Tom Bawcock's Eve

Tom Bawcock's Eve is a festival held on the 23rd of December in Mousehole, Cornwall, UK. The festival is held in celebration and memorial of the efforts of Mousehole resident Tom Bawcock to lift a famine from the village. During this festival Star Gazy pie (a mixed fish, egg and potato pie with protruding fish heads) is eaten and depending on the year of celebration a lantern procession takes place.

Origins

There are several theories to the origins of this festival, the first recorded description was made by Robert Morton Nance in 1927 in the magazine "Old Cornwall". Nance described the festival as it existed at the turn of the 19th century. Within this work Nance also speculated that the name Bawcock was derived from Beau Coc (French) - , he believed the cock was a herald of new light in Pagan times and the origins of the festival were pre-Christian. The most likely derivation of the name 'Bawcock' is from Middle English use (influenced from French) where a Bawcock is a nickname for a fine or worthy fellow. (An example of this use can be found in Twelfth Night Act 3 Scene 4 "Why, how now, my bawcock!") As the name Tom was often used as a generic description for any man it is likely that Tom Bawcock was a symbolic name for 'any fine fellow' who risked his life in pursuit of fishing. Midwinter celebrations were also common in one of Cornwall's other principal traditional occupations mining. Picrous Day and Chewidden Thursday seem to have similar origins to Tom Bawcock's Eve.

The Mousehole Cat

The children's book "The Mousehole Cat" by Antonia Barber was inspired by the traditions and practice of Tom Bawcock's Eve and resulted in a television production of the same name. (Ms Barber lists Star-Gazy Pie as a staple of Mousehole diet "before" Tom's heroic fishing expedition, however, whereas according to tradition it dates from his return and legendary catch.)

Folk music traditions

There is an ongoing folk music tradition associated with Tom Bawcock's Eve. Below is one version of Tom Bawcock's Song'the words written by Robert Morton Nance in 1927 to a local traditional tune called the 'wedding March'. It is believe that Nance first observed the festivities at the turn of the 19th　Century. "merry place you may believe, Tiz Mouzel 'pon Tom Bawcock's eve

To be there then who wouldn't wesh, to sup o' sibm soorts o' fish

When morgy brath had cleared the path, Comed lances for a fry

And then us had a bit o' scad an' Starry-gazie pie

As aich we'd clunk, E's health we drunk, in bumpers bremmen high,

And when up caame Tom Bawcock's name, We'd prais'd 'un to the sky"

[http://telematics.ex.ac.uk/realcornwall/foodanddrink/display_audio.asp?id=22&topic=Fishing&transcript=yes link to audio file and full lyrics of the song]

See also

*Guise dancing
*Montol Festival
*Golowan
*Furry Dance
*Allantide
*West Cornwall May Day celebrations
*Picrous Day
*Chewidden Thursday