Appleton Thorn
Appleton Thorn | |
---|---|
![]() St. Cross Church, Appleton Thorn | |
Location within Cheshire | |
Population | 10,477 (2001) |
OS grid reference | SJ640839 |
Civil parish | |
Unitary authority | |
Ceremonial county | |
Region | |
Country | England |
Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
Post town | WARRINGTON |
Postcode district | WA4 |
Dialling code | 01925 |
Police | Cheshire |
Fire | Cheshire |
Ambulance | North West |
UK Parliament | |
Appleton Thorn is a village in the borough of Warrington in Cheshire, England.
Appleton appeared in the Domesday survey as Epeltune,[1] meaning "the tun where the apples grew".
Bawming the Thorn
Each June, the village hosts the ceremony of "Bawming the Thorn". The current form of the ceremony dates from the 19th century, when it was part of the village's "
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/0/04/Appleton_Thorn_%28Bawming_the_Thorn%29_-_geograph.org.uk_-_60497.jpg/170px-Appleton_Thorn_%28Bawming_the_Thorn%29_-_geograph.org.uk_-_60497.jpg)
Local schoolchildren dance around the tree in the style of a maypole chanting verses to the tune of Bonnie Dundee, with the following repeated chorus:[1]
Up with fresh garlands this midsummer morn,
Up with red ribbons on Appleton Thorn.
Come lasses and lads to the Thorn Tree today
To bawm it and shout as ye bawm it "Hurray"![1]
Bawming means "decorating" – during the ceremony the thorn tree is decorated with ribbons and garlands. According to legend, the hawthorn at Appleton Thorn grew from a cutting of the Holy Thorn at Glastonbury, which was itself said to have sprung from the staff of Joseph of Arimathea, the man who arranged for Jesus's burial after the crucifixion.[2]
Encompasses
Administration
Appleton Thorn falls under the borough of Warrington ward of
See also
References
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/4/4a/Commons-logo.svg/30px-Commons-logo.svg.png)
Notes
- ^ a b c Cheshire Federation of Women's Institutes (2001), p. 8
- ^ a b "Origins of Bawming the Thorn". Information Britain. Retrieved 9 July 2010
- ^ According to the plaque next to the tree.
Bibliography
- Cheshire Federation of Women's Institutes (2001), Cheshire Villages, Countryside Books, ISBN 1-85306-688-5