The Green Man
of the Midlands

ABBOTS BROMLEY, Staffs (top, left)
The Monday after the Sunday following 4th September follow six horned dancers, a fool and a hobby horse all around the parish.

ASTON ON CLUN, Salop.
May 29th Arbor Day - the great black poplar used to be hung with flags for another year on this day, until it fell down after an accident in 1995. A new sapling was planted, and is still a focus for the celebration. 

BOSCOBEL, Salop.
Boscobel Oak Tree is the original 'royal oak' which hid King Charles from Cromwell's men in 1651:

'The Royal youth, born to outbrave his Fate
Within a neighbouring oak maintained his state
The faithful boughs in kind allegiance spread
Their shelt'ring branches round his awful head
Twin'd their rough arms and thicken'd all the shade'
(Cowley)

Oak Apple Day is still celebrated on May 29th as the day of Charles II's restoration to the throne in 1660. The souvenir hunters of the 17th century so ravaged the tree that it died, but a descendant survives to carry on the tradition. 

BETLEY, Staffs.
Morris dancers including Robin Hood as the May King, Maid Marian and Friar Tuck painted on a glass window. 

FOWNHOPE, Herefordshire.
Fownhope Society Club Day, Saturday after Oak Apple Day, May 29th. A young oak, cut and hung with ribbons, heads a procession around the village to the Green Man Inn.

KILPECK, Herefordshire (above)
The 12th century church of St Mary and St David has an extraordinary Green Man above the south doorway, and many other delights. Many parish churches as well as Hereford cathedral hide foliate heads

LINLEY, Salop (left, by Anne Bowes).
An ET-like figure is outside, above what would have been the north door into the church.

MOCCAS PARK, Herefordshire (top, right)
Here are some of the most ancient oaks in England, each with their own families of insects. Kilvert said of them in his diary "I fear those grey old men of Moccas Park, those grey, gnarled, low-browed, knock-kneed, bowed, bent, huge, strange, long-armed, deformed, hunched-backed, misshapen oak men that stand waiting and watching century after century."

PAINSWICK, Gloucestershire
Sunday following 19th September: Clipping the Church - annual cutting of the Yew trees.

SOUTHWELL MINSTER, Nottinghamshire. (top, centre).
The Chapter House has many Green Men beautifully carved, each with different leaves entwining them ivy, oak, hawthorn.

See the books by Kathleen Basford, Nikolaus Pevsner, and Jim Lees.

SHERWOOD FOREST, Nottinghamshire.
The sheref made to seke Notyngham
Both in strete and stye
And Robin was in Mery Scherwode
As light as lef on lynde

WARMINGTON, Northants, has a church containing little-known Green Men. Read more on the village web-site.