Life in Godalming follows a traditional pattern, which is based
on the circle of the seasons upon which life in the town depended
so much in centuries past. In the same way that spring symbolises
and heralds new life, so Godalming’s new Mayor will be elected
in the spring and will take office in May, marking the event with
the traditional ceremony of Mayor Making.
In the same month the Mayor will preside over the ancient ceremony
(recently revived) of Beating the Bounds. The purpose of this was
to walk the boundaries of the Parish so that they were well known
and it involved the symbolic beating at strategic points of the
younger members of the Parish to help them remember. We still have
16 cast iron boundary markers surrounding our Town, four of them
are dated 1892.
In June the Mayor attends the annual Town Fete, which is when the
town comes together for a formal celebration to welcome the arrival
of summer. The coming together of the townsfolk used to take place
frequently in years gone by, often lasting for two or three days
at a time.
The local connections with cricket which date back over 200 years
are recalled with the Mayor’s annual match versus Godalming
Cricket Club, when traditionally the Town Councillors form the Mayor’s
team.
Throughout the autumn the town celebrates the Harvest Festival;
years ago the safe bringing home of the harvest was of great economic
importance to the town and was the occasion of great celebrations
when completed, the children then having their long summer holiday.
The Mayor’s presence at these celebrations signified the dependence
of the town on a good harvest and the involvement of the whole town
in this process.
At the beginning of November the whole town gathers together on
two separate occasions, both of which are very different in tone
and purpose. Firstly, the Town Bonfire, run by Godalming Lions,
traditionally lit by the Mayor and which, is a time for great celebration
and fun. Later in the same month, on Remembrance Sunday, the Mayor
with the full Council leads the town in procession for a service
at the War Memorial to remember those who gave their lives in various
wars and whose names are inscribed on tablets at the Memorial and
in churches around the town.
During the traditional Christmas period the Mayor will visit as
many of the town’s festivities as possible, reminding everyone
by the Mayor’s presence and badge of office, that the town
itself is firmly based on tradition and has a history that goes
back many hundreds of years.
Another great tradition is the Annual Town Meeting, which takes
place at the end of winter as the Mayor’s term of office is
drawing to a close. Coming into the town, particularly for those
living in rural Godalming, was not done very often and this meeting
was of great importance because it reinforced the fact that all
citizens were part of the life of the town.
Life in the town is not now so dependent upon the seasons as it
once was, but many of the celebrations which form part of the town
year have roots firmly in the past when such dependence was all
important. As citizens of Godalming we are part of the heritage
that has been passed down to us and which the Mayor, as first citizen,
has come to symbolise.
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