Gurning

(See also Egremont and Egremont Castle)

The World Gurning Championships take place at the Egremont crab apple fair and are said to date back to 1267.

The competition consists of people making grotesque faces while sticking their heads through a horse's collar. The winner is the person receiving the largest amount of applause from the audience.

The word 'gurn' is probably from the word 'grin' which is possibly from the Scottish 'girn'. Girn is defined in the dictionary as a 'snarl' or 'growl'.

The fair has, in addition to the gurning contest, games such as climbing a greasy pole, and traditional Cumberland wrestling. The fair takes place on the Saturday in September nearest to the 18^th

Egremont is 6 miles southeast of Whitehaven.

For more information, please visit Egremont Crab Fair and Sports

Photos courtesy Egremont Crab Fair and Sports

The Traditions of Cumbria

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