Morecambe and Heysham Pageant

Other names

  • The Pageant of Chivalry and Elizabethan Tourney

Pageant type

Jump to Summary

Performances

Place: Old Golf Links (Morecambe) (Morecambe, Lancashire, England)

Year: 1934

Indoors/outdoors: Outdoors

Number of performances: 7

Notes

30 June–7 July 1934

The pageant took place daily at 3 pm from Saturday 30 June to Saturday 7 July 1934 (excluding Sunday 1 July). The performance lasted approximately two and a half hours.

Each performance was opened by an individual dignitary and given a different designation as follows:

  • Saturday 30 June: Hull Day                                      
  • Monday 2 July: Civic Day
  • Tuesday 3 July: Naval Day
  • Wednesday 4 July: Modern Queen's Day
  • Thursday 5 July: Lake District Day
  • Friday 6 July: Parliamentary Day
  • Saturday 7 July: Grand Finale Performance.

Name of pageant master and other named staff

  • Pageant Master: Anderson, Matthew
  • Pageant Master: Genn, Edward P.
  • Master of Horse: Colonel Betts

Notes


Names of executive committee or equivalent

  • President of the Pageant: Lord Lonsdale
  • Vice-President of the Pageant: The Lord Mayor of Morecambe and Heysham, Ald. A. Shepherd
  • Vice-President of the Pageant: the Sheriff of Hull, Coun. A. Cargill, JP
  • Vice-President of the Pageant: Lieut-Col. J. Walker, DSO, JP
  • Vice-President of the Pageant: Ald. B. Pearlman

Notes

The arrangement of the pageant committee has not been recovered; however, it is certain that all or most members sat on Morecombe Town Council.

Names of script-writer(s) and other credited author(s)

Notes

The names of scriptwriter(s) have not been recovered; however, it is possible that the pageant master, Matthew Anderson, was responsible. He was practised in this, having written the script for the Pageant of Ayrshire, to give one example.

Names of composers

n/a

Numbers of performers

1000 - 1000

Performers included men, women and children; 300 children performed a ballet at some point in the performance—possibly as an opener to the pageant. Large numbers of horses were involved in the jousting scene.

Financial information

The Pageant made a loss of £3930

A significant loss of £3930 was made on this pageant ['Illuminations at Morecambe', Lancashire Evening Post, 27 July 1934, 4]. 

Object of any funds raised

Any surplus was to be given to hospitals in the north of England.

Linked occasion

n/a

Audience information

  • Grandstand: Yes
  • Grandstand capacity: n/a
  • Total audience: 4000 - 8000

Notes

Several press reports state that there was accommodation for 6000 spectators; a review of the dress rehearsal in the Manchester Guardian suggests there was space for 5000. Additional capacity was probably for standing-only accommodation and only a proportion of the seats were in a grandstand. The Lancashire Evening Post reported that a dress rehearsal was held on Friday 29 June before 3000 schoolchildren. The total attendance at the pageant is unknown. Attendance at the performance on Wednesday 4 July was 3000, according to the Sheffield Independent. [See 'Back to Merrie England', Manchester Guardian, 30 June 1934, 17; 'Morecambe Pageant of History', Lancashire Evening Post, 30 June 1934, 4; 'Queen Faints', Sheffield Independent, 5 July 1934, 7]

Prices of admission and seats: highest–lowest

12s.–1s.

Seats in the 'covered centre stand' cost 12s and 5s; in the side stands seats prices were 3s. 6d. and 2s. 6d. Seats in deck chairs cost 2s. Standing room cost 1s [Lancashire Evening Post, 20 June 1934, 3 and 29 June 1934, 9].

Associated events

  • A pageant dance was held on the eve of the first performance on Friday 29 June in the Winter Gardens, Morecambe [Lancashire Evening Post, 2 July 1934, 10].
  • A civic luncheon was held in the Town Hall on Monday 2 July; the mayors and lady mayoresses of Morecambe and Heysham, Lancaster, Bradford, Leeds, Wakefield and Bolton attended this [‘Six Mayors’, Lancashire Evening Post, 2 July 1934, 3]. 

Pageant outline

A Masque: 'Midsummer Night's Dream'

A Jousting Tournament

A Wrestling Tournament

An Elizabethan Fair

Song of Chivalry

The National Anthem

Key historical figures mentioned

  • Elizabeth I (1533–1603) queen of England and Ireland 

Musical production

Music was live and included a choir of 600 female voices who performed madrigals and a military band [Leeds Mercury, 9 March 1934, 9]. An original song entitled 'Knights of Chivalry' was performed at the end of the pageant. The national anthem was sung at the close of the show. There was sound amplification [Manchester Guardian, 30 June 1934, 17].

Newspaper coverage of pageant

Hartlepool Northern Daily Mail

Hull Daily Mail

Lancashire Evening Post

Leeds Mercury

Sheffield Independent

Sunderland Daily Echo

Manchester Guardian

Yorkshire Post

Book of words

None known.

Other primary published materials

n/a

References in secondary literature

n/a

Archival holdings connected to pageant

n/a

Sources used in preparation of pageant

n/a

Summary

Nearby to Morecambe is the city of Lancaster which held two major civic pageants: first in 1913 and then in 1930, and on both occasions, Morecambe's tourists had been encouraged to hop on a tram or train, travel a few short miles, and there see history come to life. Doubtless, this was a day spent away from the more modern attractions of Morecambe, and in 1934 some of Morecambe's elected leaders decided they wanted their own pageant—the benefits of which would be Morecambe's alone. Civic rivalry is not unknown in the pageant world, of course, and Lancaster still had some control at a regional level over the town of Morecambe, but this was probably only one reason why the thriving seaside resort decided to stage a pageant.

Wet weather is the commonest reason given as to why pageants held outdoors sometimes proved to be financial failures. However, the spectacular loss of almost £4000 made on the pageant held at Morecambe in the summer of 1934 cannot be blamed on rain, for there appears to have been a heat wave that July. Indeed, so hot was it that many performers in their heavy Elizabethan costumes suffered from heatstroke and a number of spectators turned up dressed in bathing suits.1 Nor can its failure be blamed on particularly poor attendance: although precise figures have not been recovered, available reports suggest that although there were likely no sell-out performances, the pageant attracted sizeable crowds.

A more probable reason for failure is that Morecambe and Heysham Town Council simply overspent in their bid to achieve pageant glory. Indications that poor budgeting may have been a factor are given in newspaper coverage of council meetings following the pageant. In one of these, a councillor is reported as stating that the pageant was 'the biggest wild cat scheme ever adopted'.2 It is clear from such reports that the idea of a pageant was not universally popular. Perhaps people thought this form of entertainment was not suitable in a town that essentially only came into being in the late nineteenth century, and so could hardly boast a history of any length. However, during the 1930s, seaside resorts in the UK were in heavy competition with each other, and in the case of Morecambe, that competition was especially fierce given that its nearest rival—Blackpool—was the very embodiment of the British seaside excursion in its interwar heyday.

Potential new tourist attractions must always have been on the minds of the Town Council, and accordingly, in 1934, 'the stimulus of a pageant' was thought to be the way forward.3 Having taken this decision, an Elizabethan-style pageant was planned and the Mayor proclaimed his support loudly when he agreed to take part as a performer.4 As already noted, however, not everyone shared the Mayor’s enthusiasm—and opposition did not just come from dissident members of his own town council. Morecambe had an annual carnival in September that included a huge procession; this was organised by an independent committee, and they too were irritated when the council refused to allow the carnival organisers to hold their meetings at the town hall. One carnival organiser stated 'surely... this committee, which has been working for fourteen years, is as much entitled to use the hall for its meetings as these newly formed committees which have sprung up in a night'.5 The pageant won out, and the carnival was abandoned in 1934, having been usurped by the upstart pageant.

More bad publicity came the pageant's way when alleged plans to hold a comic re-enactment of bear baiting met with vociferous complaints from the Royal Society for the Protection of Animals.6 The inclusion of a bear at the pageant was promptly dropped. It also proved difficult to recruit enough men to the cast, and Morecambe was forced to widen its net to residents from outside the town. The pageant master, Edward Genn, remarked:

We cannot get men to play walking on parts in the crowd scenes whatever pleas, promises or cajolery we use. All the men seem to be shy of appearing in Elizabethan costume... and yet we have plenty of men who will ride horses. The horsemen of course will wear armour.7

It was alleged that the wearing of tights was the problem! This, according to the press, was a recognised risk in Morecambe. The previous year, an open-air, production of Julius Caesar had encountered the same dearth of male volunteers because, it was stated, local men did not wish to expose their legs. In the end, the theatre company had 'to recruit men from the Labour Exchange'.8

These types of slightly humorous complaints that appeared in the north of England press may of course have been part of a ploy to encourage interest in the pageant. The pageant master Matthew Anderson was a former journalist, well versed in the business of local publicity. Moreover, several of his previous productions had met with enormous success. He did not come cheap, but Morecambe must have believed he was worth his fee on account of his track record. This charge, together with that of his collaborator Edward P. Genn, was a further drain on the pageant's finances.9 By 1934, Matthew Anderson and his long-time co-worker Edward Genn had built up a reputation as pageant organisers, with for example the Manchester Cotton Pageant in 1932 and the Wakefield Pageant in 1933. The year 1934 presented a very busy summer for them, for that year they had also organized the huge Pageant of Ayrshire, which took place in June, as well as the Pageant of Labour held in London in October. However, it must have been believed that the input of Anderson would ensure success—not least on account of his capacity for drumming up publicity. In the case of Morecambe however, the publicity may have gone a little awry. 

In early April, for example, it was announced that the attractions at Morecambe would include a 'Screen and Stage Stars' Day' when 'Sir John Martin Harvey, Sir Cedric Harwicke, Sir Barry Jackson, Sir Frank Benson, Mr Gordon Harker, Miss Phyllis Neilson Terry and Miss Nancy Price' would attend the pageant. In addition, an 'Authors' Day' would entice internationally well-known writers such as J.B. Priestly, Raphael Sabatini and Beverley Nichols to attend.10 Evidently, however, none of these people proved to be available; and the timetable for the pageant was duly amended to a more humble schedule involving the usual types of designated days where local politicians, military personnel and parliamentarians turned up to grace the event. It is possible that Anderson simply overstretched himself; for when this misleading report was issued, he must have been deeply busy with the massive Pageant of Ayrshire, which he also organized that year, and which was a triumph.

This is not to imply that the pageant held at Morecambe was totally short-changed. Anderson tried other tactics; a competition for the role of Elizabeth I received 600 entrants before a young professional actor was chosen for the part.11 Another competition was run to choose a pageant song: the winning entry, 'Knights of Chivalry' was performed at the close of the pageant.12 A further competitive angle was introduced to choose the 'Queen of Beauty' whose role was to bestow favours to the jousting knights; by this point, Anderson had evidently abandoned any pretence that this was a local celebration and a young girl from Ilkley in Yorkshire was selected for this part.13 Anderson's piece de resistance in this publicity onslaught was an attempt to provide the pageant with a legacy. In an article in the Leeds Mercury he outlined plans for a new society called the League of Chivalry in which members would adhere to a set of rules regarding their behaviour and make themselves recognisable by wearing brightly coloured badges. As he wrote,

The ambitious Pageant of Chivalry and Elizabethan Tourney which is to be held at Morecambe in June may be more than a distinguished piece of showmanship. It may well point the way to a much-needed revival of the good manners, accomplishments and self-discipline of the chivalric era... Bad manners kill more persons on the roads than careless driving; churlishness degrades life and destroys the graces of living in crowded cities where existence is only tolerable if there is a general disposition to be kindly and considerate... [T]he promoters, with the support of some of the most distinguished men and women in England, are forming a national League of Chivalry to perpetuate the movement of which the Tournament, I hope, is but the beginning. All persons willing to subscribe to a modernised chivalric oath will be admitted to membership... Women who now work with men on an equal footing in various occupations, are to be admitted.14

Enamel badges were produced and the league was advertised—life membership could be purchased for the price of one shilling.15 Anderson probably went too far with this particular publicity stunt, and a lack of press coverage about it following the pageant suggests that this society did not win many supporters.

Nonetheless, reviews underline that the event was spectacular; it seems also to have been reasonably well attended, though numbers cannot have been sufficient overall to recoup costs. For the opening performance, which was designated 'Hull Day', for example, special day trips were run from Hull. These involved '12-hours of perfect enjoyment' with all transport, meals, 'a motor trip along the bay', free access to amusements for children, as well as reserved seats for the pageant all thrown into the package.16 The Manchester Guardian newspaper, which sometimes could show a measure of scorn where pageants were concerned, stated that Morecambe's show presented excitement that was well received by the juvenile audience at the dress rehearsal, and that the array of so many colourful costumes made for a 'lively and striking scene'.17 The stage scenery employed was lavish—involving 250 yards of backcloth that surrounded 'a tall gateway with turrets and portcullis and a scene of gay pavilions'.18 The pageant took in displays of wrestling, quarterstaffs, archery and military drill (by the 4th Queen's Own Hussars), as well as a Children's Ballet, a Masque, a Madrigal Choir, and a performance by a troop of Acrobats. There was also jousting and 'Elizabethan pageant scenes'.19 Clearly though, the expenditure such spectacles involved came at a considerable cost.

The great inventor of modern pageantry, Louis Napoleon Parker, would doubtless have deplored the pageant held at Morecombe for its unashamed brashness and lack of historical authenticity. Sadly, a programme has not been recovered; but from the evidence available, the pageant had nothing at all to do with local history, and only a tenuous relationship with the national story. Exciting through the spectacle was it undoubtedly owed more to Hollywood than history books. The press remarked that the pageant masters would 'probably not contend that their chief desire is to represent history'. Although the nominal aim of holding the event was not profit-driven per se (any surplus was to go to charities), its real agenda was to add commercial value to this tourist destination at the start of high season. Clearly, this was a possible avenue for pageants to follow almost twenty years after they had first become popular, but the example of Morecambe shows that it was no road to inevitable riches. While the pageant appears to have been moderately successful as a visitor attraction, the good weather enjoyed was probably as much responsible for this as anything else. The real losers where this 1934 pageant was concerned were the ratepayers of the tourist town of Morecambe who doubtless picked up the bill through their local taxes in 1935.

Footnotes

1. ^ 'Mayor's Mishap', Lancashire Evening Post, 6 July 1934, 7. This and several other articles make mention of cases of heatstroke that required medical interventions including an incident when the actor playing Elizabeth I fainted: see 'Queen Elizabeth Collapses', Hartlepool Northern Daily Mail, 5 July 1934, 3.
2. ^ 'Biggest Wild Cat Scheme Ever', Lancashire Evening Post, 25 July 1934, 9.
3. ^ 'Back to Merrie England', Manchester Guardian, 30 June 1934, 17.
4. ^ 'Mayor's Mishap', Leeds Mercury, 6 July 1934, 7. The mayor played the part of a 'knight marshal'. He was a skilled horse rider though came off at the final performance when his horse became entangled in a loop of rope while cantering; unhurt, he remounted straight away.
5. ^ 'Morecambe Carnival in Difficulties', Manchester Guardian, 8 May 1934, 12.
6. ^ 'Protest Against Bear in Pageant', Manchester Guardian, 16 March 1934, 11.
7. ^ 'Men Too Shy to Show a Leg', Leeds Mercury, 24 May 1934, 7.
8. ^ Ibid.
9. ^ See Pageant of Ayrshire for details of the types of fee charged by Anderson.
10. ^ 'Celebrities to Visit Morecambe', Leeds Mercury, 7 April 1934, 3.
11. ^ 'They Want to Be Queen', Hull Daily Mail, 11 May 1934, 10.
12. ^ 'Chivalry Song', Leeds Mercury, 9 June 1934, 7; of note is that one of the adjudicators of the competition was J.W. Aldous who had been Master of Music at Lancaster pageants held in 1913 and 1930.
13. ^ 'Morecambe Pageant Queen', Leeds Mercury, 9 June 1934, 8.
14. ^ 'A New Order of Chivalry', Leeds Mercury, 18 January 1934, 6.
15. ^ Advertisement, Hull Daily Mail, 18 June 1934, 12; this elaborate advert states that the League of Chivalry's president is Lord Lonsdale and alongside the badge will be a 'beautiful scroll' signed by his lordship.
16. ^ 'Amusements Free for Hull People', Hull Daily Mail, 12 June 1934, 5.
17. ^ 'Back to Merrie England', Manchester Guardian, 30 June 1934, 17.
18. ^ Ibid.
19. ^ Advertisement, Hull Daily Mail 18 June 1934, 12

How to cite this entry

Angela Bartie, Linda Fleming, Mark Freeman, Tom Hulme, Alex Hutton, Paul Readman, ‘Morecambe and Heysham Pageant’, The Redress of the Past, http://www.historicalpageants.ac.uk/pageants/1443/