In the Government dockyards "Old Clem is still revered, and his figure is dressed up; the masters often give the blacksmiths a wayz-goose, a leg of pork stuffed with sage and onions, on this day. At the feast the first toast is "Here's to old Vulcan, as bold as a lion, A large shop and no iron, A big hearth and no coal, And a large pair of bellows full of holes." The Jolly Blacksmith's song is always sung. "True hearts and sound bottoms, Then follows a song beginning— "Tubal Cain, our ancient father, Sought the earth for iron and ore; "To the memory of Old Clem,' and prosperity to all his descendants," is the toast of the evening. The Brighton Railway Company's smiths have in recent years observed these customs. At the White Horse Inn, Castle Street, London, a supper is held, and "Old Clem's memory duly recorded. One of the farriers is dressed in a new apron with gilt tags. The anvils used to be fired with gunpowder, but this part of the ceremonial has now been discontinued. "Going a-gooding" on St. Clement's Day1 is still practised at Market Bosworth, Leicestershire. The boys go round collecting apples and money, and sing a rhyme very similar to one already quoted. It runs "St. Clement's, St. Clement's, St. Clement's is here; Apples and pears are very good cheer; One for Peter (the rest as before)." On the nearest Saturday to Hallow E'en the fruiterers of Penzance display in their windows very large apples, known locally as "Allan " apples. The eating of them is supposed to bring good luck, and the girls put them under their pillows in order to dream of their sweethearts. The same custom with some variations prevails at St. Ives, in the same county. "Allan Day" is a great children's festival, and hundreds would deem it a great misfortune to go to bed on Allan night without the timehonoured Allan-apple beneath their pillows. They fully expect to dream of the future husband or wife, the fulfilment of the dream depending on the silence observed before eating the apple. The full ritual involves 1 Billson's "Folk-Lore of Leicestershire." rising before dawn and sitting under a tree, clad in the nightdress only, and then eating the Allan apple. Two results are then due; the future husband or wife becomes present, and if (there is a great virtue in the "if") the sitter be not cold, then he or she will not be cold during the winter. The penitential ritual has however happily fallen into abeyance. A curious custom of taking a marrowbone from the butchers was formerly practised at Camborne on the Sunday nearest to Martinmas, and has now been revived. A number of men, known as the "Homage Committee," go round the market with hampers, which are soon filled with marrow-bones, and afterwards visit the public-house as tasters." One night in November is known in Padstow as "Skip-skop night," when the boys in the place go about with a stone in a sling, with which they strike violently the doors of the houses, and ask for money to make a feast. Butchers still in some few places keep up the custom of serenading a newly married couple of their own trade with the "marrow bones and cleavers.' This serenade takes place on the eve of the marriage night, outside the house of the newly married pair, in return for which the serenaders expect money or ale and cake. CHAPTER X Local customs-Gloves in Church of Abbots Ann, Andover Dunmow Flitch-Skimmerton-riding in Wilts and Dorset-Riding the Stang. VERY remarkable are many of the local customs which linger on in some of Our towns and villages, and which are not confined to any special day in the calendar. At Abbots Ann, near Andover, it is the custom to hang effigies of hands and arms near the pulpit of the church on the lefthand side of the nave, outside the chancel arch, in memory of any girl who died unmarried. On the right of the arch chaplets are hung. These effigies are probably imitations of gloves, as in early times it was not unusual to hang up in the churches mittens or gloves at funerals. Nor was the custom confined to the memorials of the dead. Sometimes to hang up a glove in a church was the authorised method of challenging a rival to mortal combat. Sir Walter Scott in his "Rokeby" alludes to this practice in the lines "Edmund, thy years were scarcely nine In the Life of Barnard Gilpin (15171583), Rector of Houghton-le-Spring, it is recorded that on entering his church the worthy man observed a glove hanging up, and was informed by the sexton that it was meant as a challenge to any one who would take it down. The vicar removed the glove, and admonished his congregation on the wickedness of such savage practices. (Notes and Queries.) The custom of hanging up in the churches garlands of roses with a pair of gloves cut out of white paper, which had been carried before the corpses of young unmarried women at their funerals, used to prevail in many parishes in Derbyshire. However, during recent years they have almost all been removed. We understand that the garlands are still hanging in Ashover Church, and possibly at Flamborough, Yorkshire. The practice seems to have been very general in 1 Canto vi. 21. |