Holly Holy Day was held yearly to commemorate the victory of a makeshift Parliamentary army under Sir Thomas Fairfax over the Royalist forces of Lord John Byron at Acton on 25 January 1644. The townsfolk would wear a sprig of holly as a memorial to the raising of the siege, which if it had been successful would have delivered the whole of Cheshire into the hands of the Royalists. The commemoration of Holy Holly gradually faded and it is not mentioned by the mid-1700s. After some 200 years it was decided to reestablish this celebration in conjunction with the Sealed Knot.
A muster of the Sealed Knot has been held in Nantwich on the Saturday nearest 25 January every year (excepy in 2021 & 2022 when restriction of COVID19 caused it to be postponed. In 2022 the renactment will take place on Saturday 21 January. Please see here for events at Nantwich Museum on this day.
Dr Keith Lawrence, of the Cheshire Civil War Centre at Nantwich Museum, provides a brief description of the days leading up to the battle and the confrontation at Acton near Nantwich below:
Below is a Battle of Nantwich Re-enactment, from 1994:
Below is a film of the Battle of Nantwich reenactment in 1972, courtesy of John Brough:
https://nantwichmuseum.org.uk/the-battle-of-nantwich-reenactment-in-1972
We also have free downloads, including an excellent Comic for Children.
We also have a range of booklets about the English Civil War Booklets, and the Battle of Nantwich, in our online shop. Our latest booklet, The History of Holly Holy Day, describes the history of the events leading up to The Battle of Nantwich, and the subsequent celebrations of the victory. The booklet also covers the 50 year history of the Sealed Knot re-enactment in Nantwich – the longest running event in the UK.
Visiting Nantwich English Civil War Battlefields
is available as a booklet, or a digital download – which means that you can read it straight away in your own home, without paying any postage. It describes the significant battle sites around Nantwich. This fascinating 40 page guide, written by Dr Keith Lawrence, will show you where these sites are, and what remaining evidence is there to see. Your visits to Acton church, or Cheerbrook, will never be the same again!
Click here to see the full range of English Civil War Booklets booklets available in our shop.