The Penny Hedge at Whitby

On the eve of Ascension Day, the holders of certain lands near Whitby had to build a short hedge of stakes on the shore that would stand three tides. The penance came from a legend that three huntsmen killed the hermit of Eskdale side in 1159 when he shut their hunted boar in his chapel, and the dying hermit spared their lives on condition of this yearly service. The stakes were cut with a knife of a penny price, and an officer blew his horn and cried shame on them. A correspondent signing Wentana Civis sent Hone the story from an old Whitby tract, noting that the service was still performed every year.