Rev. J. W. Dunn on the Ancient Vill of WarhwortK 413 



The officials of the Court Leet of Warkworth — for, although 

 their occupation is gone, their shadow still remains, and may 

 it never be less, — vary in no respect from those appointed 

 elsewhere in the neighbourhood, saving and except that our 

 Borough Grieve is distinguished by the title of the Mayor of 

 Warkworth. 



In such a quaint old place as this village of ours, it may 

 easily be imagined that amusing representatives of this 

 ancient office occasionally turn up. And this is the less re- 

 markable when it is remembered that the Mayor is elected 

 yearly, usually by house rotation, without any reference as to 

 fitness for so dignified a position. For instance at the period 

 of the Scotch invasion the Mayor was a thatcher. It was 

 deemed necessary to billet troops at Warkworth, and in 

 consequence a Government official of some importance sought 

 an interview with this functionary for the purpose of making 

 the requisite arrangements. He found him half-way up a 

 ladder busily engaged in thatching a co ttage. It was observed 

 by the stranger that the Mayor received, and after a seemingly 

 careful perusal, returned the important document of which he 

 was the bearer — our thatcher not being overburdened you 

 must know with scholastic lore — the wrong side up. The 

 official ventured to remind his worship of the circumstance, 

 but, — all honour to the Mayors of Warkworth, — the represen- 

 tative of our village greatness was not so easily taken aback, 

 as by so slight a cause to allow the dignity of his office to 

 suffer detriment, " Div ye not ken," he nobly, and without 

 one pause of hesitation exclaimed — " Div ye not ken that the 

 Mayor of Warkworth can read any side up ? " 



I have been told that upon a similar occasion a Mayor of 

 Pevensey, of days long past, is reported to have made a 

 coincident reply. But, either the Mayor of Pevensey must 

 have stolen the joke, or else the minds of Mayors must be so 

 constituted as to run in concurrent grooves, for my story is a 

 well authenticated fact. 



The Steward of the Court, under the authority of which the 

 Mayor and his official brethren are appointed, is always a 

 barrister of some weight and standing. Of the duties which 

 devolve upon our Steward, perhaps one of the most genial is 

 that of presiding at the dinner which follows upon the open- 

 ing of the year of office. A long time ago, a distinguished 

 personage, who in after time became a Judge, was .holding his 

 dinner, surrounded by a large body of the Burgagers of Wark- 

 worth. The Mayor of the year was, very wisely, more given 



