The Sherborne School Archives
Today's blog post features some of the stunning material held at the Sherborne School Archives in Dorset, kindly provided by the School's archivist, Rachel Hassall. The Sherborne Pageant of 1905 was the invention of Louis Napoleon Parker that kicked off 'pageantitis', and fully deserves its popular title of the 'Mother of all Pageants'.
This beautiful album, bound in white vellum, was presented to Parker in the Digby Assembly Rooms in Sherborne on the 24th October 1905. The intricate nature of its design is a testament to the spirit that he aroused in the town.
Ref. SS/PAG/11/5 - Illuminated address, bound in white vellum, presented to L.N. Parker in the Digby Assembly Rooms, Sherborne, on 24 October 1905.
Inside the album was a delicate message to the pageant-master, in the same design as the cover.
Ref. SS/PAG/11/5 - Illuminated address, bound in white vellum, presented to L.N. Parker in the Digby Assembly Rooms, Sherborne, on 24 October 1905.
All those who participated in the pageant - from performers to assistants - also signed the gift. Seen here are the signatures of the performers from Episode Eight - the Foundation of the Almshouse.
Ref. SS/PAG/11/5 - Illuminated address, bound in white vellum, presented to L.N. Parker in the Digby Assembly Rooms, Sherborne, on 24 October 1905.
Many of these performers were actually current residents in the Sherborne Almshouses, and were the oldest performers in the Pageant - some born as early as c.1820. As Rachel explained to me, many were illiterate, and so signed their names as an X. Here are some of the women who lived in the Almshouses.
Ref. SS/PAG/8/1 - Photographs by J. Benjamin Stone (1905).
And some of the men.
Ref. SS/PAG/81 - Photographs by J. Benjamin Stone (1905).
And here they are in action!
Ref. SS/PAG/81 - Photographs by J. Benjamin Stone (1905).
Thanks again to Rachel and the Sherborne School Archives. We love hearing from both institutions and individuals who have pageant material, from the mundane to the stunning, and are always happy to host it on our blog. Just email us at historicalpageants@kcl.ac.uk