The Royal Society of St George

The City of Leeds Branch

Saint George Loving Cup visits Leeds
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 The Town Mayor of Morley, Councillor Robert Gettings JP President of the City of Leeds Branch, The Lord Mayor of The City of Leeds Councillor Mohammed Iqbal, the High Sheriff of West Yorkshire Mr Roger Marshall, Mrs Marshall The Saint George Loving Cup visited the City of Leeds on Monday 19th March, as part of a national tour.

The Loving Cup was received at Leeds Civic Hall by the Lord Mayor of The City of Leeds Councillor Mohammed Iqbal.  Also present was the High Sheriff of West Yorkshire and President of the Royal Society of Saint George City of Leeds Branch, Mayor of Morley, Councillor Robert Gettings JP.

The Chairman of the City of Leeds Branch Councillor Joseph E Tetley was accompanied by Branch Treasurer and Leeds City Councillor Judith Elliott.
Event Location Guests at the reception were invited to drink English Apple Juice from the Loving Cup, which was passed around the 100 or so guests who joined the Lord Mayor to receive the loving cup in the City.

The Loving Cup visited Leeds as part of a tour of 50 cities throughout the country before finally arriving at Westminster to form part of the silverware at the Top Table of a special dinner to celebrate Saint Georges Day.

Dating back to the Middle Ages, the Loving Cup is a delightful feature of feasts and banquets, a ceremony that symbolises trust and friendship.

The Lord Mayor of the City of Leeds Councillor Mohammed Iqbal with Councillor Joseph Tetley, Chairman of the City of Leeds Branch of The Royal Society of Saint George and the Loving Cup
  The Lord Mayor with Councillor Judith Elliott Filled with spiced wine known as ‘Sack’ and passed clockwise around the table at banquets, weddings and other feasts for all to drink from, the Loving Cup is a tradition thought to have been inspired by the assassination of King Edward the Martyr.

On 18 March 978 AD, during a period of political unrest in England, King Edward visited his brother at Corfe Castle where Elfrida, his stepmother, offered him some mead. While still on his horse and drinking from the cup, the King was slain, upon her orders.