Secularizing the Saint
39
the Dragon and keep his estate both days.” The celebrations began on the
evening before St. George’s Day. In 1547 they were described as follows:
Also it is ordered and agreed. That on the even of Sainct
George By the howre of Three of the clokke in the afternoon
The Mayour Shereves with all the rest of the alderman of the
same Cittie after the Sommoning of the Waytes and every
other Brother Citesan of the seide Company after the olde
custome shall Repare to the seide Cathedrall Church of the
holy Trynytye of Norwich Their to assemble them selves and
there to here such Dyvyne Servyce as then shalbe there seide
or song. And fi'om thens to Repayre to the seide Common hall
there to take parte of the ffeast makers provyson (REED
Norwich 23).
The following day the procession was held, led by a man carrying a
gilded wooden sword with a carved dragon’s head on the handle. The man wiio
played George was accompanied by St. Margaret, a club-bearer, henchmen,
minstrels, standard and banner bearers, the guild-priest, the members of the
guild, the mayor and other city officials, and a dragon bearer inside the fi*ame of
the mechanical dragon that had iron hoops for its belly, a stained head, and
moveable wings and tail (REED Norwich 11, 70, 78, 91). The fi-amework of the
sixteenth-century dragon (named Snap) still exists in the Norwich Castle
Museum (Goodman 118).
The guild’s inventory lists fi’om 1550 indicate that St. George was
costumed in a gilded helmet, armor beaten with silver, and wore an over
garment of white satin with a red cross on the chest. St. Margaret was garbed in
a gown of “tawney” or “Crymesen velvet wrought pirled [trimmed] with golde,”
and wore a chain of jewels. Their horses, respectively, were harnessed in black
velvet with copper and gilt buckles and crimson velvet with gold flowers.
Attendants, such as their footmen, and banner bearers were similarly richly
costumed (REED Norwich xxvii, 26-30).
The procession traveled throughout the city and outside the city at the
“wood” wiiere the conflict is assumed to have occurred (REED Norwich 5-102).
E. K. Chambers {Medieval 1: 222-224) labels the celebration as nothing more
than a collection of so-called “dumb shows,” but Norwich records list expenses
for writing down the “parts” for Sts. George and Margaret. Those entries suggest
that the procession included scripted, or semi-scripted, skits or playlets.
Following the procession a mass was offered in honor of St. George, followed
by another feast for guild members and city officials (Grace 14-21, REED
Norwich xxvii).
Between 1540 and 1591 the Norwich Guild of St. George spent a total
of 10,128 pence on St. George celebrations. The amounts gradually decreased