We are told that the history of ‘Bonfire’ in Rye goes back BEFORE the time of Guy Fawkes. Legend has it that the burning boat ceremony was first held in the town shortly after the men of Rye and Winchelsea raided the French town at St. Peter’s Port and retrieved the church bells that had been stolen in the French raid of the previous year. In the course of their revengeful rape and pillage they also pulled French boats out of the water and paraded them blazing through the streets. This event is still remembered in the traditional dragging of a burning boat in the Guy Fawkes procession. Continue reading Original Dragon of Rye
Category: Festivals
The Festivals section gathers Rye’s Own reporting, features and recollections on this part of local life. From “Rye Maritime Festival 2008”, “Found in Cinque Ports Street August 2000”, “Rye’s Own’s Christmas Special”, “Hastings Week Part Two”, and “Editorial February 2002”, the archive offers several starting points for exploring the subject. The result is a varied record of the district, told by writers who noticed both the headline events and the revealing details around them.
Editorial February 2002
Well Done Gemma
What a great job Gemma did in the Editorial seat last month. The magazine was out on time and up to the usual standard. Not bad for a young lady not yet in her twenties. Continue reading Editorial February 2002
Found in Cinque Ports Street August 2000
Found in Cinque Ports Street
These Two photographs, along with another two, were found in Cinque Ports Street on Saturday 18 August. The top one seems to show a tableaux from a Rye Bonfire Night procession but I cannot identify anyone in it. The bottom picture is a different story, it is packed with Rye personalities attending a Bonfire Society Continue reading Found in Cinque Ports Street August 2000
Miss Rye’s Own at Brede Fete
23 year old Frederica Barwood, the 1969 Miss Rye’ s Own, opened the Annual Brede Fete on Saturday 25 October. 1969. Continue reading Miss Rye’s Own at Brede Fete
Rye Carnival 1972
These pictures came from the October 1972 issue of Rye’s Own
How many of these famous Rye Personalities do you recognise? Continue reading Rye Carnival 1972
Youth Festival
The Methodist London South East District Youth Festival
The Methodist London South East District Youth Festival annual area competitions were held at Rye Methodist Church on Saturday, 5th March. 1966. 180 entries were received for some 50 classes, ranging from solo and choir singing, elocution, handwriting, drawing and photography to needlework and Continue reading Youth Festival
