Hoodening 1945-1964

Hoodening History (ancient)

1945 Acol horse appears at VJ Day celebrations. [Click any of the pictures on this page to enlarge; hover for descriptions]

Photo shows Mr Laming, Len Harris, John Swanock (from Woodchurch), Jack White, Edie Cowell, her niece Mavis Kemp, unknown horse, unknown gent, Mr Fellows and Mr Raynor.

1947
Ravensbourne Morris Men "adopt" a replica horse which had appeared at Aylesford Folk Dance Festival just before WWII. See East Kent Morris site.

December 1952
Boys from St Dunstan's school tour Canterbury with a horse. A youth club in Godmersham did the same.

1953
A copy of the Deal horse, made by Barnett Field, appeared at the Coronation celebrations in Folkestone. It was later used there for annual "handbell hoodening". It has been said that "some women in Birchington also recreated a Hooden Horse for their Coronation celebrations", but this is probably a mistake for the events of December 1954. We have however recently unearthed pictures from 1953 showing a different horse from that used in 1954; probably the same as used in Acol in 1945 (and maybe the 1920s or earlier too).

7 June 1954
Posters used by the East Kent Morris Men for Whit Monday celebrations seem to be the first traceable record of the phrase "If ye the Hooden Horse doth feed, throughout the year you shall not need", probably thought up by Barnett Field.

Christmas Week 1954
The Social Studies group of Birchington Evening Townswomen's Guild made a "faithful reproduction of the original [Hooden Horse] which toured Birchington [...] designed [...] by an elderly man who was one of the Hoodeners" (and who is described in one newspaper report as "the husband of one of their members"). They used this to tour the village singing carols and raising £14 3s 10d for the Village Centre Fund. Participants (some?): Mrs Venables, Jessie Payne, Fanny Reed, Mrs Roach, and Dorothy Farebrother (under the horse).

9 May 1956
Birchington Evening Townswomen's Guild perform a play with their Hooden Horse at the Granville Theatre in Ramsgate, in the East Kent Federation of Townswomen's Guilds pageant "Once They Lived in Our Town". The play was set in Birchington in 1867, was produced by Harriett Buck, and featured the characters Grandmother, Father, Mother, Child, Hoodeners and Carol Party. [Click any of the pictures to enlarge]

21 July 1956
"Swan Inn" in Wickhambreaux is renamed the "Hooden Horse" in accordance with brewery instructions: see leaflet, and also the following cuttings (courtesy of Ravensbourne Morris). [Click any to enlarge]

22 September 1956
Birchington Evening Townswomen's Guild met the East Kent Morris Men at Wickhambreaux, and "saw their horse and watched a fine display of Morris Dancing". At the time they also wrote about "perpetuating our revival" and that "we hope to continue our Mumming during the coming Christmas season -- all the original team are still keen participants" but we can find no further mention of any Hoodening in Birchington.

Sometime in 1956
"Hoodeners" did a one-off performance at Stede Hill, Harrietsham at the home of Robert Goodsall (author of 4 books variously called 'A Kentish Patchwork'), using a horse he had constructed.

September 1959
"Hop-hoodening" starts.

1961
Folkestone International Folklore Festival produces a giant Hooden Horse (14 feet high).

Hoodening History (1965-1999) . Hoodening History (2000-)
This year's schedule of performances.