View Full Version : Jack Valentine - Norfolk tradition?
Spangles
11-02-2010, 07:54 PM
As a Great Yarmouth girl my sister and I always received mysterious gifts on the door step on Valentine's Day evening from Jack Valentine.
The doorbell used to ring and by the time we rushed to the door no-one was there, just little pressies for us on the doorstep.
We are going to do this for our little man on Sunday. I'm in Cambridge now and no-one's heard of it here - has anyone else on here heard of it or is it just an old Norfolk thing?
wellybelly
11-02-2010, 08:24 PM
OMG OMG OMG, I am a Norfolk girl and we used to do this as a kid. When I moved out of the county, I used to tell everyone about this and they thought I was daft! I am going to this for my kiddies this weekend. Thank you for confirming I am not longer insane!
Spangles
11-02-2010, 08:41 PM
Yay! There are at least two of us then!
PixiePetal
11-02-2010, 09:20 PM
Never heard of it, but I like it :thumbsup:
found this
http://www.bbc.co.uk/norfolk/content/articles/2005/02/01/valentines_2005_norfolk_traditions_feature.shtml
LOOPYLISA
11-02-2010, 09:28 PM
Never heard of it :laughing:
Will get a card for dd though and post :D although she going out on a date sunday :laughing: shes 12 :rolleyes:
YES!! I live in Norfolk (and always have) and my parents used to do this. :clapping:
Sometimes there would be a knock and nobody there, sometimes a knock and a brick or something on the doorstep. One year we opened the door and there was a pressie which started to move and disappear around the corner of the bungalow. That freaked us out a bit but we found out years later that my dad had attached it on a piece of string tied to a broom and was pulling it :laughing:
Eventually there would be a knock and a pressie sitting on the doorstep.
My mum and dad still do this for my own children - they usually knock once and no-one's there and then again (I have to persuade my children to go back then as they're scared!) when there will be a pressie for them! They think that Nanny and Grandad have done it but I say no it will be Jack Valentine!
I haven't found anyone out of Norfolk who's heard of this tradition and people in some parts of Norfolk haven't either!
Glad you're keeping the good ole tradition going too Spangles! :thumbsup:
Mollymop
12-02-2010, 08:03 AM
I have never heard of it, but I am near the border of Norfolk her in Cambridgeshire.
It's lovely though, I might do it with my kids this year x
Spangles
12-02-2010, 11:00 AM
[QUOTE=Cazz;638581]Sometimes there would be a knock and nobody there, sometimes a knock and a brick or something on the doorstep. One year we opened the door and there was a pressie which started to move and disappear around the corner of the bungalow. That freaked us out a bit but we found out years later that my dad had attached it on a piece of string tied to a broom and was pulling it :laughing:
Eventually there would be a knock and a pressie sitting on the doorstep.
[QUOTE]
I hadn't heard of the trick part until last night when I looked it up on the net. Yes, it says some people would tie pressie to string and for first few rings would pull it away! Glad my mum and dad didn't do that, I would have been scared rigid and had a phobia of answering the door! Ha ha!
Just got my son a tiny £3.00 Transformer (he's obsessed with them at the moment!), some Ben10 and Transformer stickers and some milky star chocolates - it's only tiny little gifts that they get. I'm so excited! Ha! I'm like a child myself sometimes!
mamasheshe
12-02-2010, 04:43 PM
I've not heard of this i am in Norwich but dad was from Glasgow and mum will ask mum if she's heard of this tonight !
[QUOTE=Cazz;638581]Sometimes there would be a knock and nobody there, sometimes a knock and a brick or something on the doorstep. One year we opened the door and there was a pressie which started to move and disappear around the corner of the bungalow. That freaked us out a bit but we found out years later that my dad had attached it on a piece of string tied to a broom and was pulling it :laughing:
Eventually there would be a knock and a pressie sitting on the doorstep.
[QUOTE]
I hadn't heard of the trick part until last night when I looked it up on the net. Yes, it says some people would tie pressie to string and for first few rings would pull it away! Glad my mum and dad didn't do that, I would have been scared rigid and had a phobia of answering the door! Ha ha!
Just got my son a tiny £3.00 Transformer (he's obsessed with them at the moment!), some Ben10 and Transformer stickers and some milky star chocolates - it's only tiny little gifts that they get. I'm so excited! Ha! I'm like a child myself sometimes!
I think my dad really enjoyed the trick ones! It was only small gifts that we got - sweets and a colouring book or something.
Hope your son likes his pressies tomorrow!