubtedly the oldest and most historic church in Oxford. It stands adjacent to the site of the Bocardo prison where the Oxford martyrs, commemorated by the Martyrs’ Memorial opposite the Randolph Hotel, were held after their trial before being burned alive.
The most recent civic service in its traditional form, with a procession of robed Freemen and Councillors, took place in 2019. By April 2020 the country was in lock down because of the coronavirus pandemic and church services were forbidden. So there could be no celebration then. This year a form of celebration was possible, although there could be no colourful procession, and it was not possible to issue a general invitation to Freemen to attend. The only representative present was our Chairman Howard Crapper. However, it was possible to follow the service on YouTube. It should still, by the time you read this issue of The Oxford Freeman, not be too late. Go to the website of St Michael at the North Gate, Oxford and follow the YouTube link to the past services.
If you go there, you will see a sparsely populated church awaiting the very small civic procession. It is customary for the procession to start at the Town Hall and progress up Cornmarket. This time everyone had to assemble outside the porch – fortunately in glorious sunshine. Following the wandsmen into the church, first in line came the Mace Bearer, then the Lord Mayor followed by our Chairman and finally the City Rector. The mace has its very own place in the City Church, where a specially constructed stand awaits it at the end of the front pew; this could be seen clearly on the video. But whereas the Mace Bearer usually clamps it into position there for the duration of the civic service, this time he laid it in a cradle on a table in the chancel.
The service was led by the City Rector the Reverend Anthony Buckley, with the first lesson read by our Chairman and the second by the Lord Mayor Councillor Mark Lygo. It was gratifying to see that the Order of Service (which can be accessed by the same YouTube link) not only welcomed the Lord Mayor and the Freemen of Oxford, but also contained a short historical account of the Freemen. In keeping with the occasion the City Rector drew attention during his sermon to the sculpture on one of the pillars depicting St George slaying the dragon.
2021 undoubtedly saw a big improvement on 2020: a service with only few present was much better than none at all. But let us hope that by 2022 all who wish to attend may be allowed to do so, that they may process from the Town Hall to the church, and that we shall enjoy lunch together afterwards.