Hunting the Earl of Rone

The hunting of the Earl of Rone is a folk festival taking place every year in Combe Martin on the Spring Bank Holiday, having been revived in recent years. It generally takes the village the best part of four days to catch the Earl once he is at large; he usually goes to ground in Lady Wood at the top of the village before being captured by costumed soldiery, made to sit backwards on a donkey and thrown in the sea. But, before you start to feel too sorry for him, he does get to visit all six pubs on the two-mile route along the country’s longest village high street.

We were lucky enough to be in the village to witness the 1997 festival.

http://www.earl-of-rone.org.uk/

http://www.bbc.co.uk/devon/discovering/hometown/combe_martin_contd.shtml