Customs of the Thames Valley

Home	Calendar	.	National
Gloucs	Oxford	Chilterns	Herts
KennetW	KennetE	Windsor	London
LandsEnd	Exmoor	Mendips	.

London	.	London	Calendar	.
TQ0986	Ruislip	Street Football	ShrTue	.
TQ1869	Kingston	Street Football	ShrTue	.
TQ1649	Dorking	Street Football	ShrTue	.
TQ2262	Ewell	Street Football. A ball containing the bladder of a horse was made by the shoemaker and kicked around from noon until 5 o'clock. There seems to have been no sides or goals involved!	ShrTue	.
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Gloucs	.	Gloucestershire	Calendar	.
SO8914	Brockworth	Coopers Hill Cheese Rolling: race down the hill chasing rolling cheese: Late May Bank Holiday Monday	May	.
SO8610	Painswick	Clipping the Church: People hold hands to encircle the church. 3rd week in September (Sunday nearest the 19th) revived as an annual event in 1897.	Sep	.
SO8600	Minchinhampton	Wassailing	.	.
ST8897	Avening	Pig Face Feast: Commemorates Queen Matilda who consecrated the church in 1080. Held every 2 years on 14th Sep, when a pig's head is carried into the church on a plate and a medieval fair takes place.	14Sep	.
SO9005	Bisley	Well Dressing	.	.
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Windsor	.	Windsor Forest	Calendar	.
SU9680	Slough	The Montem (Salt Hill): Students from Eton College would hold a procession to this ancient mound every 3 years and collect money (traditionally for the purchase of salt). It ceased in 1844 when the railways brought large crowds and increased rowdiness to the proceedings. Originally held in January it was moved to Whit Tuesday in 1758. The Stab Monk: A strange custom use to take place nearby involving the re-enactiment of a monkey's funeral, the chosing of a Mayor of Chalvey and a procession with black faced boys dancing like monkeys. The events, naturally involved the collection of money and excessive drinking! Queen Anne's Well: can also be found nearby but is in a poor state of repair.	WhitTue	.
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Chilterns	.	Chiltern Hills	Calendar	.
TL0020	Dunstable	Orange Rolling: Pascombe Pit, Dunstable Downs: formerly every Good Friday (until 1968)	GoodFri	.
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Oxford	.	Oxfordshire	Calendar	.
SP5206	Oxford	Singing of the May Day Carol from Magdalen Tower.	1May
SU5493	Long Wittenham	Wassailing Christmas	Xmas	.
SU5298	Radley	Clipping the Church: Easter Sunday	EasSun	.
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KennetW	.	Kennet West.	Calendar	.
SU3268	Hungerford	Tutti Day:The Tutti Girls hand out oranges on Tutti Day in Hungerford. Hock Tuesday - the 2nd Tuesday after Easter.	HockTue
ST8053	Rode	Clipping the Church: St. Lawrences Church: Shrove Tuesday Night. A watercolour painting by W. W. Wheatley 1848 shows this custom taking place on a moonlit night around the church.	ShrTue
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Mendips	.	Mendip & Quantock Hills	Calendar	.
ST3925	Curry Rivel	Burning the Ashen Faggot Christmas Eve	24Dec	.
ST3337	Chedzoy	Candle Auction (every 21 years)	.	.
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Exmoor	.	Exmoor	Calendar	.
ST0042	Carhampton	Wassailing the Apple Trees: Twelfth Night	5Jan	.
SS5846	Combe Martin	Hunting the Earl of Rhone Late Spring Bank Holiday. Formerly taking place on Ascension Day (Thursday)	May AscThu	.
SS9843	Dunster	Luttrell Arms Hotel: Burning the Ashen Faggot on Christmas Eve	24Dec	.
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LandsEnd
. Lands End & The Lizard
Calendar
.

SW9175 Mousehole Tom Bowcock's Eve: 23rd December The Ship, Mousehole near Penzance

A merry place, you may believe,
Was Mousehole 'pon Tom Bowcock's Eve;
To be there then who wouldn't wish
To sup of seven sorts of fish
During a period of great famine a local fisherman, Tom Bowcock put to sea and returned with a catch of 7 different kinds of fish to feed the inhabitants of Mousehole, near Penzance, Cornwall.
Fancy some Starry-Gazy Pie? To make a pie, it would be wasteful to cover the inedible heads with pastry, but to save the rich oil in them, the fish were cooked with their heads poking out of the pie. This is a local delicacy? known as starry-gazy pie, usually served with a sauce of sour cream. Bon appetite!
23Dec

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National
. Other Sites in England & Wales Calendar .

SU0735 Wishford Magna Wood gathering rights in Grovely Forest. 4 ladies carry bundles of sticks to Salisbury Cathedral and dance. Commemorates the 4 women who defied the Lord of the Manor, who sought to stop the wood gathering in his woods in the 19th century.
29May
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SP8850 Olney Pancake Race. Shrove Tuesday.
ShrTue
.

TG2308 Norwich Snap, the Dragon : procession. Revival: Dragon Festival Feb 2009 . A dragon paraded in the annual procession of the Guild of St. George from Medieval times until 1835. Snap appeared again occasionally until 1850 and is now housed in the Norwich Castle Museum.
Feb
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SP2481 Meriden Cyclist's Heart of England Rally .
May
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TQ4110 Lewes Bonfire Night celebrations
5Nov
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SY0995 Ottery St. Mary Carrying the Blazing Tar Barrels
5Nov
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SC2782 St. John's Isle of Man Tynwald Ceremony. All new laws passed during the last year are announced on Tynwald Hill
5Jul
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National	.	Other Sites in England & Wales	Calendar	.
SU0735	Wishford Magna	Wood gathering rights in Grovely Forest. 4 ladies carry bundles of sticks to Salisbury Cathedral and dance. Commemorates the 4 women who defied the Lord of the Manor, who sought to stop the wood gathering in his woods in the 19th century.	29May	.
SP8850	Olney	Pancake Race. Shrove Tuesday.	ShrTue	.
TG2308	Norwich	Snap, the Dragon : procession. Revival: Dragon Festival Feb 2009 . A dragon paraded in the annual procession of the Guild of St. George from Medieval times until 1835. Snap appeared again occasionally until 1850 and is now housed in the Norwich Castle Museum.	Feb	.
SP2481	Meriden	Cyclist's Heart of England Rally .	May	.
TQ4110	Lewes	Bonfire Night celebrations	5Nov	.
SY0995	Ottery St. Mary	Carrying the Blazing Tar Barrels	5Nov	.
SC2782	St. John's	Isle of Man Tynwald Ceremony. All new laws passed during the last year are announced on Tynwald Hill	5Jul	.
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