THE rare glass bowl that is the historic Luck of Muncaster gets a rare public showing on Saturday (June 28).

THE rare glass bowl that is the historic Luck of Muncaster gets a rare public showing on Saturday (June 28).
Members of the public will be able to see the Luck between noon and 4pm.
The Pennington family are celebrating their 800th anniversary at Muncaster this year and legend suggests that this little glass bowl is the reason they are still there.
The Luck of Muncaster is said to have been given to Sir John Pennington in 1464 by King Henry the VI. According to the story, the King gave the bowl to Sir John to thank the family for giving him shelter after his defeat at the Battle of Hexham.
It is said that Henry told the Penningtons that “as long as this bowl remains unriven, Penningtons from Muncaster never shall be driven” or in modern English, “don’t break the bowl and you’ll keep the Castle”. As a result the bowl is always kept hidden safely in the Castle to ensure that it remains in one piece!
Peter Frost Pennington says: “The Luck of Muncaster is our most prized possession. It may not look particularly impressive compared to some of the treasures you find in other historic houses but to us it’s priceless.
“There was quite a bit of soul searching before we decided to put this little bowl on display. It’s remained intact for quite a long time and we wouldn’t want anything to happen to it now!”
The Luck will be put on display as part of a weekend of birthday celebrations at Muncaster.
To keep it as safe as possible the bowl will be placed in a steel and glass cabinet provided by Christies, the International Fine Art Auctioneers.
Tom Scott, the North of England director of Christies, says: “We are delighted to be involved in putting such a rare and interesting object on display. The story behind The Luck of Muncaster really is a fascinating one, so it’s great that members of the public will get the chance to see it for the first time.”
There will also be an opportunity for people to get their own family heirlooms appraised. Tom Scott will be giving advice on antiques at Muncaster between 11am and 2pm on Saturday. People can bring their antiques or photos of their antiques from any period for his assessment.
Throughout the weekend, Muncaster will be stepping back in time to give people a taste of life at a castle in the Middle Ages.
Children will be able to learn how to march, as well as having a go at swordsmanship and the moves a knight would make in combat. Visitors will also be able to try on a suit of armour and a knight’s helmet as well as holding a real knight’s sword and dagger.
An army of 15th century soldiers from the Red Wyvern Re-enactment Society will take centre stage in a dramatic medieval re-enactment of life at the Castle during the turbulent reign of Henry VI, when Sir John Pennington was master of Muncaster. The highlight will be a re-enactment of an undercover expedition and ambush planned by Lord Egremont, Lord Clifford and Sir John Pennington in 1453.
Cumbrian chef John Crouch will also be providing demonstrations of cooking through the ages. He will also be baking a ‘medieval’ birthday cake which will be cut and distributed to visitors by the Pennington family late on Saturday afternoon. The cake will be made from oats, honey, cinnamon and nutmeg, in the style of a celebratory cake that would have been made for special occasions at the time.