John Knill's will pays ten girls to dance round his empty tomb in St Ives every five years, and they danced again in July 2026

John Knill was Collector of Customs at St Ives from 1762 to 1782 and mayor in 1767. Wikipedia records that he searched near the Lizard for the pirate Henry Avery's treasure from 1779 to 1782^†. In 1782 he built a 50-foot granite pyramid on Worvas Hill as his mausoleum. He died in London in 1811 and was buried at St Andrew's, Holborn, not in the monument^†. His will set up a ceremony every five years on St James's Day, 25 July. Ten girls aged 10 or under, preferably daughters of fishermen, seamen or tinners, dance round the monument. Two widows of the same trades accompany them, a fiddler plays, and Psalm 100 is sung. The trustees are the Mayor, the Vicar and the Customs Officer. Each ceremony has £25: £10 for the trustees' dinner, £5 for the girls, £2 for the widows, £1 for the fiddler, £5 for the family with the most legitimate children and £1 for ribbons^†. The first ceremony was in 1801, while Knill was alive. The 45th was held on 26 July 2021. The 46th drew hundreds to Worvas Hill in July 2026. The next is due in 2031.