The Black Knight Pageant

This event, unique to Ashton, was originally introduced in 1795, and was called the "The Riding of the Black Lad". It was to commemorate Sir Ralph de Assheton (The Black Knight), who was a friend to King Richard the Third.

The Black Lad effigy ritual, which consisted of burning a straw effigy probably originated from pagan beliefs in seeing in the spring by destroying a representative of winter. The story that has become attached to the Black Knight, however, states that the knight was Sir Ralph de Assheton, an evil and rich favourite of King Richard the Third, who rode to Ashton each Easter Monday and murdered the people responsible for allowing corn marigolds to thrive in his fields. He is said to have rolled the offenders down hill in a barrel spiked with nails, and this is the supposed method in which he killed over a hundred of his wives, finally being shot by a member of Anne's family one easter monday.

There is a prayer which remembers Ralph de Assheton as a person of terror-

It is unlikely that the story about his wives is true, not least because of the sheer number he was supposed to have had, but also because there is no record of him marrying anyone by the name of Anne, his first wife was called Marjory and his second, Elizabeth. He is also unlikely to have punished the Ashtonians, living in Middleton therefore not being Lord of the Manor in Ashton.

It is possible that the knight in the parade took on different meanings in accordance with the feelings of the public. In Victorian times it was probably associated with hated authority and in 1883 it represented Osman Dinge, the man reponsible for the Anglo Egyptian defeat in Eastern Sudan.

During the reign of the Black Lad, the effigy would be transported around all the public houses, collecting money along the way for the drinks fund, and attracting drunken and disorderly followers. Soon other people made their own effigies and collected money for themselves. Because of this and the inevitable rowdy behaviour that followed, the upper classes decided in 1909, to refine the tradition by hosting a pageant with the Black Knight central to the event. It was publicised in schools through the re -telling of the supposed origins of the tradition. There were prizes for the best decorated shop front, market stall and display of goods. in 1911 the council offered annual patronage, however when World War 1 broke out, the pageant was cancelled and this lasted until 1928 until the Depression called for a morale boosting excercise. This time the pageant also had a Rose Queen.

The last true pageant was in 1954. between 1947 and then, only one year, 1952, had failed to host a pageant, but in the forty six years since 1909, only twenty two pageants were staged.

Following 1954 the idea of the pageant faded and there seem to have been few questions asked, the event probably required too much organisation.

It wasn't until several years later that the Knight made another appearance, being included in the opening of the shopping complex 'Arcades', the logo of which is apparently taken from a spur of Sir Ralph's riding boot, and appears on Ashton's coat of arms. A sculpture of the Knight, erected in 1995 plays centre stage in the Arcades, bringing the history and folk lore of Ashton back into the present day.

Each year a Pageant Queen was named and this small event has become the carnival of today, due to it's reintroduction in 1999, under the new title of the Black Knight Pageant.