The History of North Curry

 

 

The Reeve's Feast

King John is popularly credited with having instituted what was to become known as the Reeve’s Feast. The earliest documented form of this gestum or feast states that the hundred-man or reeve of North Curry received an allowance on Christmas day to provide a feast for two tenants of the king’s ancient demesne or manor. He was to provide food medale of two good loaves of wheat, as much beer as they liked to drink, a good dish of beef with mustard, another of chicken stew, cheese with enough fuel to cook this food and two candles of a certain size. They were to eat and drink until these candles had burned out. A toast was to be drunk before a bread effigy of King John. Apparently after the gestum, games were played – one mentioned being the ancient Christmas game played with a wastrel! The Reeve, with allowances from the Dean and Chapter of Wells and the holders of chief tenements in the manor, was also to provide food, distributed by dealers, to other tenants of the manor and to the poor.

The character of the Reeve’s Feast changed in later years and grew to provide vast quantities of meat from animals kept in the village pound (on site of Manor Lodge) and other food to the Reeves of North Curry and West Hatch, the holders of seven freehold manors, the occupiers of tenements in the manors of North Curry, Knapp, Wrantage and East Curry, and the Lords of the Manors of Knapp and Slough (called the Jacks). In 1850 a tablet was inscribed and placed in the church vestry giving full details of the arrangements for the Feast. The custom inevitably degenerated in the process of time and in 1868 efforts were made to convert the funds of the Feast into a Charity and for the money to be distributed in kind.

 

For more information on the history of North Curry why not buy a copy of  "North Curry - A Place in History" by Angela Dix.  For details go to http://www.dixuk.com.