A tiny island off the coast of the Furness Peninsula is formally crowning its new monarch today.
Aaron Sanderson will have beer poured on his head as part of his ‘coronation’ on 50-acre Piel Island.
The title of King or Queen of Piel is bestowed upon the landlord of the Ship Inn. BAE worker Mr Sanderson, 33, took on the island pub earlier this year.
He was chosen from a list of more than 30 applicants by Barrow Borough Council, which is the custodian of Piel.
“I just love the place, it’s somewhere I’ve been coming for such a long time,” said Mr Sanderson. “It’s stunning. There’s just a different view everywhere you look. It can be grey and horrible but still beautiful at the same time.”
Former King of Piel Rod Scarr conducted today’s ceremony, which got under way at around 2pm.
Speaking ahead of the ceremony, Mr Sanderson said: “He’ll say a few words, there’s a bit of a script to read from. He’ll sit me in the chair [the ‘throne’] and I’ll get beer poured on my head.”
Mr Sanderson said the summer had been really busy.
“We have had some good weather and I think that’s what makes it, really,” he said. “We have had a lot of people come over, some old faces and some new faces.”
The King of Piel dates from a group of drinkers 1800s, drawing on a Tudor uprising according to its legend.
On June 5, 1487, a force hoping to overthrow Henry VII landed on Piel Island. The figurehead of the Yorkist rebellion was 10-year-old Lambert Simnel. Simnel was promoted as the rightful heir to the throne but was, in reality, of humble origin.
The army camped overnight on the island before setting off in the direction of London the next morning. The rebellion was crushed at the Battle of Stoke Field, near Newark.
Simnel was spared, however, and ended up working in the Tower of London before becoming a falconer.
In the 1800s, a group who were drinking at the Ship Inn drew on the story of this failed takeover and decided Piel Island could have a monarch of its own.
