"Monkey hanger" is an affectionate term by which Hartlepudlians are often known by other residents of Great Britain.
History
According to local folklore, during the Napoleonic wars, a French ship of the type chasse marée (literally, tide-chaser) was wrecked off the coast of Hartlepool. The only survivor was a monkey, wearing a French uniform (presumably to provide amusement for those onboard the ship). On finding the monkey, some locals decided to hold an impromptu trial on the beach; since the monkey was unable to answer their questions, and many locals were unaware of what a Frenchman may look like, they concluded that the monkey was in fact a French spy. Just to make sure, the animal was thus sentenced to death and hanged from the mast of a fishing boat on the Headland. Nowadays, many Hartlepudlians have positively embraced the term, and only a small minority still consider the term 'Monkey Hanger' offensive. It is often used to refer to supporters of Hartlepool United Football Club by supporters of their arch rivals Darlington.
In 2002, Stuart Drummond campaigned for the office of Mayor of Hartlepool in the costume of the local football team's mascot, 'H'Angus the Monkey'. He narrowly won. His election slogan had been "free bananas for schoolchildren", a promise he was unable to keep. Despite this, he stood again three years later and won with a landslide victory. He won a third term on 4 June 2009, with a reduced majority of 844 following consideration of second preference votes.
See also
External links
- The Hartlepool Monkey, Who hung the monkey?
- Gorilla tactics - article on the re-election of Stuart Drummond from the Guardian
- Monkey hangers in 17th century Barcelona - a mechanical monkey is paraded through the streets on a pike by rioters who believe it to be the devil's work.
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