Saint Crispin's Day

Martyrdom of Crispin and Crispinian (detail), by Aert van den Bossche, 1494

Saint Crispin's Day, or the Feast of Saint Crispin, falls on 25 October and is the feast day of the Christian saints Crispin and Crispinian, twins who were martyred c. 286.[1] They are both the patron saints of cobblers, leather workers, tanners, saddlers and glove, lace and shoemakers (among other professions).[2]

In modern times, the feast day is best known with reference to the St Crispin's Day Speech in Shakespeare's play Henry V. A scene in the play recounts the Battle of Agincourt, which took place on Saint Crispin's Day in 1415, with the titular character giving a speech before the battle referencing the feast day.

When the Battle of Balaclava was fought on 25 October 1854, the coincidence was noticed by contemporaries, who used Shakespeare's words to comment on the battle.[3] A similar effect occurred with reference to the Battle of Leyte Gulf, fought on St. Crispin's Day in 1944.[4]

  1. ^ "Ss. Crispin and Crispinian". New Advent. Retrieved 5 August 2010.
  2. ^ "What is St. Crispin's Day mentioned in Jacob Rees-Mogg's Resignation?". Metro. Retrieved 30 October 2022.
  3. ^ Deborah Bachrach, The Charge of the Light Brigade, Lucent Books, 1997, p. 60.
  4. ^ Richard F. Snow, "The Seventies", in American Heritage, volume 42, issue 4, July–August 1991.