Image ID: 21190

The Swainmote Feast, Co-operative House, Mansfield

Courtesy of North Notts Newspapers Ltd

Queen Street
Mansfield
England

The Swainmote Feast, held in the Queensway Suite of the Co-operative House by the Old Mansfield Society. The custom of holding this feast was revived by the Old Mansfield Society (formed on 24 October 1918) in 1924. A Swainmote (Forest Court) was a court made up of the King's swineheards and other forest employees, which met three times a year. It is so called because the 'swaines', or freeholders, of the forest made up the jury ('mote' means a meeting for discussion). This passage from Henry III's 'Charter of the Forest' (1217) describes its function: 'No swainmote shall henceforth be held in our kingdom oftener than three times a year: namely, at the beginning of the fortnight before the feast of St. Michael, when the agistors meet for the agistment of our demesne woodlands; and about the feast of St. Martin, when our agistors ought to receive our pannage - at which two swainmotes are to assemble the foresters, verderers, and agistors, but no one else by compulsion. And the third swainmote shall be held at the beginning of the fortnight before the feast of St. John the Baptist, for the fawning of our beasts; and for holding that swainmote the foresters and verderers shall assemble, but no others by compulsion. And the verderers and foresters shall also meet every forty days throughout the year to inspect attachments for [offences in] the forest concerning both vert and venison, through presentment by the same foresters and in the presence of those attached. The aforesaid swainmotes, however, are to be held only in the counties where they have been customarily held.

Organisation:

Rate this image:

Keywordsswainmotefeastpeoplefashionclothingpeopleeventmonkoldmansfieldsocietydinnertablesfunctionsuitecustom

Mansfield Library