Tut, tutti

There are not many solicitors who can claim to have 'broken centuries of tradition by becoming the first woman to be elected a Tuttiman to the Hocktide court' in Hungerford, Berkshire.

But Sue Burnell (pictured carrying her Tutti pole), senior partner of home counties firm Charles Lucas & Marshall, is one of them.

The court is one of the few remaining Manorial courts, with the power to pass bye-laws and the like.

Through a charity, it takes care of much of the communal land in the town, such as the town hall and river, and is presided over by the likes of the Constable and the Ale Tasters.

Part of the age-old court is the Tuttimen, who spend the second Tuesday after Easter visiting the 99 common right houses in the town - those that were in existence in the 14th century when John O'Gaunt gave the land to Hungerford - carrying their Tutti poles, and demanding a drink and a kiss from the town's womenfolk.

'I think I'll be resisting that one,' Ms Burnell tells the Gazette.

But this is not the first time the Gazette has entered the murky world of Tuttimen.

Three years ago we featured her election as steward to the Hocktide court (see picture here and [1997] Gazette, 16 April, 12) with the now famed Tuttimen, although their poles were not in sight.