Message:

<p>[QUOTE=&quot;CoinCorgi, post: 26611545, member: 88934&quot;]I don&#039;t think anything can surprise me anymore.</p><p><br /></p><p>Pennies for peasants...</p><p><br /></p><p><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Honiton" target="_blank" class="externalLink ProxyLink" data-proxy-href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Honiton" rel="nofollow">https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Honiton</a></p><p><br /></p><blockquote><p><i><font size="4"><b>Honiton Hot Pennies Ceremony</b></font></i></p><p><i>Honiton was granted a royal charter in 1221 during the reign of King Henry III that allowed it to hold a market. To celebrate, the town held the Honiton Fair, originally on Allhallows Eve and Allhallows Day (1 November), the date was changed in 1247 to the eve and feast of St Margaret (19/20 July). In order to encourage people to travel to the town from the surrounding area to attend a subsequent fair without fear of arrest for their debts, no arrests for outstanding debts were allowed while the fair took place.&nbsp; At the beginning landed gentry took pleasure in throwing hot chestnuts from windows to local peasants and over time these gave way to hot pennies, a seemingly philanthropic gesture resulting in burns (until the peasants figured out to wear gloves or use a cloth to pick the pennies up). </i></p><p><i><br /></i></p><p><i>The Hot Pennies ceremony still takes place annually in the High Street of the town. At noon, the Town Crier, accompanied by the Mayor and other local dignitaries, raises a garlanded pole with gloved hand at the top, and proclaims that &quot;The glove is up. No man may be arrested until the glove is taken down&quot;. Pennies are then thrown from a number of balconies in the High Street to crowds of local people. The pole is then kept on display for the following &quot;fair week&quot;.</i></p></blockquote><p>[/QUOTE]</p><p><br /></p>

Your name or email address:

Do you already have an account?

• No, create an account now.
• Yes, my password is:
• Forgot your password?

Stay logged in