Pubs threaten to call time on village custom
IT IS part rugby scrum, part pub crawl: a 700-year-old tradition in which villagers go to war over a piece of leather.
But it may be the drinks trade, not the health and safety police, who finally call time on the annual ritual of the Haxey Hood in the Isle of Axholme, south of the Humber.
The peculiarly local medieval practice sees thousands of villagers fighting over a 2ft leather tube, known as a hood, in the hope of manhandling it into one of four pubs serving free beer.
However, three of the hostelries that traditionally take part are understood to have abstained from this year’s running, scheduled for Saturday.
The King’s Arms, the Loco and the Duke William in the village of Haxey are likely to be closed, with only the Carpenter’s Arms, in nearby Westwoodside, remaining in the frame.
The turn of events has forced organisers to change the rules, with the winning village, not a pub, now taking the spoils.
The break in tradition follows a turbulent year in local life. Shortly after last year’s game, plans were unveiled to demolish the Duke William, whose owner said it was no longer viable, and to sell the land for houses. Villagers fought the proposals and in November, the scheme was rejected by councillors.
The King’s Arms, meanwhile, has opened and closed several times since its last victory, two years ago. A spokesman for the event said it would go ahead as planned at the weekend, with large crowds expected to hear a man dressed as a medieval fool reciting an old English chant which translates as: “House against house, town against town, if a man meets a man, knock him down but don’t hurt him.”
The custom is said to have its origins in the story of a 14th century landowner’s wife whose riding hood was blown away and retrieved by farm workers.