On 14 August 1654 John Evelyn rode through Oakham and noted that its barons, the Ferrers, held the town by the right to take a shoe from the horse of every nobleman who passed through with his lord, unless it was redeemed with a sum of money. In token of this, gilded horseshoes were nailed on the castle gate. The Duke of York paid for a shoe in 1788. Peers still present a horseshoe to Oakham, and the castle hall is hung with them.
The Oakham Horseshoes
14 August · Oakham Castle, Rutland
Still kept
famous for the tenure of the barons (Ferrers) who held it by taking off a shoe from every nobleman's horse that passes with his lord through the street
From Hone's Year Book, col. 952. Read the original
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