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Mothers Union banners of the Vale   The Mothers Union banner at Hickling is, fairly typically, situated at the side of the altar. Also typical is the motif of white lilies on a mid-blue background and the 'MU' monogram. Starting around 2008 I made a habit of photographing the Mothers Union banner displayed in almost every parish church I visited. I've just counted them up – towards the end of 2025 I'm one short of eighty different banners. In 2014 I put together a free PDF drawing attention to their significance. It's called Mothers Union Banners: A neglected British 'folk art' and can be downloaded here www.hoap.co.uk/catalogue.htm#mub. The start of the Introduction reads: Look to one side of the altar in most parish churches up and down the country and there is likely to be a needlework banner mounted on a pole. Typically – although there are plenty of exceptions – this will bear a religious motif or a prominent flower, above which is the name of the parish and below either the words ‘Mothers Union’ or the initials ‘MU’. Although they are rarely, if ever, mentioned in church guides, when these banners are looked at close up the quality of the needlework is usually of the highest quality and comparable to the workmanship of altar frontals, pulpit scarfs and lectern hangings. I was living in Wiltshire at the time so the majority of examples in the PDF are from the West Country. However this entry of the Chronicle draws attention to some of the banners in the Vale. The main purpose of these banners is to be taken to the cathedral for a festival day where all the Mothers Unions in the Diocese form a procession, walking behind their Union's banner, and then enter the cathedral for a religious service. These festival days are typically annual, although some dioceses arrange them alternate years. I have not been able to establish what is customary for Leicester or Nottingham dioceses. I understand the Nottingham Diocese festival day takes place at Southwell Minster.        The MU monogram is often intentionally designed to mimic a classic monogram of alpha and omega, symbolising God and Jesus Christ as 'the beginning and the end, the first and the last'.   What is perhaps unique about the Hickling banner is the brass plate with when and why it was made. The inscription reads 'In memory of Thomas Cecil Starbuck. Killed in Italy 1944. Given by his Mother.' So technically it is also a war memorial. A portable war memorial… In contrast to the Hickling inscription, with few other exceptions there is no information on when a banner was made or, if made by villagers, who designed and produced it. At the time everyone involved would have known when and who and why. But time passes and there comes a day when 'everyone' becomes 'no one'. So I can tell you little about the following banners other than their location. If you do know anything about when they were made, who made them, who paid for them, and what – if anything they commemorate – then please email me: bobtrubs@indigogroup.co.uk   Granby and Elton. The benifices were combined in 1917. This 'trivia' is important as it allows banners made in a similar style to be approximately dated too (see Scalford below). In Elton church when photographed.        Left: Langar cum Barnstone. Barnstone has been a dependency of Langar church since the sixteenth century, maybe much earlier. Right: Also in Langar church is the banner of Wiverton Group Mothers Union. This is almost certainly the most recent of the banners on this page as the Wiverton Group of parishes was formed in 2017.   The banner at Muston is perhaps the oldest of the banners I've photographed in the Vale. The first Mothers Union was created in 1876 in Winchester.   Note the unusual use of Junius letterforms, a seventeenth century typeface used by Clarendon Press to represent Old English writing. Such 'faux antiquarianism' is consistent with the Arts and Crafts movement gaining momentum in Britain during the 1880s. Presumably this banner is from the 1880s.        Left: Orston and Thoroton's banner is fairly typical of commerically-made MU banners. Photographed in Orston church. Right: I suspect the banner at Scalford was also bought from an ecclesiastical supplier. It is similar in style to the Granby and Elton banner which was made soon after 1917. Was this too a gift in memory of a family member killed in the First World War, as at Hickling?   As with the Wiverton Group banner, this banner for the combined Mothers Unions at Screveton, Car Colston and Flintham was made recently as the three churches did not combine into one benefice until 2008. Each candle is embroidered with the name of one of the three villages. The 'globe logo' was introduced by the Mothers Union in 2007.   Much of the embroidery was seemingly done by a computer-controlled sewing machine; such equipment became available from the 1980s onwards. I may be wrong!   This banner was photographed in Screveton church in 2025. Back to top of this page     Back to home page   This website does not gather or store any visitor information. Copyright Bob Trubshaw 2025 No unauthorised copying or reproduction except if all following conditions apply: a: Copy is complete (including this copyright statement). b: No changes are made. c: No charge is made. www.hoap.co.uk/chronicle

Chronicle entries home page what's new? the geology of the Vale the boundaries and rivers of the Vale long, long ago prehistory in the Vale prehistoric boundaries in the Vale north-south prehistoric routeways Romans roads in the Vale Roman settlements in and near the Vale long ago introduction to Anglo-Saxons place-names of the Vale waterborne transport around the sixth century Orston's early church Anglo-Saxon sculpture in the Vale why Orston lost out to Bingham and Bottesford what the Normans did for the Vale Granby's importance in 1086 Granby's lost castle the Vale's watermills in 1086 Romanesque sculpture in the Vale St Remigius why Bottesford is in Leicestershire the Vale in medieval times medieval gargoyles of the Vale Eastwell's chancel screen St Ethelburga's church other early saints Elston's old chapel Muston and Long Clawson saltways of the Vale the Vale's medieval tile collection the Vale in Tudor times Dissolution in the Vale not that long ago the Vale in the C17th the 'great and the good' of the Vale Bottesford's effigies 'wicked practice and sorcerye' the whales on the Whalley memorial Car Colston's bigoted GP cum JP the Vale's very own regicide Wiverton Hall five rare C17th fonts in the Vale pinfolds and pounds in the Vale dovecotes in the Vale the Vale in the C18th turnpiking the Vale gravestones and C18th trade routes goodbye 'Belvoir Angels' C18th gravestone carvers in the Vale Daffy's Elixir the Marquess of Granby Stilton from the Vale springs and spas of the Vale outstanding organs in the Vale Grantham canal changes in the Vale's agriculture since 1800 Eastwell's recusant priest house and chapel Colston Bassett's ruined church seems like yesterday windmills in the Vale stained glass in the Vale village life in the southern Vale 1850 to 1880 folklore of the Vale Flintham museum lacemaking in the Vale gypsum pits in the Vale brick and tile works in the Vale ironstone quarrying in the Vale ironstone railways ironstone quarries of Leicestershire (YouTube video) The Vale's railway stations Orston's famous architect Mothers Union banners of the Vale redundant telephone exchanges in the Vale WWII airfields and pillboxes in the Vale the Vale in 1944 location shooting at Belvoir Castle Screveton's giants researching and writing local history the Vale as a verb getting started free advice from 2005 asking curious questions (YouTube video) local history groups in and around the Vale Aslockton (Cranmer LHG) Bingham Heritage Trails Association Bottesford Eastwell Harby Harlaxton Hickling Redmile archive Belvoir Villages History and Memories Group Belvoir Angel Society Grantham Canal Society you may also be interested in free PDFs written by Bob Trubshaw Earliest Churches in Nottinghamshire How Anglo-Saxons Found Their Way Anglo-Saxon Leicestershire Conversations in Churchyards Little-known Leicestershire and Rutland Bob Trubshaw's YouTube channel Introduction to medieval carvings Anglo-Saxon and Romanesque carvings How Anglo-Saxons found their way Anglo-Saxon shrines at fords Meetings at triangles Rota's Land and Franni's Land Reading Romanesque fonts Church and manor The significances of square headdresses Early churches and waterborne trade Charnwood slate gravestones and C18th trade routes Ironstone quarries of Leicestershire Roman roads in north-east Leicestershire Salt ways in Leicestershire Why Melton Mowbray needed to called 'middle town' Evolving Anglo-Saxon agriculture Nottinghamshire's earliest churches Ploughs not piety? Economic regeneration in the C7th Were Anglo-Saxon weaving huts women-only places? Barrowby Until Now website Rutland Village by Village website Sepulchral Effigies of Leicestershire and Rutland