rendered at Caistor Church, Lincolnishire; the property held by it, which is said to have comprised the Manor of Broughton and 2200 acres of land, lies in the parish of Broughton, near Brigg, in the same county, about twelve miles from Caistor, and was sold by auction in 1845. I cannot do better than state the ceremony from the Particulars of Sale circulated in 1845, as the sellers had the best means of ascertaining the facts, and were concerned to set them forth correctly:
"This estate is held subject to the performance, on Palm-Sunday in every year, of the ceremony of cracking a whip in Caistor Church, in the said county of Lincoln, which has been regularly and duly performed on Palm Sunday, from time immemorial, in the following manner:
"The whip is taken every Palm-Sunday by a man from Broughton to the parish of Caistor, who, while the minister is reading the first lesson, cracks it three distinct times in the Church Porch, then folds it neatly up, and retires to a seat. At the commencement of the second lesson, he approaches the minister, and kneeling opposite to him, with the whip in his hand, and purse at the end of it, held perpendicularly over his head, waives it thrice, and continues it in a steadfast position throughout the whole of the chapter. The ceremony is then concluded.
"The whip has a leathern purse tied at the end of it, which ought to contain thirty pieces of silver, said to represent, according to scripture, 'the price of blood.' Four pieces of Weechelm Tree, of difierent lengths, are affixed to the stock, denoting the different gospels of the holy Evangelists. The three distinct cracks are typical of St. Peter's denial of his Lord and Master three times; and the waiving it over the minister's head, as an intended homage to the blessed Trinity."
In addition to what is contained in the foregoing extract, Mr. Moore furnished the following information respecting this service and the estate for which it was rendered:
