A PLAN to spend £2,000 of National Lottery money confirming the age of a city's ceremonial horn has been ditched following a public outcry.

Some members of Ripon City Council wanted experts to carbon date the instrument used by the city's Hornblower during the traditional evening watch-setting ceremonies at the base of the obelisk in the market square.

The custom is said to date back more than 1,000 years when the Wakeman - the equivalent of a modern mayor - would announce all was well with the community at 9pm.

Local legend has it that he would then have to compensate any resident who fell victim to crime through the rest of the night. The horn itself is said to date back to 886 AD, when the city was granted its first charter by King Alfred.

However, after local historian Maurice Taylor questioned its age, archivist and Ripon city councillor Mick Stanley suggested that the council considered carbon dating the horn.

As the city also celebrates the 400th anniversary of the granting of a charter by King James I with a series of events in May this year, Coun Stanley argued 2004 may be an opportune time to separate fact from fiction.

However, there have been so many objections to the proposal that the city council has voted down the idea, deciding the horn should be allowed to keep its mystery.

However, the Mayor of Ripon, Coun David Parnaby, admitted he would be surprised if the instrument really did date back more than 1,000 years.

"I think we would be very lucky to find it was so old. In fact, I believe the chances of the myth being exploded are far greater," he said.

"But it doesn't really matter - Ripon will still have a magnificent history."

The council has still to decide if it will spend some of an £8,000 Lottery grant on restoring the instrument, as well as ancient charters, which may be translated into modern English.

Another £50,000 of Lottery money will be spent on the programme of events to mark this year's 400th charter anniversary.