29th May Oak Apple Day. Cancelled in 1859
Oak Apple Day was from 1660 to 1859 a public holiday to mark the restoration of the monarchy in 1660. It is supposed to relate to the escape of King Charles 11 at the Battle of Worcester in 1651 by hiding in an oak tree.
It wasn’t the only public holiday proclaimed at the Restoration. Guy Fawkes Day was also a holiday designed to mark the plot’s failure rather than its potential success.
In addition 30th January was designated as a public holiday to mark the execution of King Charles 1st on that day in 1649.
The whole lot were abolished by the Anniversary Days Observance Act in 1859 presumably in an early act of cancel culture.
Although obscure the actual reason for abolition seems to have been a move towards a degree of religious toleration in the 1850s. The abolished holidays were linked to prayers in the Book of Common Prayer (1662)which were no longer viewed as appropriate. Perhaps Victorian liberalism was more confident than that of 2025..
No doubt GB News and the Daily Mail will be celebrating Oak Apple Day nevertheless keen as they claim to be on British tradition…
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