Allhallowmas

Allhallowmas is a feast-day marker in Malory’s account of Arthurian kingship, most clearly associated with the arrival of King Ban and King Bors at London and the celebration that follows. The date gathers political allegiance, courtly ceremony, and public spectacle into a single occasion.

The Kings’ Arrival

After Arthur’s messengers reported that King Ban and King Bors would come before Allhallowmas, Arthur prepared a great feast and announced a tournament. The two kings crossed the sea with three hundred knights, equipped for either peace or war. Arthur rode out ten miles from London to meet them, turning their arrival into a public act of welcome and alliance.

Feast and Tournament

On Allhallowmas, the three kings sat together in the hall. Sir Kay served as seneschal, assisted in the arrangements by Sir Lucas the butler and Sir Griflet, who directed the service. After the meal, seven hundred knights assembled on horseback for the jousts. Arthur, Ban, and Bors watched from a pavilion with the Archbishop of Canterbury and Sir Ector, while ladies and gentlewomen joined them to observe and judge the competitors. The feast thus joined hospitality to an organized display of knightly skill.

A Recurring Calendar Marker

The book’s index records Allhallowmas, and the narrative also uses it as a deadline for royal and courtly business. Elsewhere, the arrival of King Ban and King Bors is expected by the feast, while an account of Sir Tor’s recognition as King Pellinore’s son and Sir Gawaine’s knighting places those developments amid the court’s ceremonies. These references make the day more than a date: it provides a recurring point at which arrivals, recognition, and the ordering of Arthur’s court can be narrated together.