| Where: | Millbrook, Cornwall starting at West Street Car Park; Kingsand Fete at Community Hall, Cawsand at Cawsand Square & Beach |
| When: | May Day Bank Holiday Monday |
| Time: | 10 am at Millbrook, 12 noon Fete & Procession 2pm Kingsand, 4.20 Cawsand Beach |
Every May Day Bank Holiday Monday a colourful procession wends its way through the neighbouring villages of Millbrook, Kingsand and Cawsand in Cornwall, accompanying a flower bedecked model boat named after the Black Prince. The custom was revived over thirty years ago after a break and the origins of the custom are not just about welcoming summer, as you might expect from all the flowers and the time of year, but stem from the apprentice boat builder boys processions. At the end of their apprentice year the apprentices had to build a small but to scale boat which was taken to the water and sailed; if it sailed true they could go on to the next year of their apprenticeships and if it didn’t they had to repeat that year. The best boat was carried around the streets of Devonport on Day One then around the streets of Millbrook, Kingsand and Cawsand on Day Two. Today, held aloft by Naval ratings in uniform, the Black Prince is followed by a parade of musicians, dancers, dignitaries and costumed participants, many wearing red and white as these are the colours associated with the festival. The procession begins at 10 am in Millbrook with an opening ceremony, May Queen and King and maypole dancing and wends around the houses. At 12 noon the fete at Venton House opens, before the parade begins again passing through Kingsand and Cawsand, where there are further ceremonies and more morris and maypole dancing, to arrive at Cawsand Beach where the boat is launched accompanied by a special launching song at around 4.20. Expect Morris dancers, maypoles and much merriment!
Helpful Hints
In 2025 it should be on Monday May 5th. Check the Facebook page below near the time for the exact schedule for the day.
Money raised at the event is given to local charities.
Click here for the event Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/Black-Prince-Flower-Boat-Procession-802891096572309/
Thanks to Kathy Wallis for her insights into the origin of the revived custom.
View this location on the map (start)
View this location on the map (beach)
Interesting that this has now become a ‘welcoming the summer’ and linking to early pagan festivals. The origins of this are not about welcoming summer but stem from the apprentice boat builder boys processions. At the end of their apprentice year they had to build a small but to scale boat which was taken to the water and sailed. If it sailed true they could go on to the next year of their apprenticeships. If it didn’t they had to redo that year. The best boat was carried around the streets of Devonport on Day One then around the streets of Millbrook, Kingsand and Cawsand on day 2.
How do I know this? I am the person who did all the research, revived it and built the first boat in my lounge .. I have the photos of me doing it and I still have the ribbons off the mast of the first boat. The frame was built by David Mashford who lived just down the lane from me, at his fathers boat yard at Cremyll and brought to my cottage to be decorated and the double May garland which led the processions was also built by me in my lounge. In fact we had mis judged the measurements and had to take the lounge window out to get it out of the cottage as it wouldn’t go round the corner to the front door!!!
Kathy Wallis
Dear Kathy,
Many thanks for the fascinating information – and having it straight from the original organiser’s mouth must be the best provenance anyone could hope for! I shall tweak the article accordingly – I can’t be sure now where I got the info from for my original post, but it’s interesting how things get altered isn’t it? Thanks for taking the time to share your memories about it. I look forward to seeing the procession for myself some day (covid has obviously been a problem with lots of spring time events for a couple of years now but we live in hope). This is making me wonder how many other origin stories are assumptions rather than true facts…!!
Best wishes,
Averil