Oxford News
Maids’ hands were tied at ancient lamb ale village festival
As one might expect from the title, there is plenty of eating, drinking, singing and dancing.
For past and present villagers, it is a chance of meet old friends, recount stories of times gone by and, with their families, enjoy a weekend of merrymaking.
The first festival is said to have been held in 1649. The ‘maids’ of the village, with their hands tied behind them, would run after a fat live lamb and the first to catch it with her mouth was declared Lady of the Lamb.
The rest of the day would be spent in “dancing, mirth and merry glee”.
Next day, the lamb would be baked, boiled and roasted for the Ladies’ Feast, with the Lady of the Lamb “sitting majestically at the upper end of the table”.
Later, the festival extended to a week and in 1849, three special constables were sworn in “for the better preservation of peace and order”.
It was a lively celebration for more than 200 years. It then appears to have tailed off, but it enjoyed a revival after the Second World War.
Picture 1 shows Morris dancers who, with a hop and a skip, got the festival under way in 1987 by parading around the village.
In the interests of equality, the Lady of the Lamb was later joined by a Lord of the Lamb and we see in Picture 2, ‘Lady’ Louise Escott and ‘Lord’ Edward Hedges leading the village parade in 1981.
Some years, the chosen duo appear to have been renamed Lady and Lord of the Feast. What is certain is that the Lady was chosen in a less barbaric way.
In Picture 3, taken in 1988, dancers are seen leading the procession to the church where the festival service was held and the foreman of the Kirtlington Morris side, Ian Harris, performed a jig.
Jessica Sprake and Patrick Murray, in Picture 4, took on the Lady and Lord roles in 1998 while Picture 5 shows some of the hundreds of dancers from all over the country who performed at the 1988 event.
Picture 6 appeared on a postcard showing the feast 1904-style. The fair cart belonged to the Buckland family and was seen at the feast for many years.
Year Six pupils from Buckland Primary School visited Wain Homes’ Badbury Green site to learn about the housebuilding process and future career opportunities.
During the visit, students explored the stages of construction, the importance of green spaces, and the wide variety of roles available in the industry.
James Stevens, class teacher at Buckland Primary School, said: “Thank you to the Wain Homes team for giving our children an enjoyable and informative experience in a way they could easily understand.
“The children now have knowledge of how the homes they live in are built and some of the careers they may be interested in as they get older. They particularly enjoyed looking round the show homes and having a go at laying some bricks.”
The pupils toured two show homes and tried their hand at bricklaying.
A time capsule, filled with children’s notes describing life in 2026, was also buried during the visit, set to be be opened in 2076.
Tim Lund, regional sales director at Wain Homes, said: “We hope the visit inspired some of the children to consider construction as a future career. They were eager to learn and now understand each stage of the process of building a modern energy efficient home.”
Wain Homes is building 125 energy-efficient homes at the site.
The Thames Valley Police neighbourhood team for Didcot and Wallingford said the male was arrested on Broadway this week after officers were called to a ‘drunk and disorderly’ incident.
Before the police arrived the situation developed further, with more offences allegedly committed including assault, shoplifting and assault on police officers.
READ MORE: Abingdon police seek to identify man who ‘frequents’ park
A spokesperson for the neighbourhood team said: “In Didcot, the team were involved in the arrest of a male on Broadway for being drunk and disorderly.
“This then developed into further arrests for assault, shoplifting, and two assaults on police officers.
“Cases like this may result in court proceedings or out-of-court disposals, such as conditional cautions, community resolutions, or penalty notices, depending on the circumstances.
“Our officers will not tolerate violence or disorder in our communities.”
The incident occurred in Cholsey, where police attended and ‘incident’ near Ferry Lane following a report of ‘an individual giving young children rides on his boat’.
Thames Valley Police’s neighbourhood team for Didcot and Wallingford responded to the report, and engaged with the man.
READ MORE: Didcot man arrested for ‘drunk and disorderly and ‘assault’
A spokesperson said: “Thankfully, the male was known locally and meant no harm, however strong words of advice were given.
“This is a timely reminder for parents and guardians: always know where your children are and who they are with, teach children about ‘safe adults’ and stranger awareness and be cautious around water and boats, where risks can increase quickly.”
Multiple warnings around open water swimming have been issued by police, council, fire and rescue and other public officials during the recent hot weather.
People are advised to follow all water safety advise and not to swim in non-designated and non-lifeguarded areas.
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