Honiton Hot Pennies Day
26th July
Honiton Hot Pennies Ceremony dates back to the 13th Century, when Honiton was granted a Royal Charter, the ceremony remained unbroken for several hundred years, it takes place on the first Tuesday after July 19th.
The proceedings begin at 12 noon from the Old Pannier Market, with The Town Cryer (accompanied by The Mayor and local dignitaries) hoisting up a garlanded pole with a gloved hand at the top, proclaiming that 'No man Honiton Hot Pennies Ceremony may be arrested so long as this glove is up.'
This was done to ensure that everyone would come to Honiton for the fair which followed the ceremony, without fear of being arrested for their debts; they would otherwise have stayed away
The first pennies are thrown from the balcony of the former Assembly Rooms above The Old Pannier Market and then a procession follows the garlanded pole to a number of Public Houses from which 'hot pennies' are thrown to hoards of scrabbling children. The pole is kept on show for the remainder of Fair Week at the last Public House.
The reason behind the pennies being thrown hot, was that the affluent people who threw out the pennies took great delight in seeing the peasants burn their fingers whilst collecting them.
Nowadays the pennies are merely warm!
Event type: Festivals
Location
Venue: Old Pannier Market, Honiton. EX14 1EF
Nearest town: Honiton, Devon, UK
Holiday Parks
Stay at a nearby Holiday Park and keep the kids amused all day! Parks in the vicinity include those at:
Hotels
Plenty of hotels are available locally. Consider those in the local towns:
Caravans
In the vicinity is a choice of camping and caravan sites offering high quality, affordable holiday accommodation. Consider camps in Exmoor, Newton Abbot, Moretonhampstead and Paignton.
