Swearing on the Horns

Swearing on the Horns was a humorous and theatrical oath traditionally administered to visitors at various pubs in Highgate, a suburb in north London, during the 17th, 18th, and 19th centuries. The oath involved a series of playful declarations read aloud by a clerk. Participants would agree to each statement, kiss or salute a set of horns, and have their names recorded in a logbook for posterity.

The ceremony was usually led by the pub’s landlord, who took on the title of Master, Father, or Host and often wore a formal costume, sometimes resembling that of a barrister. In certain establishments, a small fee—either in money or drinks—was required to take the oath, while in others, paying the fee allowed a guest to skip the ceremony entirely. Those who completed the ritual were granted the mock title of “Freemen of Highgate.”

Regular patrons found great amusement in convincing newcomers to participate. Although the specific wording of the oath varied from one pub to another and changed over the years, the central elements—particularly the horns and several recurring phrases—remained consistent. Most people clearly understood the ritual as a light-hearted tourist attraction and willingly played along.

Some versions of the ceremony were quite elaborate, with one account describing a version that included six stanzas. However, the most famous lines are:

“You must not eat brown bread while you can get white, except you like the brown the best.

You must not drink small beer while you can get strong, except you like the small the best.

You must not kiss the maid while you can kiss the mistress, except you like the maid the best, but sooner than lose a good chance you may kiss them both.”

The inclusion of exception clauses revealed that the so-called oath was not a binding promise at all. Instead, it encouraged participants to do as they pleased. Other parts included good-humored pledges, such as being kind to one’s wife, recognizing the man as head of the household, and promising to bring new initiates on future visits.

Becoming a Freeman of Highgate came with supposed privileges, though these benefits were laced with absurdity. The first reward was the right to kiss the prettiest woman in the pub; if no such woman was available, the initiate had to make do with someone less appealing. A Freeman in need of rest could kick a pig out of a ditch and lie down in its place, but if there were three pigs in the ditch, he could only remove the middle one and rest between the others. A penniless Freeman in Highgate could supposedly receive free drinks for himself and his companions, but if any money was discovered on him—or if he had secretly handed it to a friend—he would be forced to buy a round for the entire pub.

The earliest known references to the Highgate horns date back to the 17th century. In 1638, the poet Richard Brathwaite mentioned the custom in Barnabee’s Journal. Scholar Matthew Steggle has suggested that two early plays—John Marston’s Jack Drum’s Entertainment and Ben Jonson’s A Private Entertainment at Highgate—may allude to the practice. It was also featured in a burlesque performance at the Haymarket Theatre in 1742.

An entry in the 1785 edition of Grose’s Classical Dictionary of the Vulgar Tongue claimed that the oath was originally invented by a pub landlord to amuse his patrons and trick visitors out of a few coins. Grose wrote that the custom had faded by that time. However, the popularity it regained in the early 19th century shows that the tradition went through cycles of revival and decline over the centuries.