Penny Hedge

We have some very old customs in the Whitby District but the planting of the Penny Hedge must be one of the most unusual. The descendants of one family have been building the hedge in the mud flats of the harbour every Ascension Eve since 1159 in penance for killing a boar on sacred land (in the chapel of a hermits cell). The penance was laid down by the then Abbot of the Abbey. For more about the history click here or to read about this year's ceremony click here.