, 1877-08-12
EUROPEAN GOSSIP.
The Recent Award OF the Dun
NOW Fitch.
Milan Cathedral, St. Charles Borromeo
and Da Vinci's "Last Sup
per-"
Old and Ecw Paris. ...Dtstruttion of Ancient Land.
marks, aud unselling Of ancient Sc.
CretS,
1.-THE DUNMOHV FITCH
Fnrdon Sguff1rrf .Ttttu ~

| The tfme-honprcd custom which associates
] DuDuooy with bacon In the minds OF English,
men, and which Mr.. Harrison Ainsyorth made
the groundwork Of an entertaining story, wa;
celebrated yesterday in the little Essex village
under the most inalspicious circumstances
| The weather was very bad, heavy showers
sweeping pitcously oyerthe fats, and drenchins
nerry-1nakers to tho skin, or driving them lot
shelter to tho beer-sllops; the attendance was
poor, and the true joyous spirit was absent; The
interest felt in the event In the locality was but
| small, and the expected candidates for the
quaint prize failed to put in an ap.
! pcarance in substantiation Of their claims.
| It was hoped that two contentetl pairs
| would enter in emulation for the CANNON, n,-Mr.
Andrews, f. r H. s., Of Hull, and m lrishnan
! 1rum Colcranc, who Is happy in the partnership
| of M English lady from Surrey. 1t appears The
| Isishman did actually visit Dnnmow on Sunday,
but not liking the appearance of things, l,e sur
rcptltious]y departed, leaving no address. Dir.
Audrcws was compelled To resign lis prctell-
sous certain domestic occurrence OF an inter
cstirr nature which would prevent Mrs, An
! drcws from accompanying him, having occurred
| in his family only week ago. At the last mo-
mcnt, when the lovers ot the 'goo1 old times -
and their obscrvai1ces were almost in despair, 4
cozy couple were induced to come to the front.
! Their names arc Darrscki they arc natives Of
| the parish, vi the humber class, and they arc
| the parents OF 4 t1pzrn blooming children.
history OF the custom, which, he it said cn pas
| SAINT, is considered by n great many persons
| even in Duumow TO he lar more honorcd in the
breach than the observance. Like the courts Of
! love in France, it boasts VI exalted patronage
und antiquity anterior TO the times Of Piers
| Plowman and Chaucer, both of whom alludc to
| it, To Robert Fitzwaltcrs, who. in the reign Of
/ Henry Ill, was bead Of religious house about
| four miles from Duntnow, its origin is traced.
With plous motives, no doubt, he ordained that
me which rcpeutcth him not OF his marriage,
sleeping or waking, in Il yierc and day, might
lawfully fetch CANNON OF bacon.n Whether
this tradition be well founded or not, certain it
is that the custom existed ut very early Pc
riod, in the Priory OF Little DunInow, Of deliv-
ering hitch or CANNON OF bacon to any
couple who claimed It, and could swear year and
day after their marriage that during that time
they had never offended each other in deed or
word, or ever wished themselves unmarried
again. Probably It was d custom attached to
the tenure OF the manor, anu was continued
after the priory was dissolved, and thu land had
passed into secular hands. According to the
old ceremonial tho party claiming the bacon,
who was styled the pilgrim. Was to take tho oath
in rhyme, kneeng on two sharp stones IN the
churchyard, thu convent attending, and using
variety Of ceremonies. After whlCh the pilgrim
was taken on mems shoulders and carried first
about the Priory churchyard, and then through
the village, attended BY the monks OF the con-
vent, the bacon being borne in triumph before
them, The ceremonial was continued with
little alteration until 1851, after which it
fell out of fashion. In 1851 u couple
named Hurrel demanded the savory
prize from the lord OF the manor: but
the usage had been too long dormant. But
what tho lord Of the manorrefused, sympathetic
friends vouchsafed; public subscription was
organized, a fete was rot up in Easton Park,
and a famous fitch, garlnnded With flowers, was
presented with all due pomp. In 1855, princi-
pally owing to the cxcrtions of Mr.. Harrison
Aiusworth and the influence Of his novel, the
custom was revived Us near to its ancient form
IS might be, and not ono, but two fltctcs were
given away, the winners being Mr.. Barlow,
de Chatclain, French literary man. A jury Of
six bachelors and six r1aiucus was impanclcu
and mock court was opened at the Town Hall,
wlieI. with considerable humor the farce OF j
trial Of the candidates was gone through, Alr.
Robert Bell acting as counsel for petitioners,
and Mr.. Dudley Costello as advocate for tho
CANNON. This was all pleasant enough,
but the Doisterous procession through the
streets, when the claimants were carried on
mems shoulders aud the subsequent proceed
irgs Of kncclinC on sharp stones and making
SOLEMN declaration Of their reciprocal fondncss,
ycrc not quite unobjectionablc, aud allowed
opponents the opportunity Of complaining that
there was too near an approach to L parody OF
President OF the Court delivered the award ran
thus:
Since 10 these conditions without any fear,
tf rouF own accord you 40 freely declare.
J. whole fitch Of bacon you shall receive.
And bear 1t hence with love and good leave;
For this ls our custom, ut Dunmow well known
Though the pleasure be ours, the bacon's your
own.
Two years later there was another prescnta-
tion, when a Mr.. and Mrs. Beard, Of Stafford
shire, obtained the prize, anu again in 1863, III
1874, and twelycmonth ago the ceremonial
was carried out, the successful couple on the
last OCCASION being named booscy.
The guiding spirits in the present instance
were Mr.. Willial:. Tcgg, who presided, aud Mr..
j. ". Sayill, local bookseller. Mr.. Ainsworth
failed to attend. Mr.. Hcpworth Dixon, who
had also been nsked to lend the approval Of his
presence to the performance, respectfully de-
clincd. Perhaps both were wise, or had pre-
vision Of the weather. To be candid, even
Washington Irving himself, with ell his rover
euec for fine old English rural nlirtnfuness,
would not have been satisfied to the full had he
with flags; few and far between there were few
rough triumphal arches Of evergrecns; but be-
yonI the Forcsters Of the vicinity nobody sccsn-
ed to feel any profound sympathy u the busi-
ness. The conversations that one overheard
were more usually concerning tho state OF the
crops and the monstrous size Of certain fat
beast at last Chelmsford market than upon the
delights OF connuoial fclirity. The Forcstcrs |
were energetic, but they probably think 1t their
duty to be so, seeing that Maid Marian was
buried in the Priory from which the origirnl gift
Of CANNON came. It was somewhat OF m ana !
chronisin us Que walked through the wet. sloppy ]
streets to the scene where this antiquatel fes |
tiyity OF our land was to be gone through, to
come upon an industrious ~ minstrel with |
face, singing the ssTwo Obadahs' in |
woe-bcgone yoicc. Nor, when one pressed into |
the Town-Ha'l and saw that tho Jury consisted |
Of half-a-dozcn srinning hobbedctloys and like
1k,o- x.F