Whitby is home to much history and legend, from the Saxon settlement of Stenhaelsch with Abbess Hild who turned all the snakes in the town to stone to the Whaling heritage and the story of William Scoresby’s escaped polar bear.
But perhaps the strangest tradition from Whitby’s history is that of the Penny Hedge which legend has it dates back to 1159.
The story goes that on 16th October, three noblemen were out hunting and tracking a wild boar on the outskirts of Whitby. The injured wild boar entered a hermitage where a lone monk was living in Eskdale. Upon seeing the hunters, he closed his door to the noblemen whose names were Ralph de Percy, William de Bruce and their friend a freeholder known as Allatson.
But the men were determined to have their prey despite being denied entry and so they barged their way in attacking the monk and leaving him dying. As the monk lay dying the Abbot of Whitby was sent for to pass judgement on the murdering nobles.
The Abbot heard what had happened and in front of the monk he decided to offer forgiveness rather than punishment to the hunters on one condition. The men desperate to avoid execution and escape with their lives agreed to the terms.
The condition was then explained.
Each year, the men and all their descendants must carry out a ritual on the eve of Ascension Day. This ritual was the making of a small hedge, woven from hazel stakes which was to be planted on the shores of the East Side of Whitby’s harbour.
This short hedge had to be sturdy enough to last upright for 3 tides.
If the hedge didn’t stay intact or remain upright for the 3 tides, the men and their families in the future would be stripped of some of their lands.
There were further stipulations…
The hedge had to be cut from wood from Eskdale, where the monk had been murdered. The wood for the hedge also had to be cut with a knife which had cost just a penny. Hence the name “The Penny Hedge”.
Below is a picture taken in 1906 of the ceremony.
The hedge also had to be constructed at 9 o’clock in the morning.
What is fascinating is that the tradition still continues and has done for hundreds of years.
Locals, including some who live on the lands owned by the previous nobles. Once the hedge is in place, a horn is blown and then the crowd shouts “Out on ye, out on ye, out on ye”.
Ascension Day was chosen for the fact that tides shouldn’t affect the building of the hedge, but in 1982 the tradition was unable take place for the first time since 1159 due to unseasonably high tides. Whilst legend has it that this breaks the penance, the tradition has continued until this day.
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