| Where: | Madron, Cornwall usually field next to or near the church, St Columb at Rosedinnick Farm or Church (venues may vary from year to year so double-check with individual Societies near the due date) |
| When: | 1st Friday in September and other dates in month, and sometimes in late August or even the very end of July |
| Time: | 6.30 pm (both Madron and St Columb) |
Crying the Neck is a West Country harvest custom where a corn dolly is made from the last sheaf and is hung in church for the year. The origins of the custom may lie in pagan sacrifice, with the last cut of the harvest symbolically killing the harvest spirit – there are a few theories – as the harvesters and spectators chant an ancient rhyme. The custom has been revived in several locations but perhaps the best publicised are at St Columb and at Madron, so I’ve used these locations as an example of what happens. The sheaf is scythed in a field near the village church and a short service follows at the field in Cornish and English, with well-known harvest hymns, then a traditional Cornish supper, perhaps with heavy cake and pasties, when the Church is presented with the sheaf.
Helpful Hints
Check individual Old Cornwall Society groups for details near the due time. We visited Madron, where we were made very welcome.
Please note that many ceremonies may be brought forward when the harvest is early (like in 2018 due to the hot weather that summer), with several in August – again, check the Old Cornwall link below for details.
Some dates are announced very close to the date they’re held.
In 2025 the Madron ceremony was held on Friday September 5th at Bulls View (for exact location follow the Facebook link at https://kernowgoth.org/member-societies/madron-old-cornwall-society/) followed by refreshments at the church. The Madron Ceremony is usually but not invariably on the first Friday in September and is expected to be on Friday 4th in 2026 (venue to be confirmed).
In 2025 the St Columb ceremony was on Monday September 8th at St Mawgan in Pydar (see link on Old Cornwall page at https://kernowgoth.org/member-societies/st-columb-major-old-cornwall-society/). St Columb’s ceremony is usually on the first Monday in September, or sometimes the second Monday- 2026 details are yet to be announced.
Others may also be found from the Old Cornwall Society pages.
In the past the ceremony generally took place on the first Friday in September but in some instances it’s now a more flexible date within the month.For a full programme of this and similar ceremonies click here : http://www.oldcornwall.net
and here: https://www.facebook.com/oldcornwall
Click here for the Cornish Culture Association: https://www.facebook.com/celebratekernow/
Hi Averil this might be the wrong date, I found this MADRON OLD CORNWALL SOCIETY’S ‘CRYING THE NECK’
Monday 19th September, 2016 6:30pm
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Tel: 01736 449045
TR18 3HD
from 18.30 on Monday 19 September in a field above Madron (by kind permission of the Nicholls family), followed by a short service in Madron Chapel. A cup of tea and a pasty/saffron bun supper will be available for a small fee
Thanks Ross – will alter the entry asap! When I was date checking for September earlier in the year, the schedule wasn’t on their website at that point but I thought it was so much set in stone that it would be the same as in the past – obviously WRONG! I should have marked it with “yet to be announced” and checked back instead – will try to find if there’s a new formula and do that next time, we live and learn 🙂
2022 – Madron Crying the Neck is on Friday 2nd September in a field near Boswarthen Farm. Afterwards at the church for refreshments. Thanks go to the Nicholls family for hosting this traditional celebration.