OLD SAXON CUSTOM

Evening Star, Issue 19456, 14 January 1927, Page 5

OLD SAXON CUSTOM

The Duko of Buccleuch and Queensbein', as “Lord of the Manor of the Hundred of Knightlow” keeps up a unique custom, the collection of wrotlisilvor, which takes place before sunrising on the eve of St. Martin at Knightlow Cross, in the Hundred of Knightlow, in the County of Warwick, various parishes being summoned to pay small sums of money, from one penny upwards) twenty-eight only contributing 9s 4d between them. After payment those present are invited to breakfast at an old wayside coaching inn nearby, known as the Wan Cow Inn, on the famous road built by Telford to convey the Irish mails from London to Holyhead. All around is historic ground (writes R. T. Simpson, in the ‘Weekly Scotsman’). The Roman Fosse Way crosses tho road at a point where Warwickshire has erected a memorial to tho immortal 29th Division. who were trained-in the neighborhood and reviewed by King George before going to Gallipoli. There was a famous avenue of trees extending for miles through the ducal property, hut owing to age they had become dan gerous, and the avenue was replanted, also in memory of this famous division. Within view are three spires of the famous City of Coventry, with its legend of Lady Godiva, and its varied circumstances of ups and downs in the trades it has been famous for. The historic Guy, Earl of Warwick, is traditionally credited with slaying a furious wild dun cow, of the breed of tho wild white cattle native to these isles since before the Roman invasion, as also an enormous blue boar, a terror to the neighborhood. That the wroth-sil-ver collection was valuable is proved by a fine being imposed .for non-pay-ment, viz, 20s for every penny not forthcoming, or _ for forfeiture of a wild white bull with red nose and ears.