Against the backdrop of the Wars of the Roses and the turmoil of the first Battle of St Albans in 1455, Ashdown explored the story of a group of lepers on their way to one of the two homes for them in St Albans on Shrove Tuesday after they are set upon by robbers. The Science Master had a vested interested in the subject as he was the editor of St. Albans: Historical and Picturesque, a popular guide to the town, along with Medieval Armour and Weapons; Battles and Battlefields of St. Albans, and British & Foreign Arms and Armour. In addition, he was one of the main organisers of the 1907 St Albans Pageant which included a recreation of the first Battle of St Albans, and he was Secretary and Treasurer of the St. Albans Archaeological Society.

Ashdown’s interest in Shrove Tuesday and the Easter period is particularly apt due to the history of St Albans Cathedral and the city itself. A staple of the modern celebration, the hot cross bun, was said to have been first created in the 14th century when Brother Thomas Rocliffe, a monk at the Abbey, developed the original recipe, producing the Alban Bun, a precursor to the famous sweet treat. These buns were then distributed among the poor on Good Friday. Buns created with the original recipe can be bought at the Cathedral today, unique due to their lack of a piped cross.

Written by Alice (L6)