Custom
Upside Down for Mr Wilkes
A will is read while a chorister stands on their head.
See it clearly
- What's there
- Almshouses where a will is read each spring
- Legend from
- 1600s
- Best time
- Rogation Sunday (2 May 2027)
- Tone
- Light-hearted
On North Street are the Wilkes almshouses, where once a year a will is read aloud while a chorister stands on their head.
Edward Wilkes founded ten almshouses on North Street, Leighton Buzzard, and died in 1646; his family left money for a yearly commemoration. Every Rogationtide a procession led by a garland-bearer walks from All Saints Church to the almshouses. There, part of Wilkes's will is read aloud while a member of the choir stands on their head. The residents each receive a small gift of money, and everyone heads back for buns and drinks. Nobody can say for certain why the headstand began, but it has been part of the ritual for generations. The walk moved from Rogation Monday to Rogation Sunday in 2015.