Two centuries of tradition were continued in Urswick village in September 1988 with the rushbearing ceremony.

The rushbearing queen, 12-year-old Carolynne Quayle, of Stainton, marched in procession with her retinue from Urswick Grammar School to the parish church in Great Urswick.

Barrow Steelworks band led the procession, which included the previous year’s queen Annette Mitchell, her retinue, choristers and villagers from Little and Great Urswick.

The procession finished at the Sunday School for harvest hymns.

The ancient rushbearing service in the old Norman parish church was conducted by George Sharp and the Rev David Woods, vicar of Urswick.

During the service Urswick Grammar School head, Mr Beecham, presented Carolyne, who was a pupil of Victoria High School, Ulverston, with a bible.

“It was a super day and despite the unkind weather everyone had a marvellous time,” said Jean Taylor, of Little Urswick.

In September 1990 cold church floors from centuries past were remembered in Urswick with the village’s traditional rush-bearing procession.

The ancient ceremony, revived in 1905, commemorated times when rushes from the tarn were laid on the cold clay floor of Urswick parish church to keep the chill from worshippers’ feet.

The procession from the grammar school in Little Urswick to the church in Great Urswick was led by the Steelworks Band.

The rushbearing queen was 12-year-old Jennie Bright, of Old Hall Farm, Long Lane, Stainton.

Ladies-in-waiting were Sally Knox, six, and Nicola Erwing, five. Young boys acted as sword bearers.

Once the procession of more than 100 villagers arrived at the church for the service, children spread rushes on the church floor and took posies of flowers to the altar.

Two traditional rushbearing hymns were sung.

During the last hymn the children collected the posies and placed them on unattended graves in the churchyard before the village enjoyed tea and gingerbread in the Sunday school.