William Palmer Robins, 'The Old Sun Inn, Saffron Walden', watercolour, 1941.The legend of T
om Hickathrift was a central theme in Dave Hunt's quest for the many secrets and mysteries hidden within the ancient Essex landscape. For many years Dave tirelessly researched the towns and villages of north west Essex, and in this very early article, published originally in ASH magazine No. 1 Autumn 1988, he explains some of the legends surrounding the East Anglian folk hero Tom Hickathrift. This research eventually led Dave to rediscover the legendary Essex Landscape Zodiac. One day I hope that those folk who now hold this research will allow it to be published for all to read. So without further ado, here is Mr Thomas Hickathrift (Lord of the Year) by Dave Hunt.
Mr Thomas Hickathrift (Lord of the Year)
by Dave Hunt
In Castle St, Saffron Walden, stands what was once the old "Sun" Inn, now an antique shop. This splendid half-timbered building has on it some exquisite examples of pargetting, or plaster moulding, an art much practiced in the Essex of long ago.
Among the fascinating designs are portrayed the images of Tom Hickathrift, giant and giant killer, and his one time adversary, the Wisbech giant. The pargetting is probably 17th or 18th century, but the secret it contains is much older.
Tom, the stories say, was born at the time of William the Conqueror, the son of a Cambridgeshire labourer. By the age of ten, Tom was already six feet tall, and proved stupid at school. Tom's father tragically died, leaving his mother to support him. He lazed by the fireside while she worked hard, and when mealtimes came, he ate as much as five fully grown men.
A Wisbech farmer, taking pity on Tom's mother, offered her two bales of straw, on condition that someone collected them. After much pleading, she prevailed on Tom to fetch the bundles. And so he set off, taking only a length of rope to secure them.
The farmer offered Tom as much straw as he could carry, but was horrified when he laid the rope on the ground and piled on enough to fill a wagon! Then he tied it up, hoisted it onto his back as if it was a bag of corn, and carried it home.
To prevent (so he thought) a similar occurrence on Tom's next visit, the farmer hid two huge boulders amongst the straw, all to no avail. When Tom arrived for the second bundle, he carried it off as if it was as light as the first! The boulders fell out as Tom walked home, so he resolved to have words with the farmer about cleaning his straw properly.
News of Tom's exploits quickly spread around East Anglia and more and more people wanted him to work for them. One such was a brewer in Kings Lynn who wanted beer delivered to Wisbech, a round trip of some twenty miles. For each trip Tom would receive as much food and drink as he wanted, plus a new set of clothes. Tom discovered, after a few journeys, that he could halve the distance by cutting across the territory of a fierce giant in the locality. The giant however, did not take kindly to trespassers, and as soon as Tom set foot on the land, he (the giant) came roaring out of his cave, threatening to knock Tom's head off and hang it on a large tree, which was gruesomely festooned with the heads of previous interlopers.
At this, Ton, being naturally somewhat annoyed, challenged the giant to a fight to the death, and while the giant went into his cave to fetch a huge club, Tom removed a cartwheel to use as a shield, and the axle for a weapon.
The duel began and for a time they were evenly matched. Eventually the giant, being out of condition, began to flag, until. streaming with blood and sweat, he fell to his knees and begged for mercy. Tom's answer was to batter his head clean off his shoulders. In the Giant's cave, Tom found enough treasure to make him rich for the rest of his life.
This deed made Tom a hero throughout East Anglia, and, with other exploits, including driving away a fierce band of highwaymen and even fighting the devil in the church year at Walpole St Peters in Norfolk, he soon became a highly respected citizen, to the extent that people referred to him as Mr Thomas Hickathrift.
This is the most famous legend of Tom, but there is another, less-well-known, but more pertinent to this investigation. It goes thus.
The inhabitants of a certain district were being abused by a dictatorial Baron, who confiscated all their food and cattle, leaving them to starve. At a meeting of local leaders, it was decided to ask Mr Thomas Hickathrift for assistance.
Tom duly arrived on his cart, which carried an enormous club, by now Tom's favourite weapon. As with the Wisbech giant, Tom. after some argument, challenged the Baron to combat and defeated him at the gate of the castle, knocking his head from his shoulders. As a result, Tom was able to restore to the people their livelihood.
Contained in these two stories we find elements of, naturally, the triumph of good over evil, but also evidence that Tom was more than just a local hero. The cartwheel used as a shield, is a solar symbol, as in the Catherine Wheel. The axle represents the pivot around which the months turn and these two symbols alone, being used by Tom to defeat the Wisbech giant (as winter destroyed by the year cycle) and the wicked Baron (more obviously the Lord of winter and deprivation) suggests that he was in fact the Lord of the sun, bringing back prosperity to the land.
There are many other clues to be revealed in future episodes, but one deserves a mention now.
Between the two figures on the Sun Inn pargetting, there is depicted a large circle. Until comparatively recent times, this was divided into twelve segments, surely a representation of the months, or even the zodiac, being fought over by Tom, the summer Lord and the Wisbech giant, the dark bringer of winter.
In the next episode I shall reveal more pieces in the jigsaw that finally portrays Ogma Sunface, Celtic god of the sun, Lord of the Zodiac, bringer of knowledge and eloquence, and inventor of the Ogham alphabet.
Part 2 here
Among the fascinating designs are portrayed the images of Tom Hickathrift, giant and giant killer, and his one time adversary, the Wisbech giant. The pargetting is probably 17th or 18th century, but the secret it contains is much older.
Tom, the stories say, was born at the time of William the Conqueror, the son of a Cambridgeshire labourer. By the age of ten, Tom was already six feet tall, and proved stupid at school. Tom's father tragically died, leaving his mother to support him. He lazed by the fireside while she worked hard, and when mealtimes came, he ate as much as five fully grown men.
A Wisbech farmer, taking pity on Tom's mother, offered her two bales of straw, on condition that someone collected them. After much pleading, she prevailed on Tom to fetch the bundles. And so he set off, taking only a length of rope to secure them.
The farmer offered Tom as much straw as he could carry, but was horrified when he laid the rope on the ground and piled on enough to fill a wagon! Then he tied it up, hoisted it onto his back as if it was a bag of corn, and carried it home.
To prevent (so he thought) a similar occurrence on Tom's next visit, the farmer hid two huge boulders amongst the straw, all to no avail. When Tom arrived for the second bundle, he carried it off as if it was as light as the first! The boulders fell out as Tom walked home, so he resolved to have words with the farmer about cleaning his straw properly.
News of Tom's exploits quickly spread around East Anglia and more and more people wanted him to work for them. One such was a brewer in Kings Lynn who wanted beer delivered to Wisbech, a round trip of some twenty miles. For each trip Tom would receive as much food and drink as he wanted, plus a new set of clothes. Tom discovered, after a few journeys, that he could halve the distance by cutting across the territory of a fierce giant in the locality. The giant however, did not take kindly to trespassers, and as soon as Tom set foot on the land, he (the giant) came roaring out of his cave, threatening to knock Tom's head off and hang it on a large tree, which was gruesomely festooned with the heads of previous interlopers.
At this, Ton, being naturally somewhat annoyed, challenged the giant to a fight to the death, and while the giant went into his cave to fetch a huge club, Tom removed a cartwheel to use as a shield, and the axle for a weapon.
The duel began and for a time they were evenly matched. Eventually the giant, being out of condition, began to flag, until. streaming with blood and sweat, he fell to his knees and begged for mercy. Tom's answer was to batter his head clean off his shoulders. In the Giant's cave, Tom found enough treasure to make him rich for the rest of his life.
This deed made Tom a hero throughout East Anglia, and, with other exploits, including driving away a fierce band of highwaymen and even fighting the devil in the church year at Walpole St Peters in Norfolk, he soon became a highly respected citizen, to the extent that people referred to him as Mr Thomas Hickathrift.
This is the most famous legend of Tom, but there is another, less-well-known, but more pertinent to this investigation. It goes thus.
The inhabitants of a certain district were being abused by a dictatorial Baron, who confiscated all their food and cattle, leaving them to starve. At a meeting of local leaders, it was decided to ask Mr Thomas Hickathrift for assistance.
Tom duly arrived on his cart, which carried an enormous club, by now Tom's favourite weapon. As with the Wisbech giant, Tom. after some argument, challenged the Baron to combat and defeated him at the gate of the castle, knocking his head from his shoulders. As a result, Tom was able to restore to the people their livelihood.
Contained in these two stories we find elements of, naturally, the triumph of good over evil, but also evidence that Tom was more than just a local hero. The cartwheel used as a shield, is a solar symbol, as in the Catherine Wheel. The axle represents the pivot around which the months turn and these two symbols alone, being used by Tom to defeat the Wisbech giant (as winter destroyed by the year cycle) and the wicked Baron (more obviously the Lord of winter and deprivation) suggests that he was in fact the Lord of the sun, bringing back prosperity to the land.
There are many other clues to be revealed in future episodes, but one deserves a mention now.
Between the two figures on the Sun Inn pargetting, there is depicted a large circle. Until comparatively recent times, this was divided into twelve segments, surely a representation of the months, or even the zodiac, being fought over by Tom, the summer Lord and the Wisbech giant, the dark bringer of winter.
In the next episode I shall reveal more pieces in the jigsaw that finally portrays Ogma Sunface, Celtic god of the sun, Lord of the Zodiac, bringer of knowledge and eloquence, and inventor of the Ogham alphabet.
Part 2 here
