Highgate pub to host Swearing on the Horns ceremony
Swearing on the Horns at The Bull pub in Highgate in aid of The London Centre for Children with Cerebral Palsy. Pub manager and clerk of the court Mitch Adams with Judge John Martin . Picture: Nigel Sutton - Credit: Nigel Sutton
An ancient ceremony that grants participants the right to kick a pig out of a ditch and kiss the prettiest woman in a room is to be held in a Highgate pub.
Swearing of the Horns in days of yore - Credit: Archant
The Swearing on the Horns, a farcical oath which dates to the 17th century, was mentioned by Byron in a 19th century poem and has long been a joke played on willing victims.
From around 8.30pm on Friday, The Bull – in North Hill, Highgate – will host the ceremony “for a modest fee” donated to the London Centre for Children with Cerebral Palsy in Muswell Hill Broadway.
The landlord, Robert Laub, said: “With the price of property round here, estate agents tell me the value of this is ‘incalculable’.
“We at The Bull are very proud to be hosting this wearing, which has traditionally been held in Highgate pubs since the 1600s, I believe.”
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Hornsey Round Table chairman John Martin, who hosted the ceremony in 2014, will again command the horns.
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