The Glastonbury Thorn: a mid-winter mystery
01/11/02
By Kathy Arnold
Flowers in winter are an unexpected treat in Britain. No wonder there has long been a fascination for the mid-winter mystery of the blooming thorn tree in Glastonbury. This is one of many mysteries associated with this small town, where beards and sandals abound and the shops sell everything from crystals to health foods. Just before Christmas, local children join dignitaries in the churchyard for the annual thorn cutting. As Kathy Arnold reports, the ceremony may be new but the legend of the flowering thorn dates back centuries.
Just before Christmas, in the churchyard of St John's parish church, a dark, dense thorn tree bursts into white blossom. This is not normally a winter-flowering species. "It's quite extraordinary, really," explains churchwarden and historian Neil Bonham, "not only does it flower near Christmas, but it also flowers again at Easter time. Quite strange." And it is this strangeness that has fascinated both Glastonbury residents and visitors for centuries.
Of all Britain's towns, nowhere is more awash with myths than Glastonbury. Themes range from the Holy Grail to King Arthur and his Queen Guinevere, supposedly buried in the abbey grounds. More tangible is the cool, clear drinking water that flows steadily (100,000 litres a day) from the Chalice Well, also known as the Blood Spring, thanks to the iron content that has stained the surrounding stone deep red. But what piques my curiosity is the Glastonbury, or Holy, Thorn. Legend has it that Joseph of Arimathea, the Virgin Mary's uncle, brought Christianity to Britain in AD 63. When he reached Glastonbury, he thrust his staff in the ground, and hey presto! ... the staff took root and grew into the Glastonbury Thorn. Incredible? Perhaps, but remember that this hawthorn (crataegus monogyna or crataegus oxyacantha praecox) is a Mediterranean plant.
The earliest written mention of Glastonbury's mid-winter miracle was back in the 1530s when a Dr Layton sent to London two flowers ... "that on Christmas Eve ...will spring, and burgeon and bear blossoms ..." Although Cromwell's soldiers destroyed the thorn during the Civil War, enough cuttings were rescued to propagate trees in the UK and even in the USA. At about the same time, a cleric used the blossom to prove that 25th December was, indeed, Christ's birthday. When, in 1752, England fell in line with the rest of Europe and changed from the Julian to the Gregorian Calendar, sceptics were happy to observe that, on the 6th January "the Christmas Day, Old Style, ... (the thorn) blowed as usual."
© Kathy Arnold
Stained glass window in St John's Church
Despite all this tradition, the annual thorn cutting ceremony is relatively new, according to Neil Bonham. "A vicar introduced the ceremony in the 1920s. His sister was a royal lady-in-waiting and he thought it might be nice to deliver a spray to the monarch for Christmas." So, even now, at the end of term, the pupils of St John's Infants School gather round the tree in St John's parish churchyard on the High Street. They sing carols, including one specially written for the occasion, and the oldest pupil has the privilege of cutting the branch of the Glastonbury Thorn that is then taken to London and presented to Her Majesty, the Queen. She keeps it in water on her writing desk, and, according to the Palace, it lasts for several weeks.
Practical information
Thorn Cutting Ceremony: 11 December, St John's parish church, High Street, Glastonbury BA6 9DP.
Details from Tourist Information Centre. Tel: 01458 832 954.
The 'Glastonbury Thorn' (aka Monogyna Praecox) is a type of Hawthorn found in England (UK) and believed to originate from Palestine/Middle East, also referred to as the 'Holy Thorn'. The tree is said to have been brought by Joseph Arimathea on a visit to England. Wherever Joseph travelled spreading the word of God, he carried a staff which he had acquired in Palestine. Legend tells that he visited the Isle of Avalon <http://www.mystical-www.co.uk/arthuriana2z/a.htm>, (Glastonbury <http://www.mystical-www.co.uk/glastonbury/index.htm>) Somerset (UK), which at one time was surrounded by water. Tired from travelling he sought rest and sat down upon 'Weary-all Hill' now called 'Worral Hill'. Joseph stuck the staff into the ground, and legend says that it took root and a tree grew. Within the area there are now trees that are said to have been grown from the original cuttings one in the grounds of 'Glastonbury Abbey' and another in the church yard of St. John's Church. The tree was seen as sacred and blossom at Christmas (See also Mystical WWW : Christmas <http://www.mystical-www.co.uk/xmas.htm> and Easter (See also Mystical WWW : Easter <http://www.mystical-www.co.uk/easter.htm>). (Marking the birth and resurrection of Jesus Christ). The flowers are highly prized and at one time exported around the world. It is believed that the Hawthorn had two trunks, but one was cut down. The perpetrator was revenged according to legend having one of his eyes taken out by the thorns in the process.
'He was well serv'd for his blind Zeale, who going to cut doune an ancient white Hauthorne-tree, which, because she budded before others, might be an occasion of Superstition, had some of the prickles flew into his eye, and made him Monocular.'
James Howell, 'Dodona's Grove' 1644
A stone marked the spot amongst the ruins of the Abbey in 1750 with an inscription reading 'I.A.A.D. XXXI', the translation of which is 'Joseph of Arimathea, A.D. 31'.
Cuttings are said to have been taken around Britain which still flower at Christmas. Although Hawthorn Trees can still be found in the abbey these are said to be cuttings of the tree as it believed to have been cut down during the English Civil War (the reign of King Charles II). Yet the Hawthorn is also considered to be a tree destined to bring bad fortune to the owner, as this is the thorny tree that some believe was made into the crown of thorns used at Christ's Crucifixion. It naturally follows that to bring any part of the tree into a house but most importantly the flowers, will result in someone in the house dieing. Attacking or cutting down a Hawthorn tree should not be attempted for the same reason. One contradiction to this belief is that to place a Hawthorn branch above the door will warn negative forces not to enter. Some believe that the Hawthorn is a holy plant which is why no negative energies will find peace by it. Glastonbury Thorn can only be grown by grafting in onto a native Hawthorn and will not flower twice a year if grown from seed. When grafted it tree lives for about 100 years. A spray of the flowers that grows only at Christmas time is sent to the Queen and the Queen Mother every Christmas and palced on the queens table on Christmas Day.
MORE ABOUT Mystical Plants <http://www.mystical-www.co.uk/plants.htm> GLASTONBURY GRID <http://www.mystical-www.co.uk/glastonbury/>
http://www.mystical-www.co.uk/glastonbury/hawth.htm
