| MY LADY'S HAT Tradition of 'Throwing the Hood' and flowery hats on men | ||
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| This clip is not available for streaming at this time. Please contact WPA. | Tape Master: | 6024 |
| Catalog #: | 123525 | |
| Clip Number: | 123525-1 | |
| Orginal Film: | CP 268 | |
| Timecode: | 01:29:05 - 01:31:46 | |
| Location: | Haxey, Lincolnshire. | |
| Year Shot: | 1960 (Actual Year) | |
| Audio: | Yes | |
| Color: | Yes | |
| Headings: | CEREMONIES: Historic / Traditional CONTESTS: Unusual FASHION: Hats FASHION: Unusual FESTIVALS: Historical LOCATIONS/EUROPE: UK, England | |
| Description: | MY LADY'S HAT Tradition of 'Throwing the Hood' and flowery hats on men Haxey, Lincolnshire. C/U of a hat decorated with flowers, bells and bits of old jewellery held in the fool's hands (the fool is Brian Tims). Tilt up to show him putting the hat on his head. M/S of BT walking past a stable swinging a ball attached to a stick by a rope. He is wearing rather strange clothes: a red jacket tied at the waist with a piece of ribbon and some trousers with a fringe down the side, American Indian (Native American) style. M/S of an older man, Percy Hill, coming out of his cottage in a red jacket and putting on a flowery hat as he comes through his garden gate. C/U as he walks along. M/S of the door to a house opening and 'The Lord of the Hood', Mr Cooper, comes out wearing his magnificent hat covered with flowers, feathers, tinsel and jewellery. His wife brushes down his red jacket before he leaves. M/S as he leaves the house and a small boy (also wearing a flowered hat) takes his hand and walks off down the street with him. M/S of Mr C and the boy walking along to meet a group of men standing beneath a road junction sign reading A161 and indicating distances to Haxey Junction, Misterton, and Gainsborough. All the men are singing and as most are holding pints they must be fairly near a pub! C/U as one of the men hands a pint to Mr C who drinks from it. C/U of BT having his face made up in black and red paint by a man also wearing a flowered hat. C/Us of PH, holding a leather sack, with BT singing along with the group, then M/S of a group of young boys, all wearing flowery hats and waving. The commentator tells us that this is all part of a traditional ceremony said to have its origins 600 years ago when Lady de Mowbray's hat was carried away by a high wind and retrieved by villagers. The sight of the villagers scampering and jostling one another so amused Lady de Mowbray that she ordered the race for the hat to take place annually. Today the ceremony is called 'throwing the hood'. M/Ss of a group of men, including Mr C, walking along the street, all wearing red jackets with a few in flowery hats, then of BT running after a group of young boys and trying to hit them with his ball on a string. Then M/Ss of two men hoisting BT onto a mounting stone in front of a large crowd outside a church, then of BT standing on the stone making a speech with PH and Mr C standing in front of him. The commentator says that he has to try and do this until he is smoked off by a bonfire lit under him! C/Us of people watching, then the fire seen over the shoulders of the spectators, panning across to show BT still standing on the stone and making his speech. M/S as BT turns and sees the fire and jumps down from the stone, then the group starts to head off to a field. M/S of the villagers, including BT, PH and Mr C, walking across a field. Mr C throws several rolled sacks into the air, which is part of the 'throwing the hood' ceremony: 12 pieces of sacking are thrown into the air in the village outskirts and whoever manages to get one to an inn receives a traditional shilling from the landlord. There is also a battle between the inns to get the most sacks with free beer for the patrons of the winning inn. M/Ss and C/Us of the men running, fighting and wrestling for the sacks. | |
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