Back when Jack-in-the-Green was held within Hastings Castle. Photograph probably 1992, by Kevin Boorman

Happy Birthday Jack!

Readers may be aware that this May bank holiday will be the 40th anniversary of Hastings Jack in the Green. The original Jack in the Green tradition fizzled out in Hastings in the late 1800s and was revived by local folk enthusiasts in 1983 – a blend of traditions old and new, colourful characters and an explosion of foliage. Lorna Crabbe invites you to get involved with Jack’s 40th birthday festivities.

I won’t talk too much about what Jack in the Green actually is as I think most local people will know. If you do want to know more, I thoroughly recommend this podcast by local teacher/ historian James Ellis from last year which gives a great sense of it all.

I was invited to join the Jack in the Green committee last year. We put together a bid and were recently awarded £10,000 from the Heritage Fund to run a special project to celebrate the past forty years – we are compiling a free publication, putting on a small exhibition at the Fishermen’s Museum plus a digital trail and will be running a series of free events in late April. In addition local metal artist Leigh Dyer has been commissioned to make a foliate face for the door of the Fishermen’s Museum, on the spot where the door is rammed and the Jack is released each year.

We want to hear your memories

We are trying to reach out to as many people as possible to share their stories/ memories/ photographs etc connected to HJITG over the past 40 years. Some of these will be shared in our publication that will be launched on Friday 28 April at founder Keith Leech’s talk at Hastings Museum. We’ll be giving copies out for free all over the bank holiday weekend.

We’re trying to capture the voices of as wide a range of participants, characters, attendees and observers as possible. We had an oral history training day last week and it really fired up my enthusiasm – I met up with fellow participants Bob and Claire Humm this morning, we tested out some recording equipment and interviewed each other to get a hang of the process. We have a team of local trainees and interested folk who are taking part in this project who are able to run interviews.

Jack parades through George Street. Probably 1992. Photograph by Kevin Boorman

Don’t be shy!

We are finding that people are quite shy about being interviewed, or they don’t think that their memories are important or interesting enough. If you find the idea intimidating then perhaps you would prefer to respond to some of the questions below – either by email, or as a voice recording on your phone. Or feel free to write something off the top of your head – just jot down your memory – or, if you like, create a verse or haiku.

We’re looking for personal responses about Jack in the Green – what makes the event so special, do you have any memories of a particular year for example? Do you take part in the procession as one of the established groups or do you meet with friends and picnic on the hill?

We’d love to hear if you have an amazing costume (please send us a photo of you wearing it!) – or a family tradition. Or you could just answer all or some of the questions below and email us your responses.

• Do you decorate your house?
• Do you meet up with a particular group of old friends each year?
• How would you describe Jack in the Green to someone who had never been?
• Did you grow up in Hastings, were your parents involved as morris dancers, performers, or musicians?
• Or did you move to Hastings and have no idea about Jack in the Green? Especially if you came from another country or culture.
• Do you have a particular costume, how has that evolved?
• If you have moved away from Hastings, do you come back especially each year?
• Do you have a funny photo – i.e. your dog barking at the Jack or your grandma being surprised by a hobby horse? Or a photo that captures a special moment?
• Do you have photographs pre-smart phone when there were far fewer images taken each year? It’s surprising how small the event was in the 1980s/90s in comparison with today and how few photos exist from then.
• During covid when JITG went online, did you still celebrate? Did you join in via Zoom?
• Have you been Hastings May Queen?
• How important do you think events like Jack in the Green are to Hastings?
• Did Jack in the Green encourage you to take up a folk tradition – i.e. morris dancing?
• What is your favourite part of Jack in the Green, or which part do you make sure not to miss each year? (i.e. the release of the Jack, dancing at dawn, the ceilidh). What is so special about it?
• Do you have a favourite character/ group?
• Is there a particular year that stands out to you, maybe because of the weather, or a special event, or maybe the first time you ever saw the procession?
• Do you live along the route of the procession? How does that feel? Do you invite friends and family to watch with you?
• Have you ever danced around a maypole?
• Have you ever written an article, blog post, song or poem about Jack in the Green? Or created an artwork?
• Have you been to a Jack in the Green celebration anywhere else (i.e. Deptford/ Bristol)? How does it compare?
• Have you volunteered, i.e. collecting and hanging greenery, as a steward, helping out with events?

Please get in touch by email, we would love to hear from you.

If you enjoy Hastings Traditional Jack in the Green please also consider donating to our fundraiser. Costs go up every year and cuts in support are very likely in the near future. The event is run by a team of dedicated volunteers who work year-round to make it happen.

Morris men parading through George Street. Probably 1992, photograph by Kevin Boorman

Also in: Community Arts