Proclamation Monday – 2026
Rothwell – A Quiet Market Town!
Rothwell in Northamptonshire is normally a quiet Market Town. However, since 1204, Proclamation Monday, (aka ‘Proc Monday’ or ‘The Proc’) marks the start of the Rowell Fair and all that changes – albeit temporarily!
From 6am, the ancient Charter is proclaimed by the Bailiff to the Lord of the Manor outside current and former hostelries and is complemented later by a wide range of music and entertainment around the Town.
Proclamation Monday is always the first Monday after Trinity Sunday and even at this early hour, with the sunlight piercing the trees, we could see it was going to be perfect for today’s proceedings.
The first Reading
The 1614 Charter
Read more about the Charter, HERE
The Bailiff, Frank York arrived on his horse ‘Boy’ at Holy Trinity Church on Squires Hill – accompanied by his guard of Ceremonial Halberdiers and the Rowell Fair Band. The first of the nine readings was to be delivered here. The above shows the words spoken by our Bailiff from the James I Royal Charter.
The Dray, pulled this year once again by ‘Cosmo’ positions itself alongside the Bailiff, listening to the Reading. It then follows the Bailiff around the Town for the remaining readings.
Mayor of Desborough, Cllr. Jim French and Louise Holborow (Lord of the Manor)
After the respectful silence, the Band struck up, playing the National Anthem. The Bailiff then read the Charter, after which he declared: “God save the King and the Lord of the Manor” and where the assembled crowds responded with an enthusiastic: “Hurrah!”
After the first reading, the Bailiff and his entourage stopped at the War Memorial to pay their respects.
Rum & Milk for Breakfast
They then visited the sites (or former sites) in turn of the eight public houses to read the Charter, play the National Anthem and continue to graciously accept the occasional official drink!
These were presented by local landlords, well-wishers and supporters of Rowell Fair. But what is it? This traditional Rowell Fair beverage is a mix of Rum & Milk for the Bailiff and his entourage. This age-old thirst-quencher is designed to keep the early morning chill away, although given today’s pleasant temperature, it wasn’t a necessity – but tradition is tradition, isn’t it! 😉
Crowds gathered to follow our Bailiff and entourage around the Town.
A playful scuffle…
After the first couple of stops, under very close supervision and control, it is the tradition for the local towns-people to attempt to disarm the Halberdiers. These days, this is a VERY carefully choreographed (but still an enthusiastic and energetic) scuffle. Safety is paramount, not just for the opposing sides, but for the crowds too and is expertly managed by RFS Committee Member, Pete Bell and colleague and fellow Halberdier, Carl Beasley. These days, no-one can take part without the obligatory wristband and disclaimer.
The whistle is blown, the scuffle begins, and a short while later, on the second blow, order is restored. Our Halberdiers and scufflers help each other to their feet – the best of friends – and the group moves on to the next stop where the friendly scuffle is repeated.
What is a Halberdier? – read more HERE.
The Music of the Proclamation
Music plays a significant part in proceedings on this special day. The Band play whilst marching as well at each location. The Rowell Fair Band are all volunteers and are supported by members of the Gretton Silver Band playing together on this unique occasion.
The Musicians
The Musicians:-
- Andrea Rudge
- Chris Cowen
- Dave Ashby
- Donna Lewis
- Lewis Cowen
- Lloyd Preston
- Mark Coull
- Mark Guilding
- Mark Sliwinski
- Paul Johnson
- Paul Balmer
- Lee Wong
- Simon Stevenson
- Steph Oram
- Sue Wong
The Music:-
- Westward Ho – Edwin Firth
- Slaidburn – William Rimmer
- The Stein Song – Edrich Siebert (one run through only)
- At the Cross Crimond
- The National Anthem
The Nine Readings of the Charter
The nine readings take place on the site of the current or former Hostelries where the readings took place almost 825 years ago.
1. Holy Trinity Parish Church, Squires Hill
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2. The former site of the New Inn
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3. Near to the site of the former Crown Coaching Inn
(also where the first “scuffle” takes place)
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4. Rothwell House Hotel, Bridge Street
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5. The Red Lion, Market Hill
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6. By Tesco Express
(former site of The Chequers), Market Hill
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7. The Woolpack Inn, Market Hill
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8. The Blue Bell, Bell Hill
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9. Rowell Charter Inn, Sun Hill
Everyone wanted to get a great view of our Bailiff reading the Charter for the last time in 2026!
Frank York ended his readings for another year and showed his appreciation
“Thank you, Rothwell, for helping maintain
our unique tradition”
If you know, you know! A unique end to the Proclamation played by the Rowell Fair Band.
The Proclamation from the Air
Scenes from recent Proclamation Mondays…
2026
2025
2024
2022
The Rowell Fair Society works to ensure the heritage and traditions of the Rowell Fair, including our unique Proclamation, are not lost. We are a small group of enthusiastic volunteers who rely heavily on financial support through membership subscriptions, donations, fundraising and the occasional grant. If you have a passion for our traditions (whether you are local or global) and would like to support us, please visit our dedicated page. Thank-you!
After the Reading
The reading of the Charter around the Town takes about an hour, and as some of Rothwell were slowly waking up to a new day, the entourage returned to the original assembly point – the private courtyard generously provided by the Guilford family for the event. The officials then fulfil their obligatory duties such as photocalls and meeting the Press, and everyone is free to enjoy the rest of the day, usually beginning with a hearty breakfast!
In 2026, our VIP Guests included:-
Lord of the Manor, Louise Holborow
High Sheriff of Northamptonshire, Roger Butler with his wife Susan Butler
Bailiff to the Lord of the Manor, Frank York
Deputy Bailiff, Lloyd Mills
Chief Halberdier, John Newman
Mayor of Rothwell, Cllr. Cedwien Brown
Mayor’s Consort, Cllr. Linda Saunders
Rothwell Councillor, Cllr. Patience Chiketero
President of the Rowell Fair Society, Paul Johnson
Mayor of Northampton, Cllr. Mike Hallam
Deputy Mayor of Kettering, Cllr. Andy Byatt
Kettering Councillor, Cllr. Ben Jameson
Mayor of Desborough, Cllr. Jim French
President of the Conservative Club, John O’Brien
But let’s not forget about the Rowell Fair horses! They came from David Lawless Waldburg Shires Horsedrawn Carriages. ‘Cosmo‘ pulled the Dray and ‘Boy‘ (in his fifth appearance for the Rowell Fair) provided transport for Frank York. Both horses have been used in large ceremonies in London including drawing the Lord Mayor of London’s Coach.
Many of the pubs stay open throughout the day, often with live bands and entertainment, so plenty of people choose to enjoy another drink over a leisurely breakfast and make a day of it.
After the well-earned hearty breakfast, the ceremony continued…
Thank-you Tour of the Taverns
Introduced some years ago, the Rowell Fair Society has added a further step to the Proc Monday tradition. Nicknamed ‘Thank-you Tour of the Taverns’ (previously called, ‘Second Time Around’), the Bailiff to the Lord of the Manor and visiting Dignitaries – after enjoying their VIP breakfast at The Old Barns – are invited to revisit several of the stops along the route to say an official ‘thank you’ for their support of the Rowell Fair traditions.
flanked by Halberdiers, Steve Wells and Colin Bell
Each location was presented with a framed copy of the original King John Charter (below) and the opportunity for the obligatory photo-call!
Piper Support
Our Piper this year was Pipe-Major Nick Tysoe from Geddington.
Our first stop was
The Blue Bell Inn
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Next stop was the
Bakehouse Complex
The Vintage Vault opened on 29th November 2024.
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Next, was the
Conservative Club
Claire has served many years at the Conservative Club and is a well-known to all who visit there.
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Then onto
The Red Lion
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Our final stop was the
Rowell Charter Inn
And so, 2026’s the Thank you Tour of the Taverns ended for another year. The Rowell Fair Society would like to thank everyone we visited for their support of Rothwell’s ancient traditions.
Our thanks also to our own Halberdiers and the our Piper from Northampton Pipe Band for their support during our our ‘tour’.
“God Save the King and the Lord of the Manor!”
We hope you enjoyed the rest of Fair Week!
What others say about The Rowell Fair
Looking for previous ‘Procs’?
Proc Monday 2025, click HERE
Proc Monday 2024, click HERE
Our thanks to Rowell Fair’s own Media Team for supplying many of the photographs and videos for this event.
The Rowell Fair Society works to ensure the heritage and traditions of the Rowell Fair, including our unique Proclamation, are not lost. We are a small group of enthusiastic volunteers who rely heavily on financial support through membership subscriptions, donations, fundraising and the occasional grant. If you have a passion for our traditions (whether you are local or global) and would like to support us, please visit our dedicated page. Thank-you!
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