Tag Archive for: Wiltshire

Preservation and Destruction in the Vale of the White Horse

The landscape of the Vale has been shaped and adapted by the activity of man during the last five thousand years. Neolithic colonists from the European mainland brought with them the skills and equipment of agriculturists: they transported seed corn and domesticated the beasts of their flocks and herds.

Oak Apple Day

Everywhere in England sprigs of oak were worn on 29 May, Oak Apple Day. They were sometimes called chitchat and in Hereford it was 'Chit-chat Day'. According to the English Dialect Dictionary both Chit Jack and Shitsack were in use at Barford, the next village to Wishford. These customs clearly link 29 May with Jack in the Green, Robin Hood, May Day and Summer Finding.