St John's Day (Noun)
Meaning
A quarter day in England, Wales, and Ireland.
Classification
Nouns denoting time and temporal relations.
Examples
- Rent was due on the quarter days, one of which was St John's Day, coinciding with the summer solstice celebrations.
- St John's Day, along with the other three quarter days, was an important date for tenants as it was the day they paid their rent.
- The timing of St John's Day, being in late June, made it a popular time for farmers to settle their accounts and pay their rent.
- Although the quarter days were intended to be equally spaced, St John's Day fell slightly closer to the longest day than it would have if they were exactly evenly spaced.
- Most of the quarter days, including St John's Day, originally coincided with church festivals and were therefore often referred to as 'feast days' or 'term days'.