Bottle-kicking

Lore & Background

Local lore claims that the custom began when two ladies of Hallaton were saved from a raging bull by a startled hare, distracting the bull from its charge. To show their gratitude to God for sending the hare, they made a gift of land to the church, on the understanding that every Easter Monday, the vicar would provide a hare pie, twelve penny loaves, and two barrels of ale for the poor of the village. The Hallaton villagers would fight each other for the food and drink, and on one occasion, the residents of the neighbouring village of Medbourne joined the fray and stole the beer. The Hallatonians cooperated to retrieve the spoils, thus beginning the village rivalry that still exists. Other explanations of the custom's origin include the idea that the tradition harks back to England's pagan past, when hares were sacrificed to the goddess Ēostre.

Bottle-kicking has been an annual tradition for over 200 years. The tradition has been cancelled only twice in that time: once in 2001 because of concerns over foot-and-mouth disease, and also in 2020 due to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. Legend has it that the rector of Hallaton, opposed to the tradition because of its pagan origins, tried to ban the event in 1790. However, he relented the next day, after the words 'No pie, no parson' appeared scrawled on the wall of the vicarage overnight. A doggerel song relating to these sports was mentioned in 1924.

The event starts with a parade through the villages of Medbourne and Hallaton. Locals carry a large hare pie and the three 'bottles', which are actually small kegs or barrels. Two of the bottles are filled with beer; the third, called 'the dummy', is made of solid wood and painted red and white. The pie is blessed by the Hallaton vicar before being cut apart and thrown to the crowd for the 'scramble'. The bottles are then taken to the Buttercross on the village green to be dressed with ribbons. Here, the penny loaves are distributed to the crowd.

Reader's Guide

Bottle-kicking is a significant example of an enduring English folk tradition with pre-Christian roots, surviving for over two centuries despite attempts to suppress it. The game has virtually no rules except prohibitions on eye-gouging, strangling, and weapons, and involves teams from Hallaton and Medbourne competing to move barrels across streams one mile apart. The tradition includes a hare pie scramble, a parade, and a church blessing, blending pagan and Christian elements. J. B. Firth's 1926 account notes that Hallaton always wins the first two bottles, and it is a firm tradition that Hallaton must win. The nearby village of Cranoe participates as a freelance force, helping whichever side is losing until the last minute, then switching to the winning side. Locals claim that a visiting grandson took the basics of bottle-kicking back to his university in Rugby, creating the modern game of rugby football, with the rugby ball mimicking the shape of the small beer keg. The event's resilience—cancelled only twice in over 200 years—highlights its cultural importance to the region.

Did You Know?

• The 'bottles' used in the game are actually small kegs or barrels; two are filled with beer, and one is a solid wooden dummy painted red and white.
• The tradition was nearly banned in 1790 by the rector of Hallaton, but he relented after the words 'No pie, no parson' appeared on the vicarage wall.
• Locals claim that a visiting grandson took the basics of bottle-kicking back to his university in Rugby, creating the modern game of rugby football.
• The nearby village of Cranoe acts as a freelance force in the game, helping whichever side is losing until the last minute, then switching to the winning side.