Blessing of the Waters takes place on Sunday, June 9 – the ancient ceremony of beating the boundaries of the Cinque Port Liberty of Brightlingsea.
After an address by the Town Crier in the town centre, a colourful robed procession will head for the town hard at noon. There will then be a service at the Hard at 12.30pm, after which the assembled Liberty members and dignitaries will board a fleet of traditional craft and sail to the boundary of Brightlingsea’s waters by Bateman’s Tower (historically West Marsh Ness/West Ness).
The waters will then be blessed by the visiting clergy while those on the boats raise cheers,blow horns and generally make a noise – the traditional ‘din’. A toast is made in beer of “Gang- ho!”, as a group in procession for beating of the bounds was ‘a-going’.
The ceremony stems from the time when, long ago, Colchester tried to claim the creek, but Brightlingsea’s oystermen supported by the Lord Wardens of the Cinque Ports & Lords of Brightlingsea manor, kept the Creek the only independent fishery off the Colne.
Brightlingsea shanty group the Motley Crew will be singing at the Hard prior to the service, and will lead the singing during it.
