Last Saturday the Kate Kennedy Club had their annual "Kate Kennedy Procession" through the St Andrews streets. Though the club has other events throughout the year, it started in 1926 strictly in order to have this annual procession of important historical figures from Scottish and British history, especially those who have strong links to St Andrews. The club has a strong reputation around campus as being a bit posh since most of its members are from the upper echelon of British society, and St Andrews already has a reputation across Britain as one of the most posh universities here. Technically, all male students can apply to become a member, but the current members only select about 9 new members who best represent St Andrews (whatever that means) after an interview process. However, the current members can also nominate additional candidates throughout the year, and I assume those are mostly the members' friends. The club invited Prince William to participate in the interviews, but he declined (I'd say that was a wise political move). The club has a "good ol' boys" feel like a select fraternity would in the US South. I'd also add that the procession had other layers of poshness: most of them were dressed as royalty or other British elites (which makes sense because they were dressed as historical figures); several girls from the polo team handled the horses for the boys (from conversations these girls also seem to be part of the British upper crust).
This is almost like a parade, but not quite. Instead of walking continuously, they stopped at different venues where they would have drinks and chat. My friend and I didn't realize that while we waited for them at the last leg of the procession by the cathedral since this venue would provide the best backdrop for photos. After an hour we thought we might need to figure out what was actually going on, so we walked back down South St and ran into the procession having a drink session at St Mary's Quad. I'm not sure if we were allowed to join them or not, but we did anyways. As the procession continued, we rushed back to the cathedral where I took most of my photographs.
Every time I've walked around St Andrews with
my camera, the cathedral has been locked, so I
took advantage of this opportunity to take a
quick picture from beyond the fence.
The University shield at St Mary's Quad: it includes Scottish saltire
an open book representing learning, and the arms
of Pope Benedict XIII, Bishop Wardlaw, and King James I
since they are the university's founders.
The procession moving down South St from St Mary's Quad.
St Andrew leads the procession with his cross (featured
in the Scottish, British, and Confederate flags).
Bagpipers in front of the cathedral.
King Robert the Bruce in front, maybe?
The last carriage includes "Kate," which is always a
boy dressed in drag.
The booklet I've mentioned above says this: Katharine is the central figure of the Procession [...] She was the daughter of Bishop Kennedy's brother Gilbert, the 1st Lord Kennedy, and his wife Katharine. There is nothing to suggest that she was the natural child of the Bishop himself, as some have speculated. Sometime before 1549, she married Alexander 2nd Lord Montgomerie; she bore him four children, their eldest son later becoming the 1st Earl of Elington. There is no documentary evidence that she ever came to St Andrews; but the bell of St Salvator's College, cast in Paris for Bishop Kennedy, bears the inscription: "That holy man, James Kennedy, Bishop of St Andrews, and founder of the College of the Holy Saviour, had me cast in the year 1460, giving me the name Katharine." The Bishop may have dedicated the bell to his niece, there may be a similar connection between her and the 15th Century Chapel of St Katharine which once stood to the north-west of the Collegiate Church, but there is no more evidence for this other than the common name. Kate's legend, however, has prevailed and the spring Procession has borne her name for centuries.
No comments:
Post a Comment