The 17th Century Almanac for May – maypoles, ministers & mutiny
The 17th Century Almanac for May is an article by author Charles Cordell on Early Modern life, Whitsuntide merriment, maypoles, Puritan ministers, the Burford Martyrs and Oak Apple Day.
The 17th Century almanac for May:
“Come, queen of Months! in company
With all thy merry minstrelsy.”
May was a month to make merry around Whitsuntide maypoles. But this was also a time when villages were divided between ancient practice and Puritan prayer, between rector and minister. It is a month in which we should remember the Burford Martyrs, a nation’s restoration and the birth of constitutional monarchy.
17th Century Life & Agricultural Labour in May – milk, bees & weeds
In the 17th Century, May was the beginning of summer. Cattle were turned out to graze after the long winter cooped up in barns. The traditional day for the ‘Spring Turnout’ was 1 May, a day for joyous cows to frisk and frolic, and feed on fresh grass.
Lambs and calves were weaned and separated from their mothers. The ewes and cows were driven to the commons, heaths and moors to graze on the fresh spring grass, and to be milked. Grazing on the hay meadows stopped to allow the grass to grow for winter fodder.
Labourers mucked out barns and spread the muck on the fields. Families of women and children weeded the wheat or rye strips – there was no weed killer – and removed the endless stones that naturally surfaced. Swifts began to arrive and bees swarmed. And milkmaids and ploughmen had an hour’s rest after midday dinner, until harvest started.
Maypoles & Ministers – Whitsuntide, church wakes & merriment
After the traditional cold spell of the ‘Ice Saints’ in the middle of the month, the merry month of May ended with the Whitsuntide holiday. This was a feast day, traditionally a time of church wakes, May games, wrestling and cudgel-playing. Traditionally, it was also a time for maypoles, dancing and love.
The 17th Century Anglican vicar Robert Herrick celebrated May festivities in his lyric poetry:
“The May-pole is up,
Now give me the cup;
I’ll drink to the garlands around it;
But first unto those
Whose hands did compose
The glory of flowers that crown’d it.”
These were not simply a rural pastime. John Stow’s 1603 Survey of London records Morris dancing, stage plays and street bonfires across the city in May. St Andrew Undershaft church in the city of London took its name from its maypole or ‘shaft’.
However, there were many who disapproved. Maypoles were a particular source of Reformation tension. A Parliamentary ordinance of 1644 described them as:
“A Heathenish vanity, generally abused to superstition and wickedness.”
This was a time when many parish churches in England had both an officiating vicar and a lay Puritan minister. Firebrand psalms and prayers followed Sunday services and holiday sermons. They could be very different in tone.
Whitsun (or Pentecost) falls on the seventh Sunday after Easter. This year, Whitsunday will fall on 24 May 2026. Sadly, today, the modern UK Spring Bank Holiday is not quite the same frivolous affair as old Whitsuntide.
Mutiny – the campaign season, Burford Martyrs & slavery
Sadly, May was also the beginning of the military campaigning season. Many would have left their homes or billets to march away, perhaps never to return. In May 1649, a number of New Model Army regiments mutinied. They demanded to have their backpay and objected to being part of Cromwell’s coming campaign in Ireland.
Some four hundred mutineers reached Buford. The majority were levellers – early socialists. Cromwell promised them their pay. He assured them that force would not be used. However, on the night of 13 May 1649, Cromwell launched a surprise attack. Several mutineers were killed. The rest were imprisoned in Burford Church.
On the morning of 17 May 1649, three ringleaders were shot against the church wall. They are recognised today as the Burford Martyrs. Their fellow New Model Army mutineers were transported to Barbados to work the new sugar plantations as indentured servants, alongside Royalist prisoners and enslaved Africans. It was the end of the Leveller dream.
Oak Apple Day – Restoration, peace & constitutional monarchy
The 29th of May is Oak Apple Day – the day commemorating the restoration of Charles II. If you are near Castleton in the Peak District, or St Neot in Cornwall, don’t miss the traditional ceremonies of hoisting flowers and oak bows up the church towers.
This is perhaps a day we should better celebrate as the day that marks the end of the British Civil Wars and almost twenty years of conflict. It also marks the beginning of the path to constitutional monarchy and parliamentary democracy.
May – Milk Moon, Blue Moon, ‘Winged’ Mercury & sanguine Gemini
May is the month of Gemini, the twins. Those born under their airy influence were said to have a sanguine, bloody temperament. According to Galen, their hot and moist humour tended to be upright, ruddy, dark, strong and active. They had a wanton look and a clear sighted, judicious, worldly approach.
For those who still follow the old cycles, this year we will have a full Milk Moon on 1 May 2026, the first full moon after Easter. A new Flower Moon will rise on the 16th to be full on 31 May. This will be a calendrical Blue Moon – a second full moon within a single calendar month. Let us hope that their combined influences will be positive upon our unsteady world.
For many in the 17th Century, the stars also dictated life. Mercury, the ‘Winged Messenger’ will take its place once more in the May night sky. This is the star of intellect, communication, trade, and travel. Its erratic, quicksilver path will rise again above the western horizon, just after sunset, from 14 May.
Both bright Venus and mighty Jupiter will approach the young moon. With Mercury, they will be visible in close proximity in the western sky at about 22:00 on 19 and 20 May. For May 2026, the best astrologers predict an uncovering of hidden truths under the light of the full Milk Moon. With the rise of Mercury and the Blue Moon, a time of internal transformation is expected to follow.
Follow & Read More of the 17th Century Almanac
Whether you are weeding, milking or mucking out, I wish you a merry May – “while all that lives enjoys the birth of frolic Summer’s laughing mirth.” If you can, take that hour’s rest. The hay harvest is coming.
I will post more of the 17th Century Almanac, next month. Each article discusses a topic of interest, such as 17th Century Climate Change and conflict, as well as annual activity in Early Modern Britain for that month. If you would like to receive email notification of the next post, click the button to follow.
17th Century History – articles, maps & events
In the meantime, this website includes articles and pages about life in 17th Century Britain, Europe and the Americas at Historical Notes and Maps. These include notes and pages on the impact of the Little Ice Age and The General Crisis of the 17th Century. They include articles on the English Revolution and Great Rebellion. They also include historical notes on the English Revolution and the Great Rebellion, as well as Pike and Shot Warfare and battles of the English Civil War.
You can also find more posts on Early Modern history, Living History and re-enactment at News & Blogs. You may also wish to read about the English Civil War history talks and battlefield walks I give.
Divided Kingdom – English Civil War historical fiction
The 17th Century almanac blog posts provide a backdrop and set the scene for the Divided Kingdom books. This historical fiction series is set in Early Modern Britain during the English Civil War. These posts are part of their backstory.
The Divided Kingdom books take a fresh approach. They are not based on a single hero. They do not take sides. Their voices – ordinary men and women – face each other in the chaos of Britain in civil war. They are both relatable and sharply relevant today. They are also as historically accurate as is possible.
Please do check out some of the writing at Divided Kingdom Books, including book tasters and a FREE ebook short story.
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