St Æthelthryth Day
Lives of the Saints
Æthelthryth was a Saxon princess who started a monastery in Ely, Cambridgeshire about 1,350 years ago.
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Quiet
There is a huge Romanesque/Gothic cathedral there now, and Æthelthryth is considered a saint.
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St Audrey’s Fair
People who couldn’t pronounce her name called her Audrey, and the Ely summer market on June 23 has been called St. Audrey’s day fair for over a thousand years.
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Fripperies and furbelows!
In Puritan times, ribbons, and lace sold at the market were labeled ‘t’awdry lace in an effort to diminish its allure…
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Tawdry Lace
…but most of the Quimper Hittys like a bit of lace here and there, and we are fascinated by the origin of the word tawdry!
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Love, love, love the story…and the young man!!!!!
It is an especially nice Market-cart, we think! Your handiwork makes my stories extra special!
Wonderful story! And there are many tawdry things that I love. Including my Aunt Audrey!
Me too – I was wondering what exactly tawdry lace was… and this is where my curiosity took me!
What a great story and wonderful photos. And the chance to learn the origin of one of my favorite words!! As always the girls illustrate the narrative beautifully!
Thanks very much – we had fun illustrating the story of tawdry!
Yes, I agree…beautifully illustrated bit of history well done by the QH woodens.
We are always happy to learn a new bit of history, especially when it relates to textiles!
Loved this post, as always. Great story. Audrey is one of my favorite names. My best loved aunt was named Audrey. Kathleen
I like the name too, but I like Æthelthryth better!
I just do not know how to pronounce it. LOL
I’ll never look at lace the same way again. Tawdry indeed!!! That adorable last photo of the girls with the prince gave me a five-star smile…so adorable.
Yay! I am glad it made you smile! The Quimper Hittys are very much in favour of smiles!