Echoes of Historic Warwickshire includes many of the historic tales associated with the Wroth Silver ceremony

An author’s new book about the history of Warwickshire includes ‘eyebrow raising’ stories from Rugby borough.

Echoes of Historic Warwickshire, written by author and historian Andrew Beardmore, is the latest in a long line of the author’s county history books.

His Warwickshire volume covers every corner of our historic county, including Birmingham and Coventry, which were part of the county until 1st April 1974.

It also covers the extensive history of Rugby and surrounding district.

Andrew said: “One example of a quirky fact from the Rugby area comes from Birdingbury, where an 18th century rector fathered 17 children - and was hence always guaranteed a congregation!

“And did you know that ln the 1930s, the radio masts that stood at Hillmorton were, at 820ft, the highest in the world and had been built to withstand winds of 140 miles per hour?

“Meanwhile, in 1780, Lawford Hall near Little Lawford, was the scene of the only known poisoning through laurel water in the history of crime.”

Each of Andrew’s county history books contains a three or four-page feature in the centre, covering the Wroth Silver ceremony, held this week.

The Wroth Silver ceremony takes place on Knightlow Hill every Martinmas Eve (11th November), before sunrise.

The event, which is essentially a tax-collecting ceremony, dates to Anglo-Saxon times when the location was part of the ancient Hundred of Knightlow.

It is thought to be the oldest continuously held ceremony in the British Isles.

Over the centuries, the Hundred of Knightlow passed from Anglo-Saxon thegns to the Crown, and eventually to the Dukes of Buccleuch and Queensbury in the 19th century where it remains today.

“This is why, this week, on the 11th November, monies were collected once again on behalf of the Duke of Buccleuch on Knightlow Hill, just before sunrise – from representatives of parishes in the territory of the former Hundred,” Andrew added.

“A grand total of 46p each was deposited into the remains of an old 14th century preaching or boundary cross, but which now resembles a trough or font – as this was the base stone in which the shaft of the cross originally stood.”

Echoes of Historic Warwickshire includes many of the historic tales associated with the Wroth Silver ceremony, from from gigantic rampaging white bulls with red noses and red ears on Dunsmore Heath, to the ceremony’s importance of hot milk with rum and churchwarden pipes.

The book also contains multiple photographs taken when Andrew was a guest at the 2018 ceremony and breakfast.

Now that his Warwickshire book has been published, Andrew was invited back to this year’s ceremony and, at breakfast, he presented a copy of Echoes of Historic Warwickshire to Sam Rees, who was there representing His Grace the Duke of Buccleuch and Queensbury.

To find out more about Echoes of Historic Warwickshire andybeardmore.com/echoes-of-historic-warwickshire