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Mayor Bond fishing feast courtesy of South West Water
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Deputy Lord Lieutenant of Devon taking the water
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Emily Whitfield-Wicks
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Fishing Feast 1890 courtesy of South West Water
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Fishing Feast courtesy of South West Water
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Stephen Bird and Mayor
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The procession leading to the leat
Our February/March issue explored the history of Dartmoor leats – one leat in particular, Drake’s Leat, is remembered every July in a ceremony called The Fishing Feast.
The Fishing Feast is believed to be one of the oldest ceremonies in the United Kingdom and it commemorates Sir Francis Drake’s role in bringing a reliable water supply to the city of Plymouth in the 16th century, as well as celebrating the many benefits that the water supply provided for the city. Drake’s Leat, also known as Plymouth Leat, was built between 1589 and 1591, and diverted water from the River Meavy, carrying it for approximately 17 miles to supply Plymouth for more than 300 years.
Francis Drake was born in Tavistock around 1542, and after going to sea at an early age he gained a reputation as a successful privateer, often pitting himself against the Spanish to plunder ships sailing back from the Spanish colonies in South America. He became the first Englishman to circumnavigate the globe, received a knighthood from Queen Elizabeth I and was appointed as a vice admiral in the fleet that defeated the Armada in 1588. These prestigious achievements made Sir Francis Drake an obvious choice when Plymouth Corporation was selecting a contractor to construct the Plymouth leat in 1589, since someone with proven leadership skills, and business prowess was required to negotiate compensation with landowners and ensure the leat was completed. It is rumoured that on the opening day of 23rd April 1591, Sir Francis Drake galloped along the leat, as the water flowed down to Plymouth, where he was met by the mayor and the Plymouth Corporation amid great celebrations.
According to R N Worth’s History of Plymouth, the ‘Fyshinge Feaste’ is believed to have originated during the recordership of Sir Francis Drake (the second) 1669-1717, although it cannot definitely be traced back before the early 18th century. However, it seems the annual survey of the waterworks was already an established practice before the Fishing Feast, as the Plymouth Receiver’s Accounts for the year 1603-4, state that ‘the Maior and his brethren do usuallie ride once a yere’ to inspect the leat and head weir. The ceremony has continued over the centuries and has been preserved even after responsibility for the city’s water supply passed from the Plymouth City Water Undertakings to the South West Water Authority in 1974 and then to South West Water Limited in 1989.
Plymouth City Council and South West Water now jointly organise and host the event, which is attended by the lord mayor, the chief executive of Plymouth City Council, Tracey Lee and the managing director of South West Water, Dr Stephen Bird, as well as a number of other dignitaries and guests including the mayor and mayoress of West Devon. The ceremony originally took place at the start of Drake’s Leat, but in 1898 the upper portion of the leat disappeared under Burrator Reservoir, necessitating a relocation to the head weir near Norsworthy Bridge. Two silver goblets, known as ‘loving cups’ are traditionally used in the ceremony; the original cups were donated to the city hundreds of years ago and in order to preserve them for future generations, replica goblets have been used at the event since 1925. The Gayer Cup bears the inscription, ‘The Guift of Sir John Gayer Alderman of London Ano Domini 1648’ and the second cup is engraved with, ‘The Gyft of John Whyt of London Haberdasher to the Mayor of Plymouth and his Brethren forever to drink crosse one to ye other at their feastes or meetinges who died 5th June 1585’.
So, what actually happens at the Fishing Feast?
It starts with the guests lining up in two columns at the weir and the lord mayoral party processes between them. Replicas of the two loving cups are filled with water from the weir and the macebearer announces the first toast, ‘To the Pious Memory of Sir Francis Drake’; the cup is then handed to Dr Bird to make the toast, he in turn presents it to the lord mayor, before the other guests are also invited to join in the toast (the weir water is discreetly replaced by treated drinking water before the toasts are drunk!). The cups are then filled with wine and the macebearer announces a second toast, ‘May the Descendants of Him who brought us Water, never want Wine’. Interestingly, in a historical video clip of the Fishing Feast, which can be seen at Burrator Discovery Centre, the second toast is proposed as ‘May the Descendants of Him who brought us Water, never want for Wine’, providing a rather different interpretation from the current usage. Following the ceremony, the party used to adjourn to the lawn of Burrator Lodge for a buffet luncheon of trout, freshly caught from the leat, plus salads, strawberries and cream. However, when the lodge was sold, a new site was prepared in 2016 at Rain Gauge Field further along the reservoir, where a marquee is now erected every year. After the meal, the lord mayor proposes a toast to Queen Elizabeth II and then makes a speech, followed by the managing director of South West Water proposing a toast to the lord mayor and members of Plymouth City Council, before addressing the whole party. One last toast concludes the event, as the loving cups are refilled with hot punch, and Dr Bird takes the cup to lead the pledge ‘Unity and Prosperity to the Town of Plymouth’.
Rosemary Best
On Sunday 15 July from 10am-4pm, there is a free exhibition on ‘The Fishing Feast’ at Burrator Discovery Centre.