Cheese-Rolling in Gloucestershire

The second Bank Holiday in May means one thing around Cooper’s Hill, near Brockworth, Cheese Rolling.
The tradition dates back centuries: there are records showing that it may date back as far as the 8th Century.
Some say it was all about claiming grazing rights on the common and land around Cooper’s Hill, others reckon it could have been a fertility ritual. The first written evidence of cheese rolling is found from a message written to the Gloucester town crier in 1826; even then it was apparent the event was an old tradition. Some say the tradition goes as far back as the ancient Romans, who used to have a fort on Cooper’s Hill and are credited as the first people to send objects hurtling down its steep slope. The practice is believed to have roots in pagan rituals. It is thought that bundles of burning brushwood were rolled down the hill to represent the birth of the New Year after winter. Throwing burning brushwood down a hill at an enemy was also an ancient tribal tactic, scattering their fighters, causing panic and breaking apart communications and more cleverly organised defence. Perhaps it is from here that the phrase ‘hard cheese’ comes if you had the misfortune to be hit by one!