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Ribe’s last Watchmen, 1902.
The Watchman
The Watchman system already existed in Ribe around 1300 and the watchmen patrolled the streets of Ribe until 1902. The Watchmen were the night watchers and police of that time. They provided law and order, and sang a watchman’s verse every hour, so the townsfolk could feel safe. The Watchman has since 1935 been a permanent tourist attraction in Ribe.
The Watchmen in Ribe
The Watchmen’s organisation goes all the way back to the years around 1300, where the Watchmen became normal in market towns at first and then spread to provincial towns. Ribe got their Watchmen around the year 1300, but there may have been Watchmen in Ribe earlier on. From 1565, the Watchmen in Ribe got paid by the town and from mid 1700 they got free housing. The four Watchmen of the town lived in Gravsgade 38 from 1832 until 1902, where the Watchman system stopped in Ribe. Ribe normally had four Watchmen, even though a fifth was hired in 1845. The Watchman system was re-considered several times from mid 1800. But the townsfolk fought for their Watchmen and the system was finally put to an end by December 31st, 1902.
The Watchmen as tourist attraction
However, it didn’t take long for the Watchmen to return to the streets of Ribe, since the Watchman had great potential as tourist attraction. When the Cathedral re-opened in 1904, a singing Watchman participated at several events, which recurred at the national historical celebration in 1921 with the folk singer Mads Madsen as Watchman singer.
The Watchman’s song was such a success that Mads Madsen on several following occasions sang the old Watchman’s verse. The tourist board decided to let a Watchman, dressed in the original uniform and equipment, sing the Watchman’s verse at night in the streets of Ribe during summer. Since 1935, except for the years during World War II, the Watchman has been a permanent offer for the tourists. You can find further information about the Watchman and his tour through Ribe on the the website of Ribe Tourist Bureau.
The present Watchman takes the tourists on a guided tour and is still a popular part of Ribe.
The Watchmen’s verse
Since only few people owned a watch at that time, and in order to ensure that the Watchmen didn’t sleep while working, the Watchmen were obliged to shout the hourly time while walking their round. The Watchmen shouted: ”Hov vægter, klokken er slagen…” (Hey Watchmen, the time is now…)– the wording is known from the time of the Swedish Wars in 1659.
The Watchman’s verse was introduced in Copenhagen in 1683 and then spread to the provincial towns. It was probably the psalm writer Thomas Kingo, who wrote the verse. There were originally 8 Watchman’s verses, from 9 in the evening until 4 in the morning, but since the Watchman system later was extended with 2 hours during winter, 2 new verses were added, which did not poetically correspond with the other verses. The most repeated verse is the one from 10 o’clock in the evening:
Om du vil tiden vide,
husbonde, pig´og dreng
da er det på de tide,
man føjer sig til seng.
Befal dig herren fri,
Vær klog og snild,
vogt lys og ild!
Vor Klokk´er slagen ti.
(If you want to know the time
Peasant, girl and boy
Then it is time to go to bed.
Demand to be off work,
Be smart and clever,
Beware of light and fire!
It is ten o’clock.)
The folk singer Mads Madsen as Watchman in 1921.
Tasks and equipment of the Watchmen
The Watchman’s song and the uniform were characteristic for the Watchman and made them popular in the town at night. The Watchmen were the night watchers and police of that time. They provided law and order in town at night, watched the street lights, which until 1880 were train oil lamps and further they raised the alarm in case of fire and flood.
The Watchmen’s uniform included a solid coat with shiny buttons, long boots and a hat with earmuffs. In case of frosty weather or storm, the Watchman took his woolen socks over the boots and wore a canvas cape over his uniform.
The Watchman’s duties were risky, since the Watchman could be stabbed or thrown into water and drown. The Watchman was armed with a mace for self-defense; a medieval weapon with a sharp and heavy wooden ball with huge steel pikes. This weapon was until 1848 part of the normal equipment of the Watchman, where after a thick stick was used instead, due to the fact that the mace was too dangerous and not comfortable as a supportive stick.
Even though the Watchman performed an important task, his pay was quite bad, which meant that the Watchmen had to work during day for the townsfolk. Thus the Watchmen helped with chop and stack wood for the winter. The Watchmen were mostly popular amongst the townsfolk and they often received gifts, money, candles and food etc. on festive days.
Today, the Watchman walks the streets of Ribe to please the many tourists and townsfolk and has no longer the same tasks to fulfill as the original Watchman.
Sources:
P. Abell: Vægterne, Berlingske Tidende (særtryk 1902).
Karsten Eskildsen: Ribe. Byens oplevelser, 2007.
Preben Fogh Svendsen: Vægter i Ribe – en kort fortælling om vægtertraditioner i Danmarks ældste by, Sparekassen Sydjylland 1981.
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