Northantone 1086 ‘Home farm, homestead’ (with prefix North to distinguish from Southampton).

The 350th Anniversary of the Restoration of the Monarchy

All Saints' Church

The Boys and Men lead a Thanksgiving Service on Oak Apple Day marking the 350th anniversary of the Restoration of the Monarchy.

All those with honours from the Queen (OBE, MBE, etc.,) are specially invited to the service, wearing their medals, which will give thanks for the Honours System.

The service concludes at 11:45am in time for the congregation to gather outside to witness the wreathing in oak leaves of the stature of Charles II at Noon, followed by a display by a Sealed Knot society.

Starts: 11:00 am

Saturday 29th May

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‘Formally all the principal families in the town of Northampton placed a large branch of oak over the door of their houses, or in their balconies, in remembrance of the restoration of Charles II. The oak-boughs are gradually disappearing, but the corporate body still goes in procession to All Saints Church, accompanied by the boys and girls of the different charity schools, each of them having a sprig of oak, with a gilt oak-apple placed in the front of their dress ; and should the season be unpropitious, and oak-apples be scarce, small gilded potatoes are substituted. The commemoration of this day has probably been more generally and loyally observed in this town than in many other places, from a feeling of gratitude to that monarch, who munificently contributed 1000 tons of timber out of Whittlewood Forest and remitted the duty of chimney-money in Northampton for seven years, towards the rebuilding of the town after the destructive fire of 1675. The statue of the king, which is placed in the centre of the balustrade on the portico of All Saints' Church, is always enveloped in oak-boughs on this day.—Glossary of Northamptonshire Words and Phrases, vol. ii. p. 68.

Glossary of Northamptonshire Words and Phrases, vol. ii. P.68

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“Oak Apple day is a very important day in Northampton... A wreath of oak leaves is put onto the bust of Charles in the main square and - when I was little at any rate if not today - we all had to wear an oak apple on this day or we would have been subjected to having mud thrown at us!” 

Gay Richardson

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