A curious custom prevailed in Lutterworth in olden times.  There were two mills on the River Swift, and the people were compelled to grind all their malt at one mill and all their corn at another, and to bake all their bread in one oven; in those “days of bondage” a person durst not buy a pound of flour from any other miller.  These privileges were abused by the millers to make high charges, and it was on record that a person who ventured to bake a cake in his own oven was summoned, but discharged on his begging pardon and paying expenses.  This unsatisfactory state of things continued until the year 1758, when a rebellion arose headed by a local patriot named Bickley.  This townsman roused his fellow-citizens to resist, and built a malthouse of his own, his example being soon followed by others, who defied the owner of the privileged mill, and entered into a solemn bond to defend any action that might be brought against them.  The contest was one of the most interesting and remarkable ever known in the district, and was decided at the Leicester Assizes in July 1758, the verdict being in favour of the parishioners, with costs to the amount of L300.  One of the greatest curiosities to be seen in Lutterworth was an old clock which was there in 1798, and still remained in good working order; the description of it reads as follows: 

The case is of mahogany; and the face is oval, being nineteen inches by fifteen inches.  The upper part exhibits a band of music, consisting of two violins, a violoncello, a German flute, three vocal performers, and a boy and girl; the lower part has the hour and minutes indicated by neat gilt hands; above the centre is a moment hand, which shows the true dead beat.  On the right is a hand pointing to—­chimes silent—­all dormant—­quarters silent—­all active; to signify that the clock will perform as those words imply.  On the left is a hand that points to the days of the week, and goes round in the course of seven days, and shifts the barrel to a fresh time at noon and midnight.  The clock strikes the hour, the four quarters, and plays a tune three times over every three hours, either on the bells alone, the lyricord, or on both together.  Three figures beat exact time to the music, and three seem to play on their instruments; and the boy and the girl both dance through the whole if permitted.  But still, by a touch all are dormant, and by another touch all are in action again.  The lyricord will play either low or loud.  The machine goes eight days, either as a watch clock, quarter clock, quarter-chime-clock or as a quarter chime lyrical clock.  It will go with any or all parts in action, or with any or all parts dormant.  It has four chime barrels, and plays sixty-five tunes, many of them in two or three parts, on nineteen musical bells, and on the like number of double musical wires.  A child may do everything necessary to show its varied and complicated action.

[Illustration:  LUTTERWORTH AND THE RIVER SWIFT, WHERE THE ASHES OF WICLIF WERE SCATTERED.]