Historic Pageants
A Souvenir
This piece of 'souvenir ware', dated 1908, commemorates the Gloucestershire Historical Pageant of 1908 held at Cheltenham. I find it interesting that you learn a lot following up these objects which I have looked at casually for decades.
Pageants were/are preformed from Devon/Cornwall to the Inverness and comprised a series of 5 to 10 episodes. The 1906 one at Cheltenham had 8 episodes over 6 performances. These were performed on consecutive days so had more than one episode per day. Tickets were sold to watch, the price depending on the seat. The ticket prices for the 1908 pageant at Cheltenham ranged from a guinea (21 shillings) to 3s 6d (in old money. Isn't it strange to see the 'd' again). The pageants were generally big affairs and the Cheltenham one had 2500-3000 performers, numerous helpers and attracted an audience total over the week of 25,000.
This pageant took place in the grounds of Marle Hill House, Cheltenham and the theme ran from AD 52 (the Romans and Druids) to 1788 and the apparent miraculous healing of George the III when he drank 'the Cheltenham waters'. You may remember the ditty:-
'Here lie I with my three daughters,
Killed by drinking Cheltenham waters,
We wouldn't be here in these cold vaults,
If we'd only stuck to Epsom Salts!
Episode V of the pageant showed Queen Elizabeth 1st at Sherborne House in 1574 watching Morris Dancing and Maypole revels. She commented that it is July not May and a player ingratiates himself by saying '--it's always May when your Majesty is here'. The Queen is mightily pleased and Cheltenham no doubt preened itself! It might be remembered at this time her cousin Mary Queen of Scots was languishing in prison under her orders. (see the Tutbury glass post).
The themes of all the pageants in England sought to show how the town or village's pieces of local history were important and woven into the national framework. They were produced by the smaller towns (less that 40,000) and villages. They provided a vehicle for civic pride and they seem to have been a massively important undertakings as evidenced by the Cheltenham one where 15 news papers covered it including the Times, Manchester Guardian and the Observer.
The souvenir (see photos) is a plate and a far cry from the cheaper sea side souvenirs, though undoubtedly cheap ones were sold.
The plate is 15 cm in diameter, has a gold painted rim and is transparent when held against a light indicating it is porcelain. The coat of arms (2.6 cm across) is very well produced and bears the words 'July Cheltenham 1908' in a scroll banner below it.
The coat of arms used is of interest and actually took some unravelling. It is a quartered shield and in each quarter there is a device (I think that's the posh name for what these are). These are elements of the arms of town in Gloucestershire. Top left clock wise they are, Gloucester, Tewkesbury, Bristol (once in Gloucestershire) and bottom left is Cheltenham. In some cases only a part of the town's arms is used.
On the back of the plate there are four green dots, a central irregularity and the makers name. This is W.H. Rhodes Ltd. Cheltenham. I have drawn a blank on this company but Googling the name seems to mislead you to primary schools in the USA! Anyone know about it?