A WENSLEYDALE village famous locally for a strange ceremony is to hold a weekend-long feast.
The Burning of Bartle" takes place in West Witton on Saturday nearest St Bartholomew's Day for more years than can be remembered. It’s not clear if Bartle was a poacher, a thief or just a disliked loner, but for centuries an effigy of the poor man complete with glowing eyes is paraded around the village after dark.
Bartle’s jailors stop at various points to recite the following explanatory verse, often glowering at passing motorists before he finally meets his fiery demise at Grassgill End, to much raucous singing from the crowd.
“On Penhill Crags he tore his rags
Hunters Thorn he blew his horn
Cappelbank Stee happened a misfortune and brak’ his knee
Grassgill Beck he brak’ his neck
Wadhams End he couldn’t fend
Grassgill End we’ll mak’ his end
Shout, lads, shout!”
The feast weekend is a much more civilised affair; on the Saturday it is the cottage show from 9am ; Bartle mosaic walk at 11am , WW1 exhibition in the church; a fell race at 5pm and burning of Bartle is at 9pm. The Sunday sees a family fun day on the playing fields with games and races, including dog race; on Monday a quoits knockout. The weekend is Saturday August 25 to Monday August 27; full details are on the village website or Facebook.
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