Huge crowds gather for the Mayors Day celebrations outside Stockton Town Hall c1920.
Picture Stockton Archive
A Pictorial History of Stockton-on-Tees
Huge crowds gather for the Mayors Day celebrations outside Stockton Town Hall c1920.
Picture Stockton Archive 
There’s a newspaper cutting for sale on ebay (eBay item number:333090618594) that shows a similar scene from 1911. The caption under the photo says:
“…the newly-elected mayor of Stockton throwing apples and nuts to the youngsters from the balcony of the Town Hall on Thursday, the first day of his year of office. The custom is said to have existed since 1495.”
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In the late 19th century, Stockton Town Council elected its new mayor for the coming year in early November. After the mayor had been elected it was customary for the new mayor to appear at one of the upper windows of the Town Hall, and throw ha’pennies to the youngsters who had gathered outside hoping to catch one of the prizes. Judging by the upstretched hands of the youngsters in this photo, it looks as if the custom was still continuing in the 1920s. The presence of the wooden barrel on the corner of the balcony suggests that the mayor may have been throwing apples rather than coins to the youngsters below.
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