Civic Flowers
Certain flowers have become associated with Canterbury's civic life over the years, although the origins of these traditions have been obscured by the passage of time.
Canterbury Bells [campanula medium]
Research undertaken for the 1997 Celebration of Floral Art and Design in Canterbury Cathedral indicates that the first known reference to a flower called the Canterbury bell is in John Gerard's herbal of 1597. Gerard explains that Canterbury bells are thus called because they grow more plentifully in Canterbury than elsewhere. The flower he describes is actually campanula trachelium. Indeed, campanula medium was known as Coventry bells during the 16th and 17th centuries.
It is not certain how Canterbury bells acquired their name and their association with Canterbury. Bells were indeed a symbol of pilgrimage. It is thought that pilgrims to Canterbury may have picked the flowers, which would have resembled the bells on the horses' harnesses: they are mentioned in Chaucer's Canterbury Tales (late 1380s).
Wordsworth refers to Canterbury bells in his Ecclesiastical Biography. Canterbury bells also feature in modern stained glass windows in the private chapel of the Archbishop of Canterbury at Lambeth.
The shoulder clasps of the Lord Mayor's chain are decorated with Canterbury bells.
Lily of the Valley [convallaria magalis]
The Lord Mayor's 'Jewel' or badge of office bears six lily of the valley flowers three on each side of the central shield.
The origins of the use of lilies of the valley as part of Canterbury's civic ceremonial are now lost. One theory suggests a link with the fleur de lys, possibly a sign of Canterbury's historic links with France.
The lily of the valley is often associated with the Virgin Mary as its tiny white bells are seen to represent her tears, but again there is no clear connection to Canterbury. However, at the enthronement of Archbishop Randall Davidson in 1903 many in the congregation wore lilies of the valley.
Lilies of the valley are referred to by Councillor Catherine Williamson, Mayor of Canterbury 1938-1940, in her book, Though the Streets Burn (London, 1949). She states that they are always used in connection with conferring the Freedom of the City, but she has no knowledge of the origins of the practice.
The tradition of decorating the Guildhall with lilies of the valley on the occasion of the annual meeting of the Council was revived in the 1970s and continues to this day. Some Members also wear sprays of lilies of the valley in their buttonhole on this occasion.
Christmas Rose [heleborus niger]
The Archbishop, who was also Chancellor of England and was responsible for the building of the West Gate and the adjacent Holy Cross Church (now the Guildhall) in 1380-1, was executed in 1381 during the Peasants' Revolt. His head was taken to Sudbury in Suffolk and his body buried in Canterbury Cathedral. He was commemorated in the Cathedral during the middle ages, but the custom eventually lapsed.
Archbishop Sudbury was arguably much more admired by the citizens of Canterbury than by the monks of Christ Church Priory who did not relish his admonitions about profiteering from pilgrims.
In the 1970s, at the instigation of one of the residentiary canons of the Cathedral and the Chief Executive of the City Council, it was decided to revive the custom of laying flowers on his tomb, partly as a demonstration of renewed warmth between the Church and the City as well as a reminder of Sudbury's undoubted achievements. The revival coincided with plans by the Government to reintroduce a national poll tax; Sudbury's attempts to introduce such a tax had had disastrous consequences for him.
Christmas Day was chosen as the occasion, since the Mayor and Corporation are present on that day. Christmas roses were chosen as an appropriate flower.
