Laymore Burning the Ashen Faggot

An ash faggot is a bound bundle of sticks, and the ancient West Country custom of burning one at certain times of the winter for good luck is now rare, but was revived nearly half a century ago at the Squirrel Inn at Laymore in Dorset. The faggots have been made all these years with great skill but the same man, Mike, who keeps a keen eye on proceedings. As the faggot burns, all present are encouraged to sup up as the bonds break in the flames, and here there is an additional (recent) tradition that if a woman steps over the bundle she will be pregnant within the year. Most ash faggots fit inside the fireplace, but at Laymore, the huge bundle protrudes from the grate several feet into the room and will take several hours to fully burn up, being shuffled gradually into the fireplace as the flames consume the portion at the back. The fire is lit using remnants of last year’s faggot and the honours go to the oldest and youngest present in the room (17 and 77 in 2020). Bets are taken on how long it will burn! Some ash faggot customs take place at Christmas time but at the Squirrel it’s always in early January, at Old New Year.

Helpful Hints

If you can’t get there for 7 pm don’t worry – when we visited the faggot was lit around quarter to eight, and it carries on burning usually for at least four hours. There’s a tasty buffet supper and live music to keep everyone entertained while it burns, and a very friendly atmosphere.

Click here for the pub Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/squirrelinn/

Thanks to Roy Vickery for sharing info on this!

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