Tuesday the 4th of March is called SHROVE TUESDAY. The word "Shrove" comes from the verb "to shrive", which means to hear someone's confession and give absolution from their sins. People went to be shriven before the start of the solemn season of Lent which began the next day, known as ASH WEDNESDAY.

For hundreds of years, till the end of the last century, the Pancake Bell rang loudly and persistently in church towers and steeples on Shrove Tuesday. It reminded everyone that: it was time to go to church - to confess their sins; it was time to stop work - Shrove Tuesday was a holiday and there weren't many of those then: only those ordained by the Church calendar.

It was a time to start making pancakes.

In days gone by everyone made the most of Shrove Tuesday.   After all, when Lent began all kinds of pleasures were forbidden for the next six weeks. Any eggs, butter and other good things were made into pancakes, so that everyone could enjoy one last treat and no forbidden foods would be left as a temptation during Lent.

Anyone who wanted to could ring the Church bell on Shrove Tuesday so there was a great demand to "have a go" and the Pancake Bell got little rest.

For the past three hundred years or so, at Westminster School, a ceremony called "Tossing the Pancakes" has taken place. The pancake was tossed and all the boys scrambled for it. The winner received a money prize from the Dean -£1.05p! Pancake tossing and pancake races take place in many towns and villages in the country, the most famous race being the Housewives Pancake Race at Olney in Buckinghamshire, which was first mentioned in 1445.

In 1977 a man ate 62 pancakes measuring 15.2 cms, with butter and syrup on, in 6 minutes 58.5 seconds! He must have had an awful lot of eggs, flour, milk and butter to finish up before Lent started!

 Top of page