Men in Whitby have built the Penny Hedge in the harbour’s silt for centuries. David 'Doc' Rowe, a folklorist, has dedicated his life to documenting British Isles' folklore traditions. His recordings capture various carnival standards and regional dialects that were believed to have died out.
On the eve of Ascension Day , going back hundreds of years, men in Whitby have built the Penny Hedge in the harbour’s silt. This small assemblage of sticks has to withstand three tides and was originally made, according to legend, as a penance for the killing of a hermit. An obscure ceremony, perhaps, but David ‘Doc’ Rowe is no stranger to such festivities, having dedicated his life to documenting the British Isles’ folklore traditions for the last half a century.
His recordings could just as easily capture carnival standards such as crowds cheering on straw bears, dancers parading under the weight of antlers or burning barrels. The folklorist's interest in these events started when he was a teenager growing up in Torquay, Devon. “I used to listen to the wireless, as it was then,” says Doc, now 78. “It seemed that the BBC were always telling me that the regional dialect, the song and speech and so on, had all died out. But my experience down in native Devon, where I come from, was quite otherwis
Whitby Penny Hedge Folklore Tradition Ascension Day David Rowe Carnival Regional Dialect
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