The Steventon Wassail
Steventon came a-wassailing on February 1st 2025
A horn call and an introduction to the orchard and its trees by Denzil Pemberthy was very welcoming as people sipped good apple juice or cider.
Ancient apple trees have opened their branches to accept new trees and saplings in the last three years.
Denzil pointed out the carefully-chosen rare varieties of cider apples, eating apples, cooking apples.
Drive the harsh winter away
Look forward to springtime and drink your drink
After singing a round there was a short ceremony with 'Malus' (The Apple) speaking on behalf of the trees, dormant, anticipating Spring and new life. Steventon’s Wassail 'Monarch' responded promising that the people would always protect and tend the trees and their fruit.
Waes hael Drinc hael
A toast was offered by our Monarch joined by 76 people, while Rex the Wassail Prince (18 months old this week), placed toast in the trees. His parents and all friends became involved in the act, walking the trees, singing, libations to the orchard there was general merriment. More from the cider barrel and two wassail songs, harp, wind and drum. Then a cheerful walk up The Causeway to the North Star for mulled cider and a choice of good ‘Old Berkshire’ orchard ciders and some hard cider (with wise local advice to go easy and have a beer or soft drink ‘to safeguard other village crops and our health’.
So let our village sing this song
For apple, plum and cherry
May oats and barley keep us strong
So Steventon be merry!
This was a true village ‘country’ evening at dusk on the night exactly half-way between the Winter Solstice and the Spring Equinox. Each decade 1930s to 2020s was represented, (By ages 91 to small child) at the orchard with more villagers turning up as the wassail walked to the pub.
Background to the Steventon Wassail
In the Vale of Abingdon geographically, Steventon is renowned as a fruit-growing area, particularly Steventon Hill and Milton Hill with apple and cherry trees. There have been small, family wassails by the Binning family (who have Somerset roots) also the Loutit family. Steventon History Society would be keen to know of any other memories, please send a message.
The impetus for this event came from one local whose former home was Aller Farmhouse, Carhampton, Somerset. The house origin is 1176 as the estate house for the Captain of the Guard to the east of Dunster Castle. Carhampton Wassail has its origins in the late C14th. Research by historian Hilary Binding suggests that the Luttrell family brought the custom from Devon to the castle lands to provide winter cheer to farm workers at Twelfth Night 17th January. A simple hour of wassail in later generations is described as merging with dinners for the wealthy, Lord of Misrule in Tudor times, carolling and then drinking songs after the Restoration. Wassail has not been continuous but the basis of apples, cider, toast, a fire has kept many orchards in health. In the 1750s with a change in the calendar Twelfth Night altered to 5th January. The loyalty to ‘Old Twelfthy’ continued it on 17th January between the first and second world wars and in modern times some places choose the nearest Saturday.
Candlemas in the church calendar had it base in the pre-Christian festival of lights at the start of February.
All nature including birds who protect the trees and ground-dwelling and hibernating creatures can sense whether winter will be short or long and if a big freeze is ahead.
When Candlemas be clear and fair
There will be two winters in the year
