Haxey Hood

The Haxey Hood is a fun and exciting tradition that takes place in Haxey, a small town in North Lincolnshire, England. Every year on January 6th, which is known as the Twelfth Day of Christmas, the people of Haxey come together for a special game. If January 6th happens to be a Sunday, the game is moved to the Saturday before.

In this game, called the "sway," lots of people gather to push a big leather tube, called the "hood." The goal is to get the hood into one of four pubs in the town. The hood stays at that pub until the next year’s game. It’s a friendly competition and a great way for everyone in the town to have fun and celebrate together.

History

Haxey Hood display (North Lincolnshire Museum)

Haxey, Upperthorpe and Westwoodside lie in an area of North Lincolnshire known as the Isle of Axholme. According to a traditional story, the Haxey Hood began in the 14th century when Lady de Mowbray lost her silk riding hood, which was caught by farm workers. She was so amused by the chase that she gave land to ensure the event would be re-enacted every year. This tradition has continued for centuries and is believed to be one of the oldest in England.

The game shares similarities with other village traditions, such as Royal Shrovetide Football and the Hallaton Bottle Kicking contest in Leicestershire. A song called "Drink Old England Dry" is also linked to the Haxey Hood.

Preparations

In the weeks before the event, the Fool and the Boggins travel to nearby villages to collect money, often for local charities. They wear special festival costumes and sing traditional folk songs like "John Barleycorn" and "The Farmer's Boy".

Smoking the Fool

At noon, everyone stops work and gathers in Haxey village. Around 12:30, officials visit the pubs involved, enjoying free drinks as a sign of good luck. Many people join this tour, starting at the Carpenters Arms, then moving to the Kings Arms and other pubs, singing and drinking along the way.

The Fool leads the procession and speaks to the crowd in front of the church. After the speech, everyone moves to the field where the game will take place.

Venue

The Fool

Haxey is a large parish located on the southern border of the Isle of Axholme. It includes the villages of Haxey and Westwoodside, along with the hamlets of High Burnham, Low Burnham, East Lound, and Graizelound. In the past, Westwoodside was divided into several smaller areas such as Park, Newbigg, Nethergate, Upperthorpe (or Overthorpe), and Commonside.

Playing the game

Lord of the Hood and Chief Boggin

The Haxey Hood game has thirteen special characters, including the Lord, the Fool, and eleven Boggins. The Lord and the chief Boggin wear red coats and top hats with flowers and badges. The Lord carries a special staff made from thirteen willow wands, representing the twelve apostles and Judas. The Fool wears colorful strips and a feathered hat, and carries a whip.

The game starts with throwing twelve Sack Hoods for the children to catch. Then, the main Sway Hood is thrown, and a large group of people form a rugby-like scrum to push it toward one of four pubs. There are no teams, but everyone tries to move the Hood to their favorite pub by pushing and pulling it slowly. The game can last for hours and is supervised by the Boggins to keep everyone safe. The game ends when the Hood reaches a pub, where it stays until the next game on New Year's Eve.

Winners since 2000

The Haxey Hood is a fun tradition in Haxey, North Lincolnshire, England. Every year on January 6th, people gather to push a leather tube called the "hood" to one of four pubs in the town. The game is called the "sway" and is a big community event.

Below is a list of which pub won each year since 2000:

Year	Pub	Time taken	Comments
2026	Carpenters Arms	~2:00
2025	The Loco		666th running
2024	Kings Arms
2023	The Loco	~2:00
2022	-	-	Cancelled due to COVID-19 Pandemic
2021	-	-	Cancelled due to COVID-19 Pandemic
2020	Kings Arms
2019	Carpenters Arms	~3:00	The hill played a massive part again in this year's Haxey hood, with Frankie dominating throughout. Haxey were unable to break through the barrier that the carps created.
2018	Carpenters Arms	~2:00	As soon as the hood started to move up the hill it was clear it was going to Westwoodside. The hood continued towards the Carpenters Arms with little resistance offered by Haxey.
2017	Kings Arms
2016	Carpenters Arms	2:00	It was obvious from the start there was a determined effort this year to move the sway in a westerly direction. It never made any progress towards Haxey, moving instead north onto Upperthorpe Road, then west towards Westwoodside. The organisers attempted to divert it back down onto Tower Hill via Mill Lane, but the sway cannot be corralled so easily; it merely continued down Upperthorpe before turning south at Gollards Lane. The Haxey supporters continued to offer token resistance to the last, even making a final stand right outside the Carpenters Arms; creating a few difficulties for the landlord trying to grab the hood from the sway in his doorway.
2015	The Loco	1:35	After a ten-year wait, the hood finally returned to the Loco. Starting at 15:50, the hood initially looked as if it were going to Westwoodside. However once it got over the brow of the hill, there was only one place it was headed as it raced past the Duke William. Loco landlord Jamie Bentham eagerly took the hood from the Sway, as the crowd cheered. A record time in perfect conditions.
2014	Kings Arms	2:05	A fast hood on a very mild and well attended weekday.
2013	Kings Arms	2:55	With the event falling on a Saturday, locals described the attendance as one of the best they have ever seen. And with conditions near perfect for early January, the sway got off to a quick start across the fields. Battle for control of the Hood lasted three and half hours in 2012, but this year the game seemed to be up after just two. Brief resistance outside Haxey was quickly overcome and the Hood rolled past The Loco and the Duke William, last year's winner. The exhausted sway then drove the Hood on to The Kings Arms for a glorious victory in just under three hours, with the pub already packed to the rafters with cheering patrons.
2012	Duke William	3:30	The Duke William pub in Haxey took the hood for the first time since 2003, after a long struggle in the bitter January cold.
2011	Carpenters Arms	3:35	Once over the hill and onto the road, the Haxey boys accepted defeat; it was then an easy push down to Westwoodside.
2010	Kings Arms	1:35	The Kings Arms took the hood for the third year on the trot in an easy win.
2009	Kings Arms	??:??	The Kings Arms take the title for the second year running, gaining possession of the hood at a respectable 18:23.
2008	Kings Arms	3:48	A late start to the hood saw the main event commencing at 15:50. Both Haxey and Westwoodside supporters were out in force, ensuring that the Sway stayed on the field for over two hours and only made it to the main road at 18:00. After another 15 minutes battle, the sway was soon moving towards Haxey, stopping only momentarily at Church Lane, where a defiant counterattack by Westwoodside occurred at 18:30. This was soon over and the Sway glided virtually unhindered past the Duke William at 18:35 and the Loco at around 18:50. Once past the Loco progress was reasonably swift ending at the Kings Arms with the landlady taking possession at 19:38.
2007	Carpenters Arms	4:00	Westwoodside supporters struggled to get the hood pushed over the hill into Westwoodside, but once done it quickly went down to the Carpenter's Arms, a journey lasting about four hours altogether.
2006	Kings Arms	??:??	The hood made its way slowly towards Haxey, and there was a brief pause whilst outside the Duke William; once it was passed through, there was no real attempt to stop the hood going to the Kings.
2005	The Loco	??:??	The Hood entered the Loco via the side door. The door opened outwards and was subsequently sheared off under the weight of the sway.
2004	Kings Arms	??:??	????
2003	Duke William	1:50	For over an hour the Sway went nowhere, but then a concerted effort made it move to the road and on its way to Haxey. It lingered around the Duke William for about 30 minutes while a fierce battle took place over whether it should pass the Duke or not. At one point it actually passed the Duke on the other side of the road, but after several stops it finally headed backwards and to the other side of the road and eventually to the Duke.
2002	Kings Arms	2:15	The Hood made a very fast journey to the Kings Arms. It took 2 hours and 15 minutes—the same time it took just to reach the Duke William the year before.
2001	Duke William	2:15
2000	Carpenters Arms	??:??
1991	Kings Arms	??:??
1977	Duke William	??:??

History

Preparations

Venue

Playing the game

Winners since 2000

Images

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