St Barnabas and churches filled with flowers….

On dipping into Thomas Firminger Thiselton Dyer’s book The Folk-lore of Plants I came upon the following:-

“….Certain flowers, such as the rose, lavender, woodruff, and box were formerly in request for decking churches on St. Barnabas‘ Day (June 11) the officiating clergy having worn wreaths of roses. Among the allusions to the usage may be mentioned the following entries in the churchwarden’s accounts of St. Mary-at-Hill, London, in the reigns of Edward IV. and Henry VII.:–“For rose garlondis and woodrolf garlondis on St. Barnabe Daye, xj’d.” “Item, for two doss (dozen?) di bocse (box) garlands for prestes and clerkes on St. Barnabe Day, j’s. v’d.” St. Barnabas’ thistle (Centaurea solstitialis) derived its name from flowering at the time of the saint’s festival, and we are told how:– “When St. Barnaby bright smiles night and day, Poor ragged robin blooms in the hay….”

Well, I wanted to know a little more and so delved around online. I soon found that St Barnabas and garlands of flowers have been rather hijacked by the Tudors, although how Edward IV and 1479 manage to be Tudor I really don’t know. I found this latter fact in a video about St Barnabas Day at this link. Honestly, those darned Tudors will pinch anything within grabbing distance!

But how charming the churches must have been on his day, and how good to see the clergy wearing wreaths of flowers: here. Perhaps flowers still fill churches on this day. I’m rather lapsed when it comes to churchgoing, so am no longer au fait with these things. But why is St Barnabas associated with flowers? I cannot find anything that explains it…well, perhaps there is one explanation.

According to the above video, 11 June back then was regulated by the Julian calendar….today, when we use the Gregorian calendar, it is the summer solstice of 20/21 June. Is that why the flowers have become associated with St Barnabas? Because this day was when these flowers would have been at the height of their glory? Was their brilliance, beauty and sweet perfume a tribute to the martyred saint?

The Dyer book can be viewed free here, and is available for £1.99 on Kindle at the time of writing this, see here.