In the run up to Martinmas, CovSoc member Peter James tells us about the ancient ceremony of Wrothsilver. Peter writes…..

Knightlow Hundred covers a large area stretching from Arley in the North to Bishops Itchington in the South and Kenilworth in the West to Hillmorton in the East. A Hundred is a division of a Shire which was introduced by the Anglo Saxons. Knightlow is the largest Warwickshire Hundred.

Wrothsilver is Britain’s oldest continuous  Annual Ceremony, first recorded in 1170 AD. It is held on Martinmas Eve 11th November on Knightlow Hill every year. Knightlow Hill is near to Stretton on Dunsmore. The ceremony is where commoners of Knightlow Hundred pay their landlord for the right to drive cattle over his land.

Money is paid at the Wrothstone at dawn. The landlords are the Dukes of Buccleuch. The duke’s agent reads the Charter of Assembly and representatives of each parish pay in turn. Each one throws money into the Wrothstone and shouts “Wrothsiver”.  

The Wrothstone

In 1918 a total of  28 parishes paid sums which varied from 1d to 2s-3d.The Wrothstone is the  base of a medieval boundary cross sitting on a mound believed to be a Bronze Age barrow. The stone is a Grade II listed monument which is situated on Knightlow Hill near to a footpath leading from the A45 road. 

Payment of Wrothsilver in 1899

The Wrothsilver Ceremony takes place just before dawn on 11th November or the preceding Saturday if  the date  falls on a Sunday.  Martinmas was a time historically when tenancies were renewed, rents paid and labourers hired. Mop fairs were held in some market towns for the same purpose.

The penalty for non payment was a fine plus the need to show a bull with a red nose and ears.  The  last time a fine was imposed was in 1893 when the bull was rejected! After the ceremony many participants who have booked will visit the Half Moon Pub in Wolston for a cooked breakfast. They then toast the Duke of Buccleugh with rum and hot milk and receive churchwarden pipes. This is followed by speeches and poems . The Mayor of Rugby is usually present dressed in his full regalia.

The Mayor of Rugby in 2005 with the Duke of Buccleugh on the left

You can participate in the ceremony yourself on Saturday 11th November 2023. Find out more at http://www.wrothsilver.org.uk/