Our Lady’s Day at St Mary-at-Hill

The Assumption of the Virgin, 15 August, was the church holy day of St Mary-at-Hill in the City of London, and its churchwardens’ accounts show the parish keeping its feast. In 1555 they paid for drinking overnight at Mr Hayward’s at the King’s Head with some of the parish and the singing men of the chapel, in wine, pears and sugar, and for a dinner on Our Lady’s Day for all the singing men and singing children. In 1557 they bought garlands for the day and strewing herbs. Brand gives the entries to show how a parish kept its own feast and its eve, and notes that singers from the King’s Chapel were rewarded and feasted at it in several years.