St Crispins day

Today is St crispins day. I wrote the following post two years ago here on my blog, and thought I'd bring it forward for those newer readers here... ...I love folklore, it fascinates me, so heres some again to while away a gorgeous sunny sunday afternoon!...

the 25th october is St Crispins Day.

Crispin is the patron saint of shoe makers, cobblers, farriers and leather workers

the condensed history of St crispin is that Crispin was a Roman of noble birth who, along with his brother Crispinius, became a missionary to Gaul. They took up the cobbler's trade so the faithful wouldn't have to support them - or, depending on the version you read - so they could give shoes to the poor. Crispin and Crispinius became martyrs around 256, after being hanged.

However, I found the following on http://www.shoeinfonet.com/ which is far more interesting!.....

"......Actually there are two stories that seem to be the same...one in England, one in France. St. Crispin was born into a wealthy roman family in the third century A.D.. Somewhere fairly early on, he converted to Christianity. Since this was not an approved lifestyle for a noble Roman, legend says that he was disinherited. Forced to fall back upon his own resources, St. Crispin (not yet a saint) became a shoemaker. Although teaching the gospel was his life's work, he made shoes in his spare time--until he was put to death for his beliefs in Soissons, France in 288 A.D.. We know a little more about St. Hugh, the English counterpart to St. Crispin. Born Hugh, son of Arviragus--king of Powisland (modern day Wales), St. Hugh married a Christian princess, Winifred of Flintshire. She quickly converted him to Christianity, with roughly the same results. Thrown into poverty, Hugh became a shoemaker who preached the gospel by day and plied his craft by night. Both he and Winifred were put to death, ostensibly for rabble-rousing, about 300 A.D.. Legend has it that his fellow shoemakers kept constant vigil and consoled him during the time of his internment. After his death, by hanging, his friends pulled his body from the gibbet and dried his bones. These were made into tools for making shoes. For many years, in fact, a shoemaker's tool kit was called St. Hugh's Bones..."

charge of the light brigade

Todays date is more well known though as the anniversary of the Charge of the Light Brigade in the Crimean War, and of the commencement of the Battle of Agincourt in 1415.

the following is an excerpt from Shakespeare's famous speech by Henry V in the play of the same name, that honours St crispins day...


......This day is called the Feast of Crispian:
He that outlives this day, and comes safe home,
Will stand a-tiptoe when the day is named,
And rouse him at the name of Crispian.
He that shall see this day and live t'old age,
Will yearly on the vigil feast his neighbours,
And say "To-morrow is Saint Crispian":
Then will he strip his sleeve and show his scars
And say "These wounds I had on Crispin's day."
Old men forget: yet all shall be forgot,
But he'll remember with advantages
What feats he did that day. Then shall our names,
Familiar in his mouth as household words
Harry the King, Bedford and Exeter,
Warwick and Talbot, Salisbury and Gloucester,
Be in their flowing cups freshly remembered.
This story shall the good man teach his son;
And Crispin Crispian shall ne'er go by,
From this day to the ending of the world,
But we in it shall be remember'd;
We few, we happy few, we band of brothers;
For he today that sheds his blood with me
Shall be my brother; be he ne'er so vile,
This day shall gentle his condition:
And gentlemen in England now abed
Shall think themselves accursed they were not here,
And hold their manhoods cheap whiles any speaks
That fought with us upon Saint Crispin's day. (IV, iii)

battle of Agincourt