Bewdley Bridge and Caps

It was custom for fourth formers to toss their school caps out of the window as the coach passed over Bewdley Bridge on the way home to Coventry from Cleobury Mortimer. Fifth formers were allowed to wear suits rather than school uniform out of school and dispense with their caps. This was a kind of catharsis and a school tradition but wait - there's more to this than meets the eye!

Peter Melhuish " Trev the ritual of throw your cap in the river at Bewdley I remember well. This happened at the end of the 4th year as caps did not have to be worn in the 5 form. All of us getting up on the bus to try and throw our cap in the river from the bus window as we cross the river on our way back to Cov for the summer."

We were allowed to wear suits outside of school in the 5th form instead of school uniform and caps (which we had to 'Tip' when any of the 'Masters' went past in their cars.)

What caps it all is that " the inhabitants of Bewdley began to be employed in cap-making, and it became the most important trade in the town during the first half of the 17th century"

http://www.archive.org/stream/historyofbewdley00burt#page/n5/mode/2up
The History of Bewdley - John R. Burton 1883 - On line or pdf version.
Cap making in Bewdley from the above book -

http://bbprivateer.ca/?q=book/export/html/10

Caps and hats...

And here is fresh footage of Bewdley from Keith Ison and Mick Dragan Gagic who visited the school recently.

Footage via photobucket.