The Haxey Hood Game
The Haxey Hood Game
On Old Christmas Day in the village of Haxey, Humberside, is to be seen a game which is regarded by many as the precursor of the more gentle sport of rugby. The Haxey Hood Game requires a strange mixture of endurance and struggle as well as a real sense of community involvement and celebration. The ‘goals’ are the local public houses and the ‘ball’ is known as a hood, which is actually a two foot long cylinder of leather. Up to 400 people may take part and the rules are . . . interesting!!!!
The story goes that a certain Lady de Mowbray was riding between Haxey and Westwoodside one Christmas Day in the 13th century when her hood blew off in the wind. Encouraged by the promise of a reward, the hood was chased by thirteen farm labourers working in a nearby field who, it is said, amused the lady so much in their pursuit by falling over themselves, tripping on the furrows in the field and generally getting muddy, that she not only bestowed thirteen strips of land on the parish but decreed that this event should be commemorated every year with a game featuring the hood and followed by a feast. Legend has it that the man who actually retrieved the lady’s head dress was too shy to give it back to her and passed it on to a more confident man to do the honours. Having noticed this, the lady dubbed the first man a fool and the other the Lord of the Hood. These are two names that have stuck.
What happens today is…
On the morning of 6 January, the main characters or ‘officials’ prepare themselves for the day: the Fool dresses up in rags and has his face smeared with coloured paints “to represent bruising " (at one time this was done with soot from the fire place, but with the advent of central heating and a wide choice of make up the habits have changed!); the Lord of the Hood and the Chief Boggan don their red hunting jackets and flower bedecked top-hats; and ten other men, known as Boggans, put on red jerseys.
Carrying his wand of office - which is made of thirteen willow withies bound with thirteen others thirteen times round - the Lord of the Hood then leads the twelve others to each of the four pubs in Haxey and the neighbouring parish of Westwoodside where three songs are sung, ‘The Farmers Boy’, ‘John Barleycorn’ and ‘Drink Old England Dry’, known locally as ‘Cannons’. They’ve already had some practice in this because the thirteen have visited up to fifty public houses and homes in the local area since New Year’s Eve, singing these very songs, drinking and collecting money for charity!
The singing done, at around 2pm the Boggans process to the Mowbray Stone outside the village church of St Nicholas. Here the Fool attempts to escape but is carried struggling to the stone and there gives the annual speech of welcome to those present. He also reports that a bullock and a half have been killed for the occasion ... but the remaining half is still running about the field! He then recites the rules of the game and the ritual shout of:
Hoos agen hoos
Toon agen toon
If thou meets a man, knock ‘im soon
But doant ‘ot ‘im (don’t hurt him)
Whilst the Fool is talking, dampened straw is lit behind him and he is ‘ritually smoked’ (the dampness of the straw does vary and often the fool finds himself being toasted rather than smoked!) Scrambling from the stone, he then leads the participants and crowds of spectators to a ploughed field where the main game takes place.
But to begin with, the Lord of the Hood throws up the first of twelve sacking (or dummy) hoods with the ritual cry, “Hoos agen hoos, etc.” These may be run after, fought for or carried off the edge of the field, the holder being rewarded with a sum of money. If a Boggan (as referee) manages to intercept and regain possession, this hood is thrown up once more. These dummies include one with a red ribbon attached to it, specifically for women and girls. After all twelve are successfully thrown up, it is time for the main game to begin . . .
The leather Sway Hood, which has been carried by the thirteen officials since New Year’s Eve, now makes an appearance. This is thrown up by an invited guest and grabbed firmly by Boggans in the middle, of what must look like the largest rugby scrum in the world, known as the Sway. Then the fun starts. Rules?... Anything goes except that the hood must not be run with, kicked or thrown, but remains in the centre of this solid mass of muscle whilst several hundred push in an attempt to get it to a pub of their choice. Yes, that is the ‘goal’ in this game.
The distance between the furthest pubs is about two miles and when the hood is finally deposited in one of the bars, the landlord or landlady has simply to reach out and touch it for the game to be over. Free drinks are then provided and the hood is hung above the bar until the next New Year’s Eve when the Boggans again retrieve it for another six nights of singing, drinking and the playing of the ancient game of Haxey Hood.
The path of the Sway is clearly visible the following day, not least because of the mass of mud which has been carried from the field into the village streets on boots and clothing. The Sway is also no respecter of person or property. The field in which it starts is trampled flat and cars have been seen to be moved in its wake. Bus services are curtailed and householders may find their prize privet hedge flattened or even in a totally different location the following day. The church wall has been a regular casualty!
And talking of casualties, why on earth would anyone want to risk body, muscle and bone in this gruelling and exhausting game every year? Injuries certainly do occur. “We have always done it”, is justification enough for some, while the Sway is regarded by others as symbol of locality and community.
This page is part of our Beginners’ Guide: British Folk Customs From Plough Monday to Hocktide.
