What we know now as the traditional May Day celebration in England can be traced back to Roman times and the festival of Flora, the goddess of fruit and flowers.
During the middle ages, it was customary to go “a-maying”early in the morning to collect fresh flowers with which to crown the “fairest maiden in the village”
The origins of the ‘Maypole’may be linked to one old tradition that used to mark the end of the winter and celebrate the coming of spring. This involved cutting down a young tree, which was then stuck into the ground. Villagers would then dance around it, in the hope of a good crop that summer.
Lustleigh probably held its own ceremony during these times but it lapsed until Cecil Torr, who lived in Wreyland, revived it in its present form. Torr wrote:
“ There is a May Day festival here, for which I am responsible. There used to be dancing around the Maypole at the Flower Show and other festivals but none upon May Day itself: and I put an end to that anomaly“
THE FIRST TWO LUSTLEIGH MAY QUEENS
When the ceremony was resurrected by Cecil Torr, the May Queen was crowned on a rock on the hill above Wreyland at Long Tor Farm (now on private land).
A few years ago the old rock was cleaned to reveal the names of the May Queens of Lustleigh from 1905 to 1940
We hope for good weather on May Day, however it doesn’t always turn out quite how we would like it…..
Two wet May Day Festivals, at Long Tor Farm, dates unknown
Two 1930’s May Days….
This lovely handwritten programme is from 1939 when Edna Dray was May Queen
Before the school closed in 1963, the children congregated in the playground before the parade commenced
Although the May Day festival continued throughout WWI, the ceremony lapsed after the start of WWII, the last one taking place in 1940.
It was not until 1954 when it restarted, in a new location Town Orchard, where there was a suitable rock for the crowning ceremony. Newspaper reports at the time tell of large amounts of granite being blasted out of the ground in order to create a flat space for the Maypole dancing to take place.
If you are looking for a Lustleigh May Queen, enter her name into the search box:
Lustleigh May Queens
| Year | NAME | RESIDENCE |
|---|---|---|
| 1905 | MABEL BUNCLARKE | |
| 1906 | OLIVE CHUDLEY | |
| 1907 | ANNIE MENHENNET | |
| 1908 | AMY WYATT | |
| 1909 | FLORRIE VALANCE | |
| 1910 | ETHEL SQUIRES | |
| 1911 | ALICE HOWARD | |
| 1912 | DOROTHY MOTTON | |
| 1913 | MURIEL BRIMBLECOMBE | |
| 1914 | JANIE LAKE | |
| 1915 | GUINEVERE MORECOMBE | |
| 1916 | IRENE CROCKFORD | |
| 1917 | MAY YEOMAN | |
| 1918 | GERTRUDE PARKER | |
| 1919 | GLADYS WALDRON | |
| 1920 | VERA HILL | |
| 1921 | MAY WONNACOTT | |
| 1922 | PHYLLIS YEOMAN | |
| 1923 | FLORRIE AGGETT | |
| 1924 | JOSEPHINE WILSON | |
| 1925 | ROMOLA WILLS | |
| 1926 | DOLLY WHITE | |
| 1927 | PHYLLIS WILLS | |
| 1928 | KATHLEEN COOPER | |
| 1929 | MARY MARSHALL | |
| 1930 | WINIFRED HORRELL | |
| 1931 | BRENDA OSBORNE | |
| 1932 | MAY CLARKE | |
| 1933 | WINIFRED OLDING | |
| 1934 | NELLIE WILLS | |
| 1935 | BARBARA WEEKS | |
| 1936 | VERONICA YEOMAN | |
| 1937 | EILEEN DRAY | |
| 1938 | PHYLLIS WILLS | |
| 1939 | EDNA DRAY | |
| 1940 | ROSIE OLDING | |
| 1941 - | 1953 NO CEREMONY | |
| 1954 | GILLIAN WILLIAMS | 3 POUND COTTAGE |
| 1955 | MYRA BROCK | KELLY COTTAGES |
| 1956 | PATRICIA POWELL | HIGHBURY |
| 1957 | JANET HORRELL | BROOKFIELD |
| 1958 | HELEN BEARD | HAMMERSLAKE |
| 1959 | CHRISTINE MOORE | ROCK COTTAGE |
| 1960 | IONA JONES | BLACK HOUSE |
| 1961 | JAYNE NELSON | BROOKFIELD |
| 1962 | JENNIFER PERRY | CLEAVELANDS |
| 1963 | RUTH MATTHEWS | MELROSE TERRACE |
| 1964 | CAROLA WOODGER | WREY COTTAGE |
| 1965 | JAQUELINE KENNETT | COMBE ORCHARD |
| 1966 | PATRICIA JOHNSON | BICKLEY |
| 1967 | ANGELA WOODGER | WREY COTTAGE |
| 1968 | VIVIENNE JENKIN | STABLE HOUSE |
| 1969 | SUZANNE BEAUMONT | HILL HAYES |
| 1970 | JANE AGGETT | ALWOODLY |
| 1971 | WENDY HARVEY | STARPARK BUNGALOW |
| 1972 | JULIE GERMON | BROOKFIELD |
| 1973 | DIANE AGGETT | ALWOODLY |
| 1974 | CAROLINE WILLIAMS | POUND COTTAGE |
| 1975 | ANNETTE STEPHENS | ST ANDREWS |
| 1976 | CATHERINE BEAUMONT | HILLHAYES |
| 1977 | DEBBIE SEABROOK | COMBE HILL |
| 1978 | HEATHER WRIGHT | PETHYBRIDGE |
| 1979 | JULIE OSBORNE | BROOKFIELD |
| 1980 | SUSAN AGGETT | ALWOODLY |
| 1981 | REBECCA FRENCH | TWYNYEO |
| 1982 | JEANETTE PALMER | WREY VILLA |
| 1983 | LISA ROWE | THE MILL |
| 1984 | DEBBIE GOODFELLOW | BROOKFIELD |
| 1985 | SARAH JANE LILLEY | NUTCRACKER COTTAGE |
| 1986 | CAROLYN TAPSON | CLEAVE COTTAGE |
| 1987 | SALLY ANN LILLEY | NUTCRACKER COTTAGE |
| 1988 | REBECCA MERRIOTT | BROOKFIELD |
| 1989 | KIM HOPWOOD | BROOKFIELD |
| 1990 | CORALIE OLVER | MELROSE TERRACE |
| 1991 | ABIGAIL MABEY | COMBE HOUSE |
| 1992 | KATIE JACOBY | CASELEY COTTAGES |
| 1993 | SIMONE OLVER | MELROSE TERRACE |
| 1994 | LISA ROBERTS | BROOKFIELD |
| 1995 | NATALIE DAVIS | COMBE SPINNEY |
| 1996 | REBECCA DREWETT | BROOKFIELD |
| 1997 | LAURA DALE | ROCKMEAD |
| 1998 | LOUISE BAUDOUY | MOORLANDS COTTAGE |
| 1999 | DAISY BEARE | IDE HOUSE |
| 2000 | EMMA WILLS | BROOKFIELD |
| 2001 | JOELY BADGER | COLUMBINE |
| 2002 | HARRIET KNOWLES | COMBE HOUSE |
| 2003 | LUCY JAMES | KEMERTON |
| 2004 | ANNIE REDDAWAY | DARTMOOR FARM HOUSE |
| 2005 | CHLOE MAY WRIGHT | PETHYBRIDGE |
| 2006 | ANNA BELL | ROSE COTTAGE, BROOKFIELD |
| 2007 | JESSICA BEARE | IDE HOUSE |
| 2008 | ALICE JAMES | KEMERTON |
| 2009 | KIRSTY HEATHER | LOGANSTONES |
| 2010 | BRYONY MAY BELL | ROSE COTTAGE, BROOKFIELD |
| 2011 | LAUREN HEATHER | LOGANSTONES |
| 2012 | CELIA COLEMAN | WOODLANDS |
| 2013 | ABIGAIL PELLING | WOODCOT |
| 2014 | HARMONY BIDDER | PETHYBRIDGE |
| 2015 | ABIGAIL CARROLL | BRIDGE PARK, BROOKFIELD |
| 2016 | TALIA SULLIVAN | BROOKFIELD |
| 2017 | AMY JAGGS | LITTLE QUILLET |
| 2018 | MAISIE ROPER MELLAND | UPHILL, MAPSTONE |
| 2019 | KEEVIE OAFF | COMBE BARN |
| 2020 | NO CEREMONY | DUE TO COVID-19 PANDEMIC |
| 2021 | NO CEREMONY | DUE TO COVID-19 PANDEMIC |