A CEREMONY dating to Saxon times was re-enacted when Watchet’s Court Leet held its annual meeting and traditional goose dinner in the Bell Inn.

First recorded in 1273, the court was for centuries responsible for Watchet administration and law and order.

It is now a purely ceremonial body which meets annually to appoint a bellman (town crier) and officers including a pig driver, scavengers, and ale tasters who check the beer in the town’s pubs.

In accordance with ancient tradition, jurors were called by the bellman and bailiff to appear at the meeting with a summons reading: “I warn you to appear at the Court Leet with a view of frankpledge of the Wyndham family, to serve our sovereign Lord the King and the Lord of the Leet, and herein fail not at your peril.”

Court president Toby Dunn opened the proceedings with three knocks on the table with the old jailhouse handcuffs and a minute’s silence was observed for Silvana Chandler, the elder daughter of the late George Colville Wyndham.

The bailiff declared the court in session and swore in the jurors, including this year’s jury foreman Mark Bale, who answered to their names before taking the traditional oath.

The post of portreeve, the historical equivalent of mayor, goes - by tradition - to the trustees of landowners the Wyndham Estate.

Other court officials appointed for the year were bailiff and deputy portreeve Mike Champion, deputy bailiff Ian White, ale tasters John Stone and Jim Nicholas, and annual reporter Paul Stevens.

Niall Watson was elected recorder, Nick Tapp and Bob Hornby inspectors of weights and measures, stock driver Robert Dibble, pig driver David Ketchen, scavengers Tony Knight and Roger Wedlake, bellman David Milton, and court constables Luke Waygood and Hugh Emery.

Court Leet minutes and reports are kept at the estate’s Orchard Wyndham headquarters and an account of the proceedings held 100 years ago in 1925 was read to the meeting.

Nick Tapp delivered an annual report on events in the town during the previous 12 months in the absence of the annual reporter Jim Nicholas.

At the end of business, the court was declared closed for another year and jurors were served by the Bell with the centuries-old traditional dinner of roast goose followed by apple tart and cream.

When all glasses had been charged with a special punch from ‘The Wyndham Recipe’, handed down over several generations, the president proposed the health of the King, followed by the foreman proposing a toast to the Wyndham family and trustees.

Following the meal, the guest speaker was Neil Wilson, from Watchet Radio Museum who spoke of his time in West Somerset and how he started the museum at the Tropiquaria animal park and then its move to its new location in the former pub in Anchor Street.

He also shared his story as one of the driving forces behind the Backyard Theatre, a new 89-seat performance venue in the old Anchor Inn skittle alley, behind the Radio Museum.