St Matthew’s Day

[Katharine]

As so often in this house, Radio 3 is on in the background. As I write, it is Choral Evensong from Llandaff Cathedral. They have said a couple of times that today is the Eve of St Matthew’s Day. I’m sure any Old Blue hearing that would have memories of the day. My immediate thought was, what is the largesse now? We got 1/- on the day, has that kept up with inflation? I think it was one guinea for seniors, was that everybody who went to London or restricted to Mons and Grecians?

[MrEd]

In the early 1980s, I do recall a chartered train taking us from Horsham to IIRC Cannon Street (probably I was in the UF or GE) to see the Lord Mayor and being presented with a packet of freshly-minted coins, the amount I'm not sure, maybe one 10p and one 5p piece (three shillings in old money), and a buffet lunch. I only recall one trip up to London for the whole school.

[brian walling]

Yes, it would be interesting to know from someone what today’s level of largesse is – if indeed it’s still given out.

My last St Matthew’s Day with the Lord Mayor at the Mansion House was 1960 and I’ve kept copies of some of the photos that we could buy after the event. In front of the Lord Mayor as he begins the hand out to the boys lined up in front of him, starting with the senior Grecian at the time (John Daniel), there are clearly laid out 24 amounts of a guinea (one-pound note with a shilling on top), 20 of half a guinea (ten-shilling note with a sixpence on top) and a large array of large bright coins that look like half crowns. Thus there would seem to have been 3 definitely different levels of entitlement at that distribution. I can’t quite make the numbers fit, but I believe it could have been a guinea for Button Grecians, half a guinea for Deputy Grecians and a half-crown (or maybe two half-crowns) for all others present. Members of the school who were too junior to go on the trip to London may well have received the bottom rate of just a shilling in the hand-out at the school, as suggested by Katherine. Of course a shilling then would be the equivalent of about 1 pound now, and a guinea then would be about 20 pounds now.

The hand-out used to be known by the housey term of ‘Q-shott’, but I don’t think that name survived much after the 50s. The CH folklore in my time was that it had originally been an allowance to buy beer.

On this St Matthew’s day, greetings to all in the CH community!

[scrub]

I can only remember one trip, during my UF or GE, not sure which.

Don't think we had a chartered train, just caught a regular service one, but I do remember the rush to the smoking carriage as soon as it pulled out of the station.
There was a similar rush after lunch.
The food was much less memorable than the look on some of the staff faces when so many went out for a post-lunch breath of fresh air.

I vaguely remember getting a shiny coin, I think it was a 50p. Only thing I know for sure is it would have been spent or stolen within a day.

[jhopgood]

Slightly off topic, but my sister's son is getting married tomorrow. She, my brother and I all went to CH, and I joking asked if the date had been chosen on purpose. His name is Matthew.
Back on topic, I still have the photos of me receiving a coin from the Lord Mayor, and another, printed in the City Press, playing in the band.
The band went up every year, and whilst I remember getting the coin, a shilling I believe, I have no recollection of food.
It was a special train up to London Bridge.

[Avon]

20p. And a whole lot of standing around.

The really profitable gig was selling programmes for the Lord Mayor’s Show. That was nearly £50 and about 1/2lb of tobacco.

[Avon]

Actually, St Matthew’s Day was the first time that I came to realise that there was such a thing as a mixer-sized can for fizzy drinks. The Corporation of London was so hard up that it couldn’t run to a normal can and so we all got the teeny-weeny cans.

[MrEd]

The Corporation of London was so hard up that it couldn’t run to a normal can

The Lord Mayor and his Corporation; famously as poor as Dick Whittington's cat.

[MrEd]

I should add that when I went to the Mansion House for St. Matthew's Day, I do recall a rather good buffet having been proffered, a welcome upgrade on the usual CH fare.

[horshambubble]

A bit late to this discussion as I don’t drop in often. My daughter is in her Grecian year and received a whole £1 from the Lord Mayor. Up from the 50p it’s been for the last few years.

Nowadays only Grecians, Deps, band and choir go . However, the largesse is given to all pupils in the school.

[sejintenej]

In the early 1980s, I do recall a chartered train taking us from Horsham to IIRC Cannon Street (probably I was in the UF or GE) to see the Lord Mayor and being presented with a packet of freshly-minted coins, the amount I'm not sure, maybe one 10p and one 5p piece (three shillings in old money), and a buffet lunch. I only recall one trip up to London for the whole school.

In my time it was a new shilling. Usually it was about 250 boys from Horsham went via London Bridge Station (and had to break step going over the bridge!) I think it was 1953 when the entire school went using three bands which made keeping step a problem.

[MrEd]

I am as certain as I can be that our chartered train went over the Thames to Cannon Street, thereby disgorging a disorder of pupils directly into the City without posing any undue risk to the Thames bridges, presumably much to the relief of the trustees of the charity that provides the bridges. Three bands in the 1950s, what with post-War austerity? I only got as far as the Second Band before exhausting my musical talent, there was no Third Band. Standards have been falling for decades.

[ColA25]

I am as certain as I can be that our chartered train went over the Thames to Cannon Street, thereby disgorging a disorder of pupils directly into the City without posing any undue risk to the Thames bridges, presumably much to the relief of the trustees of the charity that provides the bridges. Three bands in the 1950s, what with post-War austerity? I only got as far as the Second Band before exhausting my musical talent, there was no Third Band. Standards have been falling for decades.

I think our train came into Cannon Street, but went back from Waterloo - I definitely remember breaking step going over a bridge. That would be in the mid-1970s. I still have the largess in an envelope - a 5p & 10p coin. That was in the days when 10p could get you a hot dog and a Mars Bar in the tuck shop.

[sejintenej]

I am as certain as I can be that our chartered train went over the Thames to Cannon Street, thereby disgorging a disorder of pupils directly into the City without posing any undue risk to the Thames bridges, presumably much to the relief of the trustees of the charity that provides the bridges. Three bands in the 1950s, what with post-War austerity? I only got as far as the Second Band before exhausting my musical talent, there was no Third Band. Standards have been falling for decades.

Ed. I think it is a question of timing. Cannon Street is on the north side of the river so no bridge involved As for the entire school (800+ from Horsham alone) and three bands it had to have been about 1953 to celebrate the 400 years anniversary. Normally it was far fewer boys.
As for the anniversary I was still a bit young so I was not involved in nor spectator to anything much.

[jhopgood]

I must look through my files, but I seem to remember a photo of my predecessor as OB editor, Paddy Drake, leading the St Matthews Day parade over a bridge, as drum major.