The nice thing about Remember When? is that a simple query often raises more questions, and leads us on to paths hitherto untrod.

The other week’s piece on the boar that appears on the Bradford coat of arms, in response to a reader’s query, gave us lots of fascinating information.

As an aside, just this week it was announced that the Harden Players are eschewing the traditional panto for their annual family show next month and are instead presenting the story of the Bradford Boar!

This week we have more on the boar – and more questions for you to ponder out there.

Firstly, we hear from Peter Rushforth, who has a special interest in the legend: “I first read about it in a book I picked up in the local library when I was about 14. Of course, I was intrigued when it said that the ‘hero’ of the tale was called ‘Rushforth’, which is my family name. Many years later when I saw other versions, the name was given as ‘Rushworth’, but as there are more ‘Rushworths’ about and, to my annoyance, people often write my name with the ‘w’ instead of the ‘f’, I suppose it is understandable.”

A brief recap of the legend for you – a huge boar was terrorising Cliffe Wood in Bradford in the Middle Ages, and the authorities put out a plea for someone to get shot of it.

One young man – the Rushforth or Rushworth of the stories – did the deed and cut out the tongue to present to the authorities as proof. However, a snidey type found the corpse, chopped off the head, and presented it as all his own work – until our hero turned up with the tongue, and the head the cheat had in his possession was found to be lacking in the mouth department.

Mr R takes up the tale: “Sure enough, the tongue was missing, so he pulled from his pocket the tongue which he had earlier removed from the beast. The cheat was sent packing and my forbear was granted the piece of land. So that is why there is a boar’s head as part of the Bradford Coat of Arms.

“One question remains, however. I wonder what happened to the plot of land, for it certainly wasn’t passed down to my family!”

Mr G Hutton, of Bradford, however, might dash Mr Rushforth’s dreams of an inheritance. He writes: “The Remember When column was not correct in inferring that Rushworth was the person granted land for killing the boar. I quote from Curiosities Of Old Yorkshire, by Cyril T Oxley, written in 1960.”

The Oxley text, in turn, refers to the 16th century historian Camden, who wrote: “Bradforde belonged to John of Gaunt, who granted to John Northrop, of Manningham, and his heirs, three messuages and six booates of land to cum to Bradford on the following blow of a horn on St Martin’s day in winter, and wait on him and his heirs in their way from Blackburnshire, with a lance and a hunting dog for thirty days, to have for yeoman’s board one penny for himself and halfpenny for his dog, etc, for going with the receiver or bailiff to conduct him safe to the castle of Pontefract.”

The Oxley text goes on: “A descendant of Northrop afterwards granted land in Horton to Rushworth of Horton, to hold the hound while Northrop’s man blew the horn. These are called Hornman or Hornblow lands, and the custom is still kept up.

“A man coming into the market place with a horn, halbert and dog is sent by the owner of the lands in Horton. After proclamation made, the former calls out aloud, ‘Heirs of Rushworth, come, hold me my hound while I blow three blasts of my horn, to pay my rent due to my sovereign lord the King.’ He then delivers the string to the man from Horton, and winds his horn thrice. The horn is preserved though stripped of its silver ornaments.”

“After changing hands many times the horn came into possession of Mr Richard Fawcett, after whose death a century ago the relic was purchased by another Bradford gentleman, Mr John Wright, who finally sold it to Mr Charles Rhodes, who in turn disposed of it to an antiquarian, a Dr Outhwaite.

“The ancient instrument was repurchased by Mr Rhodes who later presented it to Bradford Philosophical Society. Finally, after having had many owners, the horn was preserved in the Cartwright Hall.”

Mr Hutton asks of the horn: “The question is, where is it now?”

And finally, Derek Mozley of Shipley has an associated query: “One important item has not been mentioned – that is the now long-gone pub The Boar’s Head. This was part of the block which stood at the junction of Forster Square, Kirkgate and Market Street. It was demolished in order to facilitate the smooth traffic flow of Lower Cheapside.

“The pub was popularly known as ‘The Bod’ and was accessed via a staircase in Market Street, leading to a basement bar – a regular watering-hole, particularly at Saturday lunch-times.”