Rye was buzzing with excitement tonight, Monday May 22, because the newly re-appointed mayor, Cllr Andi Rivett was due to throw hot pennies out of the town hall window at 7pm. A crowd gathered outside the town hall and waited patiently while inside the very formal swearing in of the new mayor took place.
The mayor thanked the assembled members for re-electing him and then took the formal oath. He was given a box of 1951 pennies by the town clerk. Then Andi Rivett asked the town clerk to explain the significance of these pennies to the invited guests and they learned that they were very valuable and rare. They were issued for inclusion in specimen cased sets on the occasion of the Festival of Britain. The number issued was 120,000, which was a very small minting. The pennies ordered for the mayor making that year turned out to be not those that were required for issuing sets and as such have become a collector’s item. The council retained 165 of these special pennies.
The deputy mayor, Cllr Andy Stuart, then took the formal oath for his re-election. This was followed by the town clerk, the mayor’s sergeant / mace bearer and the second mace bearer being re-appointed. More appointments were made for those asked to act as chaplains – Rev Paul White, Rev Fiona Gill, Rev Christopher Breeds and Martin Wimbush – the two mayor’s cadets and then the mayor gave his address in which he thanked all those who had made his last year as mayor such a success.
Mayor making in Rye is a tradition dating back at least seven hundred years. The throwing of the hot pennies makes Rye’s mayor making ceremony unique and it draws in the crowds. At 6:50pm, Ryebellion drummers entertained the waiting crowds. Their drumming resonated throughout the ancient streets of Rye and more people came to join in.
Two stories are known by the Rye inhabitants to explain the penny-throwing custom. One is that at one time the mayor of Rye was also a member of Parliament and sought to bribe voters, while the other explains that when Rye had the privilege of its own mint, the town ran out of pennies and that they were brought so fast that they were still hot. Which one is true is debatable.
At 7:05pm excited children scrabbled for the warm pennies and there were lots of them. They darted in and out of the crowd and the drummers keen to collect their prize. The look of sheer joy on their faces made everyone smile.
The mayor then came down to the steps of the Buttermarket and gave the cubs their certificates and one little girl was so overcome with the enormity of the occasion that she gave Andi a huge hug to say ‘thank you’.
It was a true Rye experience and is steeped in history. Long may this tradition continue. All of us at Rye News wish the mayor every success in his forthcoming year of office.
Image Credits: Kt bruce .