The Legend of Whitby’s Penny Hedge.

"In the fifth year of the reign of King Henry II,

(1159) the Lord of Ugglebarnby, then called William de Bruce, the Lord of Sneton, called Ralph de Percy, with a gentleman and a freeholder called Allatson did, on the 16th day of October, appoint to meet and hunt the wild boar, in a certain wood belonging to the Abbot of the Monastery of Whitby : the place's name is Eskdale-Side, the Abbot's name was Sedman. Then these gentlemen being met, with their hounds, in the place before-named, and there having found a great wild boar, the hounds ran him well near about the chapel and hermitage of Eskdale-Side, where was a Monk of Whitby, who was a Hermit. The boar being very fore, and very hotly pursued, took in at the chapel door, and there died : Whereupon the Hermit shut the hounds out of the chapel. The gentlemen, followed the cry of their hounds, and so came to the hermitage, calling on the Hermit, who opened the door and within they found the boar lying dead; for which the gentlemen in very great fury, did most violently and cruelly run at the Hermit with their boar-staves, whereby he died soon after.

But the Hermit, at the point of death, sent for the Abbot, and desired him to send for the gentlemen who had wounded him : The Abbot so doing, the gentlemen came, and the Hermit, being very sick and weak, said unto them, I am sure to die of those wounds you have given me; the Abbot answered, They shall as surely die for the same; but the Hermit answered, Not so, for I will freely forgive them my death, if they will be contented to be enjoined this penance for the safeguard of their souls.

The gentlemen bid him enjoin what penance he would, so that he would but save their lives. Then said the Hermit, you and yours shall hold your lands from the Abbot of Whitby, and his successors, in this manner, That upon Ascension evening you, ort some of you, shall come to the wood of the StrayHeads, which is in Eskdale-Side, the same day at sun-rising, and there shall the Abbot's officer blow his horn, to the intent that you may know how to find him; and he shall deliver unto you, William de Bruce, ten stakes, eleven strout stowers, and eleven yethers, to be cut by you, or some of you, with a knife of one penny price; and you, Ralph de Percy, shall take twenty and one of each sort, to be cut in the same manner; and you, Allatson, shall take nine of each sort, to be cut as aforesaid, and to be taken on your backs, and carried to the town of Whitby, and to be there before nine of the clock the same day before-mentioned: At the same hour of nine of the clock each of you shall set your stakes at the brim, each stake one yard from the other, and so yether them on each side with your yethers, and so stake on each side with your strout stowers, that they may stand three tides without removing by the force thereof: Each of you shall do, make and execute the said service all that very hour every year, except it be full sea at that hour; but when it shall so fall out, this service shall cease. If you, or your successors, shall refuse this service, so long as it shall not be full sea at the aforesaid hour, you or yours shall forfeit your lands to the Abbot of Whitby, or his successors."

From: Lionel Charlton's : "History of Whitby" Book II (1779) (Abridged).

For more information we recommend you visit the excellent Whitby Museum website. It has lots more on the subject of Whitby’s Penny Hedge and the origins of the legend.

Whitby Museum Website - Click Here

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Brief History:

The Penny Hedge is an ancient tradition in the English coastal town of Whitby in Yorkshire.

The legend dates back to 1159, when the Abbot of Whitby imposed a penance on three hunters, and on their descendants for all time, for murdering a hermit at Eskdale.

The hunters were following a wild boar near Whitby. When the boar took refuge in a hermitage at Eskdale, the nobles set upon the monk living there, who had closed the door on the hounds. Before he died, the monk consented to forgive them and spare their lives if they and their descendants would enact a penance.

Each year, on the eve of Ascension Day, on the shore of Whitby, they had to construct a short hedge from stakes woven together, able to withstand three tides. The instructions stipulated that a knife "of a penny price" was to be used.

The ceremony is still performed in Whitby every year on Ascension Eve, by the occupiers of the land formerly owned by the Abbot. A horn is sounded and followed by the cry "Out on ye! Out on ye! Out on ye!"