THE re-enactment of William Wordsworth's wedding at All Saints Church, Brompton-by-Sawdon, was in sharp contrast to the quiet affair of 200 years ago.

Villagers and Wordsworth experts from all parts of the country, converged on the pretty Vale of Pickering village last weekend for the bi-centenary celebrations which started at 8am at Gallows Hill, the exact time Wordsworth and his bride to be, Mary Hutchinson, left her home, halfway between Brompton and Ruston, to walk to the church a mile-and-a-half away.

Chris Hamilton and Karen Dempsey, took on the role of the couple, leading the procession with the High Sheriff of North Yorkshire, Mark Evans, accompanied by villagers who were joined in the village square by children from the local primary school, all in period costume.

All Saints was filled by the time the couple walked down the aisle to be met by the vicar, the Rev Peter Jaram, who talked the congregation and the children through the identical wedding service.

Afterwards, the children planted 200 daffodil bulbs in verges around the church to mark the milestone.

The catalogue of events included lectures, film shows, poetry readings, and a special service in the church last Sunday at which Lord Habgood, the former Archbishop of York, was the speaker.

Later, a lunch based on the meal Wordsworth and his bride would have eaten after their wedding, was held in the village hall.

Dr Mary Jones, chairman of the organising committee, said: "The whole weekend was a tremendous success. A great deal of hard work and research went into organising it, but it was all very worthwhile."

Updated: 09:24 Wednesday, October 09, 2002