A strange ritual is recorded at the Godolphin estate in Cornwall, which, folklore has it, originated as the result of a race between two snails. At sunrise every Candelmas, which is 2nd February, the Reeve (like a Steward) of Lambourne manor, carrying a staff, rapped on the courtyard gate of Godolphin Court, declared himself loudly and was let in. He did this again at the great hall porch. He would then jump on the table and demand the 'rents duties and customs’ due to Diocese of Lambourne in Peransand from the lands of Godolphin. This was duly paid in the form of 2s 8d, a large quart of strong beer (worth sixpence), a loaf of wheaten bread and cheese of the similar value. First recorded in the 18th Century this custom goes back many hundreds of years probably to the 1300’s. Local folklore has it that Godophin and St Aubyn wagered their respective seats on the outcome of a race between two snails. When Godolphin found himself in serious risk of losing he pricked his snail in desperation and it curled up leaving St Aubyn the clear victor. Instead of insisting on the terms of the bet, so the story goes, St Aubyn settled on the imposition of the annual custom as an irritating reminder of Godophin’s foolishness.
The custom continued until 1921.
Godolphin house and gardens are privately owned, but open to the public for much of the year. Details can be found at http://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/godolphin/.