It was a lovely afternoon on Sunday 1st September in the Presbytery Gardens of Our Lady and St Neot Liskeard. Many thanks to Fr Gilmour’s brother and sister-in-law, and all who helped with the preparations and organisation. The good weather was a blessing, but a lot of hard work behind the scenes made for a great success and it was another occasion for all four church communities of the parish {Our Lady and St Neot, Liskeard; Our Lady of the Angels, Saltash; Our Lady of Light, Sclerder Abbey and St Joan of Arc, Torpoint} to work together and especially to come together to give thanks for the past nine years we have shared our earthly pilgrimage. It’s hard to believe that Fr Gilmour has left us. I speak for the whole Parish when I say, you are going to be truly missed! You have been such a kind, patient and understanding Priest. We all wish you the best in your retirement – though we understand it is only 2 days! You have been asked to help at another parish, good health and don’t work too hard! It’s never goodbye, just Au Revoir and see you soon!!

Every year Liskeard hosts Liskeard Unlocked as part of the National Heritage Open Days. There is a varied programme of walks, talks, exhibitions and a chance to see behind the doors which are normally closed. Our Lady and St Neot opened its doors on Saturdays 7th and 14th September and showed some clerical vestments and various silverware used in the church services, such as the Monstrance – used in Adoration and Holy Hour – Chalice and Paten - used in the celebration of the Holy Eucharist. A History of the Church, shown in old pictures of the church, a model of a Tin Mine, made by one of our parishioners and a copper spun thread made by another one of our parishioners.

The last act of service from Fr Gilmour was to take part in Liskeard Old Cornwall Society’s annual ‘Crying of the Neck’ at Liskeard Cattle Market. Crying The Neck is a harvest festival tradition once common in the counties of Devon and Cornwall, in which a farm worker holds aloft the final handful of cut corn and a series of calls are chanted.

The tradition declined following the invention of machines such as the combine harvester, but besides this has persisted into modern times across Devon and Cornwall albeit to a more limited extent. In Devon the tradition was still recorded as occurring regularly on the Exmoor coast in 1950, and more recently has seen reintroduction elsewhere such as Stoke where it occurs annually alongside the Village Summer Fair. In Cornwall there was an organised revival of the practice on five farms in the 20 years after the Second World War by the Old Cornwall Society, which still organises most events where the tradition is practised to this day.

In the story of Cornwall, by Kenneth Hamilton Jenkin the following explanation is given on the practice: “In those days the whole of the reaping had to be done either with the hook or scythe. The harvest, in consequence, often lasted for many weeks. When the time came to cut the last handful of corn, one of the reapers would lift the branch high above his head and call out in a loud voice ……. “I ‘ave ‘un! I ‘ave ‘un! I ‘ave ‘un!”
The rest would then shout “What ‘ave ‘ee? What ‘ave ‘ee? What ‘ave ‘ee?” and the reply would be: “A neck! A neck! A neck!” Everyone then joined in shouting: “Hurrah! Hurrah for the neck! Hurrah for Mr So-and-So” {calling the Farmer by name}”
The ceremony is given in the Cornish Language, between the reaper {An Tregher} and the others {An Re erel}:

Liskeard Old Cornwall Society: Crying the Neck 2024

Introduction by Brian Oldham; Opening Prayer in Cornish by Rod Sheaff; Opening Prayer in English and Reading in English by Father Gilmour.

Jim Moon raises the neck aloft to the North and shouts “Yma? genef! Yma genef! Yma genef!” We all ask: “Pandr’ us genes? Pandr’ us genes? Pandr’ us genes?” Jim replies: “Pen Yar! Pen Yar! Pen Yar!” We all shout: “Houra! Houra! Houra!” This is repeated facing to the East and then to the South, but not to the West as this may bring a poor Harvest next year!

The neck is passed to the Mayor of Liskeard Christina Whitty who repeats the above but says it in English. The Lord’s Prayer is recited in Cornish by Rod Sheaff, then the Lord’s Prayer in English by all and a blessing is given by Fr Gilmour. Finally, some Classic Cornish Songs are sung by Melodi Liskerret and the ceremony concludes. Robert Hunt wrote in his Popular Romances of the West of England that the neck would be hung in the farmhouse after the ceremony. In a harvest scene in the third episode of the second series of the 2015 of Poldark, Francis Poldark performs the tradition at Trenwith, his estate. Also, in a harvest scene in the third episode of the supernatural drama The Living and the Dead, Charlotte Appleby performs the tradition at her husband’s family farm, which she manages.