Dunstable
Orange Rolling on Good Friday

Places > Dunstable >Customs and Folklore

by Rita Swift

Orange rolling on Good Friday seems to be unique to Dunstable as other areas with a similar custom choose to roll eggs down grassy slopes. The eggs are a symbol of the stone being rolled away from the tomb where Jesus was laid, but Dunstable seems to have substituted oranges for eggs.

In Dunstable, this century-old custom took place every Good Friday at Pascombe Pit (known as 'the orange pit'). Because 'the pit' was so vast, eggs would not have been seen easily and may have become lost in the undergrowth.

The tradition of orange rolling is believed to have started in the mid to late eighteenth century and involved hundreds of people. The juiciest oranges were reserved for pelting one another and knocking off the top hats of those foolish enough to wear them at such a spectacle. Additional entertainment was provided by a local band which was later joined by several fairground attractions including a merry-go-round, a coconut shy and a shooting gallery. They positioned themselves at the foot of the hill.

Attendance grew each year with people travelling from as far away as London by train, bus and eventually by motor car.

During the war years, because of the scarcity of fruit, orange rolling was suspended. The council eventually ceased supporting the event. It was later revived by the Dunstable Chamber of Trade but by 1968 local traders also decided not to sponsor the event anymore.

Sources:

• 25 years of Dunstable 1952-1977, by B Turvey (Turvey & Turvey, 1977)
• Research notes by Rita Swift, Dunstable and District Local History Society

Orange Rolling on Good Friday, by Rita Swift, 2005

Page last updated: 24th January 2014