Contrary Life

Contrary Life is a website covering quirky events across the UK.

  • Home
  • About
  • Events by region
    • North East
    • North West
    • Yorkshire
    • East Midlands
    • West Midlands
    • East
    • London
    • South East
    • South West
    • Scotland
    • Northern Ireland
    • Wales
Home > Alternative Sport > Cornwall’s tradition of Silver ball hurling and throwing pennies

Cornwall’s tradition of Silver ball hurling and throwing pennies

By Caroline King - February 3, 2020Posted in : Alternative Sport, Heritage

On Monday 10th February, the town of St Ives in Cornwall will celebrate the Feast Day of St Ia with a day of quirky events, including the hurling of a special silver ball and throwing pennies to children.

St Ives Feast Day & Hurling the Silver Ball, photo by Colin Sanger
Hurling the silver ball (Photo: Colin Sanger)

St Ives Feast Day traditionally falls on the first Monday after 3rd February; the anniversary of the consecration of the Parish Church of St Ia in 1434.

The day’s events will begin in the morning at around 9.30am, with a civic parade beginning at the Guildhall and ending at Venton Ia well. The parish priest will then bless a specially made silver ball. The silver ball is made of sterling silver, hammered into two hemispheres, bound around a core of applewood and held together with a silver band.

After the blessing, the procession returns to St Ia Parish Church yard for the main event, the Hurling of the Silver Ball.

The Hurling of the Silver Ball is one of Cornwall’s oldest customs. At around 10.30am, the Mayor of St Ives will hurl the ball into the crowd on the beach. The townspeople will then attempt to win the ball from one another. The person who manages to claim the silver ball and return it to the Mayor at exactly midday will be rewarded with a silver crown.

Following the return of the silver ball, commemorative pennies will be dropped from the Guildhall balcony by the Mayor, Deputy Mayor and town Councillors, to the lucky children waiting below.

This type of Cornish Hurling was once common but now only a handful of places still observe the custom. In St Columb a game is still played annually on Shrove Tuesday.

When: 10th February 2020
Where: St Ives, Cornwall
£: Free

More info: www.stives-cornwall.co.uk

Related Posts

  • Pasties and parades on St Piran's Day
  • Savoury saviours head to the World Pasty Championships
  • Artists and residents come together to Light Up Poole

Tagged With: Cornwall events, Family events, Free events, South West

Curiosity of the Week

Take a ride through history at Blackpool Pleasure Beach
Blackpool Pleasure Beach sign

For our latest Curiosity of the Week, we thought we’d bring you a bit of cheery escapism in the form of fairground rides!

Top Story

Join an interactive whodunnit this Easter
Manor of Lies by Morpheus

No plans for Easter? Why not take part in a Regency whodunnit with your friends? From now until the end of April, Manor of Lies will be helping people get together to solve a mystery and avoid a scandal…

What are you looking for today?

  • Alternative Sport
  • Art
  • Cabaret and Circus
  • Cinema
  • Classes, Workshops & Talks
  • Club Night
  • Comedy
  • Dance
  • Exhibitions and Installations
  • Fairs and Markets
  • Festival
  • Food & Drink
  • Heritage and History
  • Interview
  • Literature
  • Museum
  • Music
  • Nature and Outdoors
  • Review
  • Science and Technology
  • Theatre
  • Walks and Tours

Sign up to our Newsletter

Copyright © 2021 · Contrary Life