Representatives from Plympton were among more than 70 people invited by the Lord Mayor of Plymouth to attend the annual Traditional Survey of the Waterworks and Fishing Feast at Burrator Reservoir.
The original ‘Fishinge Feaste’ is believed to have originated during the Recordership of Sir Francis Drake the Second (1669 to 1717). The annual survey of the waterworks dates back even further with records from 1603 telling of the Mayor and his company riding forth on horseback to make a yearly inspection of the Leat and Head Weir and to celebrate the ongoing supply of water to Plymouth.
South West Water, the body now responsible for water services in the locality, preserve this ancient ceremony which has important historical significance. This is done each year by the managing director of the company inviting the Lord Mayor of Plymouth and his/her chosen guests to attend the survey and feast.
Guests assembled at the Weir Head where a goblet filled with pure water from the Reservoir was presented to Dr Stephen Bird, managing director of South West Water who toasted the memory of the first Sir Francis Drake who was responsible for bringing water from Dartmoor into Plymouth via his famous Drake’s Leat which was one of the first municipal water supplies in the country. Dr Bird in turn then passed the goblet to Lord Mayor Cllr Sam Davey who sipped from the goblet after formally toasting ‘to the pious memory of Sir Francis Drake’.
The goblet was then passed in turn to the other attending guests who each said the same toast and sipped water from the goblet.
A second goblet filled with wine was presented to the Lord Mayor by Tracey Lee, chief executive of Plymouth City. The Lord Mayor then drank to the toast ‘May the Descendants of Him Who Brought Us Water Never Want Wine.’ The wine-filled goblet was then passed to Dr Bird and subsequently on to the other guests who each repeated in turn the toast and sipped the wine.
Following the ceremony at the Weir Head the party and guests then proceeded to a marquee at the Rain Gauge Field for a buffet lunch.
Once the food was consumed the Lord Mayor proposed a toast to South West Water after which a pair of loving cups filled with warm punch were passed among guests who sipped from the cups and pledged ‘Unity and Prosperity to the Town of Plymouth’. The ceremony has kept the wording of the original historic pledge which pre-dates Plymouth being granted city status.
As well as Deputy Lord Mayor Cllr Chris Mavin and Deputy Lady Mayoress Cllr Sue Dann representatives from Plympton included current Stannator Natalie Harrison, youth ambassador Molly Disney, Plympton Community Council chairman Rose Hamley and her husband Greg and immediate past Stannator Andrew Hill and his partner Charlotte Willis.
South West Water managing director Dr Stephen Bird told attendees at the end of the feast that Plymouth has enjoyed an uninterrupted water supply since 1591 and this is the 22nd consecutive year without any restrictions such as hosepipe bans.
Dr Bird informed guests:
“We’ve put the plug in at Burrator. We’ve stopped taking water from there and we’ve released water from Roadford near Okehampton. We are not overly concerned with the levels at Burrator. Rest assured we will continue to supply Plymouth through the heatwave and beyond.”
(story courtesy of the Plympton Podcast)
