GAME 600 YEARS OLD

Taranaki Daily News, 16 July 1929, Page 9

GAME 600 YEARS OLD

RESEMBLANCE TO FOOTBALL. The game of Haxey Hood is said to be 609 years old. It closely resembles football, and is stated to be the forerunner of the present Rugby game. It is played in the Lincolnshire village of Haxey, and is the survival of an ancient' custom, perhaps dating from Pagan times. According to tradition, it is a yearly memorial to Lady Mowbray, whose family were lords of the manor for generations. The “hood” is a piece of sackcloth about two feet long, shaped as a Rugby ball. The game begins with a procession to an old memorial standing some yards from the beautiful new war memorial. The leader wears a red coat, a hat bedecked with flowers, and he bears a wand. Following him are twelve “boggans,” with a fool gaily attired, and they proceed from the memorial to a field on the hillside. All are invited to take part in the game, and when the hood is thrown into the air the cry is raised: House against house, town against town, If you meet a man, knock him down. The fun continues until dusk. High and low, rich and poor, take part, and the game ends when the hood reaches a certain part of the .parish, ,