News from Mr Grady
25th April 2024
Hello Everyone,
And for those of you who were paying attention, happy St George’s Day for Tuesday! It was also Shakespeare’s birthday – but it seems a shame to conflate two great topics worthy of the newsletter in one, and I want to keep some of my powder dry for future newsletters!
So: St George, patron saint of England, slayer of dragons (or at least one dragon, once, possibly), chivalrous knight and general emblem of Englishness.
In preparing for this newsletter I had to do a smidgeon of research, and as ever with these things, the things you thought you knew, the legends and myths all turn out to be slightly different to what you may have been told or learnt. I’ll gloss over the “probably wasn’t born in England and in all likelihood never visited” bit of research that the English Heritage website shared with me, to discuss instead, the enduring nature of quite why we still hold onto the emblem and image of St George.
Back in 1348, when Edward III established the order of the garter, (it is still awarded today to a select few men and women) the emblem was and still is that of the St George Cross, with his image on the badge and garter chain, and later in 1940, when George VI established the George Cross, the image on it is that of St George vanquishing the dragon. And I think the key to the endurance of the figure of St George and what he represents can be traced back to the language around the order of the garter and that slightly nostalgic word: Chivalry.
Now as an English teacher, chivalry is a concept that does rather get challenged by a variety of medieval authors (I’m looking at you Geoffrey Chaucer) as a concept that is wonderful in its aim, but perhaps less well demonstrated in reality; The Cambridge Dictionary gives us the definition of Chivalry as: very polite, honest, and kind behaviour, and as it was originally termed for the order of the garter, in order to demonstrate chivalry one had the following characteristics: courage, honour, courtesy, justice, and a readiness to help the weak. And I think it is this that has helped St George endure in our national consciousness for so long -because the ideal is one which you cannot possibly have any issue with. To behave in an honest and kind manner, to have courtesy, courage and a readiness to support those who need help – these are standards and ideals that we can all, surely support.
We can all understand that at times, we must have courage to face adversity, or change or challenges, and the mark of our character is how we deal with things, not when the going is easy, but when it is tough, and so, if you can uphold courtesy and kindness at those times when you have to increasingly show courage and bravery, as we vanquish our own dragons, then we are perhaps following not in the actual footsteps of Saint George, but reflecting what he represents: The best of us, in difficult times.
And as I am English teacher, then surely, there is only one way to end this week’s newsletter, celebrating both that greatest of playwrights, and our own national Saint, from Henry V:
“Cry God for Harry, England, and St George…”
Stay well and safe everyone,
With all best wishes,
Mr Grady
