Rushcart

The rushcart ceremony, according to "History and the Morris Dance" (2005) by John Cutting, derives from Rogationtide. Parishioners would process around a parish once a year, bearing rushes. They would end up at a church and place the rushes on the floor of the church, to replace worn-out rushes. Before the nineteenth century carpets were too expensive for everyone who was not an aristocrat. At least 5 rushbearing ceremonies still occur in Cumbria (see [http://www.visitcumbria.com/rushbear.htm] ) where girls dressed in green process around the town. There are a few elsewhere, but were once common. Again according to John Cutting, the earliest record of rushbearing is 1385 at Tavistock. As towns grew in size, the place where rushes still grew were further and further from the church itself. Also the existence of carpets in churches made the ceremonies redundant. The ceremonies either lapsed, or became longer and larger. The earliest depictions of rushcarts are in "Rush-Bearing" (1891) by Burton. One illustration shows morris dancers and a rushcart at Failsworth Pole, near Manchester, about 1820. Another, from 1821, is a painting by Roger Wilson of an event at Long Millgate, Manchester. They appear to be confined to the north-west of England.

The Rushcart grew into a festival held on the annual wakes week or mill holidays. There would be music, dancing and other entertainments. Each village would try to outdo each other by building a bigger or more elaborate structure with the front covered by a sheet decorated with tinsel and artificial flowers and hung with polished copper, brass and silver household items.

The coming of the railways led to a decline in interest in Rushcarts as the local population were able to travel further afield for their annual break. The Rushcarts eventually died out in the early 20th Century. There is a curious similarity between this festival and the Hindu festival of the chariot of Jagannath.

addleworth

The origins of the Saddleworth Rushcart are unknown but are unlikely to be before 1800. Academics now pour scorn on any suggestion that they are pre-Christian. The Rushcart was revived in 1975 by the newly formed Saddleworth Morris Men following research by Fred Broadbent and Peter Ashworth who was fortunate enough to be able to listen to the memories of the last Rushcarts from one or two of the older members of the community. The story of the Rushcart can be found in Peter Ashworth’s book ‘Rushcarts in Saddleworth’.

It records how Harold Buckley encouraged Peter and the other Morris Men to move beyond dancing and to re-establish the Rushcart. Doubt turned into determination and a cart was found at a local farm, stangs bought from George Hill Ltd and rope arrived from a mill in Delph. As Pete says in his book, ‘I don’t think they missed it.’The rushes were cut up at Castleshaw and with the help of old plans, books and Harold, the Rushcart was built in the traditional location of the Uppermill Rushcart, the Commercial.

The first revival rushcart was dismissed by one old timer as ‘nowt like a rushcart’. Nevertheless the first Rushcart for over 50 years was ready, and on the Saturday morning emerged from behind the Commercial to renew the old tradition. The 1975 audience of about two is in contrast to the hundreds that now gather in Uppermill.

Nowadays the rushes are cut during August at the foot of Pule Hill off the A62 road to Marsden and built behind the Commercial Hotel, Uppermill onto a two-wheeled cart in a slightly conical shape. It is 13 feet high and weighs 2 tons. The rushes are not tied on; they are secured by bolts of rushes at each corner that are held in place by metal rods. The cart is trimmed and decorated with heather and then on the Saturday morning the front is dressed with a banner made by a man chosen from the ranks of Saddleworth Morris Men who then sits astride the cart with only two Rowan branches to support him. He is supplied with Ale for the day in a copper kettle. The cart is then pulled around the Saddleworth villages by Morris Men from all over the UK and sometimes from abroad. There are usually 150 men on the stangs fixed to the cart by strong rope.

On Sunday the Rushcart is taken to St Chad’s Church above Uppermill where the top is dismantled and in keeping with tradition the rushes are mixed with fragrant herbs and flowers and then symbolically spread in the aisles. The Rushcart is now firmly established in a Saddleworth Calendar that includes the Whit Friday Band Contests, Beer walk and Saddleworth Folk Festival.

Rushcart jockeys

Each year the Saddleworth Man that has been dancing longest with the side but has not yet ridden the Cart is appointed Jockey. He names the Cart and designs and makes the front cover sheet. This is the ‘Roll of Honour’

*1975 Saddleworth - Bennie Butterworth
*1976 Britannia - Lennie Butterworth
*1977 Britannia 11 - Peter Bramwell
*1978 Silver Jubilee - John Dunning
*1979 Bonny Brid - Ron Yates
*1980 Shawcross - Rob Anker
*1981 Royal Wedding - Martin Stimson
*1982 Prince William of Wales - Alan (Fred) Broadbent
*1983 St Chad - Bob Pedley
*1984 Decade - Peter Ashworth
*1985 Prince Harry - Eddie Beswick
*1986 Halley’s Comet - Ralph Smethurst
*1987 Emergency 999 - Peter (Fuzzy) Leigh
*1988 Rhodes - Graham Wood
*1989 Alouette - Bryan Woodcock
*1990 Battle of Britain (50 years) - John Bradley
*1991 Longboat - Paul Walker
*1992 Olymdic Flamer - Richard Hankinson
*1993 Battle of the Atlantic (50 years) - Gordon Powrie
*1994 Richard Hankinson (Squire of the Ring) - David Biggs
*1995 21st Longwood Bump - David Yates
*1996 Blood Transfusion service (50 years) - Kelvin Gould
*1997 Hong Bong - Martin Bluher
*1998 Kirkbride - Peter Percival
*1999 The Last Run - Paul Taylor
*2000 Saddleworthshire - Tim Edge
*2001 Brazil - Dave Holland
*2002 Andrew James - George Rowley
*2003 United Kingdom - Dave Ingram
*2004 Pilsner - Damien Walker
*2005 Victory - Paul Hankinson

References

*http://www.aroundsaddleworth.co.uk/Rushcart1.htm
*http://homepage.ntlworld.com/d.a.ratcliffe/lhg/vol4/rushcart.htm

*- "History and the Morris Dance" by John Cutting (2005) ISBN 1-85273-108-7 contains 2 illustrations of rushcarts and about 20 early illustrations of morris dancing.