Curious Customs of Medbourne and Hallaton

Bottle-kicking, they claim in these parts, is a sport older than football, cricket and even so-called real tennis, but whether 'sport' is the right term is open to question. It takes place every Easter Monday when hundreds of people gather in Hallaton to try and propel a tiny barrel (known rather confusingly as a bottle) towards the neighbouring village of Medbourne. The villagers of Medbourne, meanwhile, try to physically stop them by any means possible. And as far as rules go that's about it.

But bottle-kicking is just one part of the day-long celebrations which are believed to go back to medieval times (although rather typically no-one is quite sure when). The beer inside the actual barrels plays an important part in the day's proceedings, naturally enough, as does the hare pie scrambling. The hare has long been a symbol of Easter and used to be paraded ahead of Hallaton's procession each year. Home-made hare pie is as important as the actual bottle-kicking, although the traditional dish has variously been made with beef, veal and bacon over the years. To the south of the village the walk passes Hare Pie Bank, which records show has been a local meeting place and scene of festive and religious gatherings for many centuries. This is where Easter's mayhem truly begins.

The events of Easter Monday follow a set order in Hallaton. The morning starts with the children's parade led by a marching band, after which comes the bottle-kicking service in St Michael's Church. The bottles and hare pie are then paraded through the village and the pie is cut up and 'distributed' (often thrown at the assembled mob), who move on to Hare Pie Bank to begin the contest. Like the annual Shrovetide football match at Ashbourne in Derbyshire, bottle-kicking is a rough and unruly affair, usually conducted by scrums of young men who get covered in mud and bruises. There are no set rules, no team kits, and not even any limits on numbers. The sole objective is to propel the small wooden cask to the opposing village boundary, which in Medbourne's case is several fields away over hedges and brooks. The result is usually decided from the best of three games, and afterwards the winners gather at the Butter Cross in the centre of Hallaton.

For more information on this bizarre and fascinating custom, read John Morison and Peter Daisley's engrossing book on sale at the Bewicke Gift Shop and Tea Room, behind the Bewicke Arms in Hallaton. It's also available from (and in fact published by) Hallaton Village Museum, on Hog Lane, open weekend afternoons (May to October) and bank holidays.

What to look for

The Parish Church of St Michael's and All Angels at Hallaton has a display about St Morrell, a French monk (St Maurille) who became the Bishop of Angers in the Loire Valley. It's thought that Norman settlers at Hallaton may have established a chapel dedicated to the saint, and over the centuries a local cult developed in the area.

While you're there

Just to the west of Hallaton village is a motte and bailey castle, visible from the nearby lane or public footpath. Introduced by the Normans (the Anglo Saxons were not great castle builders) the 'motte' was a flat-topped conical mound of earth, usually topped by a wooden palisade and tower, located either inside or next to an embanked enclosure known as the 'bailey'. These earth and timber defences were eventually superseded by stone-built fortresses.

Where to eat and drink

There are three excellent pubs, which all serve food daily: the Nevill Arms (Medbourne), and the Bewicke Arms and Fox Inn at Hallaton. The first two have been permanent fixtures in the 'good pub' guides for some years. The Bewicke Gift Shop and Tea Room at Hallaton is open daily; while at Medbourne teas are often served in the village hall on summer Sundays, and the well-stocked village stores near the church makes filled rolls to order.