Clipping the church
Encyclopedia
Clipping the church is an ancient custom that is traditionally held on Easter Monday
or Shrove Tuesday
in the United Kingdom. The word "clipping" is Anglo-Saxon
in origin, and is derived from the word "clyp-pan", meaning "embrace" or "clasp". Clipping the church involves either the church congregation or local children holding hands in an outward-facing ring around the church. Once the circle is completed onlookers will often cheer and sometimes hymns are sung. Often there is dancing. Following the ceremony a sermon is delivered in the church and there are sometimes refreshments. Currently, there are only a few churches left in England that hold this ceremony.
, having died out in various places in the 19th century, but was performed widely across the country, from Yorkshire
to Wiltshire
and Derbyshire
, as well as Birmingham
, Somerset
and Shropshire
. It was revived at St. Peter's Church, Edgmond, Shropshire
in 1867, and continues there to the present day. St. Mary's Church in Painswick
is one of only a few other churches that perform this custom, on a Shrove Tuesday, and today it is performed by children. Other churches that hold similar ceremonies include Burbage
Parish Church, St Mary's Church, Wirksworth
, and Guiseley
Parish Church.
At St Peter’s Church in Tankersley, Barnsley in the diocese of Sheffield the service of Cyppings is held annually on the second Sunday following St Peter’s day (29th June). Yeclepping is an ancient term meaning ‘embracing’. It is thought to have originated from pagan times but Christians quite wisely have adopted this tradition to show their love for their church and the surrounding people
There are not many parishes that honour this ancient custom and all of them appear to honour it on a different day. It would appear that that some parishes observe this tradition on around the time of their Patronal festival and at St Peter’s; in Tankersley the Rector revived the tradition. The feast is celebrated on the 2nd Sunday following St Peter’s day (29th June). The reason for this is not far to seek. When the new ‘Kalendar’ was changed, by omitting 11 days, the good people of Tankersley neglected (or did they refuse) to change the time honoured day of their festival. Another important fact was that in the year of 1800, it was not considered a leap year and this interjected another day
At Tankersley, there is a service held in the parish church followed by the congregation trouping out to form a ring around the church, They sing a Hymn played by a Trumpeter and in the case of St Peters’ of Tankersley it is the hymn ‘We Love thy place o God’. A prayer is then said with the congregation facing the church and then the congregation all face outwards to the world where they pray for the wider community and the world.
Tankersley Church is built on foundations of an earlier place of worship which goes back to Saxon times. (indeed the battle of Tankersley Moor (in Oliver Cromwell’s days) was fought in this area and Cannon ball from this battle on show in the church.
There is also a mention of a |Rector of Tankersley in the Domesday Book.
At the Church of St Lawrence
at Rode, Somerset
the circle face inwards dancing left and right before rushing towards the church with a cheer.
Easter Monday
Easter Monday is the day after Easter Sunday and is celebrated as a holiday in some largely Christian cultures, especially Roman Catholic and Eastern Orthodox cultures...
or Shrove Tuesday
Shrove Tuesday
Shrove Tuesday is a term used in English-speaking countries, especially in Ireland, United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Philippines, Germany, and parts of the United States for the day preceding Ash Wednesday, the first day of the season of fasting and prayer called Lent.The...
in the United Kingdom. The word "clipping" is Anglo-Saxon
Anglo-Saxon
Anglo-Saxon may refer to:* Anglo-Saxons, a group that invaded Britain** Old English, their language** Anglo-Saxon England, their history, one of various ships* White Anglo-Saxon Protestant, an ethnicity* Anglo-Saxon economy, modern macroeconomic term...
in origin, and is derived from the word "clyp-pan", meaning "embrace" or "clasp". Clipping the church involves either the church congregation or local children holding hands in an outward-facing ring around the church. Once the circle is completed onlookers will often cheer and sometimes hymns are sung. Often there is dancing. Following the ceremony a sermon is delivered in the church and there are sometimes refreshments. Currently, there are only a few churches left in England that hold this ceremony.
History
Little is known about the history of clipping, though it is said to have originated as a Pagan custom. It is thought to have been revived in the 19th century, when the earliest known mention of it was described in The Every-day Book (Hone, 1825); "L.S." describes the ceremony as a memory of his childhood. It was a custom in several parishes in the MidlandsEnglish Midlands
The Midlands, or the English Midlands, is the traditional name for the area comprising central England that broadly corresponds to the early medieval Kingdom of Mercia. It borders Southern England, Northern England, East Anglia and Wales. Its largest city is Birmingham, and it was an important...
, having died out in various places in the 19th century, but was performed widely across the country, from Yorkshire
Yorkshire
Yorkshire is a historic county of northern England and the largest in the United Kingdom. Because of its great size in comparison to other English counties, functions have been increasingly undertaken over time by its subdivisions, which have also been subject to periodic reform...
to Wiltshire
Wiltshire
Wiltshire is a ceremonial county in South West England. It is landlocked and borders the counties of Dorset, Somerset, Hampshire, Gloucestershire, Oxfordshire and Berkshire. It contains the unitary authority of Swindon and covers...
and Derbyshire
Derbyshire
Derbyshire is a county in the East Midlands of England. A substantial portion of the Peak District National Park lies within Derbyshire. The northern part of Derbyshire overlaps with the Pennines, a famous chain of hills and mountains. The county contains within its boundary of approx...
, as well as Birmingham
Birmingham
Birmingham is a city and metropolitan borough in the West Midlands of England. It is the most populous British city outside the capital London, with a population of 1,036,900 , and lies at the heart of the West Midlands conurbation, the second most populous urban area in the United Kingdom with a...
, Somerset
Somerset
The ceremonial and non-metropolitan county of Somerset in South West England borders Bristol and Gloucestershire to the north, Wiltshire to the east, Dorset to the south-east, and Devon to the south-west. It is partly bounded to the north and west by the Bristol Channel and the estuary of the...
and Shropshire
Shropshire
Shropshire is a county in the West Midlands region of England. For Eurostat purposes, the county is a NUTS 3 region and is one of four counties or unitary districts that comprise the "Shropshire and Staffordshire" NUTS 2 region. It borders Wales to the west...
. It was revived at St. Peter's Church, Edgmond, Shropshire
Shropshire
Shropshire is a county in the West Midlands region of England. For Eurostat purposes, the county is a NUTS 3 region and is one of four counties or unitary districts that comprise the "Shropshire and Staffordshire" NUTS 2 region. It borders Wales to the west...
in 1867, and continues there to the present day. St. Mary's Church in Painswick
Painswick
Painswick is a small town in Gloucestershire, England. Originally the town grew on the wool trade, but it is now best known for its parish church's yew trees and the local Rococo Garden. The town is mainly constructed of locally quarried Cotswold stone...
is one of only a few other churches that perform this custom, on a Shrove Tuesday, and today it is performed by children. Other churches that hold similar ceremonies include Burbage
Burbage, Derbyshire
Burbage, is a village in Derbyshire, and was a parish until 1961, when it became part of the parish of Buxton.Burbage is well known for its Brass Band, the Burbage Band .Burbage backs onto Grinlow Woods and provides access to Solomon's Temple....
Parish Church, St Mary's Church, Wirksworth
St Mary's Church, Wirksworth
St. Mary's Church, Wirksworth, is a parish church in the Church of England in Wirksworth, Derbyshire.-Description:It is a Grade I listed building dating mostly from the thirteenth century. It was restored in 1870 by Sir Gilbert Scott...
, and Guiseley
Guiseley
Guiseley is a small town in the City of Leeds metropolitan borough in West Yorkshire, England. Situated south of Otley and Menston, it is a suburb of north west Leeds. At the 2001 census, Guiseley together with Rawdon had a population of over 21,000. The A65, which passes through the town, is the...
Parish Church.
At St Peter’s Church in Tankersley, Barnsley in the diocese of Sheffield the service of Cyppings is held annually on the second Sunday following St Peter’s day (29th June). Yeclepping is an ancient term meaning ‘embracing’. It is thought to have originated from pagan times but Christians quite wisely have adopted this tradition to show their love for their church and the surrounding people
There are not many parishes that honour this ancient custom and all of them appear to honour it on a different day. It would appear that that some parishes observe this tradition on around the time of their Patronal festival and at St Peter’s; in Tankersley the Rector revived the tradition. The feast is celebrated on the 2nd Sunday following St Peter’s day (29th June). The reason for this is not far to seek. When the new ‘Kalendar’ was changed, by omitting 11 days, the good people of Tankersley neglected (or did they refuse) to change the time honoured day of their festival. Another important fact was that in the year of 1800, it was not considered a leap year and this interjected another day
At Tankersley, there is a service held in the parish church followed by the congregation trouping out to form a ring around the church, They sing a Hymn played by a Trumpeter and in the case of St Peters’ of Tankersley it is the hymn ‘We Love thy place o God’. A prayer is then said with the congregation facing the church and then the congregation all face outwards to the world where they pray for the wider community and the world.
Tankersley Church is built on foundations of an earlier place of worship which goes back to Saxon times. (indeed the battle of Tankersley Moor (in Oliver Cromwell’s days) was fought in this area and Cannon ball from this battle on show in the church.
There is also a mention of a |Rector of Tankersley in the Domesday Book.
At the Church of St Lawrence
Church of St Lawrence, Rode
The Church of St Lawrence in Rode, Somerset, England dates from the late 14th and early 15th century. It was restored in 1874 by C. E. Davis and is a Grade I listed building....
at Rode, Somerset
Somerset
The ceremonial and non-metropolitan county of Somerset in South West England borders Bristol and Gloucestershire to the north, Wiltshire to the east, Dorset to the south-east, and Devon to the south-west. It is partly bounded to the north and west by the Bristol Channel and the estuary of the...
the circle face inwards dancing left and right before rushing towards the church with a cheer.