Bun throwing is one of several ancient traditions of Abingdon-on-Thames. The town council organises bun throwings, usually as a gesture of loyalty and goodwill to the monarch and mainly associated with royal events. The last bun throwing took place in 2022 to mark Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II’s Platinum Jubilee.
Abingdon Bun Throwing Timeline:
1761 – Coronation of King George III
1810 – Golden Jubilee of King George III
1821 – Coronation of King George IV
1831 – Coronation of King William IV
1837 – Coronation of Queen Victoria
1856 – Declaration of Peace at the end of the Crimean War
1863 – Marriage of the Prince of Wales to Princess Alexandra
1887 – Golden Jubilee of Queen Victoria
1897 – Diamond Jubilee of Queen Victoria
1902 – Coronation of King Edward VII
1911 – Coronation of King George V
1935 – Silver Jubilee of King George V
1937 – Coronation of King George VI
1946 – VE Day
1953 – Coronation of Queen Elizabeth II
1956 – Visit of Queen Elizabeth II to Abingdon
1966 – Abingdon International Week
1974 – End of the Borough of Abingdon
1977 – Silver Jubilee of Queen Elizabeth II
1980 – Queen Mother’s 80th Birthday
1981 – Marriage of the Prince of Wales to Lady Diana Spencer
1986 – Marriage of the Duke of York to Sarah Ferguson
1987 – 40th Wedding Anniversary of Queen Elizabeth II
1990 – Queen Mother’s 90th Birthday
1995 – 50th Anniversary of VE Day
1997 – 50th Wedding Anniversary of Queen Elizabeth II
2000 – Millennium
2000 – Queen Mother’s 100th Birthday
2002 – Golden Jubilee of Queen Elizabeth II
2006 – 450th Anniversary of Abingdon Charter/Queen Elizabeth II’s Official Birthday
2006 – 450th Anniversary of Abingdon Charter/Visit by Her Royal Highness the Princess Royal
2011 – Marriage of Prince William to Catherine Middleton
2012 – HM Queen’s Diamond Jubilee
2016 – HM Queen’s 90th Birthday
2018 – Commemoration of the end of the First World War
2022 – HM Queen Elizabeth II’s Platinum Jubilee
– Abingdon County Hall Museum kindly provided the above list of Recorded Bun Throwing’s in Abingdon since-1761
A website has been created by a local resident to celebrate bun throwings and which includes images since 2006.
