Helston Flora Day

Helston Furry of Days Gone By

12 May 1887, The West Briton and Cornwall Advertiser, Thursday

Helston Flora Day. Exhibition and Bazaar. Helston has not witnessed a more successful Flora-day for many years than was Tuesday's celebration of the ancient custom. A combination of various happy circumstances brought about this result. The fact of the Helston railway having been newly opened undoubtedly formed the principal contributory cause. The passenger traffic on the new line was heavy beyond expectation. Every train was crowded to excess, and in the earlier part of the day many had to be left behind. All the railway arrangements for the day were carried out without the slightest accident. The weather was superb.
The sun shone brilliantly all day, but the heat was tempered by a refreshing breeze. Then, in addition to the Furry dance - an ancient ceremonial, the exact origin of which cannot be explained, although it has, no doubt, an intimate connection with welcoming May month - the dog and poultry exhibition, which, in recent times has become a conspicuous feature in the Flora-day proceedings, was by far the best which has yet been held in Helston. The bazaar in aid of the funds of the Additional Curates' Socety, which has likewise become a part of Flora-day programms, was also rendered fully as attractive as in former years. Under such auspicious circumstances it was only what might have been expected to find Helston gayer and fuller of visitors than it has been for many a long day. The holiday seemed to be thoroughly enjoyed by everyone. The ladies mustered in particularly large numbers, and their light summer costumes contributed greatly to the brightness of the scene. In accordance with ancient usage the porches of the various hostelries were bedecked with evergreens and boughs of trees. This practice is one of the oldest portions of the custom, and reminds the folks of the present day of the times when the lads and lasses of Helston made an early excursion into the country on the morning of Flora-day and returned laden with foliage from the adjoining woods. As carried out now-a-days Flora-day is a strange mixture of things new and old, and while the leafy decorations carry the imagination back to primitive times and rustic joys, the largely patronised swing-boats and the merry-go-rounds with their organs possessed of "brass mouths and iron lungs," present in large numbers in the streets, give a very modern aspect to the fair.

"Furry dance" was well attended this year. This is a very quaint custom, and consists of a number of couples dancing through the streets, the ordinary law of trespass being for the while suspended, as the dancers claim the right to enter any house or grounds without being accused of intrusion. It is, perhaps, somewhat imaginative to describe the performance as a "dance." The participators, in pairs, form a procession, headed by a band, which incessantly plays the original "Fury tune." At a certain point of the music the couples indulge in a few spasmodic gyrations, after which walking is resumed. The large company of ladies and gentlemen intending to join in the Furry dance assembled on Tuesday in the Corn Excange, in which the Church bazaar had just been opened. The company was larger than has been seen for many years. Mr. E.P. Kendall and Mr. H.M. Rogers acted as the stewards. The dance was led off by Mr. F.V. Hill and Mrs. E.P. Kendall; Mr. E.P. Kendall and Mrs. W. Wearne; Mr. J. Sydney Davey and Mrs. Boase; Mr. Heycock and Mrs. Montague Rogers; Capt. Mainwarning and Miss Jackson; Mr. H.M. Rogers and Mrs. Farham; Mr. Harris and Miss West. There were between forty and fifty couples. After they had proceeded round the town the company adjourned to the Assembly Rooms of the Angel Hotel, where a country dance concluded the programme. During the afternoon several other parties enjoyed a Furry dance. These singular proceedings - unique to Flora-day and Helston - were witnessed by an enormous crowd of spectators.

The dog, poultry, cage bird, rabbit, and cat show held in the Market-house was very successful. A report of the proceedings, together with the prize list, will be found in the eighth page of to-day's West Briton.

The bazaar in aid of the funds of the Additional Curates' Society, which was held in the Corn Exchange, was most tastefully and strikingly arranged. The stalls were named after the several rural deaneries of the archdeaconry of Cornwall, namley: - "St. Austell," "Kirrier," "Penwith," "Powder," "Pydar," "Carnmarth." Articles for sale were sent in from all the deaneries except Carnmarth. The stalls were decorated with extreme care and taste, and the goods for sale were of a valuable and elegant description. The archidiaconal secretary, Miss Bennet, of Tresillian House, St. Columb, worked most assiduously in connection with the arrangements, the ruridecanal secretaries present being Mrs. Vawdey (Kirrier), Mrs. Williams and Mrs. Harvey (Penwith), Miss Glynn Grylls (Powder), and the parochial secretaries of Kirrier, Miss Hill (Helston) and Mrs. Sutton (St. Keverne). The ladies at the stalls were Mrs. Vawdrey, Miss Glynn Grylis, Miss Ratcliffe, Mrs. F. Harvey, Miss Williams, Mrs. Coulson Arthur, Miss Hill, Mrs. Taylor, Mrs. Wedlock, Miss Reynolds, Mrs. Williams, Miss Hugo, Mrs. M. Richards, Mrs. Sutton, Miss Bullmore, and Miss Taylor.

Canon Tyacke, in introducing Mrs. Rogers, of Penrose, who was to open the bazaar, said he wished to express his deep indebtedness to all who had for many months been preparing the numerous articles on the stalls, and who had expended much time and labour in the cause. - Mrs. Rogers declared the bazaar open.

In the evening a ball was held at the Angel Hotel.

With thanks to the West Briton Archives 

http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.com/~wbritonad/

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Here are four short films of the 2007 celebrations

Double click on the arrow

The Morning Dance

The Hal an Tow

The Children's Dance

The Midday Dance