The Parson's Nose

 Whilst clearing out some files the other day I came across a drawing from 30 years ago.  It was used at a church fete back in the 90’s and features ‘yours truly’ under the title Hit the Parson’s Nose.  A copy of this was placed on a board and for the grand sum of 20p the punters were given three darts to throw at hit.

Alongside being amused to rediscover the drawing I was also intrigued about the origins of the phrase Parson’s Nose.  We might all be aware of it being used in relation to a turkey at Christmas, but I wondered where it came from.

Apparently it originates from a falling out between a church carpenter and a parson at St Mary’s Church in Nantwich in the 1400’s.  The carpenter hadn’t been paid by the rector so carved an unflattering image underneath one of the choir stalls.  It showed a chicken with the parson’s face attached to its rear end!  Obviously both an insult of, and a rebuke to, the church’s incumbent.  And so, the phrase Parson’s Nose has stuck.

It’s a little sad that 600 years on the only thing we really know about this rector and carpenter is the argument between them.  Not quite what Paul had in mind when he penned those words in Ephesians of not letting the sun go down on your anger.

The message of Pentecost is essentially the opposite of that from this incident at St Mary’s Nantwich.  Instead of division the coming of The Holy Spirit, which we celebrated on Sunday, is about the bringing of unity.  A common language was heard in Jerusalem that day; symbolic of the unity that God’s love and presence can bring to our world.

The drawing is now in our downstairs’ cloakroom, but no darts are any longer available!

The blog returns in a fortnight.