On a dark October 7th night in 1754, local resident William Davis lost his way in the dark when travelling home to Twyford in Hampshire. But then he heard the church bells ringing, which told him that he was off-course as the peal came from an unexpected direction. William pulled up his galloping steed just in time to save them both from tumbling over a nearby precipitous quarry edge.
In gratitude he asked in his will that a peal of bells be rung annually on this day and left a fund so that £1 per year could be spent to provide a feast for the bell ringers. The funds ran out long ago but the tradition remains.
Closer to home is an October 7th tradition from nearby Aylesbury. Today is the Feast of St Osyth and local tradition is that if you rake the ashes in the hearth, and make the sign of a cross in them, you'll be protected from fire, water and all other calamities for the year ahead.
Quite why St Osyth inspired this behaviour in Buckinghamshire is a mystery. She was the wife of a 7th century Essex king called Sighere. Wanting to stay pure and to become a nun, Osyth spurned his amorous advances and, whenever he got a bit too frisky, a white stag would suddenly appear from nowhere and chase him off. Ultimately it did Osyth no good as she was kidnapped by pirates, and beheaded when she refused their advances too. She then, miraculously carried her own head back to Essex so that she could be buried whole.
Perhaps she followed the sound of the church bells?
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