Glimpse history through old images of Hungerford, Berkshire, England.
Hungerford Hock-Tide 1922
The English medieval festival of Hocktide, Hock tide, or Hoke Day occurred on the Monday and Tuesday of the week after Easter. The day that rents were collected, judgements made, and the rights of a town asserted, happened all over England.
Over time, hungerford has become the last place to hold an annual Hocktide Festival, which is now a day of sports and games.
In the early twentieth century, the Tutti men kissing young women was the part of the festival most liked by the cameramen.
Hungerford Hock-Tide Aka As In Saxon Days (1922) – British Pathé on YouTube
Hocktide Festival 1926
The Tutti Day celebrations at Hungerford (1926) – British Pathé on YouTube
Hocktide 1929
Pennies From The Townsmen Kisses From The Girls Aka Pennines From The Townsmen (1929) – British Pathé on YouTube
QUIRKY: Hungerford ‘Hocktide’ ancient festival (1929) – British Pathé on YouTube
Hocktide 1932
QUIRKY: ‘Tuttimen’ collect kisses in Hocktide ceremony at Hungerford (1932) – British Pathé on YouTube
Hocktide 1934
Free Kissing Day (1934) – British Pathé on YouTube
Unusual Stile 1937
A woman demonstrates Hungerford’s unusual stile, which is weighted.
Pivot Stile Issue Title – This Way Please (1937) – British Pathé on YouTube
Quiet Weekend 1945
The year World War II ended, Quiet Weekend was filmed in the area.
Quiet Weekend (1945) – British Pathé on YouTube
Hocktide 1952
Tutti Men (1952) – British Pathé on YouTube
1950s Hock-Tide Festival
Old English Customs Record C (1950-1959) – British Pathé on YouTube
A bit of Hungerford history
Extract from:
The imperial cyclopædia [based on The penny cyclopædia of the Soc. for the diffusion of useful knowledge]. Sub-division. The cyclopædia of the British empire – Volume 2
by Imperial cyclopaedia
Published in 1850
Page 129
HUNGERFORD , Berkshire , a market town and the
seat of a Poor Law Union , in the parish of Hungerford
and hundred of Kintbury Eagle , is situated on the river
Kennet , in 51 ° 25 ‘ N. lat . , 1 ° 31 ‘ W. long . , distant 27 miles
W. by S. from Reading , 64 miles W. by S. from London
by road , and 61 1/2 miles by the Great Western railway .
The population of the entire parish of Hanzerford , part of
which is in Kinwardstone hundred , Wiltshire , was 2,724 in 1841.
The government of the town is by a constable
and feoffees .
The living is a vicarage in the archdeaconry
of Berks , and diocese of Oxford .
Hungerford Poor Law
Union contains 21 parishes and townships , with an area of
96.438 acres , and a population in 1841 of 19,892 , in 1851
of 20,400 .
Hungerford is in the S.W. part of the county , on the
Bath road . The town bore in ancient times the name of
Ingleford Charmam ( or Charnam ) Street .
The name
Charnam Street is still preserved by one of the avenues to
the town , and by one of the tithings into which the parish
is divided .
The town consists chiefly of one long street ,
in the centre of which is the market – house , with a room
over it in which the town business is transacted .
The
streets are lighted with gas and paved .
The church , which
is in the western quarter of the town , was erected in 1814 .
The Wesleyan and Primitive Methodists and Independents
have places of worship .
Near the church is the Free
Grammar school , which in 1850 had 43 pupils .
There are
also National schools attended by about 70 children of
each sex .
The town is wholly dependent on agriculture :
no manufacture is carried on .
A county court is held in
the town , and there is a savings bank .
The Kennet is
here divided into two streams , one of which passes through
the town , the other close by it on the north side . The
latter is crossed by a bridge at the entrance of the town
from Newbury . The Kennet is not navigable , but the
town possesses water communication by the Kennet and
Avon Canal .
The Kennet , about Hungerford , is much re
sorted to by anglers . The river fishery is strictly preserved .
by the town authorities .
The Hungerford branch of the
Great Western Railway terminates at the town .
The market is on Wednesday .
There are four fairs in the
course of the year ; two of them are sheep fairs .
The
scenery around Hungerford is very pleasing and picturesque ,
and there are several good seats in the vicinity .
