| Where: | Corfe Castle, Dorset at the Town Hall |
| When: | Shrove Tuesday |
| Time: | Noon |
Each Shrove Tuesday the annual meeting of the Ancient Order of Purbeck Marblers and Stonecutters takes place at the Town Hall. Apprentices wanting to join the order have to bring 33p, a quart of ale and a loaf in order to qualify for membership. In days gone by a mass football game used to follow the meeting but nowadays the football is just kicked around in the street. The marblers used to dribble the ball from the village to Owre Quay three miles away, in order to preserve the old right of way along which the quarried stone was transported; on arrival at the Quay, the football was kicked into the water and had pepper tipped over it – a survival from the “peppercorn rent” that used to be paid to the landowner.
Helpful Hints
Corfe’s is reputedly the smallest Town Hall in the country. The meeting itself is upstairs, for members only (and usually lasts for around an hour or just over depending on the agenda)- but anyone can watch the football in the street. The museum downstairs in the Town Hall has information on the event and photos.
Learn from our mistake – we thought it would be all over by about 2pm and had made arrangements for later in the afternoon so had to regretfully leave while the street football was still in full swing!
In 2025 it should be on Tuesday 4th March.
Click here for more on the Town Hall: https://corfecastletowntrust.co.uk/the-museum/
The stonemasons’ Guild of St Stephen & St George applaud the stonecutters for keeping valuable traditions alive!
Dear Sir’s, Do you have a Historic list of members?
Dear Robert,
Your message has come to calendarcustoms rather than to the Purbeck Marblers so while I can’t provide you with the list you’re looking for, I can pass on contact details where I think you will be able to find help. Try ringing the Purbeck Stone Centre on 01929 439 405. They were very helpful when I made inquiries about the event for calendarcustoms.
Best of luck!
Averil
I wish to inform you of the sudden death of my son, Stephen Webber, aged 57, who became a freeman of the Purbeck Marblers about 8 years ago. I’m not sure of the actual year but presume you will have it in your records, and may want to record it at your next annual meeting.
In fact I never informed you of my husband, John Spencer Webber’s death in 2006 and you may want to record that too. He became a freeman in 1978 , I think, with our oldest son Richard Webber. My husband’s ashes are buried in God’s Acre burial ground in the village and he was able to trace his ancestry through a long line of quarriers and stone masons in Corfe back to 1650. John Webbers cottage in Beckys lane belonged to one of his ancestors.
Janet Webber
Dear Janet, here at calendar customs we have no connection to the Corfe Purbeck Marblers, we just report on the shrove Tuesday game of football. Sorry! So we won’t be able to update those records for you- hope you manage to find the right contact for that & sorry I can’t help
Averil
OK. Will find the right person somewhere. I don’t think they have an actual website but I have their contact somewhere.
Janet.