HKA-001699Legend
The Glastonbury Thorn at Christmas
The Glastonbury Thorn's Christmas flowering tradition and its relationship to local legend.
Open archive record →Archive subject
Hawthorn
Browse Hawthorn Archive records filed under this catalogue heading.
HKA-001667Practice
Hawthorn Haws in Autumn Rural Life
The autumn haws of the common hawthorn and their place in rural life, hedgerow ecology and traditional use.
Open archive record →HKA-001666Folk Custom
The Hawthorn and the May Queen
A record of hawthorn blossom in May Queen festivities, distinguishing changing seasonal customs from claims of an unchanged ancient rite.
Open archive record →HKA-001665Folk Custom
The Hawthorn Flowering Calendar and the Name May
Common hawthorn, Crataegus monogyna, is also called May or may-tree. Its flowers often appear in late spring, but the date changes with weather, altitude and location. The folk name therefore identifies a seasonal association…
Open archive record →HKA-001664Folk Custom
Hawthorn Hedges as Living Field Boundaries
Hawthorn has long been used as a thorny living hedge to enclose fields, guide movement and manage livestock. Hedges were maintained through cutting and laying, so the claim that British people never cut hawthorn…
Open archive record →HKA-001663Folk Custom
The May Blossom and Courtship Customs
May blossom appears in accounts of seasonal courtship and May Queen customs. Flowers, greenery and outdoor celebration brought young people together, but the precise practices varied by place and period. Later summaries sometimes describe…
Open archive record →HKA-001657Folk Custom
May Blossom in Seasonal Garlands
Hawthorn blossom, traditionally called May, was among the greenery associated with spring festivities in Britain. Garlands and decorated branches featured in changing May Day customs, including celebrations organised around a May Queen. The timing…
Open archive record →HKA-001600Belief
Misfortune After Harming a Lone Hawthorn
Some British and Irish traditions warned that harming a particular old or solitary hawthorn could bring misfortune. Such stories are strongest when attached to an individual tree, mound, well or other locally significant place.…
Open archive record →HKA-001599Legend
The Glastonbury Thorn and Joseph of Arimathea
A later Christian legend associated the Glastonbury Thorn in Somerset with Joseph of Arimathea. In the story, Joseph reached Glastonbury and planted his staff in the ground, where it took root and became a…
Open archive record →HKA-001598Proverb
‘Ne’er Cast a Clout Till May Is Out’
The traditional warning “Ne’er cast a clout till May is out” advises against discarding warm clothing too early in spring. Its familiar ambiguity is part of the proverb’s folklore: “May” can be read as…
Open archive record →HKA-001591Belief
Hawthorn Blossom Was Considered Unlucky Indoors
A widely repeated strand of British plant folklore warned against bringing fresh hawthorn, or “may”, blossom into the home. Recorded versions associate the act with bad luck, illness or death, although the warning varied…
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