Ibecame interested in traditional music as ateenager. In the 1950s, I rarely heard regional dialects or radio programmes about arts in the regions. Yet I knew a lot was going on near me in Devon. That inspired me to collect written and audio material on folk traditions.
The first event I recorded was Padstow May Day in Cornwall in 1963. There was music, singing and two ’Obby ’Osses [hobby horses], which parade around the streets. I’ve gone every year since, bar one.
I call myself an accidental archivist. My collection – 23 tonnes of notes, photos, audio recordings and video tapes – is self-funded. I was teaching art and photography sometimes alongside.
My May calendar is packed with 45 events, which makes it a busy month. Alongside Padstow, Minehead has extraordinary horses that appear over the first three days. Helston Flora Day also stands out for its joyful dance through the town, while at Abbotsbury Garland, children make flower garlands and visit households collecting money for charity.
On Ascension Day [9 May this year], there will be “beating the bounds” events across the country. This involves tapping “boundary stones” with sticks to reinforce parish limits.
The Planting of the Penny Hedge in Whitby on Ascension Eve [8 May] is especially moving. Two men plant a hedge of hazel sticks by the River Esk. It must withstand three tides or, according to legend, the landowners will lose their land. The ceremony is held at 9am without music, dance or song and is over by 9.30am.
Certain events have been revived or appropriated in recent years. Wassailing – where people visit houses singing traditional songs or bless apple trees in orchards – used to take place mainly in the West Countr
