Tiverton town leat

COGGAN'S WELL

marks the termination

of the town leat

given to Tiverton

by Countess Isabella

in the thirteenth century

I was idly perambulating the streets of Tiverton, as one does, whilst Ali was shopping interminably when I came across this curious construction. After a little internet research I discovered that, if I were to return here during September, I could participate in an ancient custom rehearsed once every seven years.  I quote:

Perambulation of the Leat—9th September 2017

The Perambulation of the Town Leat also known as water-bailing is an ancient custom that takes place in the town of Tiverton, Devon, England, once every seven years. The event commemorates and claims the gift of the town's water supply in the 13th century by Isabella, Countess of Devon and involves walking the length of the watercourse to its source six miles away at Norwood Common.

The procession starts at the Town Hall and is led by the four individuals known as "pioneers" armed with pickaxes and sledgehammers whose job it is to demolish any obstruction found in the stream. Behind the pioneers is the Bailiff of the Hundred, who carries an ancient staff of office, behind him are the "Withy-boys" drawn from Blundell's School and Tiverton High School whose job it is to whip the stream with sticks – or withy-wands. Then come the police, the town beadle, the Mayor of Tiverton, his fellow councillors and lastly the general public.

The procession's first stop is Coggan's Well in Fore Street, the traditional  centre of the town where the stream emerges from underneath the road. Placing his staff in the water, the Bailiff of the Hundred claims the stream "for ever, for the sole use and benefit and as the right of the inhabitants of the town of Tiverton". Further proclamations are made at Castle Street, Townsend, Brickhouse Hill, Chettiscombe, the waterworks at Allers and finally at Norwood Common, where a plaque marks the actual source. The ancient route now involves negotiating walls, private gardens and making use of many paths that are not public rights of way, some of which must be cleared on each perambulation.

My perambulations had also taken me along Castle Street where a steam flows, somewhat incongruously, down the centre of the the road. It emerges from a culvert at one end and later disappears into another, presumably to reappear at Coggan's Well - as I now realise this is none other than the town leat in another guise.

Castle Stree

For those of you as ignorant as I was, a "leat" is the name, common in the south and west of England and in Wales (Lade in Scotland), for an artificial watercourse or aqueduct dug into the ground. See here for a fuller description or here for a video of the 2010 perambulation. And I found this photograph of the plaque:

Source of the town leat

Map showing the leat - the source is by the legend "Van Post"

The course of the leat is well marked on various maps (see above, or type "Tiverton town leat" into google maps or go here) where it looks like a natural stream. The source is at the top of my map just below the legend "Van Post". Maybe Countess Isabella aka Isabel de Forz or her cronies just diverted an existing stream. In any event she was quite a benefactor having her hand in many projects to improve the life of her subjects. And to be still remembered 750 years on must say something.

Isabella's paternal arms

One supposes that, having created the leat, she instigated a wholly practical system of maintenance to ensure that clean water would continue to benefit the town inhabitants of which the present day custom of perambulation is a caricature. You can find some interesting history here (search for "peramb") but regrettably it does not reveal details of the original practice.

Looking at what emanates from Coggan's well now, and empties somewhat unhelpfully into the drains either side, I am not sure I would want to drink it.

As for the withy-boys and their thrashing the leat with withy-wands, it is clearly a bit of fun as this next stock photograph shows, but the significance avoids me! A "withy" is a tough, flexible branch of an osier or other willow, used for tying, binding, or basketry.

Chettiscombe : Withy Boys & Girls

Knighthayes Court, which the leat circumnavigates, is a large house and grounds now owned by the National Trust - during this visit and at her request we drove Ali's mum around this estate and liked the novel use of a couple of fallen trees so I took some photos.

So, why all this fuss about a bit of history?  Because it tickled me. Because it is evidently important enough to the folk who live in Tiverton for them to perpetuate the tradition. And because it echoes thoughts I am currently struggling with, namely a realisation of how little of my so called "Christian" lifestyle is reality. Consider how the present day perambulation has morphed from what must have been the original maintenance to ensure flow of clean water. Doubtless if any major blockage was discovered it would still be dealt with but, otherwise, it is now little more than a game to be enjoyed for the craic, like so many other traditions now-a-days. As such it is harmless enough provided no-one imagines it is the real thing - and there's the rub. We "Christians" do imagine our liturgy is the real thing. If I were to empty my lifestyle of all the stuff I am now thinking is just a let's pretend game, I wonder if I would be left with anything real?