Tichborne Dole

. The festival is centered around the handing out of donations of flour, which have been blessed by the local parish priest, from the front of Tichborne House.

Tichborne Dole

The festival dates back to the 13th century and was started by Lady Mabella Tichborne who, on her death bed, instructed that a donation of farm produce be made to the poor each year. Presently, the terms of the Dole stipulate that adults from the parishes of Tichborne and Cheriton are entitled to claim 1 gallon of flour, and children half a gallon each. [http://www.historic-uk.com/CultureUK/TichborneDole.htm The Tichborne Dole] , Historic UK (2007-07-28)] Legacies - UK history local to you - Southampton: [http://www.bbc.co.uk/legacies/myths_legends/england/southampton/article_1.shtml The Tichborne Dole] , BBC (2007-07-28)] [http://www.strangebritain.co.uk/traditions/tichborne.html Tichborne Dole] , Strange Briton (207-07-28)] [http://www.indcatholicnews.com/tichborn.html The Tichborne Dole] (2003-03-26), Independent Catholic News (2007-07-28)] Hendricks, George D (1996) "Curse of Tichbornes Finally Comes to Pass", Western Folklore, V28#2. pp. 146-147]

The Crawls

According to local tradition, Lady Tichborne's husband did not approve of her charity and agreed to her bequest on the condition that the Dole consisted only of produce from land that she was able to encircle under her own power while carrying a burning torch in her hand. Lady Tichborne, who was in poor health, is said to have successfully crawled around a 23 acre field before the torch went out. The land which she is said to have encircled is known locally as "the Crawls".

The Curse

The story of the Dole holds that Lady Tichborne placed a curse on it to ensure that her request would never be abandoned. According to the curse, if the Dole were to stop, the Tichborne family would bear seven sons, then seven daughters, leading to the family's name being lost and the house falling into ruins.

The Dole continued from the time of Lady Tichborne's death until 1796, when disturbances during the handing out of the Dole lead to local officials ordering it to cease. This suspension continued until 1821 when Sir Henry Tichborne's seventh daughter was born. Fearing that the curse might have come to fruition he then reestablished the tradition. The dole and curse set the groundwork for the infamous Tichborne Claimant trail of the 19th century.

Media

The Dole was the subject of a 1926 silent movie written by George Banfield and directed by Hugh Croise, [http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0229529/ The Legend of Tichborne Dole] (1926), IMDB (2007-07-28)] , and a 1671 painting; entitled "The Tichborne Dole" by Gillis van Tilborgh.

References