Flashback

Juggling small objects was a very popular diversion at country fairs of 16th century England. The smaller the objects juggled and the greater number kept in the air at one time the greater the roar of approval from the crowd. Jugglers going from market to fair around the English east coast county of Norfolk were particularly skilled in juggling tiny acorns, the fruit of the oak tree. However, they added an age-old twist from the Orient to the act.

 

One particular presentation was to juggle a handful of acorns, then, as a climax to the act, to produce a miniature oak tree to astound the assembled crowd. Historians believe that the jugglers' trick was based on an illusion which was the stock­in-trade of performers in the islands of the East Indies, where it was known as "growing a mango." Details of how the trick worked were said to have been brought to Britain by seamen returning in the early European trade vessels from the Indies.

 

The jugglers would perform their trick in two parts. First a pot or basket of earth was placed in front of the juggler. He would juggle the acorns for a while and let one drop into the basket. The acorn would then be pressed into the earth with a magical mime of the hands by the juggler, who then covered the whole with a cloth.

 

Carrying on with the show, the juggler would perform some sleight hand tricks with the acorns. (This we supposed, gave the juggler's assistant time to switch the basket.)  Then with a flourish the juggler would pull the cloth off of the top the basket to reveal a germinate acorn grown into a tiny sapling. The basket and the rest of the acorn were juggled together as a finale,

 

King Henry VIII of England during the years 1509-47 had a court jester called Will Somers (picture belowt) who, for the king's diversion scoured the country for acts. It . said that it was Somers who introduced acorn jugglers to the royal court. So mystified was the king by the oak saplings which appeared if by magic before his eyes, that he apppointed one juggler as an adviser to his foresters on how to grow oak trees!

 

Sources:

     Blomefield, Francis. History of Norfolk, Vol. V, p. 155. Published W Whitingham 1739-75.

     Notes & Queries. Vol. V. Publisher George Bell 1852.