The Lion, the Fish and the Poltergeist

The annual Lion Sermon takes place at the church of St Katharine Cree, Leadenhall Street, London, on 16th October (but if the 16th is a Saturday or Sunday, the sermon moves to the Monday so it will actually be tomorrow this year). It commemorates an incident in the life of Sir John Gayer, founder of the Levant Company and later Lord Mayor of London, who died in 1649. 

The church of St Katharine Cree was originally built in the grounds of Holy Trinity Priory in around 1280-1303, and rebuilt between 1500-4, in the Late Gothic style, and again between 1628-31, this time in the Renaissance style. It was undamaged by the Great Fire, although later requiring restoration in 1878-79, and again, after being damaged in the Blitz, between 1956-62. The Father Smith organ, once played by Purcell and Handel, dates to 1686.

While abroad on a trading expedition Sir John Gayer became separated from his companions in the desert and met a fierce lion. Praying to St Daniel for assistance, he fell asleep (or fainted) and, on being found in the morning, he was surrounded by lion prints but had come to no harm. Back in London as a prosperous merchant, he made various charitable gifts, including a bequest of £200 for the poor of St Katharine's parish, and he is still commemorated with a special service at which the story of his lucky escape is retold and a sermon is preached. Gayer is buried at St Katherine Cree and an illustrated brass plaque sings his praises at great length.

Sir John was a Royalist, and spent 1647 in prison for refusing to let Parliament use London funds for their Cromwellian aims. 

Meanwhile, in the year he died, the Parliamentarians were consolidating their victory over the Royalists and Commissioners were being installed at various key sites around the country. The Roundheads who took possession  of the Manor House in Woodstock, Oxfordshire, immediately upset the locals by uprooting of the local King's Oak, and chopping it up for firewood (you can read more on the importance attached to oak trees here). 

They also allegedly upset something much more sinister ... 

The so-called Royalist Devil arrived on October 16th and set about destroying the wood pile. It then entered the house in the cunning disguise of a small black dog, and was first seen worrying the Commissioners' beds. Then assorted household objects began flying around, candles were snuffed, glass was shattered and occupants were doused with ditch-water. Matters came to a head when one of the Commissioners saw a disembodied hoof kicking a candle. He struck at the hoof with a sword, but his weapon was snatched from him and he was mercilessly pummelled. The other Parliamentarians immediately fled the haunted manor.

Some weather lore applies to this day - It's said that if no rain falls on 16th October, there will be a dry spring the following year. 

Hmmm.

October 16th was also the date of the Great Storm of 1987 – the worst to hit south-east England since 1703 - when 18 people died and winds of 120mph caused substantial damage and brought down an estimated 15 million trees. It's the one that TV weatherman Michael Fish told us 'not to worry about', remember? The cost of the storm to the insurance industry was calculated at £2 billion.