Features / St Mary Redcliffe Church
500 years of tradition at St Mary Redcliffe
A highlight of St Mary Redcliffe Church‘s calendar, Rush Sunday has taken place for more than half a millennium.
Taking place annually, the event falls this year on Sunday, June 9 and will be attended by city dignitaries including the lord mayor, aldermen and councillors.
The name comes from the floor of the church being strewn with rushes.
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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yh5dVoAID1s
Rush Sunday originated in the 1400s, when merchant William Canynges came to the city.
He later became the mayor of Bristol, an MP and a principal benefactor of St Mary Redcliffe. After his wife’s death in 1467 he was also ordained priest.
When William Spenser became mayor of Bristol in 1493, he commemorated Canynges through three sermons preached on the days following Whitsunday (the seventh Sunday after Easter).
Those attending carried nosegays (a small bunch of flowers) to protect against infection, and the church floor was covered with rushes.
The tradition continues and it still upheld annually with the lord mayor, aldermen and councillors all wearing traditional robes.
On Rush Sunday, St Mary Redcliffe Church is decorated with flowers and herbs before sermons are read, and refreshments including sherry and Madeira cake are served afterwards.
The lord mayor’s state coach – Bristol and London are the only two UK cities with such a vehicle
The parade makes its way towards the church
The floor of the church is strewn with rushes, with ‘nosegays’ for the congregation
Refreshments including sherry and Madeira cake are served afterwards
Read more: 14 things you probably didn’t know about St Mary Redcliffe
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