Fun Fact: High Wycombe is the only UK town to continue the ‘Weighing in’ tradition
High Wycombe will be rolling out the red carpet on Saturday 28th May 2022, as the historical ‘Mayor Weigh-In’ event returns to the high street, an annual practice which dates as far back as 1678, with High Wycombe being the ONLY town to continue the tradition.
The ceremonial custom, which sees many of the town’s dignitaries subject themselves to the scales, takes place each time a new Town Mayor is elected, and represents the ‘tolling out’ and ‘weighing-in’ of the officials – a tool originally used to measure corruption in the town. By weighing the Mayor each year, the citizens of the town could see if the Mayor was “getting fat” off of the taxpayer’s pound, with shouts of ‘boo’ or cheers depending on the result.
With High Wycombe soon welcoming its new Mayor, Cllr Arif Hussain, the 17th Century scales are being brought out again to continue the tradition. The ceremony will begin from 11.45am, adjacent to The Guildhall, with the Town Crier lending his full voice.
Whilst the Mayor Weigh-In will be the main event, there’ll also be activity in the High Street all day, from 11am – 4pm, with the weekly charter market, live music from local performer, Soraya Ray, as well as the ‘Wycombe Wheel of Fortune’, with town centre gifts & treats…
Melanie Williams, Chief Executive of the High Wycombe Town Centre organisation, HWBIDCo, commented; “The Mayor ’Weigh-In’ is such a big part of High Wycombe’s heritage, it’s great to be able to share this ceremony with the public and bring it to the town centre. We’re proud to help keep this tradition alive, and encourage everyone to bring their voices and join in the ‘cheers & boos’, and be a living part of our town’s history.”