http://sandymillin.wordpress.com/queer-as-folklore A lesson plan about unusual English customs, based on a BBC article

1. Lesson plan by Sandy Millin http://sandymillin.wordpress.com
Queer as folklore:
A year of English customs
Based on a BBC article by Oliver Wright
with photographs by Andrew Robinson
https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-46456306-1stJanuary2019
https://www.yorkshire-stuff.co.uk/products/theres-nowt-so-queer-as-folk-badge

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3. Lesson plan by Sandy Millin http://sandymillin.wordpress.com
Septennial Boundary Riding,
Richmond, Yorkshire
Every seven years the people of Richmond, North Yorkshire, walk a 14-mile path around the town's
boundary. "We think 2018 was the 63rd time it's been done since it began in 1575, dating back to the
charter of Queen Elizabeth I," says Heather Lawler, the town clerk*. "The original intention was to
identify and proclaim the boundary of the town, and to check that nobody has violated the charter or
taken any land. "At the head of the procession is the Pinder, who is armed with an axe* to remove
anything in his path. He leads the mayor around the boundary, including through the middle of the
River Swale, and at 18 locations the town crier* declares the "ancient and undoubted boundary" of
Richmond. Mrs Lawler said: "We have a lot of history here, the cobbled market place, the castle, the
abbey and to maintain that history is all part of living in Richmond."
*town clerk: (British English) a person who was the secretary of, and gave advice to, the local
government of a town
*town crier: (in the past) this person’s job was to walk through town shouting news, announcements,
etc.
* axe A.

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Boundary Riding has been taking place in Richmond, Yorkshire, since 1575

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Horn Dance, Abbots Bromley,
Staffordshire
Records show the Horn Dance was first performed at the Barthelmy fair in the Staffordshire village of Abbots
Bromley in 1226. It is held on the first Monday after the first Sunday after 4 September, known as Wakes
Day. It has only been cancelled once - in the 1920s - and only then because one of the dancers had died. The
Horn Dance is performed by a troupe of six Deer Men - who each carry antlers* weighing between 16lb
(7kg) and 26lb (11kg) - a Fool, Hobby Horse, Bowman, and Maid Marion. It is said the horns they carry are
the same as those used at the first performance more than 790 years ago. Ken Walkeden, 54, who has
played the role of Hobby Horse for the past six years, said the horns had been carbon dated in the 1970s and
shown to be more than 1,000 years old. He said: "There's a belief the Vikings may have brought the reindeer
horns over, but how they became a part of a dance in Abbots Bromley is a mystery. He said the dance was
believed to be associated with fertility and crops but its exact origins are shrouded in time. "It is what it is,"
he added. "We may look like a bunch of blokes having a drink and having a laugh but we're deadly serious. If
you break us open it's in there."
* antlers
B.

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The horns used in the performance are thought to be
the same used in the first performance in 1226

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Wroth Silver, Knightlow Hill,
Warwickshire
The ancient Wroth Silver ceremony is derived from the annual tax paid to the local landowner, records
of which can be found in the Domesday Book* of 1086. At about 06:45 GMT on 11 November the
princely sum of 46p - originally nine shillings and four pence - is deposited in the hollowed out base of
an old Anglo-Saxon cross. The group then toast the landowner - the Duke of Buccleuch - with hot milk
and rum and, in days gone by, a smoke of a long-stemmed pipe, known as a Churchwarden. Honorary
organiser David Eadon, 84, who has attended 81 consecutive ceremonies, said: "It seems such a small
amount of money today, but obviously once upon a time it was quite a sum, especially when you
consider in the 14th Century a cottage cost about 10 shillings. We believe, originally, the money went
towards paying officers paid for by the crown to protect the people in the parishes that made up the
Hundred* of Knightlow. The payment was compulsory until about 1800 and the fine for non-payment
was one pound for every penny not forthcoming, or to provide a white bull with a red nose and ears.
*Domesday Book: a detailed record of all land in England in 1086, made for William I for taxation
*Hundred: (noun, British historical) A subdivision of a county of shire, having its own court
C.

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Tradition dictates that after the ceremony participants
enjoy a drink of hot milk and rum and a smoke on a pipe

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Cradle Rocking, Blidworth,
Nottinghamshire
Rumoured to be the resting place of Robin Hood's merry man Will Scarlett, the village of
Blidworth is also known for its rocking ceremony. Thought to be at least 400 years old, the
ceremony takes place at the church of St Mary of the Purification in February. According to
tradition the baby boy born closest to Christmas Day is rocked in a cradle* adorned with white
and gold flowers while a passage from the Bible is read. The ceremony derives from the story of
the baby Jesus being presented at the Temple in Jerusalem 40 days after his birth. Despite falling
out of practice twice and being banned during the Reformation, it has been held annually since
1922, when it was last revived. Hazel Robinson, the Vicar of Blidworth and Rainworth, said: "It's
rather beautiful. About 100 people attend and we have large oak boards with the name of every
child that has been rocked since 1922. "Last year the family who had the "rockings baby" knew
about the ceremony and were eagerly anticipating the birth of their child and hoping it would
be a boy."
*cradle: a small bed for a baby which can be pushed gently from side to side
D.

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The rocking ceremony has its roots in the Bible

11. Lesson plan by Sandy Millin http://sandymillin.wordpress.com
Write the answers to the questions.
1. Why did the tradition of ‘Boundary Riding’ begin in Richmond? (2 marks)
2. What are the job titles of the key roles in ‘Boundary Riding’? (1 mark)
3. How many people are involved in the Horn Dance? (1 mark)
4. Why was the Horn Dance first performed? (1 mark)
5. What currently happens in the ‘Wroth Silver’ ceremony? (2 marks)
6. If the ‘Wroth Silver’ wasn’t paid before 1800, what did the villagers have to give? (2 marks)
7. Which child is rocked in the cradle in Blidworth? (1 mark)
8. What are two important features of the rocking ceremony? (2 marks)

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1. To identify and proclaim the border (1), to check that
nobody had violated the charter or stolen land (1)
2. Pinder, mayor, town crier (1)
3. 10 (6 deer men, a Fool, Hobby Horse, Bowman, and Maid
Marion) (1)
4. Not clear – probably to do with crops and fertility (but it’s
exact origins are ‘shrouded in mystery’) (1)
5. They put 46p in the base of an Anglo-Saxon cross (1) then
drink hot milk and rum to toast the landowner (1)
6. Either a fine (£1 for every penny not paid) (1) or a white
bull with a red nose and ears (1)
7. The baby boy born closest to Christmas Day (1)
8. The cradle is decorated with white and gold flowers (1). A
passage from the Bible is read. (1)

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14. Lesson plan by Sandy Millin http://sandymillin.wordpress.com
Make your own tradition
• Where does it happen?
• What is the history of the tradition?
• Why does it happen?
• Who is involved?
• Why is it important?