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CEREMONY IN DECEMBER 1826 WHEN THE MAYOR AND ALL LEADING CITIZENS AN D MILITARY PERSONNEL OFFICIATED. THE 81 FIRST HIGH TESTIMONIAL ON THE MALL WALL FEATURED LAGELY IN THE CELEBRATION OF AUGUST 1828 AND 1832 WITNESSED THE FIRST BURNING OF THE TRAITOR"LUNDY"FROM THE PILLAR.THERE WAS COSIDERABLE PARTY FEELING AT THE TIME (WHATS NEW)AND THE APPRENTICE BOYS HAD FOILED THE MAYOR'S ATTEMPT TO ENFORCE THE ANTO-PROCESSION ACT,WHEN THEY SECRETED THE EFFIGY AND THEN ILLEGALLY DISPLAYED IT ON THE PILLAR FROM WHERE IT WAS EVENTUAL SET ALIGHT.SEVERAL OF THE APPRENTICE BOYS SUFFERED PROSECUTIONS.THEY CONTINUED TO PROSPER,HOWEVER,AND DURING THE NEXT SCORE OF YEARS THE MURRAY AND WALKER CLUBS CAME IN TO EXISTENCE,THE CELEBRATIONS CONTINUED TO CENTRE AROUND THE CATHEDRAL THANKSGIVING AND A BANQUET IN THE TOWN HALL,BUT IT APPEARS THAT FROM THE 1840'S ONWARDS THE PUBLIC PROCESSION AND BURNING OF THE LUNDY EFFIGY BECAME A MAJOR FEATURE IN THE PROCEEDINGS.IN 1839 THE FLAGS,CAPTURED FROM THE BESIEGERS IN 1689,WERE RENEWED FOR FOR THE SECOUND TIME AND PLACED IN THE CATHEDRAL,DURING THE 1840'S MENTION IS MADE OF THE JUVENILE AND TRUE BLUE CLUBS AND IN RECORD OF THE 1846 AUGUST CELEBRATION THERE IS CONSIDERABLE COMMENT ON THE FIRING OF SIEGE CANNON INCLUDING "ROARING MEG" ON THE WALLS.WHEN THE MITCHELBURNE CLUB WAS REVIVED IN 1854 THERE APPEARED TO BE AN ESTABLISHED"TRADITION "OF "FIRING" ON THE CELEBRATION DAY.EACH CLUB POSSESSED FIELD PIECES FOR THIS PURPOSE.JOHN HEMPTON,,SPEAKING AT THE SOIREE MARKING THE DECEMBER 1861 CELEBRATION,MENTIONED THAT "WE HAVE LATELY FORMED A GOVERNING ASSEMBLY AND HAVE ADOPTED A RULE OF ALTERNATE ATTENDANCE AT THE EPISCOPAL AND PRESBYTERIAN CHURCHES.INSTEAD OF THE JOVIAL BOTTLE AND GLASS SOIREES OF OUR PREDECESSORS WE HAVE NOW THIS TEA MEETING.WHERE EACH APPRENTICE BIOTY IS ABLE TO INTRODUCE LADIES TO ENJOY WITH THIM THE FESTIVITIES OF THE EVENING."THIS DATE OBVIOUSLY MARKS THE SETTING UP OT THE GENERAL COMMITTEE.THE CLUBS ASSOCITATED WITH THIS SOIREE WERE APPRENTICE BOYS MITCHELBURNES,BAKER,MURRAY,WALKER,BROWNINGAND CAIRNS.THE LATTER APPEARS TO BECOME DEFUNCT AFTER THIS TO BE REPLACED POSSIBLY BY THE REVIVED NO SURRENDER,CAMPSIE AND WILLIAMITE CLUBS CONTINUED TO FLOURISH UNTILL 1884 ALTHOUGH THEIR PRESENCE WAS NOT RECORDED AT THE FAMOUS 1861 GATHER ATTEMPTS WERE MADE FROM TIME TO TIME DURING THE NINETEENTH CENTURY TO PREVENT THE CELEBRATIONS IN THE INTERESTS OF SO-CALLED "PUBLIC ORDER" BUT THE APPRENTICE BOYS ALLWAYS MAINTAINED THEIR RIGHTS TO HOLD THEM.THE 1860 AUGUST CELEBRATION WERE MEMORABLE.THE PARTY EMBLEMS ACT WAS PASSING THROUGH PARLIAMENT AND BISHOP HIGGIN DECIDED THAT IT WAS HIS DUTY TO BAN THE FLYING OF THE CRIMSON FLAG FROM THE STEEPLE AND RING THE BELLS OF THEW CATHEDDRAL.THE APPRENTICE BOYS TOOK OVER THE CATHEDRAL AND OBSERVED THEIR RITUAL CUSTOMS,DESPITE THE BISHOP'S DICTUM AND WITHOUT INTERFERENCE FROM THE POLICE,THE DECEMBER 1860 EVENT PROVED MORE UNPLEASANT WHEN A MASSIVE SECURITY PRESENCE WAS BROUGHT INTO THE CITY.THE APPRENTICE BOYS DECIDED TO RELINQUISH THEIR USUAL CUSTOM OF FIRING THE CITY GUNS BUT DISSENTIENTS DECIDED TO TEST THE LEGALITY OF THE MATTER.DESPITE TROOP AND POLICE MANOEUVRES THEY MANAGED TO SALUTE THE CLOSING OF THE GATES WITH FIRE FROM THE CATHEDRAL ROOF AND THE ANCIENT RINGING OF THE BELLS.IRONICALLY A SIMILAR FORCE OF SECURITY WAS EMPLOYED IN 1861-ON THIS OCCASION TO PROTECT THE APPRENTICE BOYS FROM THE BOGSIDERS WHO WISHED TO DISRUPT THEIR FESTIVITIES. |
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