Custom
The Wild Horse of Antrobus
Last through the door: the Wild Horse.
Stand where it happened
- What's there
- Masked players and a hobby horse
- Legend from
- Local custom
- Best time
- November
- Tone
- Uncanny
When the pub door opens in November, the dead come in. Last of all comes the Wild Horse.
Soul caking is a centuries-old custom of going from house to house around All Souls' Day. Wikipedia notes that it has continued into modern times in parts of Cheshire. The Antrobus Soul Cakers are one of the very few surviving groups. Every November they perform their play around the pubs of Antrobus and the nearby villages. In the play, King George fights the Black Prince, who is killed and then brought back to life by a doctor. Last to enter are the Wild Horse of Antrobus and his Driver. The Antrobus local history society says all the parts, played by men, are thought to represent the souls of the dead.