The Weird and Wonderful Haxey Hood in Lincolnshire

Before driving over to the village of Haxey in Lincolnshire to photograph their annual game , The Haxey Hood ,  I did my research. I read about the cast of the Fool , the Boggins' and the Lord of the Hood and heard about the basic premise of the game - hundreds of men in a muddy field trying to guide the hood (a leather cylinder) towards their favourite pub in the village . Makes perfect sense right? I can confirm that the event was just as wonderfully surreal as it sounded .

The event , which dates back to the 14th century , starts shortly after noon when the officials of the Hood  tour the village pubs involved . The fool leads this procession of officials through the village up to the Parish Church where he makes a speech of welcome while a fire of damp straw is lit underneath him . Fortunately the fool survives the flames and is able to declare ; "Hoose agen hoose, toon agen toon, if a man meets a man knock 'im doon, but doan't 'ot 'im." For those in need of a translation that's; "House against house, town against town, if a man meets a man, knock him down but don’t hurt him."

After this it's off to the  fields just outside the village where the real action begins . After a few preliminary games for children  , the hood is launched into the air and the men of Haxey begin their epic battle . The game resembles a huge rugby scrum which lurches and strains through the mud while competitors try to guide the hood contained within the mass of people towards their favourite pub . The team of boggins is on hand to ensure nobody is too seriously injured when the scrum inevitably collapses every minute or so.   It's a truly bizarre sight and one that I can only imagine could be possible in rural England . 

After a mere three hours of action The Kings Arms proudly claimed victory .