Coronation festivities (1902)

Post date: Feb 12, 2012 1:7:1 PM

One hundred and twenty one years before King Charles III's coronation Wateringbury had celebrated the coronation of King Edward VII (1901-1910) who had succeeded his mother Queen Victoria the preceding year.

The report was written by the vicar's new curate, The Rev. Mathew Henry Boden, who, in May 1904, the Vicar announced had had his curacy revoked by the archbishop for a 'failing' he 'had struggled earnestly to overcome which had clouded his life for many years'. The mystery of his 'failing' deepens when the Vicar concedes in June that the events ' cast a cloud over the parish' and he in fact was allowed to resign his curacy rather than being dismissed and mental illness is implied as the 'failing'.

It had been hoped to have held the festivities in Wateringbury Place but possibly because it was empty before Sir George Donaldson's ownership this was not possible.

in the 1901census the total population (i.e. including children) of Wateringbury was 1,316 and Nettlestead 638. This report states that The Railway Hotel provided dinner for for over a thousand adults.

The accounts which were subsequently published in the September Parish magazine show that this was not a great exaggeration as Mr. J. Froud charged £90 14s. for 907 luncheons at 2s. The total cost of the event came to a total of £188 10s. and 9d. This included £10 4s. 6d. for 'Coronation Books', which were a 'well bound little volume which was put into every house in the village at the suggestion of Mr. R. H. Fremlin , in whose handwriting the name of each recipient appears on the fly-leaf, 'a very pretty souvenir, more useful and less commonplace than the stereotyped medal or mug.' Other major items of expense were: teas (456 teas at 6d) £11 8s.; 15 bushels of cherries from E.J. Goodwin £8 11s.; West Kent Band £12 15s.; Brock's Fireworks £10 10s.; Nemo's Punch and Ventriloquist £7 10s.; Prizes £7 7s. 7 d.

The funding for the event came from a list of contributors in wateringbury and Nettlestead which included R.H. Fremlin (£25 in Wateringbury list and £5 in Nettlestead list); Messrs Jude Hanbury &Co (£20); Messrs F. Leney &Sons (£20); Mr W.W. Blest (£10); The Vicar (£10); Viscount Falmouth (£5); Lady Geo. Gordon-Lennox (£5- Nettlestead list); Mr Roger Leigh (£5-Nettlestead list); Mr. A. Leney (£5 -Nettlestead list). Mr. Pettigrove gave £5 for the roundabout privilege and Messrs Martin and Winterbottom smaller amounts for 'Tent privilege'.

THE CORONATION FESTIVITIES.

Many and anxious were the glances east at the sky in the early morning of Wednesday, July 23rd, the day fixed for the Celebration of the Coronation Festivities, which, in common with those of so many other places, had been postponed owing to the serious illness of our beloved sovereign. King's weather however, it was to be, and right royally did the people of Wateringbury and Nettlestead keep the day. A strongly representative General Committee, with the Vicar as Chairman, had, in the first instance, taken the matter in hand ; and subsequently, a General Executive Committee, consisting of the Rev. G. M. Livett (Chairman), Mr. W. W. Blest (Hon. Treasurer), Mr Humphrey Wickham, and Dr. W. E. Fry (Hon. Secretary), arranged the complicated details of the scheme adopted with an amount of skill hard to be beaten.

The Catering Committee:—Messrs. Tapply, Cartwright, E. A. Smith, James Smith, Saunders, W. Jude, A. Leney, W. J. Dray, Sharp, Cheesman, and Hawes ; and the Sports and amusements Committee : Messrs. Stanner, Dickerson, J. & S. Court, E. Goodwin, Hamshire, W. Reeves, Weeks, Adams, Hawes, F. Leney, C. King, F. Head and A. Baker, left no stone unturned, and spared no personal exertion to make the Fete the most successful on record, and one never to be forgotten, and we are quite sure that, when we truly assert that not a single hitch occurred in the long and varied programme of the day's proceedings, this happy state of things will be attributed (and rightly so) to the splendid and self-denying exertions of the various Committees.

At an early hour the main streets of the village were gay with bunting; and at noon the bells of the Parish Church rang out a merry peal. At one o'clock a Special Choral Service was held, the "Form and Order" of which being based on that of the Coronation Office, as issued by command of the King. The Service was attended by the members of the various Friendly Societies in full regalia, with their banners, viz.: the Odd Fellows, Foresters, Anglo Saxons, and the Equitable Society; the Band of the 2nd Battallion (Q.O.) Royal West Kent Regiment, under Bandmaster Mr. T. McKelvey, occupied the Chancel. The Church was crowded. After the Antiphon "I was glad" came the National Anthem accompanied by the Band. The Litany was sung by the Vicar, and was followed by the Introit " O hearken Thou unto the voice of my calling, my King and my God" (Rev. G. M. Livett), the solo being nicely taken by Mr. T. Neame. The Special Coronation Hymn, a portion of the Office for Holy Communion, and a brief address by the Vicar preceded the Anthem "Zadok the Priest" (Handel), most ably rendered by the Choir, and after the special prayers, and the well-known hymn "Now thank we all our God," accompanied by the band, the Service ended with the Blessing, pronounced by the Vicar.

A procession having been formed, headed by the Band and the Friendly Societies, the whole concourse of people and children marched to a large field, near the Station, kindly lent by Mr. A. Leney, who also placed his commodious Malt-houses at the disposal of the Catering Committee. During the progress of the Children's Sports, the adults, numbering over a 1000, sat down to an excellent dinner provided by Mr. T. Froud, of the Railway Hotel. The tables had been most tastefully decorated by Mrs. Livett and other ladies, and a large body of voluntary waiters, male and female, supplied the wants of the guests as fast as they arose. The Vicar, as Chairman of the Committee, having sent a telegram to the King couched in the following terms "To H. M. The King, Royal Yacht, Cowes." " Wateringbury and Nettlestead en fete, now at dinner, beg leave to send congratulations to the King and to wish His Majesty and the Queen long life," received soon after 4 p.m., a reply as follows :—

"Am commanded to express His Majesty's thanks for telegram of congratulations." Knollys.

Loud cheers greeted the reading of the telegram.

Soon after 3 p.m. the adult sports were in full swing: all the events were keenly contested, some of them causing great amusement. At 4.30 the youngsters' tea, provided by Mr. Cutler, of Maidstone, took place; and at intervals, selections of good music were given by the Band. Other attractions were the round-a-bout, swings, performances of Punch and Judy, and by Professor Cooke, the Ventriloquist, shooting galleries, coker-nut alleys, &c.

The prizes gained in the Athletic Sports were distributed to the successful competitors by Mrs. A. Leney, who added a few kindly words to each recipient. Dancing and a fine display of fireworks under the skilful superintendence and management of Messrs. E. Goodwin, T. Blest, and others, brought a very happy day to a brilliant close.

Mr. Froud wishes to express his best thanks to Mrs. Livett and her friends for their invaluable help. The writer of these lines is a comparative stranger, and if he has inadvertently omitted the names of some who may have rendered conspicuous services to the cause everyone seems to have had so much at heart, he hopes they, together with the general readers of the Magazine, will forgive him.

There is one further point which cannot very well be passed over, and that is the remarkable orderliness which prevailed throughout the whole of the proceedings. Rarely does one see such a large number of people, all bent on enjoying themselves to the full, exhibit such a sense of self-respect and true moderation. To the lasting credit of the inhabitants be it said, excess of all kinds was entirely absent, and this must have been a source of deep gratification to the Vicar and those associated with him in the arrangements, and a not un-interesting object lesson to the many visitors.

M. H. B.

King Edward VII in coronation robes (source: Wikipedia)