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Clementine Traditions
aint
Clement, whose emblem is an anchor, is the
patron saint of anchor-smiths and blacksmiths, and he is also one of the
several saints invoked by seamen. This is because according to tradition
he was martyred by drowning about A.D. 100, being thrown into the Black
Sea with an anchor tied to his neck. On his feast day, 23rd November, smiths
used to honour his memory by exploding powder on their anvils, firing guns,
and holding a feast at night which as known as the Clem Feast. At Woolwich,
until at least as late as the first half of the last century, blacksmiths'
apprentices in the dockyard chose one of their number to act as Old Clem.
He wore a beard and a wig: his face was masked, and he carried a pair of
tongs and a wooden hammer as emblems of his trade. A wooden anvil was borne
before him in the procession; banners, tomahawks and battle-axes, drum-and-fife
players, and six strong men supporting the stout wooden chair in which Old
Clem himself rode.
A contemporary account of the festivities, printed in 1826, describes how
the company went round the town, “stopping and refreshing at nearly
every public house, not forgetting to call on the blacksmiths and officers
of the dockyard: there the money-box is pretty freely handed, after Old
Clem and his mate have recited their speeches…” The evening
ended with a jovial supper and, doubtless, a good deal of hard drinking
at one of the local inns.
In another account there is mention of children and young people also going
round Clementing in much the same way as they went Catterning two days later
on S. Catherine’s Day. They visited the houses of the parish, singing
songs that began “Clemeny clemeny, year by year,” or “Clementsing
Clementsing, apples and pears,” and demanding the usual largesse of
apples, beer, and whatever else they could get. Sometimes the boys added
colour to the proceeding by carrying lighted turnip lanterns of the Hallowtide
pattern.
At Ripon, on or near the anniversary, Cathedral choristers went round the
church, offering to everyone presents - an apple with a sprig of box stuck
in it, and were rewarded by small money-gifts.
More on Saint Clement:
Saint
Clement, Patron Saint of S. Clement's Church