The Winchester Moot Horn
The original bronze 13th century Moot Horn of the City of Winchester may be seen and heard in the Wintancheaster Gallery on the first floor of the City Museum, The Square, Winchester.
In 1995 the Director of The Winchester Music School, Mr Tim Norris, approached the head of The Winchester Museums Service, Mr Ken Qualman proposing that a replica be made of the mediaeval, 13th century Winchester Moot Horn in order that aspiring brass playing students might have an opportunity to play and sound the horn on a regular basis. After careful consideration and in consultation with the internationally renowned brass instrument-maker, Mr David Edwards and musical instrument experts from The Bodleian and The Ashmolean museums in Oxford a replica was successfully completed and made available in 1998. That year both the original and replica Moot Horns were sounded outside Abbey House, the Mayor of Winchester's residence prior to the City Council processing to a council meeting in the Winchester Guildhall. The moot horns were blown again on the steps of the Guildhall as the Councillors assembled for their meeting. After this, two young student trumpeters from The Winchester Music School, Alex Gibson and Andrew Lewis, were invited to "have a go" at blowing the replica moot horn. In March 1998 the Moot Horn featured in a work by Professor June Boyce-Tillman of The University of Winchester entitled "The Call of the Ancestors". The music had been specially composed on the occasion of the Church Colleges Choirs Festival being held in Winchester Cathedral. The piece featured not only The Moot Horn but also a choir of some 350 voices, a rock group, an African drumming ensemble, a brass quintet and dancers.
The replica Moot Horn is used frequently by The Winchester Waytes, the mediaeval city band of Winchester at civic, ceremonial, promotional events and is used in educational workshops. The Winchester Music School is indebted to the Winchester Museum Service for making the replica Moot Horn available and for the help and assistance given with this project.
The replica Moot Horn is used frequently by The Winchester Waytes, the mediaeval city band of Winchester at civic, ceremonial, promotional events and is used in educational workshops. The Winchester Music School is indebted to the Winchester Museum Service for making the replica Moot Horn available and for the help and assistance given with this project.
The Winchester Moot Horn confirmed as 12th century original
DOUBTS about the provenance of a treasured Winchester artifact have finally been quashed.
The Winchester Moot Horn - one of the most popular objects on display in the City Museum - has recently been the subject of a major academic study. The results have just been published in the prestigious national journal Medieval Archaeology.
The 50cm (20-inch) long bronze horn has long been treasured by the city since it was found in a chest when the Westgate was being cleared in advance of its opening as a museum in 1898. At the time it was hailed as the ancient moot horn of the city used to summon the freemen to assemblies of the 'Burrough Mote'. Its origins, however, were obscure and, with so little known about it, there were doubts as to the horn's authenticity. Some even questioned whether it could be a Victorian replica.
Recent work has quashed that theory and shed some light on the object. A sample submitted to Peter Northover for analysis at Oxford University shows the metal of the horn to be leaded gunmetal with relatively low zinc content indicating a 12th century date. This result is compatible with the 12th century date suggested for it on the basis of the style of the four rampant lions and two standing bishops that decorate its mouth. Several towns in England have ancient horns but only Canterbury's 'Burghmote Horn' is likely to be as old as Winchester's Moot Horn.
The horn can not only be viewed in the City Museum but it can also be heard! Tim Norris, one of the museum's staff and the Founder and Head Teacher of The Winchester Music School, based at The University of Winchester, was recorded playing the four true notes that the horn can produce (B below middle C, B an octave above, F# above that, and a top B above that). A number of rhythmic horn calls may be heard in The City Museum and the recordings made are stored in the sound archive at The Hampshire Records Office, Winchester.
In 1927 the horn was used to summon city councillors to a meeting when it was blown atop the Westgate by a soldier: the story goes that it could be heard on St Catherine's Hill several miles away. Reflecting this tradition, a replica of the horn is blown at the annual mayor-making ceremony each May.
Cllr Patricia Stallard, portfolio holder for heritage, culture and sport, said,
"We are fortunate to have such a wealth of collections - cared for and researched by the City Council's curators - that help define Winchester's identity. The sort of solid academic work seen here is fundamental if we are all to understand and really benefit from these treasures."
(Published Winchester City Council Website, January 2009 - appeared in Hampshire Chronicle, Page 13, Thursday 8 January 2009)