The Horns of Ock Street are the insignia of the
Abingdon Traditional
Morris Dancers from the English county of
Oxfordshire
Oxfordshire is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in the north west of South East England. It is a mainly rural county, with its largest settlement being the city of Oxford. The county is a centre of research and development, primarily ...
(formerly
Berkshire
Berkshire ( ; in the 17th century sometimes spelt phonetically as Barkeshire; abbreviated Berks.) is a historic county in South East England. One of the home counties, Berkshire was recognised by Queen Elizabeth II as the Royal County of Berk ...
).
They date from 1700. The road from Abingdon town centre to the north is called the Vineyard (because it passed through
Abingdon Abbey's vineyard); that leading to the west, running parallel to the
River Ock, is called Ock Street. Following a celebration in 1700, when an ox was roasted on the marketplace in the town centre, the "Vineyard men" fought with the "Ock Street men" for possession of the ox's horns. The Ock Street men won.
Since then, the original Ock Street Horns, mounted in a carved wooden ox's head emblazoned with the date 1700, have served as the insignia of Abingdon's
morris dancing side, and also of the independent spirit and character of the inhabitants of Ock Street. By tradition the morris side (Abingdon Traditional Morris Dancers) will not dance without the horns.
A public house called The Ock Street Horns traded for many years in Ock Street boasting a large pair of replica horns above its front door. On its closure in 1960 these were moved to another Ock Street public house,
the White Horse, where they are now on display.
See also
*Mayor of Ock Street
References
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External links
The Ock Street Horns - Abingdon Morris
Abingdon-on-Thames
English heraldry
Oxfordshire folklore
Berkshire folklore