Leicester's Whipping Toms

The 'Whipping Toms' event in Leicester was an annual tradition celebrated in the Newarke area of Leicester on Shrove Tuesday. Until 1846, a group of men would stand and whip men and boys in the vicinity of the Newarke area as part of an annual game. A plaque in the area marks the point where the 'Toms' would stand. The custom is believed to have been a commemoration of the chasing of the Danes out of the city in the 10th century. The tradition was banned whilst Robert Peel was Prime Minister in Parliament through the Leicester Improvement Act in 1846.

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