,,cornish                               
,,feasts ,,and ,,folk-,,lore4           
,,by                              ,,miss
 ,m4 ,a4 ,,courtney1                    
,,author ,,of ,,glossary ,,of ,,words   
,,used ,,in ,,west ,,cornwall4          
,,revised ,,and ,,reprinted ,,from      
,,the ,,folk-,,lore ,,society           
,,journals1 #ahhf-hg4                   
,,penzance3                      ,,beare
 ,,and ,,son1 #ba1 ,,market ,,place4    
#ahij4                  ,,preface4      
,few ,cornish people are probably aware 
how wide-spread still with us is  the   
belief in charms and charmers1 ghosts1  
and all other superstitions2  nor that  
there are witches in our county1 shunned
 and dreaded by some  who fear their    
supposed power to ill-wish those who    
offend them1 and  sought out by others  
who want by their aid to avert the evil 
eye1  or by their incantations to remove
 the spells already cast on them  and   
their cattle by an ill-wisher who has   
overlooked them4    ,folk-lore is an    

almost inexhaustible subject4 ,there    
must be many  charms in use here that   
have not come under my notice2 a few are
 too  coarse to record1 as are some of  
the tales4    ,a book on folk-lore      
cannot in this century contain original 
matter2  it must be compiled from       
various sources4 ,i have when quoting   
from  other writers given my authority1 
and to communications from friends      
generally appended their names4 ,to ,one
 and ,all ,i beg leave to tender  my    
sincere thanks4                         
,m4 ,a4 ,courtney4                      
,,cornish ,,feasts ,,and ,,feasten      
,,customs4      ,cornwall has always    
been a county largely given to          
hospitality1 and1  as all ,cornish      
gentlemen are cousins1 they have from   
time immemorial  made it a practice to  
meet at each other's houses to celebrate
 their  feasts and saints' days4        
,since there are more saints in         
,cornwall than there are in heaven1     
these friendly gatherings must          

necessarily be very numerous4 ,each     
parish has its own particular saint to  
which its church is  dedicated4 ,the    
feasts held in their honour1 probably   
dating from the  foundation of the      
churches1 are kept on the nearest       
,sunday and ,monday  to dedication day1 
called by the people feasten ,sunday and
 ,monday4    ,every family1 however     
poor1 tries to have a better dinner than
 usual  on feasten ,sunday2 generally a 
joint of meat with a figgy-pudden  7a   
baked or boiled suet-pudding with       
raisins in it74    ,on the preceding    
,saturdays large quantities of plum cake
 are baked2  light currant cakes raised 
with barm 7yeast71 and coloured bright  
yellow with saffron 7as dear as saffern 
is a very common simile  in ,cornwall74 
,this saffern cake at tea is often      
supplemented with  heavy cake 7a        
delicacy peculiar to the county71 a rich
 currant paste1  about an inch thick1   
made with clotted cream1 and eaten hot4 
,the ,western hounds meet in all the    

villages situated at a convenient       
distance from their kennel1 at ten      
o'clock on feasten ,mondays1 and1  after
 a breakfast given by the squire of the 
parish to the huntsmen1  start for their
 run from somewhere near the parish     
church 7the church  town74 ,three or    
four houses clustered together1 and even
 sometimes  a single house1 is called in
 ,cornwall a town1 a farmyard is a town 
place1 and ,london is often spoken of as
 ,lunnon church town4    ,the first of  
the ,west ,penwith feasts is that of    
,paul1 a parish close to  ,penzance1    
which has not the ,apostle ,paul but    
,st4 ,pol-de-,lion for its  patron      
saint4 ,it falls on the nearest ,sunday 
to #ajth of ,october4 ,an  old proverb  
says1 ,rain for ,paul1 rain for all1    
therefore1 should  the day be wet1 it is
 of course looked upon by the young     
people as  a bad sign for their future  
merry-makings4 ,an annual bowling-match 
was formerly held on feasten ,monday1   
between ,paul and ,mousehole men        

7,mousehole is a fishing village in the 
same parish72 the last of  them took    
place sixty years ago4 ,up to that time 
the bowling-green1  an artificially     
raised piece of ground1 was kept in     
order by the  parishioners4 ,no one in  
the neighbourhood now knows the game2   
the  church schools are built on a part 
of the site1 and the remainder  is the  
village playground4 ,if there were ever 
any other peculiar  customs celebrated  
at ,paul feast they are quite forgotten1
 and the  ,monday night's carousal at   
the public-houses has here1 as          
elsewhere1  given place to church and   
chapel teas1 followed by concerts in the
  school-rooms1 although there are still
 a few standings 7stalls7  in the       
streets1 for the sale of gingerbread    
nuts and sweetmeats1 and  one or two    
swings and merry-go-rounds1 largely     
patronised by children4    ,october     
#abth4 ,a fair1 called ,roast ,goose    
,fair1 is held at ,redruth4    ,on the  
nearest ,saturday to ,hallowe'en1       

,october #cast1 the fruiterers  of      
,penzance display in their windows very 
large apples1 known locally  as ,allan  
apples4 ,these were formerly bought by  
the inhabitants and  all the country    
people from the neighbourhood 7for whom 
,penzance is  the market-town71 and one 
was given to each member of the family  
to  be eaten for luck4 ,the elder girls 
put theirs1 before they ate them1  under
 their pillows1 to dream of their       
sweethearts4 ,a few of the apples  are  
still sold2 but the custom1 which1 ,i   
have lately been told1 was  also        
observed at ,st4 ,ives1 is practically  
dying out4 ,on ,allantide1  at ,newlyn  
,west1 two strips of wood are joined    
crosswise by a nail in  the centre2 at  
each of the four ends a lighted candle  
is stuck1 with  apples hung between     
them4 ,this is fastened to a beam1 or   
the ceiling of  the kitchen1 and made to
 revolve rapidly4 ,the players1 who try 
to catch  the apples in their mouths1   
often get instead a taste of the candle4

    ,in ,cornwall1 as in other parts of 
,england1 many charms were tried on     
,hallowe'en to discover with whom you   
were to spend your future life1  or if  
you were to remain unmarried1 such as   
pouring melted lead  through the handle 
of the front door key4 ,the fantastic   
shapes it  assumed foretold your        
husband's profession or trade4          
,rolling three names1 each written on a 
separate piece of paper1  tightly in the
 centre of three balls of earth4 ,these 
were afterwards  put into a deep basin  
of water1 and anxiously watched until   
one of  them opened1 as the name on the 
first slip which came to the surface    
would be that of the person you were to 
marry4    ,tying the front door key     
tightly with your left leg garter       
between the  leaves of a ,bible at one  
particular chapter in the ,song of      
,solomon4 ,it  was then held on the     
forefinger1 and when the sweetheart's   
name was  mentioned it turned round4    
,slipping a wedding-ring on to a piece  

of cotton1 held between the  forefinger 
and thumb1 saying1 ,if my husband's name
 is to be ----  let this ring swing6 ,of
 course1 when the name of the person    
preferred  was spoken1 the holder       
unconsciously made the ring oscillate4  
,i have1  when a school-girl1 assisted  
at these rites1 and ,i expect the young 
people still practise them4    ,in ,st4 
,cubert's parish1 ,east ,cornwall1 is a 
celebrated ,holy well1 so  named1 the   
inhabitants say1 from its virtues having
 been discovered  on ,all ,hallows-day4 
,it is covered at high spring tides4    
,st4 ,just feast 7which1 when the mines 
in that district were prosperous1  was  
kept up with more revelry than almost   
any other7 is always held  on the       
nearest ,sunday to ,all ,saints'-day4   
,formerly1 on the ,monday1  many games  
were played1 viz4--,kook1 a trial of    
casting quoits farthest  and nearest to 
the goal1 now all but forgotten         
7,bottrell71 wrestling1  and kailles1 or
 keels 7ninepins71 c4 ,much beer and    

moonshine 7spirit  that had not paid the
 duty7 were drunk1 and1 as the ,st4     
,just men are  proverbially pugnacious1 
the sports often ended with a free      
fight4 ,a  paragraph in a local paper   
for ,november1 #ahhb1 described a ,st4  
,just  feast in those days as ,a hobble1
 a squabble1 and a 'hubbadullion'       
altogether4 ,rich and poor still at this
 season keep open house1 and  all the   
young people from ,st4 ,just who are in 
service for many miles  around1 if they 
can possibly be spared1 go home on the  
,saturday and  stay until the ,tuesday  
morning4 ,a small fair is held in the   
streets  on ,monday evening1 when the   
young men are expected to treat their   
sweethearts liberally1 and a great deal 
of foolish money that can  be ill       
afforded is often spent4    ,in many    
,cornish parishes the bells are rung on 
,november #dth1  ,ringing night4    ,the
 celebration of ,gunpowder ,plot has    
quite died out in ,west ,cornwall1  but 
in ,launceston1 and in other towns in   

the eastern part of the  county1 it is  
still observed4 ,as regularly as the    
#eth of ,november  comes around1        
fireworks are let off1 and bonfires lit1
 to lively  music played by the local   
bands4    ,this year1 #ahhd1 ',young    
,stratton' celebrated the ,fifth with   
much  more than his customary           
enthusiasm4 ,a good sum was raised by   
public  subscription by the energy of   
,mr4 ,c4 ,a4 ,saunders4 ,the ,bude fife 
and  drum band headed a grotesque       
procession1 formed at ,howl's ,bridge1  
and second in order came a number of    
equestrian torch-bearers in all  kinds  
of costumes1 furnished by wardrobes of  
,her ,majesty's navy1 the  ,royal       
,marines1 the ,yeomanry1 and numerous   
other sources4 ',guido ,faux'  followed 
in his car1 honoured by a postilion and 
a band of ,christy  ,minstrels2 then    
came foot torch-bearers1 and a crowd of 
enthusiastic  citizens1 who 'hurraed' to
 their hearts' content4 ,noticeable were
  the banners1 ',success to ,young      

,stratton1' the ,cornish arms1 and      
',god save the ,queen4' ,the display of 
fireworks took place from a  field      
overlooking the town1 and the           
inhabitants grouped together  at points 
of vantage to witness the display4 ,the 
bonfire was lit on  ,stamford ,hill1    
where the carnival ended4 ,good order   
and good humour  prevailed4--7,western  
,morning ,news47    ,when ,i was a girl1
 ,i was taught the following doggerel   
rhymes1 which  were on this day then    
commonly chanted3--         ,please to  
remember the fifth of ,november6      ,a
 stick or a stake1 for ,king ,george's  
sake4      ,a faggot or rope1 to hang   
the ,pope4      ,for ,gunpowder ,plot1  
shall never be forgot1      ,whilst     
,castle ,ryan stands upon a rock4       
,this was in ,victoria's reign2 where   
,castle ,ryan stands ,i have never  been
 able to learn4    ,the old custom      
formerly practised in ,camborne1 of     
taking a marrow-bone  from the butchers 
on the ,saturday before the feast1 which

 is held on  the nearest ,sunday to     
,martinmas1 was1 in #ahhd1 revived in   
its original  form4 ,a number of        
gentlemen1 known as the ',homage        
,committee1'  went round the market with
 hampers1 which were soon filled with   
marrow-bones1 and they afterwards       
visited the public-houses as            
'tasters4'--7,cornishman47    ,one night
 in ,november is known in ,padstow as   
,skip-skop night1 when  the boys of the 
place go about with a stone in a sling2 
with this  they strike the doors1 and   
afterwards slily throw in winkle-shells1
  dirt1 c4 ,mr4 ,t4 ,q4 ,couch says3    
,they strike violently against the      
doors of the houses and ask for money to
 make a feast4    ,at ,st4 ,ives1 on the
 ,saturday before ,advent ,sunday1      
,fair-mo 7pig  fair7 is held4 ,this town
 is much celebrated locally for         
macaroons2  a great many are then bought
 as fairings4 ,the ,st4 ,ives fishing   
7pilchard7 season generally ends in     
,november1 consequently at this  time   

there is often no lack of money4    ,the
 feast of ,st4 ,maddern1 or ,madron     
feast1 which is also that of  ,penzance 
7,penzance being until recently in that 
parish71 is on  ,advent ,sunday4    ,the
 last bull-baiting held here was on the 
feasten ,monday of #ahac1  and took     
place in the field on which the ,union  
is now built4 ,the  bull was supplied by
 a squire from ,kimyel1 in the          
neighbouring parish  of ,paul4 ,a ship's
 anchor1 which must have been carried up
 hill from  ,penzance quay1 a distance  
of nearly three miles1 was firmly fixed 
in  the centre of the field1 and to it  
the bull was tied4 ,bull-baiting was    
soon after discontinued in ,cornwall4   
,the following account of the last  ,i  
had from a gentleman who was well known 
in the county4 ,he said1 ,this  ,i think
 took place in a field adjoining        
,ponsandane bridge1 in ,gulval  parish1 
at the east of ,penzance1 in the summer 
of #ahad4 ,i remember the  black bull   
being led by four men4 ,the crowd was   

dispersed early in the  evening by a    
severe thunderstorm1 which much alarmed 
the people1 who  thought it 7,i was led 
to believe7 a judgment from             
heaven4--7,t4,s4,b47    ,the second     
,thursday before ,christmas is in ,east 
,cornwall kept by  the tinners 7miners7 
as a holiday in honour of one of the    
reputed  discoverers of tin4 ,it is     
known as ,picrous-day4 ,chewidden       
,thursday  7,white ,thursday71 another  
tinners' holiday1 falls always on the   
last clear ,thursday before             
,christmas-day4 ,tradition says it is   
the  anniversary of the day on which    
white tin 7smelted tin7 was first  made 
or sold in ,cornwall4    ,on            
,christmas-eve1 in ,east as well as     
,west ,cornwall1 poor women1  sometimes 
as many as twenty in a party1 call on   
their richer neighbours  asking alms4   
,this is going a gooding4    ,at        
,falmouth the lower classes formerly    
expected from all the  shopkeepers1 of  
whom they bought any of their ,christmas

 groceries1 a  slice of cake and a small
 glass of gin4 ,some of the oldest      
established  tradespeople still observe 
this custom2 but it will soon be a thing
  of the past4    ,in some parts of the 
county it is customary for each         
household to make  a batch of currant   
cakes on ,christmas-eve4 ,these cakes   
are made in  the ordinary manner1       
coloured with saffron1 as is the custom 
in these  parts4 ,on this occasion the  
peculiarity of the cakes is1 that a     
small  portion of the dough in the      
centre of each top is pulled up and made
  into a form which resembles a very    
small cake on the top of a large  one1  
and this centre-piece is usually called 
the ,christmas4 ,each  person in a house
 has his or her especial cake1 and every
 person  ought to taste a small piece of
 every other person's cake4 ,similar    
cakes are also bestowed on the          
hangers-on of the establishment1 such   
as laundresses1 sempstresses1 charwomen1
 c42 and even some people who  are in   

the receipt of weekly charity call1 as a
 matter of course1 for  their ,christmas
 cakes4 ,the cakes must not be cut until
 ,christmas-day1  it being probably     
unlucky to eat them sooner4--7,geo4 ,c4 
,boase1  ,notes and ,queries1 #eth      
series1 ,dec4 #bast1 #ahgh47    ,the    
materials to make these and nearly all  
the cakes at this season  were at one   
time given by the grocers to their      
principal customers4    ,in ,cornwall1  
as in other ,english counties1 houses   
are at ,christmas  dressed up with      
evergreens1 sold in small bunches1      
called ,penn'orths  of ,chris'mas2 and  
two hoops fastened one in the other by  
nails at  the centres are gaily         
decorated with evergreens1 apples1      
oranges1  c41 and suspended from the    
middle beam in the ceiling of the best  
kitchen4 ,this is the bush1 or kissing  
bush4 ,at night a lighted  candle is put
 in it1 stuck on the bottom nail2 but   
once or twice  lately ,i have seen a    
,chinese lantern hanging from the top   

one4    ,in a few remote districts on   
,christmas-eve children may be1 after   
nightfall1 occasionally 7but rarely7    
found dancing around painted  lighted   
candles placed in a box of sand4 ,this  
custom was very  general fifty years    
ago4 ,the church towers1 too1 are       
sometimes  illuminated4 ,this of course1
 on the coast can only be done in very  
calm weather4 ,the tower of ,zennor     
church 7,zennor is a village on the     
north coast of ,cornwall1 between ,st4  
,ives and ,st4 ,just7 was lit up  in    
#ahhc1 for the first time since #ahff4  
,when open chimneys were universal in   
farmhouses the ,christmas stock1  mock1 
or block 7the log71 on which a rude     
figure of a man had been  chalked1 was  
kindled with great ceremony2 in some    
parts with a piece  of charred wood that
 had been saved from the last year's    
block4 ,a  log in ,cornwall is almost   
always called a block4 ,throw a block on
  the fire4    ,candles painted by some 
member of the family were often lighted 

at  the same time4    ,the choir from   
the parish church and dissenting chapels
 go from house  to house singing curls  
7carols71 for which they are given money
 or  feasted2 but the quaint old carols1
 ,the first good joy that ,mary  had1 ,i
 saw three ships come sailing in1 common
 forty years ago1  are now never heard4 
,the natives of ,cornwall have been     
always famous  for their carols2 some of
 their tunes are very old4 ,even the    
,knockers1  ,sprig-gans1 and all the    
underground spirits that may be always  
heard  working where there is tin 7and  
who are said to be the ghosts of the    
,jews who crucified ,jesus71 in olden   
times held mass and sang carols  on     
,christmas-eve4    ,in the beginning of 
this century at the ruined baptistery of
 ,st4 ,levan1  in ,west ,cornwall       
7,par-chapel ,well71 all the            
carol-singers in that  district1 after  
visiting the neighbouring villages1 met 
and sang  together many carols4 ,mr4    
,bottrell says1 ,one was never          

forgotten1  in which according to our   
,west ,country version1 ,holy ,mary says
 to  her dear ,child3--         ',go the
 wayst out1 ,child ,jesus1      ,go the 
wayst out to play2      ,down by ,god's 
,holy ,well      ,i see three pretty    
children1      ,as ever tongue can      
tell4'      ,this for its sweet         
simplicity is still a favourite in the  
west4    ,an old carol or ballad1       
,come and ,i will sing you1 etc41       
known to many old people in all parts of
 the county1 has been thought  by some  
to be peculiar to ,cornwall2 but this is
 an error1 as it has  been heard        
elsewhere4    ,at the plentiful supper  
always provided on this night1 #a       
egg-hot1  or eggy-hot1 was the principal
 drink4 ,it was made with eggs1 hot     
beer1  sugar1 and rum1 and was poured   
from one jug into another until it      
became quite white and covered with     
froth4 ,a sweet giblet pie was one  of  
the standing dishes at a ,christmas     
dinner--a kind of mince-pie1  into which

 the giblets of a goose1 boiled and     
finely chopped1 were  put instead of    
beef4 ,cornwall is noted for its pies1  
that are eaten on  all occasions2 some  
of them are curious mixtures1 such as   
squab-pie1  which is made with layers of
 well-seasoned fat mutton and apples1   
with onions and raisins4 ,mackerel pie3 
the ingredients of this are  mackerel   
and parsley stewed in milk1 then covered
 with a paste and  baked4 ,when brought 
to table a hole is cut in the paste1 and
 a basin of  clotted cream thrown in it4
 ,muggetty pie1 made from sheep's       
entrails  7muggets71 parsley1 and cream4
 ,the devil is afraid to come into      
,cornwall for fear of being baked in a  
pie4    ,there is a curious ,christmas  
superstition connected with the ,fogo1  
,vug1 or ,vow 7local names for a cove7  
at ,pendeen1 in ,north ,st4 ,just4      
,at dawn on ,christmas-day the spirit of
 the ',vow' has frequently  been seen   
just within the entrance near the cove1 
in the form of a  beautiful lady dressed

 in white1 with a red rose in her mouth4
 ,there  were persons living a few years
 since who had seen the fair but  not   
less fearful vision2 for disaster was   
sure to visit those who  intruded on the
 spirit's morning airing4--7,bottrell1  
,traditions1  c41 ,west ,cornwall1 #bnd 
series47    ,the following is an account
 by an anonymous writer of a ,christmas 
custom in ,east ,cornwall3--    ,in some
 places the parishioners walk in        
procession1 visiting the  principal     
orchards in the parish4 ,in each orchard
 one tree is selected1  as the          
representative of the rest2 this is     
saluted with a certain form  of words1  
which have in them the form of an       
incantation4 ,they then  sprinkle the   
tree with cider1 or dash a bowl of cider
 against it1 to  ensure its bearing     
plentifully the ensuing year4 ,in other 
places the  farmers and their servants  
only assemble on the occasion1 and after
  immersing apples in cider hang them on
 the apple-trees4 ,they then  sprinkle  

the trees with cider2 and after uttering
 a formal incantation1  they dance round
 it 7or rather round them71 and return  
to the farmhouse  to conclude these     
solemn rites with copious draughts of   
cider4    ,in ,warleggan1 on            
,christmas-eve1 it was customary for    
some of the  household to put in the    
fire 7bank it up71 and the rest to take 
a jar  of cider1 a bottle1 and a gun to 
the orchard1 and put a small bough  into
 the bottle4 ,then they said3--         
,here's to thee1 old apple-tree6        
,hats full1 packs full1 great           
bushel-bags full6      ,hurrah6 and fire
 off the gun4                           
--7,old ,farmer1 ,mid ,cornwall1 through
 ,t4 ,q4 ,couch1                        
,sept4 #ahhc1 ,w4 ,antiquary47      ,the
 words chanted in ,east ,cornwall       
were3--         ,health to thee1 good   
apple-tree1      ,pocket-fulls1         
hat-fulls1 peck-fulls1 bushel-bag fulls4
      ,an old proverb about these trees 
runs as follows3--         ,blossom in  

,march1 for fruit you may search1       
,blossom in ,april1 eat you will1       
,blossom in ,may1 eat night and day4    
,at one time small sugared cakes were   
laid on the branches4 ,this  curious    
custom has been supposed to be a        
propitiation of some  spirit4--7,mrs4   
,damant1 ,cowes1 through ,folk-,lore    
,society47    ,from ,christmas to       
,twelfth-tide parties of mummers known  
as ',goose or  ,geese-dancers' paraded  
the streets in all sorts of disguises1  
with  masks on4 ,they often behaved in  
such an unruly manner that women and    
children were afraid to venture out4 ,if
 the doors of the houses were  not      
locked they would enter uninvited and   
stay1 playing all kinds of  antics1     
until money was given them to go away4  
,a well-known character  amongst them1  
about fifty years ago 7#ahfb71 was the  
hobby-horse1  represented by a man      
carrying a piece of wood in the form of 
a horse's  head and neck1 with some     
contrivance for opening and shutting the

  mouth with a loud snapping noise1 the 
performer being so covered  with a      
horse-cloth or hide of a horse as to    
resemble the animal1  whose curvetings1 
biting and other motions he imitated4   
,some of these  'guise-dancers'         
occasionally masked themselves with the 
skins of the  head of bullocks having   
the horns on4--7,the ,land's ,end       
,district1  by ,r4 ,edmonds47           
,sometimes they were more ambitious and 
acted a version of the old  play1 ,st4  
,george and the ,dragon1 which differed 
but little from  that current in other  
countries4    ,bottrell1 in his         
,traditions in ,w4 ,cornwall 7#bnd      
series71 gives large  extracts from     
another ,christmas-play1 ,duffy and the 
,devil4 ,it turns  upon the legend1     
common in all countries1 of a woman who 
had sold  herself to a devil1 who was to
 do her knitting or spinning for her4   
,he  was to claim his bargain at the end
 of three years if she could not  find  
out his name before the time expired4   

,of course1 she gets it by  stratagem2  
her husband1 who knows nothing of the   
compact1 first meets  the devil1 whilst 
out hunting1 the day before the time is 
up1 and makes  him half-drunk4 ,an old  
woman in ,duffy's pay 7,witch ,bet7     
completes  the work1 and in that state  
the devil sings the following words1    
ending with his name1 which ,bet        
remembers and tells her mistress3--     
,i've knit and spun for her      ,three 
years to the day2      ,to-morrow she   
shall ride with me      ,over land and  
over sea4      ,far away6 far away6     
,for she can never know      ,that my   
name is ',tarraway4'      ,bet and some 
other witches then sing in chorus3--    
,by night and by day      ,we will dance
 and play      ,with our noble captain1 
,tarraway6 ,tarraway6      ,mr4 ,robert 
,hunt in his ,romances and ,drolls of   
,old ,cornwall has a  variation of this 
play1 in which the devil sings--        
,duffy my lady1 you'll never know--what8
      ,that my name is ,ferry-top1      

,ferry-top--top4      ,these            
goose-dancers became such a terror to   
the respectable  inhabitants of         
,penzance that the ,corporation put them
 down about ten  years since1 and every 
,christmas-eve a notice is posted in    
conspicuous  places forbidding their    
appearance in the streets1 but they     
still  perambulate the streets of ,st4  
,ives4 ,guise-dancing wit must have     
very much deteriorated since the        
beginning of the present century1  as   
writers before that time speak of the   
mirth it afforded2 and the  saying1 as  
good as a ,christmas-play1 is commonly  
used to describe  a very witty or funny 
thing4    ,it was the custom in ,scilly 
eighty years ago for girls to go to     
church on ,christmas morning dressed all
 in white1 verifying the old            
proverb--pride is never a-cold4    ,on  
,porthminster ,beach on ,christmas-day1 
as seen from the ,malakoff1  ,st4 ,ives1
 at nine o'clock in the morning the boys
 began to assemble  on the beach with   

their bats and balls4 ,as soon as twelve
 youths  arrived a game commenced1      
called ',rounders4' ,the first thing to 
be  done was to right up the 'bickens4' 
,this accomplished1 the sides  were     
chosen in the following manner3--,two of
 the best players1  whom we will call   
,matthew and ,phillip1 went aside and   
selected two  objects--the new and old  
pier4 ,the old pier was ,matthew and the
 new  pier was ,phillip4 ,after this was
 arranged the 'mopper' selected the  old
 pier1 which meant he would rather have 
,matthew his side than  ,phillip4 ,then 
,phillip selected some one for his side2
 and so it went  on until the whole     
twelve were elected one side or the     
other4 ,then  they tossed up for the    
first innings4 ,phillip's side won the  
toss1  and it was their luck to go in   
first4 ,while they are taking off their 
jackets and getting ready to go in ,i   
will briefly describe the game4    ,the 
bickens1 four in number1 were piles of  
sand thrown up2 each one  being about   

ten yards from one another1 and arranged
 so as to form  a square4 ,in the centre
 of the square the bowler was placed    
with  ball in hand4 ,behind the batsman 
stands the 'tip1' while the other  four 
were off a long way waiting for the long
 hits4 ,the coats off1 in  went the     
first batsman4 ,the ball was thrown     
towards him and he tipped  it4 ,the tip 
instantly took the ball and threw it at 
the batsman1 and  hit him before he     
arrived at the first bicken1 and he was 
consequently  out4 ,the second batsman  
had better luck2 for on the ball being  
thrown  to him he sent it out to sea1   
and by that means he ran a rounder1  or 
in other words he ran around the four   
bickens without being hit by  the ball4 
,the next batsman went in4 ,the ball was
 thrown to him1 when1  lo6 it went      
whizzing into the bowler's hands and was
 caught4 ,this  unlucky hit and lucky   
catch got the whole side out1 before    
three of  them had a chance to show     
their skill4 ,the other side then went  

in1  laughing at the discomfiture of    
their opponents4 ,the tables1 however1  
were very soon turned2 for the very     
first hit was caught1 and this  produced
 a row1 and the game was broken up6     
,i then went to the next lot3 ,they were
 playing 'catchers4' ,there is  only one
 bicken required in this game1 and at   
this stood a lad called  ,watty1 with   
bat and ball in hand4 ,at last he hit   
the ball1 and up it  went flying in the 
air1 descended1 and passed through the  
hands of a  boy named ,peters4 ,peters  
took the ball from the sand and asked   
,watty1  ',how many8' ,watty replied--  
',two a good scat1 #b      ,try for the 
bat4'      ,peters threw the ball to the
 bicken1 but it stopped about  three    
lengths short4 ,watty took the ball up  
and again sent it a  great way4 ,the    
question was again asked1 and ,watty    
gave the same  answer4 ,again the ball  
was thrown to the bicken1 but this time 
with  better success2 for it stopped at 
the distance of the length of the  bat  

and so was within the distance named4   
,williams then went in4 ,he  was a      
strong lusty fellow1 and the ball was   
sent spinning along the  sand4 ,it was  
picked up by ,curnow1 who asked1 ',how  
many8'         ',three a good scat1     
,try for the bat4'      ,the ball was   
thrown home and rolled about three bats 
from the  bicken4 ,this point1 however1 
was the breaking-up of the game1  for   
,williams said it was more than three   
bats off1 whilst ,curnow  maintained    
that it was not three bats off1 and     
there being no chance  of a compromise  
being arrived at the game was broken up4
    ,the next party was one of young    
men4 ,they were playing rounders  with a
 wooden ball1 instead of an india-rubber
 one1 as is generally  used4 ,they were 
twelve each side1 and the bickens were  
about #bj yards  distant4 ,by this time 
the tide was out a great way1 so that   
there was  no fear of the ball being    
knocked to sea1 as was the case with the
  other boys4 ,when ,i got there they   

had been playing for about an hour1  and
 the side that was in had been in about 
half of that time4 ,the  first hit ,i   
saw was 'a beauty6' ,the ball was sent  
about #ge yards1  and the result was a  
rounder4 ,two or three other persons    
went in and  did the same thing1 and so 
the game went on for about an hour      
longer1  when one of the fellows knocked
 up a catcher and was caught4 ,this     
side had stayed in for about one hour   
and a half4 ,the other side went  in at 
about a quarter to three1 and after     
playing about another hour  they went   
home to tea4    ,i went to tea also1 but
 was soon up in the ,malakoff again4 ,it
 was so  dark that the play was stopped 
for the time4 ,at about seven o'clock   
the  older part of the town began to    
congregate1 and about a quarter-past    
seven they began to play ',thursa4'     
,this game is too well known to  need   
description1 and ,i need only say that  
it was played about one  hour1 when they
 began to form a ring with the          

intention1 ,i supposed1  of playing that
 best of all games1                     
',kiss-in-the-,ring'4--7,cornishman1    
#ahha47    ,on ,st4 ,stephen's-day1     
#bfth ,december1 before the days of     
gun-licences1  every man or boy who     
could by any means get a gun went out   
shooting1  and it was dangerous to walk 
the lanes4 ,the custom is said to have  
had  its origin in the legend of one of 
,st4 ,stephen's guards being awakened   
by a bird just as his prisoner was going
 to escape4 ,a similar practice         
prevailed in the neighbourhood of       
,penzance on feasten ,monday1 the  day  
after ,advent ,sunday2 but on that day  
,i have never heard of any  religious   
idea connected with it4    ,in the week 
after ,christmas-day a fair is held at  
,launceston 7and  also at ,okehampton in
 ,devonshire71 called giglet fair 7a    
giglet or  giglot is a giddy young      
woman74 ,it is principally attended by  
young  people4 ,at this 'giglet market1'
 or wife-market1 the rustic swain was   

privileged with self-introduction to any
 of the nymphs around him1  so that he  
had a good opportunity of choosing a    
suitable partner if  tired of a single  
life4--7,britton and ,brayley's ,devon  
and ,cornwall47    ,it is unlucky to    
begin a voyage on ,childermas           
7,innocents'-day71  also to wash        
clothes1 or to do any but necessary     
household work4    ,on ,new ,year's-eve 
in the villages of ,east ,cornwall1 soon
 after dusk1  parties of men1 from four 
to six in a party1 carrying a small bowl
  in their hands1 went from house to    
house begging money to make a  feast4   
,they opened the doors without knocking1
 called out ,warsail1  and sang1--      
,these poor jolly ,warsail boys         
,come travelling through the mire4      
,this custom was common fifty years     
since1 and may still be observed  in    
remote rural districts4 ,there is one   
saint whose name is familiar  to all in 
,cornwall1 but whose sex is unknown4    
,this saint has much to  answer for2    

promises made1 but never intended to be 
kept1 are all  to be fulfilled on next  
,st4 ,tibbs's-eve1 a day that some folks
 say  falls between the old and new     
year2 others describe it as one that    
comes neither before nor after          
,christmas4    ,parties are general in  
,cornwall on ,new ,year's-eve to watch  
in the ,new  ,year and wish friends     
health and happiness2 but ,i know of no 
peculiar  customs1 except that before   
retiring to rest the old women opened   
their  ,bibles at hap-hazard to find out
 their luck for the coming year4 ,the   
text on which the fore-finger of the    
right hand rested was supposed to       
foretell the future4 ,and money1        
generally a piece of silver1 was placed 
on the threshold1 to be brought in the  
first thing on the following  day1 that 
there might be no lack of it for the    
year4 ,nothing was ever  lent on ,new   
,year's-day1 as little as possible taken
 out1 but all that  could be brought    
into the house4 ,i have even known the  

dust of the  floor swept inwards4--7,t4 
,q4 ,couch1 ,w4 ,antiquary1 ,september1 
#ahhc47    ,door-steps on ,new          
,year's-day were formerly sanded for    
good luck1  because ,i suppose people   
coming into the house were sure to bring
  some of it in with them sticking to   
their feet4    ,many elderly people at  
the beginning of the present century    
still kept  to the old style1 and held  
their ,christmas-day on ,epiphany4 ,on  
the  eve of that day they said the      
cattle in the fields and stalls never   
lay down1 but at midnight turned their  
faces to the east and fell on  their    
knees4    ,twelfth-day 7old             
,christmas-day7 was a time of general   
feasting  and merriment4 ,into the      
,twelfth-day cake were put a            
wedding-ring1  a sixpence1 and a        
thimble4 ,it was cut into as many       
portions as there  were guests2 the     
person who found the wedding-ring in his
 7or her7  portion would be married     
before the year was out2 the holder of  

the  thimble would never be married1 and
 the one who got the sixpence would  die
 rich4 ,after candlelight many games    
were played around the open  fires4 ,i  
will describe one3--,robin's alight4 ,a 
piece of stick was  set on fire1 and    
whirled rapidly in the hands of the     
first player1  who repeated the words-- 
,robin's alight1 and if he go out ,i'll 
saddle your back4      ,it was then     
passed on1 and the person who let the   
spark die had to  pay a forfeit4--7,west
 ,cornwall47    ,this game in ,east     
,cornwall was known as ,jack's alive4   
,jack's alive and likely to live1       
,if he die in my hand a pawn ,i'll give4
      ,in this county forfeits are      
always called pawns2 they are cried by  
the holder of them1 saying1--           
,here's a pawn and a very pretty pawn6  
,and what shall the owner of this pawn  
do8      ,after the midnight supper1 at 
which in one village in the extreme     
,west  a pie of four-and-twenty         
blackbirds always appeared1 many spells 

to  forecast the future were practised4 
,the following account of them was      
given to me by a friend4 ,he says--,i   
engaged in them once at ,sennen  7the   
village at the ,land's ,end7 with a lot 
of girls1 but as my object  was only to 
spoil sport and make the girls laugh or 
speak1 it was  not quite satisfactory4  
,i suppose the time to which ,i refer is
 over  forty years ago4 ,after making up
 a large turf fire1 for hot 'umers'     
7embers7 and pure water are absolutely  
necessary in these divinations1  the    
young people silently left the house in 
single file1 to pull the  rushes and    
gather the ivy-leaves by means of which 
they were to learn  whether they were to
 be married1 and to whom2 and if any1 or
 how many1  of their friends were to die
 before the end of the year4 ,on leaving
  and on returning each of these        
,twelfth-night diviners touched the     
'cravel' with the forehead and 'wished4'
 ,the cravel is the tree that  preceded 
lintels in chimney corners1 and its name

 from this custom may  have been derived
 from the verb 'to crave4' ,had either  
of the party  inadvertently broken the  
silence before the rushes and ivy-leaves
  had been procured they would all have 
been obliged to retrace their  steps to 
the house and again touch the cravel2   
but this time all went  well4 ,when we  
came back those who wished to know their
 fate named the  rushes in pairs1 and   
placed them in the hot embers3 one or   
two of  the engaged couples being too   
shy to do this for themselves1 their    
friends1 amidst much laughing1 did it   
for them4 ,the manner in which  the     
rushes burned showed if the young people
 were to be married to  the person      
chosen or not3 some1 of course1 burnt   
well1 others parted1  and one or two    
went out altogether4 ,the couples that  
burnt smoothly  were to be wedded1 and  
the one named after the rush that lasted
 longest  outlived the other4 ,this     
settled1 one ivy-leaf was thrown on the 
fire2  the number of cracks it made was 

the number of years before the wedding  
would take place4 ,then two were placed 
on the hot ashes2 the cracks  they gave 
this time showed how many children the  
two would have4 ,we  then drew          
ivy-leaves named after present or absent
 friends through  a wedding ring1 and   
put them into a basin of water which we 
left  until the next morning4 ,those    
persons whose leaves had shrivelled or  
turned black in the night were to die   
before the next ,twelfth-tide1  and     
those who were so unfortunate as to find
 their leaves spotted  with red1 by some
 violent death1 unless a 'pellar' 7wise 
man7 could  by his skill and            
incantations grant protection4 ,these   
prophecies  through superstition        
sometimes unluckily fulfilled           
themselves4    ,during the twelve days  
of ,christmas card-playing was a very   
favourite  amusement with all classes4  
,whilst the old people enjoyed their    
game  of whist with 'swabbers1' the     
young ones had their round games4 ,i    

will  append the rules of two or three  
for those who would like to try them4   
,whist 7or whisk1 as ,i have heard an   
old lady call it and maintain  that that
 was its proper name7 with swabbers4    
,this game1 which was played as recently
 as #ahhj1 nightly1 by  four maiden     
ladies at ,falmouth1 is like ordinary   
whist2 but each  player before beginning
 to play puts into the pool a fixed sum 
for  swabs4 ,the swab-cards are--ace and
 deuce of trumps1 ace of hearts  and    
knave of clubs4 ,the four cards are of  
equal value2 but should  hearts be      
trumps the ace would count double4      
,board-'em1 a round game that can be    
played by any number of players1  from  
two to eight2 it is played for fish1 and
 there must never be  less than six fish
 in the pool4 ,six cards are dealt to   
each person2  and the thirteenth1 if two
 are playing1 the nineteenth if three1  
and  so on1 is turned up for trumps4    
,the fore-hand plays2 the next player1  
if he has one1 must follow suit1 if not1

 he may play another suit1 or  trump4   
,the highest card of the original suit1 
if not trumped1 takes  the trick and one
 or more fish1 according to the number  
staked4 ,if  you have neither card in   
your hand that you think will make a    
trick  you may decline to play1 in which
 case you only lose your stake2  but    
should you play and fail to take a trick
 you pay for the whole  company1 and are
 said to be boarded4    ,ranter-go-round
 was formerly played in four divisions  
marked with  chalk upon a tea-tray2 or  
even1 in some cases1 on a bellows--it is
 now  played on a table1 and is called  
,miss ,joan4 ,any number of players  may
 join in it4 ,the first player throws   
down any card of any suit1  and says3-- 
,here's a ---- as you may see4      #bnd
 ,player--,here's another as good as he4
      #crd ,player--,and here's the best
 of all the three4      #dth            
,player--,and here's ,miss ,joan1 come  
tickle me4      ,the holder of the      
fourth card wins the trick4 ,he         

sometimes added the  words wee-wee2 but 
these are now generally omitted4 ,if the
 person  sitting next to the fore-hand  
has neither one of the cards demanded   
7one of the same value as the first     
played1 in another suit71 he  pays one  
to the pool1 as must all in turn who    
fail to produce the  right cards4 ,the  
player of the third may have the fourth 
in his hand1  in which case all the     
others pay4 ,the holder of the most     
tricks wins  the game and takes the     
pool4    ,i once1 about thirty years    
since1 at this season of the year1      
joined  some children at ,camborne who  
were playing a very primitive game      
called  by them pinny-ninny4 ,a basin   
turned upside down was placed in the    
centre of a not very large round table4 
,the players were supplied  with small  
piles of pins--not the well-made ones   
sold in papers1  but clumsy things with 
wire heads--pound-pins4 ,a large bottle 
full  of them might1 then1 always be    
seen in the general shop window of      

every little country village4 ,each in  
turn dropped a pin over the  side of the
 basin1 and he whose pin fell and formed
 a cross on the  top of the heap was    
entitled to add them to his own pile4   
,this went  on until one player had     
beggared all the others4 ,poor children 
before  ,christmas often begged pins to 
play this game1 and their request was   
always granted by the gift of two4    ,a
 wishing-well1 near ,st4 ,austell1 was  
sometimes called ,pennameny  ,well1 from
 the custom of dropping pins into it4   
,pedna-a-mean is the  old ,cornish for  
heads-and-tails4--7,see ,divination at  
,st4 ,roche and  ,madron ,well47    ,all
 ,christmas-cakes must be eaten by the  
night of ,twelfth-tide1  as it is       
unlucky to have any left1 and all       
decorations must be  taken down on the  
next day1 because for every forgotten   
leaf of  evergreen a ghost will be seen 
in the house in the course of the       
ensuing year4 ,this latter superstition 
does not prevail1 however1  in all parts

 of ,cornwall1 as in some districts a   
small branch is kept  to scare away evil
 spirits4    ,january #bdth1 ,st4       
,paul's-eve1 is a holiday with the      
miners1 and is  called by them ',paul   
pitcher-day1' from a custom they have of
 setting  up a water-pitcher1 which they
 pelt with stones until it is broken  in
 pieces4 ,a new one is afterwards bought
 and carried to a beer-shop  to be      
filled with beer4    ,there is a curious
 custom prevalent in some parts of      
,cornwall of  throwing broken pitchers  
and other earthen vessels against the   
doors  of dwelling-houses on the eve of 
the conversion of ,st4 ,paul1 thence    
locally called ',paul pitcher-night4'   
,on that evening parties of young       
people perambulate the parishes in which
 the custom is retained1  exclaiming as 
they throw the sherds1 ',st4 ,paul's-eve
 and here's a  heave4' ,according to the
 received notions the first heave cannot
  be objected to2 but1 upon its being   
repeated1 the inhabitants of  the house 

whose door is thus attacked may1 if they
 can1 seize the  offenders and inflict  
summary justice upon them4--7,f4,m41    
,notes and  ,queries1 ,march1 #ahgd47   
,i have heard of this practice from a   
native of ,east ,cornwall1 who  told me 
the pitchers were filled with broken    
sherds1 filth1 c4    ,the weather on    
,st4 ,paul's-day still1 with the old    
people1 foretells  the weather for the  
ensuing year1 and the rhyme common to   
all ,england  is repeated by them3--    
,if ,st4 ,paul's-day be fine and clear1 
c4      ,st4 ,blazey1 a village in ,east
 ,cornwall1 is so named in honour of    
,st4 ,blaize1 who is said to have landed
 at ,par1 a small neighbouring  seaport1
 when he came on a visit to ,england4   
,his feast1 which is  held on #crd      
,february1 would not be worth mentioning
 were it not for  the fact that--,this  
saint is invoked in the county for      
toothache1  while applying to the tooth 
the candle that burned on the altar of  
the  church dedicated to him4 ,the same 

candles are good for sore-throats  and  
curing diseases in cattle4--7,mrs4      
,damant1 ,cowes47    ,on the ,monday    
after ,st4 ,ives feast1 which falls on  
,quinquagesima  ,sunday1 an annual      
hurling-match is held on the sands4     
,most writers  on ,cornwall have        
described the old game4 ,the following  
account is  taken from ,the ,land's ,end
 ,district1 #ahfb1 by ,r4 ,edmonds3--   
,a ball about the size of a             
cricket-ball1 formed of cork1 or light  
wood1 and covered with silver1 was      
hurled into the air1 midway  between the
 goals4 ,both parties immediately rushed
 towards it1 each  striving to seize and
 carry it to its own goal4 ,in this     
contest1  when any individual having    
possession of the ball found himself    
overpowered or outrun by his opponents1 
he hurled it to one of his  own side1 if
 near enough1 or1 if not1 into some     
pool1 ditch1 furze1  brake1 garden1     
house1 or other place of concealment1 to
 prevent his  adversaries getting hold  

of it before his own company could      
arrive4    ,the hurlers1 quaintly says  
,carew 7,survey of ,cornwall1 p4 #gd71  
,take  their next way ouer hills1 dales1
 hedges1 ditches--yea1 and thorou       
bushes1 briers1 mires1 plashes1 and     
rivers whatsoever--so as you  shall     
sometimes see twenty or thirty lie      
tugging together in the  water1         
scrambling and scratching for the ball4 
,a play verily both  rude and rough4    
,hurling between two or more parishes1  
and between one parish and  another1 has
 long ceased in ,cornwall3 but hurling  
by one part of a  parish against another
 is still played at ,st4 ,ives1 as well 
as other  places in ,cornwall4 ,at ,st4 
,ives all the ,toms1 ,wills1 and ,johns 
are on  one side1 while those having    
other ,christian names range themselves 
on  the opposite4 ,at ,st4 ,columb      
7,east ,cornwall7 the townspeople       
contend  with the countrymen2 at ,truro1
 the married men with the unmarried2  at
 ,helston1 two streets with all the     

other streets2 on the #bnd of ,may1     
when their town-bounds are renewed4     
,fair-play is good play1 is the hurlers'
 motto4 ,this is sometimes  engraven on 
their balls in the old ,cornish         
language4 ,private families  possess    
some of these balls won by their        
ancestors early in the last  century    
that are religiously handed down as     
heirlooms4    ,a ,druidic circle at ,st4
 ,cleer1 in ,east ,cornwall1 is known as
 the  ,hurlers1 from a tradition that a 
party of men hurling on a ,sunday  were 
there for their wickedness turned into  
stone4    ',peasen or ,paisen ,monday'  
is the ,monday before ,shrove ,tuesday2 
it is so  called in ,east ,cornwall from
 a custom of eating pea-soup there on   
this  day4 ,this practice was once so   
universal in some parishes that an old  
farmer of ,lower ,st4 ,columb1 who had a
 special aversion to pea-soup1  left his
 home in the morning1 telling his wife  
that he should not  come back to dinner1
 but spend the day with a friend4 ,he   

returned  two or three hours after in   
great disgust1 as at every house in the 
village he had been asked to stay and   
taste their delicious pea-soup4    ,this
 day also in ,east ,cornwall bears the  
name of ',hall ,monday1'  why1 ,i know  
not4 ,and at dusk on the evening of the 
same day it is the  custom for boys1 and
 in some cases for those above the age  
of boys1  to prowl about the streets    
with short clubs1 and to knock loudly at
  every door1 running off to escape     
detection on the slightest sign of a    
motion within4 ,if1 however1 no         
attention be excited1 and especially if 
any article be discovered1 negligently  
exposed or carelessly guarded1  then the
 things are carried away1 and on the    
following morning are  seen displayed in
 some conspicuous place1 to disclose the
 disgraceful  want of vigilance supposed
 to characterise the owner4 ,the time   
when  this is practised is called       
',nicky ,nan' night1 and the individuals
  concerned are supposed to represent   

some imps of darkness1 that seize  on   
and expose unguarded                    
moments4--7,polperro1 p4 #aea1 by ,t4   
,q4 ,couch47    ,a custom nearly similar
 to this was practised in ,scilly in the
 last  century4    ,the dinner on       
,shrove ,tuesday in many ,cornish houses
 consists of fried  eggs and bacon1 or  
salt pork1 followed by the universal    
pancake1  which is eaten by all classes4
 ,it is made the full size of the pan1  
and currants are put into the batter4   
,in ,penzance large quantities of       
limpets and periwinkles are gathered  in
 the afternoon by poor people1 to be    
cooked for their supper4 ,this  they    
call going a-trigging4 ,any kind of     
shell-fish picked up at  low water in   
this district is known as trig-meat4    
,many other customs were formerly       
observed in ,penzance on ,shrove        
,tuesday1 peculiar1 ,i believe1 to this 
town4    ,women and boys stood at the   
corners of the streets1 with            
well-greased1  sooty hands1 which they  

rubbed over people's faces4 ,i remember1
 not  more than thirty years ago1 seeing
 a little boy run into a house in  a    
great hurry1 and ask for what was he    
wanted4 ,he had met a woman who  had put
 her hands affectionately on each side  
of his face1 and said1  ,your father has
 been looking for you1 my dear4 ,she had
 left the  marks of her dirty fingers4  
,the butchers' market was always        
thoroughly cleaned in the afternoon1  to
 see if the town hose were in perfect   
repair1 and great merriment  was often  
excited by the firemen turning the full 
force of the water  on some unwary      
passer-by4    ,people1 too1 were        
occasionally deluged by having buckets  
of water  thrown over them4 ,every      
,shrove ,tuesday after dusk men and boys
 went  about and threw handfuls of      
shells1 bottles of filth1 etc41 in at   
the  doors4 ,it was usual then for      
drapers to keep their shops open until  
a very late hour2 and ,i have been told 
that boys were occasionally  bribed by  

the assistants to throw something       
particularly disagreeable  in on the    
floors1 that the masters might be       
frightened1 and order the  shops to be  
shut4 ,still later in the evening signs 
were taken down1  knockers wrenched off1
 gates unhung and carried to some       
distance4 ,this  last was done even as  
far down as #ahha4 ,pulling boats up and
 putting  them in a mill-pool 7now built
 over7 was a common practice at         
,mousehole  in the beginning of the     
century4    ,in ,landewednack1 on       
,shrove ,tuesday1 children from the ages
 of six  to twelve perambulate the      
parish begging for ',col-perra'         
7probably  an old ,cornish word72 but1  
whatever be its meaning1 they expect to 
receive eatables or half-pence4 ,as few 
refuse to give1 they collect  during the
 day a tolerable booty1 in the shape of 
money1 eggs1 buns1  apples1 etc4 ,the   
custom has existed from time immemorial1
 but none  of the inhabitants are       
acquainted with its origin4--7,a ,week  

in the  ,lizard1 by ,rev4 ,c4 ,a4       
,johns1 ,b4,b41 ,f4,l4,s47    ,i have   
been favoured by the ,rev4 ,s4 ,rundle1 
,godolphin1 with the formula  repeated  
by the children on this occasion 7now   
almost forgotten73  ,hen-cock1 han-cock1
 give me a 'tabban' 7morsel71 or else   
',col-perra'  shall come to your door4  
,boys at ,st4 ,ives1 ,scilly1 and other 
places1 went about with stones  tied to 
strings1 with which they struck the     
doors1 saying3--         ,give me a     
pancake1 now6 now6 now6      ,or ,i'll  
knock in your door with a row1 tow1 tow6
      ,this custom has only lately 7if  
it has yet7 quite died out4 ,the rhyme  
at ,polperro ran thus3--         ,nicky1
 ,nicky1 ,nan1      ,give me some       
pancake1 and then ,i'll be gone1        
,but if you give me none      ,i'll     
throw a great stone1      ,and down your
 door shall come4                       
,t4 ,q4 ,couch4      ,cock-fighting at  
,shrovetide was once a very favourite   
amusement in  ,cornwall1 and in some of 

the most remote western villages has    
until  recently been continued4 ,the    
,cock-pit at ,penzance1 a small part  of
 which still remains as a yard at the   
,union ,hotel1 belonged to and  was kept
 up by the ,corporation until 7,i think7
 the beginning of the  present century4 
,sir ,rose ,price1 when young1 was a    
great patron of the pit between  the    
years #aghj-agij4 ,his father           
disapproved1 and in consideration  of   
his son giving up cock-fighting bought  
him a pack of hounds1  the first        
foxhounds west of ,truro4--7,t4,s4,b47  
,at ,st4 ,columb1 about sixty years ago1
 on ,shrove ,tuesday1 each child  in a  
dame's school was expected by the       
mistress to bring an egg1  and at twelve
 o'clock the children had an egg-battle4
 ,two children  stood facing each other1
 each held an egg1 and struck the end of
 it  against that of the opponent       
lengthwise1 the result being that one   
or both were broken4    ,an unbroken egg
 was used again and again to fight the  

rest1 and  so the battle raged until    
all1 or all but one1 of the eggs were   
broken4 ,the child who at the end of the
 fight held a sound egg was  considered 
to be the conqueror1 and was glorified  
accordingly4 ,to  save the contents of  
the eggs1 which were the perquisite of  
the  mistress1 she held a plate beneath2
 and at the end of the battle  the      
children were dismissed4 ,and the old   
lady having picked out all  the broken  
shells1 proceeded to prepare her        
pancakes1 of which she  made her        
dinner4--7,fred4 ,w4 ,p4 ,jago1 ,m4,b41 
,plymouth1 ,w4 ,antiquary1  ,march1     
#ahhd47    ,it must be now about thirty 
years ago that ,i was a day-scholar at  
the ,national ,school of ,st4 ,columb1  
and it was the custom then for each  boy
 and girl to bring an egg4 ,one of the  
senior boys stood at a table  and wrote 
the name of the donor upon each4 ,at    
about eleven o'clock the  schoolmaster  
would produce a large punchbowl1 and as 
he took up each  egg he read the name1  

and broke the egg into the bowl4 ,eggs  
at that  time were sold at three for a  
penny4--7,w4 ,b41 ,bodmin1 ,w4          
,antiquary1  ,march1 #ahhd47    ,in the 
eastern part of the county at the       
beginning of ,lent a straw  figure      
dressed in cast-off clothes1 and called 
,jack-o'-lent1 was not  long since      
paraded through the streets and         
afterwards hung4 ,something  of this    
kind is common on the ,continent4       
,the figure is supposed to represent    
,judas ,iscariot4 ,a slovenly ragged    
person is sometimes described as a      
,jack-o'-lent4    #ast ,march4--,in     
,mid-,cornwall1 people arise before the 
sun is up1 and  sweep before the door to
 sweep away fleas4--7,t4 ,q4 ,couch1 ,w4
 ,antiquary1  ,september1 #ahhc47       
#eth ,march4--,st4 ,piran's day is a    
miners' holiday4 ,st4 ,piran is the     
patron saint of tinners1 and is         
popularly supposed to have died  drunk4 
,as drunk as a ,piraner is a ,cornish   
proverb4    ,the first ,friday in ,march

 is another miners' holiday1 ,friday in 
,lide4 ,it is marked by a serio-comic   
custom of sending a young man  on the   
highest bound1 or hillock1 of the works1
 and allowing him  to sleep there as    
long as he can1 the length of his siesta
 being the  measure of the afternoon nap
 of the tinners throughout the ensuing  
twelve months4--7,t4 ,q4 ,couch47 ,lide 
is an obsolete term for the month  of   
,march still preserved in old proverbs1 
such as ,ducks won't lay  'till they've 
drunk ,lide water4    ,of a custom      
observed at ,little ,colan1 in ,east    
,cornwall1 on ,palm ,sunday1  ,carew    
says3 ,little ,colan is not worth       
observation1 unlesse you will  deride or
 pity their simplicity1 who sought at   
our ,lady ,nant's well  there to        
foreknowe what fortune should betide    
them1 which was in this  manner4 ,upon  
,palm ,sunday these idle-headed seekers 
resorted thither  with a ,palme cross in
 one hand and an offring in the other4  
,the offring  fell to the ,priest's     

share1 the crosse they threwe into the  
well2  which if it swamme the party     
should outliue the yeere2 if it sunk a  
short ensuing death was boded2 and      
perhaps not altogether vntimely1  while 
a foolish conceite of this 'halsening'  
myght the sooner helpe  it onwards4     
,holy ,thursday4--,on that ,thursday1   
and the two following ,thursdays1  girls
 in the neighbourhood of ,roche1 in     
,east ,cornwall1 repair to  his holy or 
wishing well before sunrise4 ,they throw
 in crooked pins  or pebbles1 and1 by   
the bubbles that rise to the surface1   
seek to  ascertain whether their        
sweethearts will be true or false4      
,there was  once a chapel near this     
well1 which was then held in great      
repute for  the cure of all kinds of    
diseases1 and a granite figure of ,st4  
,roche  stood on the arch of the        
building that still covers it4    ,goody
 ,friday 7,good ,friday7 was formerly   
kept more as a feast than a  fast in    
,cornwall4 ,every vehicle was engaged   

days beforehand to take  parties to some
 favourite place of resort in the       
neighbourhood1 and  labourers in inland 
parishes walked to the nearest seaport  
to gather  wrinkles 7winkles71 c4    ,on
 the morning of ,good ,friday at ,st4   
,constantine1 in ,west ,cornwall1  an   
old custom is still observed of going to
 ,helford river to gather  shell-fish   
7limpets1 cockles1 c472 this river was  
once famous for  oysters1 and many were 
then bought and eaten on this day4      
,near ,padstow1 in ,east ,cornwall1 is  
the tower of an old church  dedicated to
 ,st4 ,constantine4 ,in its vicinity the
 feast of  ,st4 ,constantine used to be 
annually celebrated1 and has only  been 
discontinued of late years4 ,its        
celebration consisted in the            
destruction of limpet-pies1 and service 
in the church1 followed  by a hurling   
match4--7,murray's ,cornwall47 ,another 
writer says3  ,the festival of ,st4     
,constantine 7,march #ith7 was until    
very lately  kept at ,st4 ,merran       

7,constantine and ,merran are now one   
parish7 by an  annual hurling match1 on 
which occasion the owner of ,harlyn 7a  
house  in the neighbourhood7 had from   
time immemorial supplied the silver     
ball4 ,we are informed1 on good         
authority1 that a ,shepherd's family1   
of the name of ,edwards1 held one of the
 cottages in ,constantine for  many     
generations under the owners of ,harlyn1
 by the annual render  of a ,cornish    
pie1 made of limpets1 raisins1 and sweet
 herbs1 on the  feast of ,st4           
,constantine4--7,lysons' ,magna         
,britannia47    ,at ,st4 ,day a fair was
 formerly held on ,good ,friday1 now    
changed to  ,easter ,monday4    ,on     
,good ,friday1 #ahgh1 ,i saw a brisk    
fair going on in the little  village of 
,perran ,porth1 ,cornwall1 not far from 
the curious oratory of  ,st4 ,piran1    
known as ,perranzabuloe4--7,w4 ,a4 ,b4  
,c41 ,notes and ,queries1  ,april #bcrd1
 #ahha47    ,but1 although many still   
make this day a holiday1 the churches   

are  now much better attended4 ,good    
,friday cross-buns of many kinds are    
sold by the ,cornish confectioners2     
some1 highly spiced1 are eaten  hot with
 butter and sugar2 a commoner bun is    
simply washed over the  top with        
saffron1 and has a few currants stuck on
 it4 ,there is one  peculiar1 ,i        
believe1 to ,penzance3 it is made of a  
rich currant paste  highly covered with 
saffron2 it is about an eighth of an    
inch thick1  and four inches in         
diameter1 and is marked with a large    
cross that  divides it into four equal  
portions4    ,in some of our farmhouses 
the ,good ,friday bun may be seen       
hanging  to a string from the           
bacon-rack1 slowly diminishing until the
 return  of the season replaces it by a 
fresh one4 ,it is of sovereign good in  
all manners of diseases afflicting the  
family or cattle4 ,i have more  than    
once seen a little of this cake grated  
into a warm mash for a  sick cow4--7,t4 
,q4 ,couch1 ,polperro47 ,there is a     

superstition that  bread made on this   
day never gets mouldy4    ,many amateur 
gardeners sow their seeds on ,good      
,friday2 superstition  says then they   
will all grow4 ,there is a widely known 
belief  in ,west ,cornwall1 that young  
ravens are always hatched on ,good      
,friday4--7,t4 ,cornish1 ,w4 ,antiquary1
 ,october1 #ahhg47    ,on ,easter       
,monday1 at ,penzance1 it was the custom
 within the last twenty  years to bring 
out in the lower part of the town1      
before the doors1  tables1 on which were
 placed thick gingerbread cakes with    
raisins in  them1 cups and saucers1     
etc41 to be raffled for with cups and   
dice1  called here ,lilly-bangers4      
,fifty years since a man1 nicknamed     
,harry ,martillo1 with his wife1 the    
lovelee1 always kept one of  these      
lilly-banger stalls at ,penzance on     
market day4 ,he would call  attention to
 his gaming-table by shouting--         
,i've been in ,europe1 ,ayshee1         
,afrikee1 and ,amerikee1      ,and come 

back and married the lovelee4      ,i   
have heard that both used tobacco in    
three ways1 and indulged  freely in rum1
 also tom-trot 7hardbake71 strongly     
flavoured with  peppermint4 ,of course a
 lively market would influence the dose1
 and  as for lovelee1 it must have been 
in ,harry's partial eyes4--7,h4,r4,c47  
,upon little ,easter ,sunday1 the       
freeholders of the towne and mannour  of
 ,lostwithiel1 by themselves or their   
deputies1 did there assemble1  amongst  
whom one 7as it fell to his lot by      
turne71 bravely apparelled1  gallantly  
mounted1 with a crowne on his head1 a   
scepter in his hand1  a sword borne     
before him1 and dutifully attended by   
all the rest  also on horseback1 ride   
thorow the principal streete to the     
,church2  there the ,curate in his best 
'beseene' solemne receiud him at the    
,church-yard stile1 and conducted him to
 heare diuine seruice2 after  which he  
repaired with the same pompe to a house 
fore-prouided for  that purpose1 made a 

feast to his attendants1 kept the       
table's end  himselfe1 and was serued   
with kneeling1 assay1 and all other     
rites  due to the estate of a ,prince2  
with which dinner the ceremony ended1   
and every man returned home             
again4--7,carew47    ,the ancient custom
 of choosing a mock mayor was observed  
at  ,lostwithiel1 on #ajth ,october1    
#ahhd1 by torchlight1 in the presence of
  nearly a thousand people4 ,the origin 
of both these customs is now quite      
forgotten4 ,a custom still existing at  
,st4 ,john's1 ,helston1 and also at     
,buryan4 ,the last mayor of the ,quay1  
,penzance1 was ,mr4 ,robinson1 a noted  
authority on sea fishing1 etc4 ,he died 
about ten years ago4--7,h4,r4,c47       
,april #ast4 ,the universal attempts at 
fooling on this day are carried on  in  
,cornwall as elsewhere1 and children are
 sent by their schoolfellows  for       
penn'orths of pigeon's milk1 memory     
powder1 strap-oil1 etc41 or  with a note
 telling the receiver to send the fool  

farther4 ,when one  boy succeeds in     
taking in another1 he shouts after him1 
,fool6 fool6 the  guckaw 7cuckoo74      
,towednack's 7a village near ,st4 ,ives7
 ,cuckoo or ,crowder feast is on  the   
nearest ,sunday to the #bhth ,april4    
,tradition accounts for the first  name 
by the story of a man who there gave a  
feast on an inclement  day in the end of
 ,april4 ,to warm his guests he threw   
some faggots  on the fire 7or some      
furze-bushes71 when a cuckoo flew out of
 them1  calling ,cuckoo6 cuckoo6 ,it was
 caught and kept1 and he resolved  every
 year to invite his friends to celebrate
 the event4 ,this1 too1  is said to be  
the origin of the feast4    ,crowder in 
,cornwall means a fiddler1 and the      
fiddle is called a  crowd4 ,in former   
days the parishioners of ,towednack were
 met at  the church door on feasten day 
by a crowder1 who1 playing on his       
crowd1 headed a procession through the  
village street1 hence its  second name4 
,the only ,may-pole now erected in      

,cornwall is put up on ,april #cjth1  at
 ,hugh ,town1 ,st4 ,mary's1 ,scilly4    
,girls dance round it on ,may-day with  
garlands of flowers on their heads1 or  
large wreaths of flowers from  shoulder 
to waist4 ,dr4 ,stephen ,clogg1 of      
,looe1 says that ,may-poles  are still  
to be seen on ,may-day1 at ,pelynt1     
,dulver1 and ,east and  ,west           
,looe4--7,w4 ,antiquary1 ,august1       
#ahhd47 ,in the beginning of this       
century1 boys and girls in ,cornwall sat
 up until twelve o'clock on the  eve of 
,may-day1 and then marched around the   
towns and villages with  ,musical       
,instruments1 collecting their friends  
to go a-maying4 ,may-day  is ushered in 
at ,penzance by the discordant blowing  
of large tin  horns4 ,at daybreak1 and  
even earlier1 parties of boys1 five or  
six in  number1 assemble at the street  
corners1 from whence they perambulate   
the town blowing their horns and        
conchshells4 ,they enter the gardens  of
 detached houses1 stop and bray under   

the bed-room windows1 and  beg for      
money4 ,with what they collect they go  
into the country1 and  at one of the    
farmhouses they breakfast on bread and  
clotted cream1  junket1 c4 ,an          
additional ring of tin 7a penn'orth7 is 
added to his  horn every year that a boy
 uses it4    ,formerly1 on ,may-morn1 if
 the boys succeeded in fixing a ,may    
bough  over a farmer's door before he   
was up1 he was considered bound to  give
 them their breakfasts2 and in some     
parts of the county1 should  the first  
comer bring with him a piece of         
well-opened hawthorn1  he was entitled  
to a basin of cream4    ,in ,west       
,cornwall it is the custom to hang a    
piece of furze to a door  early in the  
morning of ,may-day4 ,at breakfast-time 
the one who does  this appears and      
demands a piece of bread and cream with 
a basin of  'raw-milk' 7milk that has   
not been scalded and the cream taken    
off74    ,in ,landrake1 ,east ,cornwall1
 it was the custom to give the person   

who plucked a fern as much cream as     
would cover it4 ,it was also a  practice
 there to chastise with stinging nettles
 any one found in  bed after six on     
,may-morning4--7,rev4 ,s4 ,rundle1      
,vicar1 ,godolphin47    ,young shoots of
 sycamore1 as well as white thorn1 are  
known as ,may in  ,cornwall1 and from   
green twigs of the former and from green
 stalks  of wheaten corn the children of
 this county make a rude whistle1  which
 they call a feeper4    ,until very     
lately parties of young men and women   
rose betimes on  ,may-day and went into 
the country to breakfast2 going a a     
junketing  in the evening has not yet   
been discontinued4    ,at ,hayle1 on    
,may-day 7#ahhc71 as usual1 groups of   
children1 decorated  with flowers and   
gay with fantastic paper-clothes1 went  
singing through  the streets4 ,in the   
evening bonfires were lit in various    
parts of the  town1 houses were         
illuminated with candles1 torches and   
fire-balls  burnt until a late hour4    

,the last is a new and dangerous        
plaything3  a ball of tow or rags is    
saturated with petroleum1 set fire to1  
and then kicked from one place to       
another2 it leaves a small track  of    
burning oil wherever it goes4    ,on    
,may-morning1 in ,polperro1 the children
 and even adults go  out into the       
country and fetch home branches of the  
narrow-leaved  elm1 or flowering boughs 
of white thorn1 both of which are called
  ',may4' ,at a later hour all the boys 
sally forth with bucket1 can1  or other 
vessel1 and avail themselves of a       
license which the season  confers--to   
'dip' or wellnigh drown1 without regard 
to person or  circumstance1 the         
passenger who has not the protection of 
a piece of  ',may' conspicuously stuck  
in his dress2 at the same time they     
sing1  ',the first of ,may is           
,dipping-day4' ,this manner of keeping  
,may-day is1  ,i have heard1 common in  
,cornwall4 ,we are now favoured with a  
call  from the boy with his pretty      

garland1 gay with bright flowers and    
gaudily-painted birds'-eggs1 who expects
 some little gratuity for  the          
sight4--7,t4 ,q4 ,couch47    ,at ,east  
and ,west ,looe the boys dress their    
hats with flowers1 furnish  themselves  
with bullocks' horns1 in which sticks of
 two feet long are  fixed1 and with     
these filled with water they parade the 
streets and  dip all persons who have   
not the sprig of ,may in their          
hats4--7,bond47    ,first of ,may you   
must take down all the horse-shoes 7that
 are nailed  over doors to keep out     
witches1 c47 and turn them1 not letting 
them  touch the ground4--7,old farmer1  
,mid-,cornwall1 through ,t4 ,q4 ,couch1 
,w4 ,antiquary1 ,september1 #ahhc47     
,may-day at ,padstow is ,hobby-horse    
day4 ,a hobby-horse is carried through  
the streets to a pool known as          
,traitor's-pool1 a quarter of a mile    
out of the town4 ,here it is supposed to
 drink3 the head is dipped  into the    
water1 which is freely sprinkled over   

the spectators4 ,the  procession returns
 home1 singing a song to commemorate the
 tradition  that the ,french1 having    
landed in the bay1 mistook a party of   
mummers  in red cloaks for soldiers1    
hastily fled to their boats and rowed   
away4    ,the ,may-pole on the first of 
,may at ,padstow has only been          
discontinued  within the last six or    
eight years 7#ahhc74 ,it was erected in 
connection  with the ',hobby-horse'     
festival by the young men of the town1  
who on  the last eve of ,april month    
would go into the country1 cut a        
quantity  of blooming yellow furze1 and 
gather the flowers then in season1 make 
garlands of the same2 borrow the largest
 spar they could get from  the          
shipwright's yard1 dress it up with the 
said furze and garlands1  with a flag or
 two on the top1 and hoist the pole in a
 conspicuous  part of the town1 when the
 ',mayers1' male and female1 would dance
  around it on that festival-day1       
singing--         ',and strew all your  

flowers1 for summer is come in to-day4  
,it is but a while ago since we have    
strewed ours      ,in the merry morning 
of ,may1' c4      ,the ,may-pole was    
allowed to remain up from a week to a   
fortnight1  when it was taken down1     
stripped1 and the pole                  
returned4--7,henry  ,harding1 ,padstow1 
,w4 ,antiquary1 ,august1 #ahhc47        
,formerly all the respectable people at 
,padstow kept this anniversary1         
decorated with the choicest flowers2 but
 some unlucky day a number of  rough    
characters from a distance joined in it1
 and committed some sad  assaults upon  
old and young1 spoiling all their nice  
summer clothes1  and covering their     
faces and persons with smut4 ,from that 
time--fifty  years since--7#ahfe7 the   
procession is formed of the lowest4     
,the ,may-pole was once decorated with  
the best flowers1 now with  only some   
elm-branches and furze in blossom4 ,the 
horse is formed  as follows3 ,the dress 
is made of sackcloth painted black--a   

fierce  mask--eyes red1 horse's head1   
horse-hair mane and tail2 distended  by 
a hoop--some would call it frightful4   
,carried by a powerful man1  he could   
inflict much mischief with the snappers1
 c4 ,no doubt it is  a remnant of the   
ancient plays1 and it represents the    
devil1 or the  power of darkness4 ,they 
commence singing at sunrise4            
',,the ,,morning-,,song4       ',unite  
and unite1 and let us all unite1        
,for summer is comen to-day2      ,for  
whither we are going we all will unite1 
,in the merry morning of ,may4          
',arise up1 ,mr4 ----1 and joy you      
betide1          ,for summer is comen   
to-day2      ,and bright is your bride  
that lays by your side1          ,in the
 merry morning of ,may4       ',arise1  
up ,mrs4 ----1 and gold be your ring1   
,for summer is comen to-day2      ,and  
give us a cup of ale1 the merrier we    
shall sing          ,in the merry       
morning of ,may4       ',arise up1 ,miss
 ----1 all in your smock of silk1       

,for summer is comen to-day2      ,and  
all your body under as white as any     
milk1          ,in the merry morning of 
,may4       ',the young men of ,padstow 
might if they would1          ,for      
summer is comen to-day2      ,they might
 have built a ship and gilded her with  
gold1          ,in the merry morning of 
,may4       ',now fare you well1 and we 
bid you good cheer1          ,for summer
 is comen to-day2      ,he will come no 
more unto your house before another     
year1          ,in the merry morning of 
,may4'                                  
7,george ,rawlings1 ,september #ast1    
#ahfe1 through                          
,r4 ,hunt1 ,f4,r4,s41 ,droles1 c41 ,old 
,cornwall47      ,mr4 ,rawlings all     
through his song has written ,for summer
 has come  unto day1 but this is clearly
 a mistake4 ,he also gives another which
  he calls the ,may-,song1 but it is not
 as well worth transcribing3  it bears  
in some parts a slight resemblance to   
that sung at the  ,helston ,hal-an-tow4 

,mr4 ,george ,c4 ,boase1 in an article  
on ,the ,padstow ,may-,songs1 has many  
additional verses in ,the               
,morning-,song4 ,he also gives ,the     
,day-,song1  sung in honour of ,st4     
,george1 of which ,i will quote the     
first verse1  and the last paragraph of 
his paper4         ,awake1 ,st4 ,george1
 our ,english knight ,o6      ,for      
summer is a-come and winter is a-go1    
,and every day ,god give us ,his grace1 
,by day and by night ,o6      ,where is 
,st4 ,george1 where is he ,o6      ,he  
is out in his long boat1 all on the salt
 sea ,o6      ,and in every land ,o6 the
 land that ere we go4                   
,chorus--,and for to fetch the summer   
home1 the summer and the ,may ,o6       
,for the summer is a-come and the winter
 is a-go1              etc4      ,the   
only account of ,the ,hobby-horse found 
in the ,cornish histories is  in        
,hitchins and ,drew's ,cornwall 7vol4   
i41 p4 #gbj2 vol4 ii41 pp4 #ebe1  #ebi71
 where it is stated that there is a     

tradition of ,st4 ,george  on horseback 
having visited the neighbourhood of     
,padstow1 where  the indentation of his 
horse's hoofs caused a spring of water  
to  arise4 ,the spot is still known as  
,st4 ,george's well1 and water is  said 
to be found there even in the hottest   
summer4--7,w4 ,antiquary47    ,in ,east 
,cornwall they have a custom of bathing 
in the sea on the  three first ,sunday  
mornings in ,may4 ,and in ,west         
,cornwall children  were taken before   
sunrise on those days to the holy wells1
 notably to  that of ,st4 ,maddern      
7,madron71 near ,penzance1 to be there  
dipped into  the running water1 that    
they might be cured of the rickets and  
other  childish disorders4 ,after being 
stripped naked they were plunged three  
times into the water1 the parents facing
 the sun1 and passed round the  well    
nine times from east to west4 ,they were
 then dressed1 and laid  by the side of 
the well1 or on an artificial mound     
re-made every year1  called ,st4        

,maddern's bed1 which faced it1 to sleep
 in the sun3 should  they do so and the 
water bubble it was considered a good   
sign4 ,not  a word was to be spoken the 
whole time for fear of breaking the     
spell4    ,a small piece torn 7not cut7 
from the child's clothes was hung  for  
luck 7if possible out of sight7 on a    
thorn which grew out of  the chapel     
wall4 ,some of these bits of rag may    
still sometimes be  found fluttering on 
the neighbouring bushes4 ,i knew two    
well-educated  people who in #ahdj1     
having a son who could not walk at the  
age of two1  carried him and dipped him 
in ,madron well 7a distance of three    
miles  from their home17 on the first   
two ,sundays in ,may2 but on the third  
the father refused to go4 ,some         
authorities say this well should be     
visited on the first three ,wednesdays  
in ,may2 as was for the same  purpose   
another holy well at ,chapel ,euny 7or  
,st4 ,uny7 near ,sancred4    ,the       
,wesleyans hold an open-air service on  

the first three ,sunday  afternoons in  
,may1 at a ruined chapel near ,madron   
well1 in the south  wall of which a hole
 may be seen1 through which the water   
from the  well runs into a small        
baptistry in the south-west corner4     
,parties of young girls to this day walk
 there in ,may to try for  sweethearts4 
,crooked pins1 or small heavy things1   
are dropped into the  well in couples2  
if they keep together the pair will be  
married2 the  number of bubbles they    
make in falling shows the time that will
 elapse  before the event4 ,sometimes   
two pieces of straw formed into a cross1
  fastened in the centre by a pin1 were 
used in these divinations4 ,an old      
woman who lived in a cottage at a little
 distance formerly frequented  the well 
and instructed visitors how to work the 
charms2 she was never  paid in money1   
but small presents were placed where she
 could find  them4 ,pilgrims from all   
parts of ,england centuries ago resorted
 to  ,st4 ,maddern's well3 that was     

famed1 as was also her grave1 for many  
miraculous cures4 ,the late ,rev4 ,r4   
,s4 ,hawker1 ,vicar of ,morwenstow1 in  
,east ,cornwall1 published a poem1      
called ,the ,doom ,well of ,st4 ,madron1
  on one of the ancient legends         
connected with it4    ,a respectable    
tradesman's wife in ,launceston tells me
 that the  townspeople here say that a  
swelling in the neck may be cured by the
  patients going before sunrise on the  
first of ,may to the grave of  the last 
young man 7if the patient be a woman71  
to that of the last  young woman 7if a  
man7 who had been buried in the         
churchyard1 and  applying the dew1      
gathered by passing the hand three times
 from the  head to the foot of the      
grave1 to the part affected by the      
ailment4 ,i  may as well add that the   
common notion of improving the          
complexion by  washing the face with the
 early dew in the fields on the first of
 ,may  prevails in these parts 7,east   
,cornwall71 and they say that a child   

who is weak in the back may be cured by 
drawing him over the grass  wet with the
 morning dew4 ,the experiment must be   
thrice performed1  that is1 on the      
mornings of the #ast1 #bnd1 and #crd of 
,may4--7,h4 ,g4 ,t41  ,notes and        
,queries1 #adth ,december1 #ahej47      
,the #hth of ,may is at ,helston given  
up to pleasure1 and is known as         
,flora-day1 ,flurry-day1 ,furry-day1 and
 ,faddy4 ,to fade meant in old  ,english
 to dance from country to town4 ,a      
legend says this day was  set apart to  
commemorate a fight between the devil   
and ,st4 ,michael1  in which the first  
was defeated4 ,the name ,helston has    
been fancifully  derived from a large   
block of granite which until #aghc was  
to be seen  in the yard of the ,angel   
hotel1 the principal inn of the place4  
,this  was the stone that sealed ,hell's
 mouth1 and the devil was carrying  it  
when met by ,st4 ,michael4 ,why he      
should have burdened himself with  such 
a large pebble 7as ,cornish miners call 

all stones7 is quite  unknown4 ,the     
fight and overthrow are figured on the  
town-seal4    ,the week before          
,flora-day is in ,helston devoted to the
 spring-clean1  and every house is made 
as bright as a new pin1 and the gardens 
stripped of their flowers to adorn them4
    ,the revelry begins at day-break1   
when the men and maidservants  with     
their friends go into the country to    
breakfast2 these are the  ,hal-an-tow4  
,they return about eight1 laden with    
green boughs1  preceded by a drum and   
singing an old song1 the first verses of
 which  ran thus3--         ,robin ,hood
 and ,little ,john      ,they both are  
gone to fair1 ,o6      ,and we will to  
the merry greenwood      ,to see what   
they do there1 ,o6      ,and for to     
chase--,o6      ,to chase the buck and  
doe4        ,refrain--,with ,hal-an-tow6
 ,rumbelow6               ,for we are up
 as soon as any ,o6               ,and  
for to fetch the summer home1           
,the summer and the ,may ,o6            

,for summer is a-come ,o6               
,and winter is a-gone ,o6      ,the     
whole of this song may be found with the
 music in the ,rev4 ,baring  ,gould's   
,songs of the ,west1 and the first verse
 set to another  tune in ,specimens of  
,cornish ,provincial ,dialect1 by ,uncle
 ,jan  ,trenoodle4 7,sandys47    ,the   
,hal-an-tow are privileged to levy      
contributions on strangers  coming into 
the town4    ,early in the morning merry
 peals are rung on the church-bells1    
and at nine a prescriptive holiday is   
demanded by the boys at the             
grammar-school4 ,at noon the principal  
inhabitants and visitors dance  through 
the town4 ,the dancers start from the   
market-house1 and go  through the       
streets2 in at the front doors of the   
houses that have  been left open for    
them1 ringing every bell and knocking at
 every  knocker1 and out at the back1   
but if more convenient they dance       
around the garden1 or even around a     
room1 and return through the  door by   

which they entered4 ,sometimes the      
procession files in at one  shop-door1  
dances through that department and out  
through another1  and in one place      
descends into a cellar4 ,all the main   
streets are  thus traversed1 and a      
circuit is made of the bowling-green1   
which  at one end is the extreme limit  
of the town4 ,two beadles1 their  wands 
wreathed with flowers1 and a band with a
 gaily-decorated  drum1 head the        
procession4 ,the dance ends with hands  
across at  the assembly room of the     
,angel hotel1 where there is always a   
ball  in the evening4 ,non-dancers are  
admitted to this room by a small        
payment 7which must be a silver coin71  
paid as they go up the stairs  either to
 the landlord or a gentleman1--one      
stands on each side of  the door4 ,the  
gentlemen dancers on entering pay for   
their partners1  and by established     
custom1 should they be going to attend  
the evening  ball1 they are bound to    
give them their tickets1 gloves1 and the

  first dance4 ,the tradespeople have   
their dance at a later hour1  and their 
ball at another hotel4    ,the figure of
 the ,furry dance1 performed to a very  
lively measure1  is extremely simple4   
,to the first half of the tune the      
couples dance  along hand-in-hand2 at   
the second the first gentleman turns the
 second  lady and the second gentleman  
the first4 ,this change is made all down
  the set4 ,repeat4    ,i have appended 
the tune1 to which children have adopted
 the following  doggerel3--             
,john the bone 7beau7 was walking home1 
,when he met with ,sally ,dover1        
,he kissed her once1 he kissed her      
twice1        ,and he kissed her three  
times over4      ,some writers have made
 the mistake of imagining that the tune 
sung  to the ,hal-an-tow and the ,furry 
dance are the same4    ,formerly1 should
 any person in ,helston be found at work
 on ,flora-day1  he was set astride on a
 pole1 then carried away on men's       
shoulders to  a wide part of the ,cober 

7a stream which empties itself into     
,loe-pool  close by71 and sentenced to  
leap over it4 ,as it was almost         
impossible  to do this without jumping  
into the water1 the punishment was      
remitted  by the payment of a small fine
 towards the day's amusement4 ,others   
say the offender was first made to jump 
the ,cober and then set astride  on a   
pole to dry4    ,in many of the villages
 around ,helston the children1 on       
,flora-day1 deck  themselves with large 
wreaths1 which they wear over one       
shoulder and  under the other arm2 and  
at ,porthleven ,i observed1 in #ahhd1 in
 addition  to these wreaths1 several    
children with large white handkerchiefs 
arranged as wimples1 kept on their heads
 with garlands of flowers4    ,one of   
the first objects on entering the       
village of ,st4 ,germans  7,east        
,cornwall7 is the large walnut-tree1 at 
the foot of what is  called ,nut-tree   
,hill4 ,many a gay ,may-fair has been   
witnessed by  the old tree4 ,in the     

morning of the #bhth of the month       
splendid fat  cattle from some of the   
largest and best farms in the county    
quietly  chewed the cud around its      
trunk2 in the afternoon the basket-swing
  dangled from its branches filled with 
merry1 laughing boys and girls  from    
every part of the parish4 ,on the       
following day the mock mayor1  who had  
been chosen with many formalities1      
remarkable only for their  rude and     
rough nature1 starting from some        
bush-house where he had  been supping   
too freely of the fair-ale1 was mounted 
on wain or cart1  and drawn around it1  
to claim his pretended jurisdiction over
 the  ancient borough1 until his        
successor was chosen at the following   
fair4 ,leaving the nut-tree1 which is a 
real ornament to the town1 we  pass by a
 spring of water running into a large   
trough1 in which many  a country lad has
 been drenched for daring to enter the  
town on the  #bith of ,may without the  
leaf or branch of oak in his hat4--7,r4 

,hunt1  ,f4,r4,s41 ,drolls1 c41 ,old    
,cornwall47    ,the wrestlers of        
,cornwall and their wrestling-matches   
are still famous1  and in the ,may of   
#ahfh #d1jjj assembled one day on       
,marazion ,green1  and #c1jjj the next1 
to see one4 ,the wrestlers of this      
county have a  peculiar grip1 called by 
them the ,cornish-hug4    ,any odd1     
foolish game is in ,west ,cornwall      
called a ,may-game  7pronounced         
,may-gum71 also a person who acts       
foolishly2 and you  frequently hear the 
expression--,he's a reg'lar ,may-gum6   
,there is a  proverb that says--,don't  
make mock of a ,may-gum1 you may be     
struck  comical yourself one day4       
,whit-,sunday4--,it was formerly        
considered very unlucky in ,cornwall to 
go out on this day without putting on   
some new thing4 ,children were  told    
that should they do so the birds would  
foul them as they walked  along4 ,a new 
ribbon1 or even a shoe-lace1 would be   
sufficient to  protect them4            

,whit-,monday is generally kept as a    
holiday1 and is often  made an excuse   
for another country excursion1 which1 if
 taken in the  afternoon1 ends at some  
farm-house with a tea of ,cornish       
heavy-cream  cake1 followed 7in the     
evening7 by a junket with clotted-cream4
    ,carew speaks of a feast kept in his
 time on ,whit-,monday at the           
,church-house of the different parishes 
called a ,church-ale4 ,it was  a sort of
 large picnic1 for which money had been 
previously collected  by two young      
men--wardens1 who had been previously   
appointed the  preceding year by their  
last foregoers4 ,this custom has long   
ceased  to exist4    ,the ,wesleyans    
7,methodists7 in ,cornwall hold an      
open-air service  on ,whit-,monday at   
,gwennap-pit4 ,the pit is an old        
earth-round1  excavated in the hill-side
 of ,carn ,marth1 about three miles from
 the  small village of ,gwennap1 and one
 from ,redruth4 ,this amphitheatre1     
which is then usually filled1 is capable

 of holding from four to  five thousand 
people1 and is in shape like a funnel4  
,it is encircled  from the bottom to the
 top with eighteen turf-covered banks1  
made by  cutting the earth into steps4  
,it is admirably adapted for sound1 and 
the voice of the preacher1 who stands on
 one side1 about half way up1  is       
distinctly heard by the whole           
congregation4 ,wesley1 when on a visit  
to ,cornwall1 preached in ,gwennap-pit  
to the miners of that district1  and    
this was the origin of the custom4 ,many
 excursion-trains run to  ,redruth on   
,whit-,monday1 and a continuous string  
of vehicles of every  description1 as   
well as pedestrians1 may be seen wending
 their way  from the station to the pit1
 which is almost surrounded by downs1   
and in a road close by rows of standings
 7stalls7 are erected for  the sale of  
fairings4 ,an annual pleasure-fair goes 
on at the same  time at ,redruth1 and   
many avail themselves of the            
excursion-trains  who have not the least

 intention of attending the religious   
service4    ,in ,mid-,cornwall1 in the  
second week of ,june1 at ,st4 ,roche and
 in one  or two adjacent parishes1 a    
curious dance is performed at their     
annual  'feasts4' ,it enjoys the rather 
undignified name of ',snails' creep1'   
but would be more properly called ',the 
,serpent's ,coil4'    ,the following is 
scarcely a perfect description of       
it3--,the young  people being all       
assembled in a large meadow1 the village
 band  strikes up a simple but lively   
air1 and marches forward1 followed by   
the whole assemblage1 leading           
hand-in-hand 7or more closely linked  in
 case of engaged couples71 the whole    
keeping time to the tune  with a lively 
step4 ,the band or head of the serpent  
keeps marching  in an ever-narrowing    
circle1 whilst its train of dancing     
followers  becomes coiled around it in  
circle after circle4 ,it is now that the
  most interesting part of the dance    
commences1 for the band1 taking  a sharp

 turn about1 begins to retrace the      
circle1 still followed as  before1 and a
 number of young men with long1 leafy   
branches in their  hands as standards1  
direct this counter-movement with almost
 military  precision4--7,w4 ,c4 ,wade1  
,w4 ,antiquary1 ,april1 #ahha47    ,a   
game similar to the above dance is often
 played by ,sunday-school  children in  
,west ,cornwall1 at their out-of-door   
summer-treats1 called  by them          
roll-tobacco4 ,they join hands in one   
long line1 the taller  children at the  
head4 ,the first child stands still1    
whilst the others  in ever-narrowing    
circles dance around singing1 until they
 are coiled  into a tight mass4 ,the    
outer coil then wheels sharply in a     
contrary  direction1 followed by the    
remainder1 retracing their steps4       
#bcrd of ,june4 ,in the afternoon of    
,midsummer-eve little girls may be      
still occasionally met in the streets of
 ,penzance with garlands of  flowers on 
their heads1 or wreaths over one        

shoulder4    ,this custom was1 within   
the last fifty years1 generally observed
  in ,west ,cornwall4 ,and in all the   
streets of our towns and villages       
groups of graceful girls1 rich as well  
as poor1 all dressed in white1  their   
frocks decorated with rows of           
laurel-leaves 7often spangled  with     
gold-leaf--,bottrell71 might in the     
afternoon have been seen  standing at   
the doors1 or in the evening dancing    
along with their  brothers or lovers4   
,in ,penzance1 and in nearly all the    
parishes of ,west ,penwith1  immediately
 after nightfall on the eves of ,st4    
,john and ,st4 ,peter1  the #bcrd and   
#bhth of ,june1 lines of tar-barrels1   
occasionally broken  by bonfires1 were  
simultaneously lighted in all the       
streets1 whilst1  at the same time1     
bonfires were kindled on all the cairns 
and hills  around ,mount's ,bay1        
throwing the outlines in bold relief    
against  the sky4 ,then the villagers1  
linked in circles hand-in-hand1  danced 

round them to preserve themselves       
against witchcraft1 and1  when they     
burnt low1 one person here and there    
detached himself from  the rest and     
leaped through the flames to insure     
himself from some  special evil4 ,the   
old people counted these fires and drew 
a presage  from them4--7,bottrell47     
,regularly at dusk the mayor of         
,penzance sent the town-crier through   
the streets to give notice that no      
fireworks were allowed to be let  off in
 the town2 but this was done simply that
 he should not be held  responsible if  
any accident happened1 for he and all in
 ,penzance knew  quite well that the law
 would be set at defiance4 ,large       
numbers of men1  women1 and boys came up
 soon after from the quay and lower     
parts of  the town swinging immense     
torches around their heads2 these       
torches  7locally known as to'ches7 were
 made of pieces of canvas about  two    
feet square1 fastened in the middle     
either to a long pole or a  strong      

chain1 dipped until completely saturated
 in tar4 ,of course  they required to be
 swung with great dexterity or the      
holder would  have been burnt4 ,the heat
 they gave out was something dreadful1  
and the smoke suffocating4 ,most of the 
inhabitants dressed in their  oldest    
clothes congregated in groups in the    
street1 and a great part  of the fun of 
the evening consisted in slyly throwing 
squibs amongst  them1 or in dispersing  
them by chasing them with hand-rockets4 
,the  greatest good humour always       
prevailed1 and although the revellers   
were thickest in a small square         
surrounded by houses1 some of them      
thatched1 very few accidents have ever  
happened4 ,a band stationed  here played
 at intervals4 ,no set-pieces were ever 
put off1 but there  were a few          
,roman-candles4 ,between ten and eleven 
a popular mayor might  often have been  
seen standing in the middle of this     
square 7the ,green  ,market71 encircled 
by about a dozen young men1 each holding

 a lighted  hand-rocket over the mayor's
 head4 ,the sparks which fell around him
  on all sides made him look as if he   
stood in the centre of a fountain  of   
fire4 ,the proceedings finished by the  
boys and girls from the  quay1 whose    
torches had by this time expired1       
dancing in a long line  hand in hand    
through the streets1 in and out and     
sometimes over the  now low burning     
tar-barrels1 crying out1 ,an eye1 an    
eye4 ,at this  shout the top couple held
 up their arms1 and1 beginning with the 
last1 the others ran under them1 thus   
reversing their position4 ,a  year or   
two ago1 owing to the increasing traffic
 at ,penzance1  the practice of letting 
off squibs and crackers in the streets  
was  formally abolished by order of the 
mayor and corporation4 ,efforts  are    
still made and money collected for the  
purpose of reviving it1  with some      
little success2 but the ,green ,market  
is no longer the  scene of the fun4 ,a  
few boys still after dusk swing their   

torches1  and here and there some of the
 old inhabitants keep up the custom of  
lighting tar-barrels or bonfires before 
their doors4 ,a rite called  the        
,bonfire ,test was formerly celebrated  
on this night4 ,mr4 ,r4 ,hunt1          
,f4,r4,s41 has described it in his      
,drolls1 c4 ,old ,cornwall3--,a bonfire 
is formed of faggots of furze1 ferns1   
and the like4 ,men and maidens1  by     
locking hands1 form a circle1 and       
commence a dance to some wild  native   
song4 ,at length1 as the dancers become 
excited1 they pull each  other from side
 to side across the fire4 ,if they      
succeed in treading  out the fire       
without breaking the chain1 none of the 
party will die  during the year4 ,if1   
however1 the ring is broken before the  
fire  is extinguished1 'bad luck to the 
weak hands1' as my informant said       
7#ahfe74 ,all the witches in ,west      
,cornwall used to meet at midnight on   
,midsummer-eve at ,trewa 7pronounced    
,troway71 in the parish of ,zennor1  and

 around the dying fires renewed their   
vows to their master1 the  ,devil4      
,zennor boasts of some of the finest    
coast scenery in ,cornwall1  and many   
remarkable rocks were scattered about in
 this neighbourhood2  several of them   
7as does the cromlech7 still remain1 but
 others have  been quarried and carted  
away1 amongst them one known as         
,witches'  ,rock1 which if touched nine 
times at midnight kept away ill-luck1   
and prevented people from being         
'over-looked' 7ill-wished74    ,on      
,midsummer-day 7,june #bdth7 two        
pleasure fairs are held in ,cornwall3   
one at ,pelynt1 in the eastern part of  
the county1 where in the evening1  from 
time immemorial1 a large bonfire has    
been always lighted in an  adjoining    
field by the boys of the neighbourhood  
7some writers fix on  the summer        
solstice as the date of ,pelynt fair1   
but this1 ,i believe1  is an error72 and
 the second on the old quay at          
,penzance4 ,it is called  ,quay ,fair1  

to distinguish it from ,corpus ,christi 
fair1 another and  much larger one held 
at the other extremity of the town1 and 
which  lasts from the eve of ,corpus    
,christi until the following ,saturday4 
,quay  fair was formerly crowded by     
people from the neighbouring inland     
towns  and villages2 their principal    
amusement was to go out for a short row1
  a great number in one boat1 the       
boatmen charging a penny a head4 ,this  
was taking a ,pen'nord of ,say4 ,when   
not paid for1 a short row is a  ,troil4 
7,troil is ,old-,cornish for a feast74  
,although this fair has not yet been    
discontinued1 the number of those       
attending it grows less and less every  
year1 and not enough money is  taken to 
encourage travelling showmen to set up  
their booths4 ,the  old charter allowed 
the public-houses at the quay to keep   
open all  night on the #bdth of ,june1  
but such is no longer the case4 ,quay   
fair was sometimes known as ,strawberry 
fair1 and thirty years ago  many        

strawberries were sold at it for        
twopence a quart4 ,they were  not       
brought to market in pottles1 but in    
large baskets containing  some gallons1 
and were measured out to the customers  
in a tin pint  or quart measure4 ,they  
were eaten from cabbage-leaves4 ,before 
the  end of the day1 unless there were a
 brisk sale1 the fruit naturally  got   
much bruised4 ,they are still sold in   
the same way1 but are not  nearly as    
plentiful4 ,many of the strawberry      
fields1 through which the  public       
footpaths often went1 have been turned  
up1 and are now used  for growing early 
potatoes4 ,on ,st4 ,john's-day ,cornish 
miners place  a green bough on the      
shears of the engine-houses in          
commemoration of  his preaching in the  
wilderness4    ,this day is with        
,cornish as with other maidens a        
favourite one for  trying old           
love-charms4 ,some of them rise betimes1
 and go into the  country to search for 
an even leafed ash1 or an even leafed   

clover4 ,when found1 the rhymes they    
repeat are common to all ,england4      
,an old lady1 a native of ,scilly1 once 
gave me a most graphic  description of  
her mother and aunt laying a table1 just
 before midnight  on ,st4 ,john's-day1  
with a clean white cloth1 knives and    
forks1 and  bread and cheese1 to see if 
they should marry the men to whom they  
were engaged4 ,they sat down to it1     
keeping strict silence--         ,for1  
if a word had been spoken1      ,the    
spell would have been broken4      ,as  
the clock struck twelve1 the door 7which
 had purposely been left  unbarred7     
opened1 and their two lovers walked in1 
having1 as they  said1 met outside1 both
 compelled by irresistible curiosity to 
go  and see if there were anything the  
matter with their sweethearts4    ,it   
never entered the old lady's head that  
the men probably had an  inkling of what
 was going on1 and to have hinted that  
such was the  case would1 ,i am quite   
sure1 have given dire offence4    ,the  

following charm is from the ,w4         
,antiquary3--,pluck a rose at  midnight 
on ,st4 ,john's-day1 wear it to church1 
and your intended  will take it out of  
your button-hole4--7,old ,farmer1       
,mid-,cornwall1  through ,t4 ,q4        
,couch47    ,it was believed that if a  
young maiden gathered a rose on         
,midsummer-day1 and folding it in white 
paper1 forbore to look at  it or mention
 what she had done until the following  
,christmas-day1  she would then find the
 flower fresh and bright2 and further if
 she  placed it in her bosom and wore it
 at church1 the person most worthy  of  
her hand would be sure to draw near her 
in the porch1 and beseech  her to give  
him the rose4--,neota--,launcells4      
,charlotte ,hawkey4    ,in connection   
with ,midsummer bonfires1 ,i mentioned  
those on  ,st4 ,peter's-eve2 although   
they are no longer lighted at ,penzance1
  the custom 7never confined to ,west   
,cornwall7 is in other places still     
observed4 ,many of the churches in the  

small fishing villages on the  coast are
 dedicated to this saint1 the patron of 
fishermen1 and on  his tide the towers  
of these churches were formerly         
occasionally  illuminated4    ,on ,st4  
,peter's-eve1 at ,newlyn ,west1 in      
#ahhc1 many of the men were  away       
fishing on the east coast of ,england1  
and the celebration of the  festival was
 put off until their return1 when it    
took place with more  than usual        
rejoicings4 ,the afternoon was given up 
to aquatic sports1  and in the evening1 
in addition to the usual bonfires and   
tar-barrels1  squibs1 hand and          
sky-rockets were let off4 ,the young    
people finished  the day with an        
open-air dance1 which ended before      
twelve4 ,in this  village effigies of   
objectionable characters1 after they    
have been  carried through the streets1 
are sometimes burnt in the ,st4 ,peter's
  bonfire4 ,i have often in ,cornwall   
heard red-haired people described  as   
looking as if they were born on bonfire 

night4 ,at ,wendron1 and  many other    
small inland mining villages1 the boys  
at ,st4 ,peter's-tide  fire off         
miniature rock batteries called plugs4  
,i must now again quote from ,mr4 ,t4   
,q4 ,couch1 and give his account of  how
 this day is observed at ,polperro4     
,the patron saint of ,polperro is ,st4  
,peter1 to whom the church1 built  on   
the seaward hill 7still called chapel   
hill7 was dedicated4 ,his  festival is  
kept on the #ajth of ,july 7old style74 
,at ,peter's-tide is  our annual feast  
or fair4 ,though a feeble and           
insignificant matter1  it is still with 
the young the great event of the year4  
,on the eve of  the fair is the         
prefatory ceremony of a bonfire4 ,the   
young fishermen go  from house to house 
and beg money to defray the expenses4   
,at nightfall  a large pile of faggots  
and tar-barrels is built on the beach1  
and1  amid the cheers of a congregated  
crowd of men1 women1 and children  7for 
it is a favour never denied to children 

to stay up and see the  bonfire71 the   
pile is lighted4 ,the fire blazes up1   
and men and boys  dance merrily round   
it1 and keep up the sport till the fire 
burns  low enough1 when they venturously
 leap through the flames4 ,it is a  most
 animated scene1 the whole valley lit up
 by the bright red glow1  bringing into 
strong relief front and gable of        
picturesque old houses1  each window    
crowded with eager and delighted faces1 
while around the  fire is a crowd of    
ruddy lookers-on1 shutting in a circle  
of impish  figures leaping like         
salamanders through the flames4    ,the 
next day the fair begins1 a trivial     
matter1 except to the  children1 who are
 dressed in their ,sunday clothes1 and  
to the  village girls in their best     
gowns and gaudiest ribbons4 ,stalls1 or 
'standings1' laden with fairings1       
sweetmeats1 and toys1 line the  lower   
part of ,lansallos ,street1 near the    
strand4 ,there are1 besides1  strolling 
,thespians2 fellows who draw unwary     

youths into games  of hazard1 where the 
risk is mainly on one side2             
ballad-singers2  penny-peep men1 who    
show and describe to wondering boys the 
most  horrid scenes of the latest       
murder2 jugglers and tumblers also      
display  their skill4 ,in the           
neighbouring inn the fiddler plays his  
liveliest  tunes at twopence a reel1    
which the swains gallantly pay4 ,the    
first  day of the fair is merely        
introductory1 for the excitement is     
rarely  allayed under three4 ,the second
 day is much livelier than the first1   
and has for its great event the         
wrestling-match on the strand1 or       
perhaps a boat-race4 ,on the third day  
we have the mayor-choosing1  never a    
valid ceremony1 but a broad burlesque4  
,the person who is  chosen to this post 
of mimic dignity is generally some      
half-witted or  drunken fellow1 who1    
tricked out in tinsel finery1 elects his
 staff  of constables1 and these1 armed 
with staves1 accompany his chariot      

7some jowster's huckster's cart1 dressed
 with green boughs7 through  the town1  
stopping at each inn1 where he makes a  
speech full of large  promises to his   
listeners1 of full work1 better wages1  
and a liberal  allowance of beer during 
his year of mayoralty4 ,he then demands 
a  quart of the landlord's ale1 which is
 gauged with mock ceremony1  and if     
adjudged short of measure is1 after     
being emptied1 broken on  the wheel of  
the car4 ,having completed the          
perambulation of the town1  his         
attendants often make some facetious end
 of the pageant by wheeling  the mayor  
in his chariot with some impetus into   
the tide4--,polperro1  #ahga1 pp4       
#aef-aei4    ,the ceremony of choosing a
 mock mayor was also observed at ,penryn
 7near  ,falmouth71 but it took place in
 the autumn1 on a day in ,september or  
,october1 when hazel-nuts were ripe1 and
 nutting day was kept by the  children  
and poor people4 ,the journeymen tailors
 went from ,penryn and  ,falmouth to    

,mylor parish1 on the opposite side of  
the river ,fal4 ,there  they made choice
 of the wittiest among them to fill that
 office4 ,his  title was the ,mayor of  
,mylor4 ,when chosen1 he was borne in a 
chair  upon the shoulders of four strong
 men from his goode towne of ,mylor  to 
his anciente borough of ,penryn4 ,he was
 preceded by torch-bearers  and two     
town-sergeants1 in gowns and cocked     
hats1 with cabbages instead  of maces1  
and surrounded by a guard armed with    
staves4 ,just outside  ,penryn he was   
met with a band of music1 which played  
him into the  town4 ,the procession     
halted at the town-hall1 where the mayor
 made a  burlesque speech1 often a      
clever imitation of the phrases and     
manners  of their then sitting          
parliamentary representative4 ,this     
speech was  repeated with variations    
before the different inns1 the landlords
 of  which were expected to provide the 
mayor and his numerous attendants       
liberally with beer4 ,the day's         

proceedings finished with a dinner at   
one of the public-houses in ,penryn4    
,bonfires1 c41 were lighted1 and        
fireworks let off soon after dusk4 ,it  
was popularly believed that this        
choosing of a mock mayor was permitted  
by a clause in the town charter4    ,a  
festival1 supposed to have been         
instituted in honour of                 
,thomas--,beckett1 called               
,bodmin-,riding1 was 7although shorn of 
its  former importance7 until very      
recently held there on the first ,monday
  and ,tuesday after the #gth of ,july4 
,in the beginning of this century all   
the tradespeople of the town1  preceded 
by music and carrying emblems of their  
trades1 walked in  procession to the    
,priory4 ,they were headed by two men1  
one with a  garland and the other with a
 pole1 which they presented and received
  back again from the master of the     
house as the then representative  of the
 ,prior4 ,mr4 ,t4 ,q4 ,couch had the    
following description of this  ceremony 

from those who took part in its latest  
celebration3--    ,a puncheon of beer   
having been brewed in the previous      
,october1  and duly bottled in          
anticipation of the time1 two or more   
young  men1 who were entrusted with the 
chief management of the affair1  and who
 represented 'the ,wardens' of ,carew's 
,church-ales1 went  round the town      
7,bodmin7 attended by a band of drummers
 and fifers1  or other instruments4 ,the
 crier saluted each house with--',to the
  people of this house1 a prosperous    
morning1 long life1 health1  and a merry
 riding4' ,the musicians then struck up 
the riding-tune1  a quick and           
inspiriting measure1 said by some to be 
as old as the  feast itself4 ,the       
householder was solicited to taste the  
riding-ale1  which was carried round in 
baskets4 ,a bottle was usually taken in1
  and it was acknowledged by such a sum 
as the means or humour of the  townsmen 
permitted1 to be spent on the public    
festivities of the  season4 ,next       

morning a procession was formed 7all who
 could afford to  ride mounted on horse 
or ass1 smacking long-lashed whips71    
first to  the ,priory to receive two    
large garlands of flowers fixed on      
staves1  and then in due order to the   
principal streets to the town-end1 where
  the games were formerly opened4 ,the  
sports1 which lasted two days1  were of 
the ordinary sort--wrestling1           
foot-racing1 jumping in sacks1  c4 ,it  
is worthy of remark that a second or    
inferior brewing from the  same wort was
 drunk at a minor merry-making at       
,whitsuntide4--7,popular  ,antiquities1 
,journal ,royal ,institute of ,cornwall1
 #ahfd47    ,in former days the         
proceedings ended in a servants'-ball1  
at which  dancing was kept up until the 
next morning's breakfast-hour4    ,a    
very curious carnival was originally    
held under a ,lord of ,misrule1  in     
,july1 on ,halgaver ,moor1 near ,bodmin1
 thus quaintly described  by ,carew3--  
,the youthlyer sort of ,bodmin townsmen 

vse to sport themselves by  playing the 
box with strangers whom they summon to  
,halgauer4 ,the name  signifieth the    
,goat's ,moore1 and such a place it is1 
lying a little  without the towne1 and  
very full of quauemires4 ,when these    
mates meet  with any rawe seruing-man or
 other young master1 who may serue and  
deserue to make pastime1 they cause him 
to be solemnely arrested1  for his      
appearance before the ,maior of         
,halgauer1 where he is charged  with    
wearing one spurre1 or going vntrussed1 
or wanting a girdle1  or some such      
felony4 ,after he had been arraygned and
 tryed1 with  all requisite             
circumstances1 iudgement is given in    
formal terms1 and  executed in some one 
vngracious pranke or other1 more to the 
skorne  than hurt of the party          
condemned4 ,hence is sprung the prouerb 
when we  see one slouenly appareled to  
say he shall be presented at ,halgauer  
,court 7or take him before the ,maior of
 ,halgauer74    ,but now and then they  

extend this merriment with the largest1 
to  preiudice of ouer-credulous people1 
persuading them to fight with  a dragon 
lurking in ,halgauer1 or to see some    
strange matter there1  which concludeth 
at least with a trayning them into the  
mire4--7,survey  of ,cornwall47         
,heath says in his ,description of      
,cornwall1 ,these sports and pastimes   
were so liked by ,king ,charles ,,ii41  
when he touched at ,bodmin on his  way  
to ,scilly1 that he became a brother of 
the jovial society4    ,taking-day4--,an
 old custom1 about which history tells  
us nothing1  is still duly observed at  
,crowan1 in ,west ,cornwall4 ,annually1 
on  the ,sunday evening previous to     
,praze-an-beeble fair 7,july #afth7     
large numbers of the young folk repair  
to the parish church1 and at  the       
conclusion of the service they hasten to
 ,clowance ,park1 where  still large    
crowds assemble1 collected chiefly from 
the neighbouring  villages of           
,leeds-town1 ,carnhell-green1           

,nancegollan1 ,blackrock1 and  ,praze4  
,here the sterner sex select their      
partners for the forthcoming  fair1 and1
 as it not unfrequently happens that the
 generous proposals  are not accepted1 a
 tussle ensues1 to the intense merriment
 of passing  spectators4 ,many a happy  
wedding has resulted from the           
opportunity  afforded for selection on  
',taking-day' in ,clowance              
,park4--7,cornishman1  ,july1 #ahhb47   
,at ,st4 ,ives1 on the #beth ,july1 ,st4
 ,james's-day1 they hold a quiennial    
celebration of the ,knillian-games4     
,these have been fully described  by the
 late ,j4 ,s4 ,courtney in his ,guide to
 ,penzance1 as follows3--    ,near ,st4 
,ives a pyramid on the summit of a hill 
attracts  attention4 ,this pyramid was  
erected in the year #aghb1 as a place of
  sepulture for himself1 by ,john       
,knill1 ,esq41 some time collector of   
the ,customs at ,st4 ,ives1 and         
afterwards a resident in ,gray's ,inn1  
,london1 where he died in #ahaa4 ,the   

building is commonly called  ',knill's  
,mausoleum'2 but ,mr4 ,knill's body was 
not there deposited1  for1 having died  
in ,london1 he was1 according to his own
 directions1  interred in ,st4 ,andrew's
 church1 ,holborn4 ,the pyramid bears on
 its  three sides respectively the      
following inscriptions1 in relief1 on   
the  granite of which it is built3      
',johannes ,knill1 #aghb4' ',i know that
 my  ,redeemer liveth4' ',resurgam4' ,on
 one side there is also ,mr4 ,knill's   
coat-of-arms1 with his motto1 ',nil     
desperandum4'    ,in the year #agig1    
,mr4 ,knill1 by a deed of trust1 settled
 upon the  mayor and capital burgesses  
of the borough of ,st4 ,ives1 and their 
successors for ever1 an annuity of ten  
pounds1 as a rent-charge1  to be paid   
out of the manor of ,glivian1 in the    
parish of ,mawgan1  in this county1 to  
the said mayor and burgesses in the     
town-hall  of the said borough1 at      
twelve o'clock at noon1 on the feast of 
the  ,nativity of ,st4 ,john            

7,midsummer-day7 in every year2 and1 in 
default1  to be levied by the said mayor
 and burgesses by distress on the said  
manor4 ,the ten pounds then received are
 to be immediately paid by the  mayor   
and burgesses to the mayor1 the         
collector of customs1 and the  clergyman
 of the parish for the time being1 to be
 by them deposited  in a chest secured  
by three locks1 of which each is to have
 a key2  and the box is left in the     
custody of the mayor4    ,of this       
annuity a portion is directed to be     
applied to the repair and  support of   
the mausoleum2 another sum for the      
establishment of various  ceremonies to 
be observed once every five years2 and  
the remainder  'to the effectuating and 
establishing of certain charitable      
purposes4'    ,the whole affair has1    
however1 been generally treated with    
ridicule4 ,in  order1 therefore1 to show
 that ,mr4 ,knill intended a            
considerable  portion of his bequest to 
be applied to really useful purposes1   

we annex a copy of his regulations for  
the disposal of the money3    ,first4   
,that1 at the end of every five years1  
on the feast-day of  ,st4 ,james the    
,apostle1 ,twenty-five pounds shall be  
expended as follows1  viz4 ,ten pounds  
in a dinner for the ,mayor1 ,collector  
of ,customs1  and ,clergyman1 and two   
persons to be invited by each of them1  
making  a party of nine persons1 to dine
 at some tavern at the borough4 ,five   
pounds to be equally divided among ten  
girls1 natives of the borough1  and     
daughters of seamen1 fishermen1 or      
tinners1 each of them not  exceeding ten
 years of age1 who shall between ten and
 twelve o'clock  in the forenoon of that
 day dance1 for a quarter of hour at    
least1  on the ground adjoining the     
,mausoleum1 and after the dance sing the
  #ajjth ,psalm of the ,old ,version1   
'to the fine old tune' to which the     
same was then sung in ,st4 ,ives church4
    ,one pound to the fiddler who shall 
play to the girls while dancing  and    

singing at the ,mausoleum1 and also     
before them on their return  home       
therefrom4    ,two pounds to two widows 
of seamen1 fishermen1 or tinners of the 
borough1 being #fd years old or upwards1
 who shall attend the dancing  and      
singing of the girls1 and walk before   
them immediately after the  fiddler1 and
 certify to the ,mayor1 ,collector1 and 
,clergyman that the  ceremonies have    
been duly performed4    ,one pound to be
 laid out in white ribbons for          
breast-knots for  the girls and widows1 
and a cockade for the fiddler1 to be    
worn by  them respectively on that day  
and the ,sunday following4 ,one pound   
to purchase account-books from time to  
time and pay the ,clerk of the  ,customs
 for keeping the accounts4 ,the         
remaining ,five pounds to be paid  to a 
man and wife1 widower1 or widow1 #fj    
years of age or upwards1  the man being 
an inhabitant of ,st4 ,ives1 and a      
seaman1 fisherman1  tinner1 or labourer1
 who shall have bred up to the age of   

ten years  and upwards1 the greatest    
number of legitimate children by his or 
her own labour1 care1 and industry1     
without parochial assistance1  or having
 become entitled to any property in any 
other manner4    ,secondly4 ,when a     
certain sum of money shall have         
accumulated in  the chest1 over and     
above what may have been required for   
repairs  of the ,mausoleum and the above
 payments1 it is directed that on  one  
of the fore-mentioned days of the       
festival ',fifty' pounds  shall be      
distributed in addition to the          
',twenty-five' pounds spent  quiennially
 in the following manner2 that is ,ten  
pounds to be given  as a                
marriage-portion to the woman between   
#bf and #cf years old1  being a native  
of ,st4 ,ives1 who shall have been      
married to a seaman1  fisherman1 tinner1
 or labourer1 residing in the borough1  
between the  #cast of ,december         
previously1 and that day following the  
said feast-day1  that shall appear to   

the ,mayor1 ,collector1 and ,clergyman1 
the most  worthy1 'regard being had to  
her duty and kindness to her parents1   
or to her friends who have brought her  
up4'    ,five pounds to any woman1      
single or married1 being an inhabitant  
of  ,st4 ,ives1 who in the opinion of   
the aforesaid gentlemen shall be the    
best knitter of fishing-nets4    ,five  
pounds to be paid to the woman1 married 
or single1 inhabitant  of ,st4 ,ives1 or
 otherwise1 who shall1 by the same      
authorities1 be  deemed to be the best  
curer and packer of pilchards for       
exportation4    ,five pounds to be given
 between such two follower-boys as shall
  by the same gentlemen be judged to    
have best conducted themselves  of all  
the follower-boys in the several        
concerns1 in the preceding              
fishing-season4 7,a follower is a boat  
that carries a tuck-net in              
pilchard-fishing47    ,and ,twenty-five 
pounds1 the remainder of the said       
,fifty1 to be  divided among all the    

,friendly ,societies in the borough1    
instituted  for the support of the      
,members in sickness or other calamity1 
in  equal shares4 ,if there be no such  
,society1 the same to be distributed    
among ten poor persons1 five men and    
five women1 inhabitants of  the borough1
 of the age of #fd years or upwards1 and
 who have never  received parochial     
relief4    ,the first celebration of the
 ,knillian games1 which drew a large    
concourse of people1 took place in      
,knill's lifetime on ,july #beth1 #ahja4
    ,the chorus then sung by the #aj    
virgins was as follows3--         ',quit
 the bustle of the bay1      ,hasten1   
virgins1 come away3      ,hasten to the 
mountain's brow1      ,leave1 oh6 leave1
 ,st4 ,ives below4      ,haste to       
breathe a purer air1      ,virgins fair1
 and pure as fair4      ,quit ,st4 ,ives
 and all her treasures1      ,fly her   
soft voluptuous pleasures1      ,fly her
 sons and all the wiles      ,lurking in
 their wanton smiles2      ,fly her     

splendid midnight halls1      ,fly the  
revels of her balls1      ,fly1 oh6 fly1
 the chosen seat      ,where vanity and 
fashion meet6      ,thither hasten3 form
 the ring1      ,round the tomb in      
chorus sing4'      ,these games have    
been repeated every five years up to the
 present time4    ,morvah feast1 which  
is on the nearest ,sunday to the #ast   
,august1 is said  to have been          
instituted in memory of a               
wrestling-match1 throwing of  quoits1   
c41 which took place there one ,sunday1 
when there were giants  in the land4 ,on
 the following ,monday there was        
formerly a large fair1  and although    
,morvah is a very small village without 
any attractions1  the farmers flocked to
 it in great numbers to drink and feast1
 sitting  on the hedges of the small    
fields common in ,west ,cornwall4 ,three
 on  one horse1 like going to ,morvah   
,fair1 is an old proverb4    ,on ,august
 #eth a large cattle-fair is held in the
 village of  ,goldsithney1 in the parish

 of ,perran-,uthnoe4 ,lysons1 in #ahad1 
says3--,there is a tradition that this  
fair was originally held in  ,sithney1  
near ,helston1 and that some persons ran
 off with the glove1 by  the suspension 
of which to a pole the charter was held1
 and carried it  off to this village1   
where1 it is said1 the glove was hung   
out for many  years at the time of the  
fair4 ,as some confirmation of the      
tradition  of its removal it should be  
mentioned that the lord of the manor1 a 
proprietor of the fair1 used to pay an  
acknowledgment of one shilling  per     
annum to the churchwardens of ,sithney4 
,the same author makes the  statement   
that ,truro fair1 on ,november #aith1   
belongs to the proprietors  of ,truro   
,manor1 as high lords of the town1 and  
that a glove is hung  out at this fair  
as at ,chester2 he also says that these 
same lords  claim a tax called          
smoke-money from most of the houses in  
the borough4    ,in ,cornwall the last  
sheaf of corn cut at harvest-time is the

  neck4 ,this in the ,west is always cut
 by the oldest reaper1 who  shouts out1 
,i hav'et6 ,i hav'et6 ,i hav'et6 ,the   
others answer1 ,what  hav'ee8 ,what     
hav'ee8 ,what hav'ee8 ,he replies1 ,a   
neck6 ,a neck6 ,a  neck6 ,then          
altogether they give three loud hurrahs4
 ,the neck is  afterwards made into a   
miniature sheaf1 gaily decorated with   
ribbons  and flowers2 it is carried home
 in triumph1 and hung up to a beam in   
the kitchen1 where it is left until the 
next harvest4 ,mr4 ,robert ,hunt  says  
that after the neck has been cried three
 times they 7the reapers7  change their 
cry to 'we yen6 we yen6' which they     
sound in the same  prolonged and slow   
manner as before1 with singular harmony 
and effect  three times4 ,after this    
they all burst out into a kind of loud1 
joyous  laugh1 flinging up their hats   
and caps into the air1 capering about1  
and perhaps kissing the girls4 ,one of  
them gets the neck1 and runs  as hard as
 he can to the farm-house1 where the    

dairy-maid or one of  the young female  
domestics stands at the door prepared   
with a pail of  water4 ,if he who holds 
the neck can manage to get into the     
house in  any way unseen1 or openly by  
any other way than the door by which the
  girl stands with the pail of water1   
then he may lawfully kiss her2 but  if  
otherwise he is regularly soused with   
the contents of the bucket4    ,the     
object of crying the neck is to give    
notice to the surrounding  country of   
the end of the harvest1 and the meaning 
of we yen is we  have ended4    ,the    
last sheaf of the barley-harvest 7there 
is now but little grown7  was the       
crow-sheaf1 and when cut the same       
ceremony was gone through2  but instead 
of a neck1 the words a crow were        
substituted4    ,when the neck is cut at
 the house of a squire1 the reapers     
sometimes  assemble at the front of the 
mansion and cry the neck1 with the      
addition of these words1 and for our    
pains we do deserve a glass of  brandy1 

strong beer1 and a bun4--7,john ,hills1 
,penryn1 ,w4 ,antiquary1  ,october1     
#ahhb47    ,in ,east ,cornwall the neck1
 which is made into a slightly different
  shape1 is carried to the mowhay       
7pronounced mo-ey7 before it is cried   
7a mowhay is an inclosure for ricks of  
corn and hay74 ,one of the  men then    
retires to a distance from the others   
and shouts the same  formula4 ,it is    
hung up in the kitchen until            
,christmas-day1 when it  is given to the
 best ox in the stalls4    ,the         
harvest-home feast in the neighbourhood 
of ,penzance goes by the  name of       
gool-dize1 or gool-an-dize4 ,in ,scilly 
it is known as the  nickly thize4       
,farmers there at that season of the    
year formerly  killed a sheep1 and as   
long as any portion of it was left the  
feast  went on4    ,ricks of corn in    
,cornwall are often made1 and left to   
stand in the  arish-fields              
7stubble-fields7 where they were cut4   
,these are all  called arish-mows1 but  

from their different shapes they have   
also  the names of brummal-mows and     
pedrack-mows4    ,probus and ,grace fair
 is held on the #agth of ,september1    
through a  charter granted by ,charles  
,,ii4 after his restoration1 to a ,mr4  
,williams  of that neighbourhood1 with  
whom he had lived for some time during  
the ,civil ,wars4    ,probus is in ,east
 ,cornwall1 and its church is famed for 
its beautiful  tower4 ,tradition has it 
that this church was built by ,saint    
,probus1  but for want of funds he could
 not add the tower1 and in his need     
asked ,st4 ,grace to help him4    ,she  
consented1 but when the church was      
consecrated ,probus praised  himself1   
but made no mention of her4 ,then a     
mysterious voice was heard1  repeating  
the following distich3--         ,st4   
,probus and ,grace1      ,not the first 
but the la-ast4      ,this town1        
consequently1 has two patron saints4    
,i know of no other feasten ceremonies  
in this month2 but here1  as elsewhere1 

the children of the poor make up parties
 to go a  blackberrying4 ,this fruit1 by
 old people1 was said not to be good    
after ,michaelmas1 kept by them #ajth   
,october 7old style72 after that  date  
they told you the devil spat on them1   
and birds fouled them4    ,i knew an old
 lady whose birthday falling on that day
 she religiously  kept it by eating for 
the last time that year blackberry-tart 
with  clotted cream4    ,this brings me 
round to the month from which ,i        
started4 ,many of the  feasts are of    
course omitted1 as no local customs are 
now connected  with them4 ,there must be
 one for nearly every ,sunday in the    
year1  and a mere record of their names 
would be most wearisome4 ,i cannot  do  
better1 therefore1 than finish this     
portion of my work with two  quotations4
 ,the first1 from ,parochalia1 by ,mr4  
,t4 ,q4 ,couch1 ,journal  ,royal        
,institute of ,cornwall1 #ahfe1 runs    
thus3--    ,the patron saint of ,lanivet
 feast is not known2 it is marked  by no

 particular customs1 but is a time for  
general visiting and  merry-making1 with
 an occasional wrestling-match4 ,a local
 verse says3--         ,on the nearest  
,sunday to the last ,sunday in ,a-prel1 
,lanivet men fare well4      ,on the    
first ,sunday after the first ,tuesday  
in ,may1          ,lanivrey men fare as 
well as they4      ,in some parishes the
 fatted oxen intended to be eaten at    
these feasts  were1 the day before they 
were killed1 led through the streets1   
garlanded with flowers and preceded by  
music4    ,quotation number two is what 
,carew wrote in #aefi3--    ,the saints'
 feast is kept upon dedication-day by   
every householder  of the parish within 
his own doors1 each entertayning such   
forrayne  acquaintance as will not fayle
 when their like time cometh about to   
requite him with the like kindness4     
,these remarks1 and the jingling        
couplets1 could be equally well  applied
 to all the unmentioned feasts4         
,,legends ,,of ,,parishes1 ,,etc4       

,cornish people possess in a marked     
degree all the characteristics of  the  
,celts4 ,they are imaginative1 good     
speakers and story-tellers1  describing 
persons and things in a style racy and  
idiomatical1  often with appropriate    
gestures4 ,their proverbs are quaint and
  forcible1 they are never at a lack for
 an excuse1 and are withal  very        
superstitious4 ,well-educated people are
 still to be met with  in ,cornwall who 
are firm believers in apparitions1      
pixies 7fairies1  called by the         
peasantry pisgies71 omens1 and other    
supernatural  agencies4 ,almost every   
parish has a legend in connection with  
its  patron saint1 and haunted houses   
abound2 but of the ghosts who  inhabit  
them1 unless they differ from those seen
 elsewhere1 ,i shall  say but little4   
,this county was once the fabled home of
 a race of giants1 who in  their playful
 or angry moments were wont to hurl     
immense rocks at  each other1 which are 
shown by the guides at this day as      

proofs of  their great strength4 ,to    
illustrate how in the course of time    
truth  and fiction get strangely        
mingled1 ,i will mention the fact that  
old ,john of ,gaunt is said to have been
 the last of these giants1  and to have 
lived in a castle on the top of ,carn   
,brea 7a high hill  near ,redruth74 ,he 
could stride from thence to another     
neighbouring  town1 a distance of four  
miles4 ,i do not know if he is supposed 
to  be the one that lies buried under   
this mighty carn1 and whose large       
protruding hand and bony fingers time   
has turned to stone4 ,here1  too1 in the
 dark ages1 a terrific combat took place
 between ,lucifer  and a heavenly host1 
which ended in the former's overthrow4  
,a small  monument has been erected on  
,carn ,brea1 to the memory of ,lord de  
,dunstanville2 and ,i once heard an old 
woman1 after cleaning a room1  say1 ,it 
was fine enough for ,lord de            
,dunstanville4 ,every child has  heard  
of ,jack the ,giant ,killer1 who1       

amongst his other exploits1  killed by  
stratagem the one who dwelt at ,st4     
,michael's ,mount3         ,i am the    
valiant ,cornishman      ,who slew the  
giant ,cormoran4      ,he did not       
however confine himself to this         
neighbourhood1 for of  an ancient       
earth-work near ,looe1 known as the     
,giant's ,hedge1 it  is said3--         
,jack the giant had nothing to do1      
,so he made a hedge from ,lerrin to     
,looe4      ,but the sayings and doings 
of these mighty men have been told far  
better than ,i could tell them in ,mr4  
,halliwell ,phillipps' book1 ,rambles   
in ,west ,cornwall by the ,footsteps of 
the ,giants2 ,mr4 ,robert ,hunt's       
,drolls1 ,traditions1 and ,superstitions
 of ,west ,cornwall2 ,mr4 ,bottrell's   
,hearthside ,stories of ,west ,cornwall2
 and by many other writers4    ,tourists
 visit ,west ,cornwall to see the       
,land's ,end and its fine coast         
scenery1 and express themselves         
disappointed that none of the country   

people in that district know anything of
 ,king ,arthur4 ,they forget that       
,uther's #c heir was washed up to       
,merlin's feet by a wave at the base  of
 ,tintagel ,castle by the ,cornish sea1 
which is in the eastern part  of the    
county4 ,this castle was built on one of
 the grandest headlands  in ,cornwall   
7slate formation74    ,the ruins of     
,king ,arthur's ,castle are most        
striking4 ,they are situated  partly on 
the mainland and partly on a peninsula1 
separated by a  ravine1 once said to    
have been spanned by a drawbridge       
connecting  the two4    ,the ascent of  
this promontory1 owing to the slippery  
nature of the path  cut in the friable  
slate1 is far from pleasant2 and1 as    
there was a  stiff breeze blowing when  
,i mounted it1 ,i thought old ,norden   
was right  when he said3 ,those should  
have eyes who would scale ,tintagel4    
,you  are1 however1 amply repaid for    
your trouble when you get to the top4   
,in addition to telling you of the      

grandeur of the castle in good  ,king   
,arthur's days1 the guides show you some
 rock basins to which  they have given  
the absurd names of ,king ,arthur's cups
 and saucers4    ,tradition assigns to  
this king another ,cornish castle as a  
hunting-seat1 viz4--the old earth-round 
of ,castle-an-dinas1 near  ,st4 ,columb1
 from whence it is said he chased the   
wild deer on ,tregoss  ,downs4    ,a    
dreary drive through slate-quarries     
takes you from ,tintagel to  ,camelford4
 ,near that town is ,slaughter ,bridge1 
the scene of a great  battle between    
,king ,arthur and his nephew ,modred1   
whom by some writers  he is said to have
 killed on the spot2 others have it that
 ,arthur died  here of a wound from a   
poisoned arrow shot by ,modred1 and     
that1 after  receiving his death wound  
at ,camelford1 he was conveyed to       
,tintagel  ,castle1 where1 surrounded by
 his knights1 he died4 ,all the time he 
lay a-dying supernatural noises were    
heard in the castle1 the sea and  winds 

moaned1 and their lamentations never    
ceased until our hero was  buried at    
,glastonbury4 ,then1 in the pauses of   
the solemn tolling of the  funeral      
bells1 sweet voices came from fairy-land
 welcoming him there1  from whence one  
day he will return and again be king of 
,cornwall4 ,no  luck follows a man who  
kills a ,cornish chough 7a red legged   
crow71  as1 after his death1 ,king      
,arthur was changed into one4    ,in the
 parish of ,st4 ,mabyn1 in ,east        
,cornwall1 and on the high road  from   
,bodmin to ,camelford1 is a group of    
houses 7one of them yet  a smith's      
shop71 known by the name of ,longstone4 
,the legend which  follows gives the    
reason of the name3    ,in lack of      
records ,i may say3 ',in the days of    
,king ,arthur there  lived in ,cornwall 
a smith4 ,this smith was a keen fellow1 
who made and  mended the ploughs and    
harrows1 shod the horses of his         
neighbours1  and was generally          
serviceable4 ,he had great skill in     

farriery1 and  in the general management
 of sick cattle4 ,he could also extract 
the  stubbornest tooth1 even if the jaw 
resisted1 and some gyrations around  the
 anvil were required4    ',there seems  
ever to have been ill blood between     
devil and smith1  and so it was between 
the fiend and the smith-farrier-dentist 
of  ,st4 ,mabyn4 ,at night there were   
many and fierce disputes between  them  
in the smithy4 ,the smith1 as the       
rustics tell1 always got the  advantage 
of his adversary1 and gave him better   
than he brought4 ,this  success1        
however1 only fretted ,old ,nick1 and   
spurred him on to further  encounters4  
,what the exact matter of controversy on
 this particular  occasion was is not   
remembered1 but it was agreed to settle 
it by some  wager1 some trial of        
strength and skill4 ,a two-acred field  
was near2  and the smith challenged the 
devil to the reaping of each his acre   
in the shortest time4 ,the match came   
off1 and the devil was beaten1  for the 

smith had beforehand stealthily stuck   
here and there over  his opponent's acre
 some harrow-tines or teeth4    ',the   
two started well1 but soon the strong   
swing of the fiend's scythe  was brought
 up frequently by some obstruction1 and 
as frequently he  required the          
whetstone4 ,the dexterous and agile     
smith went on smoothly  with his acre1  
and was soon unmistakeably gaining4 ,the
 devil1 enraged  at his certain         
discomfiture1 hurled his whetstone at   
his rival1 and  flew off4 ,the          
whetstone1 thrown with great violence1  
after sundry  whirls in the air1 fell   
upright into the soil at a great depth1 
and  there remained a witness against   
the ,evil ,one for ages4 ,the devil     
avoided the neighbourhood whilst it     
stood1 but in an evil hour the  farmer  
at ,treblethick1 near1 threw it down4   
,that night the enemy  returned1 and has
 haunted the neighbourhood ever since4  
',this monolith was of granite1 and     
consequently brought hither from  a     

distance1 for the local stone is a      
friable slate4 ,it yielded four  large  
gate-posts1 gave spans to a small       
bridge1 and left much granite           
remaining4'--,t4 ,q4 ,couch1 ,notes and 
,queries1 ,april1 #ahhc4    ,upon ,st4  
,austell ,down is an upright block of   
granite1 called the  giant's staff1 or  
longstone1 to which this legend is      
attached3--,a  giant1 travelling one    
night over these hills1 was overtaken by
 a  storm1 which blew off his hat4 ,he  
immediately pursued it2 but1 being      
impeded by a staff which he carried in  
his hand1 he thrust this into  the      
ground until his hat could be secured4  
,after wandering1 however1  for some    
time in the dark1 without being able to 
find his hat1 he gave  over the pursuit 
and returned for the staff2 but this    
also he was  unable to discover1 and    
both were irrevocably lost4 ,in the     
morning1  when the giant was gone1 his  
hat and staff were both found by the    
country people about a mile asunder4    

,the hat was found on ,white-horse      
,down1 and bore some resemblance to a   
mill-stone1 and continued in its  place 
until #agih1 when1 some soldiers having 
encamped around it1 they  fancied1 it is
 said1 as it was a wet season1 this     
giant's hat was the  cause of the rain1 
and therefore rolled it over the cliff4 
,the staff1  or longstone1 was          
discovered in the position in which it  
remains2  it is about twelve feet high1 
and tapering toward the top1 and is     
said to have been so fashioned by the   
giant that he might grasp it  with      
ease4--,murray's ,guide4    ,there is   
another longstone in the parish of ,st4 
,cleer1 #d about  two miles north of    
,liskeard1 which bears an inscription to
 ,doniert  7,dungerth71 a traditional   
king of ,cornwall1 who was drowned in   
#hgb4 ,in  fact1 these menhirs1 supposed
 to be sepulchral monuments1 are to  be 
found scattered all over the county4    
,the following curious bit of folk-lore 
appeared in the ,daily ,news  of ,march 

#hth1 #ahhc1 communicated by the ,rev4  
,j4 ,hoskyns ,abrahall1  ,coombe        
,vicarage1 near ,woodstock3--,a friend  
of mine1 who is vicar of  ,st4 ,cleer1  
in ,east ,cornwall1 has told me that at 
least one housemaid  of his--,i think   
his servants in general--very anxiously 
avoided  killing a spider1 because      
,parson ,jupp1 my friend's predecessor  
7whom  he succeeded in #ahdd71 was1 it  
was believed1 somewhere in the vicarage 
in some spider--no one knew in which of 
the vicarage spiders4 ,spiders  are     
often not destroyed because of the      
tradition that one spun a web  over     
,christ in the manger1 and hid him from 
,herod4    ,there are other             
superstitions current in ,cornwall      
somewhat similar  to the above4 ,maidens
 who die of broken hearts1 after they   
have been  deceived by unfaithful       
lovers1 are said to haunt their         
betrayers  as white hares4 ,the souls of
 old sea-captains never sleep2 they are 
turned into gulls and albatrosses4 ,the 

knockers 7a tribe of little  people71   
who live underground in the tin-mines1  
are the spirits of  the ,jews who       
crucified our ,saviour1 and are for that
 sin compelled  on ,christmas morning to
 sing carols in his honour4 ,jew is a   
name  also given to a black field-beetle
 7why1 ,i know not74 ,it exudes  a      
reddish froth3 country children hold it 
on their hands and say1  ,jew6 ,jew6    
spit blood6 ,a ghost at ,pengelly1 in   
the parish of ,wendron1  was compelled  
by a parson of that village after       
various changes of  form to seek refuge 
in a pigeonhole1 where it is confined to
 this  day4--,through ,rev4 ,s4 ,rundle4
    ,after this digression ,i will      
return to ,st4 ,cleer1 and1 beginning   
with  its holy well1 briefly notice a   
few others4 ,it is situated not far from
  the church1 and was once celebrated as
 a boussening1 or ducking-well  for the 
cure of mad people4 ,considerable       
remains of the baptistery1  which       
formerly enclosed it1 are still         

standing1 and outside1 close  by1 is an 
old stone cross4 ,carew says1--,there   
were many bowssening  places in         
,cornwall for curing mad people1 and    
amongst the rest one  at ,alter ,nunne1 
in the hundred of ,trigges1 called ,s4  
,nunne's well1  and because the manner  
of this bowssening is not so vnpleasing 
to  heare as it was vneasie to feele1 ,i
 wil 7if you please7 deliuer you  the   
practise1 as ,i receyued it from the    
beholders4 ,the water running  from ,s4 
,nunne's well fell into a square and    
close-walled plot1 which  might be      
filled at what depth they listed4 ,vpon 
this wall was the  franticke person set 
to stand1 his backe toward the poole1   
and from  thence with a sudden blow in  
the brest1 tumbled headlong into the    
pond1 where a strong fellowe1 provided  
for the nonce1 tooke him and  tossed him
 vp and downe1 alongst and athwart the  
water1 vntill the  patient by foregoing 
his strength had somewhat forgot his    
fury4 ,then  was hee conueyed to the    

church and certain ,masses sung ouer    
him2 vpon  which handling if his wits   
returned ,s4 ,nunne had the thanks3 but 
if  there appeared small amendment1 he  
was bowssened againe and againe1  while 
there remayned in him any hope of life  
for recouery4 ,the same  writer says of 
,scarlet's well neare vnto ,bodmin1     
howbeit the water  should seem to be    
healthfull1 if not helpfull3 for it     
retaineth this  extraordinary quality1  
that the same is waightier than the     
ordinary of  his kind1 and will continue
 the best part of a yeere without       
alteration  or sent or taste1 only you  
shall see it represent many colours1    
like the ,rain-bowe which 7in my        
conceite7 argueth a running throu  some 
minerall veine and therewithall a       
possessing of some vertue4 ,i  must give
 one more quotation from ,carew before  
,i finish with him1  about a well at    
,saltash3--,i had almost forgotten to   
tell you that  there is a well in this  
towne whose water will not boyle peason 

to  a seasonable softnes4    ,the holy  
wells in ,cornwall are very numerous2   
the greater part were  in olden times   
enclosed in small baptisteries4 ,luckily
 the poor people  believe that to remove
 any of the stones of the ruins of these
 chapels  would be fatal to them and to 
their children1 and for that reason a   
great number yet remain4 ,it is         
considered unlucky1 too1 to cart away   
any of the druidical monuments 7pieces  
of ancientcy71 and many  are the stories
 told of the great misfortunes that have
 fallen on  men who have so done4 ,the  
innocent oxen or horses who drag them   
away  are always sure to die1 and their 
master never prosper4 ,persistent       
ill-luck also follows any one defiling  
these wells2 and a tradition  is current
 in one of the ,west ,country parishes1 
of a gentleman1  who1 after he had      
washed his dogs1 afflicted with the     
mange1 in its  holy well1 fell into such
 poverty that his sons were obliged to  
work  as day labourers4 ,mr4 ,t4 ,q4    

,couch1 in ,notes and ,queries1 vol4 x41
  gives this legend in connection with  
,st4 ,nunn's well in ,pelynt3--,an  old 
farmer once set his eyes upon the       
granite basin and coveted it2  for it   
was not wrong in his eyes to convert the
 holy font to the base  uses of the     
pig's stye2 and accordingly he drove his
 oxen and wain to  the gateway above for
 the purpose of removing it4 ,taking his
 beasts  to the entrance of the well1 he
 essayed to drag the trough from its    
ancient bed4 ,for a long time it        
resisted the efforts of the oxen1  but  
at length they succeeded in starting it1
 and dragged it slowly  up the hill-side
 to where the wain was standing4 ,here1 
however1 it  burst away from the chains 
which held it1 and1 rolling back again  
to  the well1 made a sharp turn and     
regained its old position1 where it  has
 remained ever since4 ,nor will any one 
again attempt its removal1  seeing that 
the farmer1 who was previously          
well-to-do in the world1  never         

prospered from that day forward4 ,some  
people say1 indeed1  that retribution   
overtook him on the spot1 the oxen      
falling dead1  and the owner being      
struck lame and speechless4    ,this    
,st4 ,nunn's well is not the boussening 
well formerly mentioned1  but another   
dedicated to the same saint1 and is     
resorted to as a  divining and wishing  
well2 it is commonly called by the      
people of that  district the ,piskies'  
well4 ,pins are thrown into it1 not only
 to  see by the bubbles which rise on   
the water whether the wisher will get   
what he desires1 but also to propitiate 
the piskies and to bring the  thrower   
good luck4 ,this county has many other  
divining wells which were  visited at   
certain seasons of the year by those    
anxious to know what  the future would  
bring them4 ,amongst them the ,lady of  
,nant's well1 in  the parish of ,colan1 
was formerly much frequented on ,palm   
,sunday1 when  those who wished to      
foretell their fate threw into the water

 crosses  made of palms4 ,there was once
 in ,gulval parish1 near ,penzance1 a   
well  which was reported to have had    
great repute as a divining well4 ,people
  repaired to it to ask if their friends
 at a distance were well or ill1  living
 or dead4 ,they looked into the water   
and repeated the words3         ,water1 
water1 tell me truly1      ,is the man  
that ,i love duly      ,on the earth1 or
 under the sod1      ,sick or well8 in  
the name of ,god4      ,should the water
 bubble up quite clear1 the one asked   
for was in  good health2 if it became   
puddled1 ill2 and should it remain      
still1  dead4 ,of the wells of ,st4     
,roche1 ,st4 ,maddern 7now ,madron71 and
 ,st4 ,uny1  ,i have spoken in the first
 part of this work4    ,the waters from 
several wells are used for baptismal    
rites 7one near  ,laneast is called the 
,jordan71 and the children baptized with
 water  from the wells of ,st4 ,euny 7at
 the foot of ,carn ,brea1 ,redruth7 and 
of ,ludgvan 7,penzance71 c41 it was     

asserted could never be hanged  with a  
hempen rope2 but this prophecy has      
unfortunately been proved  to be false4 
,the water from the latter was famed too
 as an eye-wash1  until an evil spirit1 
banished for his misdeeds by ,st4       
,ludgvan1 to  the ,red ,sea1 spat into  
it from malice as he passed4 ,the ,red  
,sea is the  favourite traditional spot 
here for the banishment of wicked       
spirits1  and ,i have been told stories 
of wicked men whose souls1 immediately  
after their death1 were carried off to  
well-known volcanoes4    ,almost all    
these holy wells were once noted for the
 curing of diseases1  but the water from
 ,st4 ,jesus' well1 in ,miniver1 was    
especially famed  for curing            
whooping-cough4 ,st4 ,martin's well1 in 
the centre of ,liskeard  at the back of 
the market1 known as ,pipe ,well1 from  
the four iron  pipes through which four 
springs run into it1 was formerly not   
only  visited for the healing qualities 
of its chief spring1 but for a  lucky   

stone that stood in it4 ,by standing on 
this stone and drinking  of the well's  
water1 engaged couples would be happy   
and successful in  their married life4  
,it also conferred magical powers on any
 person  who touched it4 ,the stone is  
still there1 but has now been covered   
over and has lost its virtue4    ,the   
saints sometimes lived by the side of   
the holy wells named after  them1       
notably ,st4 ,agnes 7pronounced ,st4    
,ann71 who dyed the pavement  of her    
chapel with her own blood4 ,st4 ,neot in
 whose pool were always  three fish on  
which he fed1 and whose numbers never   
grew less4 #e  ,st4 ,piran1 the titular 
saint of tin-miners1 who lived #bjj     
years and  then died in perfect health4 
,of these three saints many miraculous  
deeds are related2 but they would be out
 of place in this work1 and  ,i will end
 my account of the wells by a           
description of ,st4 ,keyne's1  more     
widely known outside ,cornwall through  
,southey's ballad than  any of the      

others4 ,it is situated in a small      
valley in the parish  of ,st4 ,neot1 and
 was in the days of ,carew and ,norden  
arched over  by four trees1 which grew  
so closely together that they seemed but
  one trunk4 ,both writers say the trees
 were withy1 oak1 elm1 and ash  7by     
withy ,i suppose willow was meant74     
,they were all blown down by a  storm1  
and about #aej years ago1 ,mr4          
,rashleigh1 of ,menabilly1 replaced     
them with two oaks1 two elms1 and one   
ash4 ,i do not know if they are  living1
 but ,mr4 ,j4 ,t4 ,blight in #aheh1 in  
his book on ,cornish ,crosses1  speaks  
of one of the oaks being at that time so
 decayed that it had to  be propped4    
,the reputed virtue of the water of ,st4
 ,keyne's well is1  7as almost all      
know71 that after marriage whether      
husband or wife  come first to drink    
thereof they get the mastery            
thereby4--,fuller4         ,in name1 in 
shape1 in quality1      ,this well is   
very quaint2      ,the name1 to lot of  

',kayne' befell1      ,no ouer--holy    
saint4       ,the shape1 four trees of  
diuers kinde1      ,withy1 oke1 elme1   
and ash1      ,make with their roots an 
arched roofe1      ,whose floore this   
spring doth wash4       ,the quality1   
that man or wife1      ,whose chance or 
choice attaines1      ,first of this    
sacred streame to drinke1      ,thereby 
the mastry gaines4--,carew4             
,southey makes a discomfited husband    
tell the story1 who ends thus3          
,i hasten'd as soon as the wedding was  
done1      ,and left my wife in the     
porch2      ,but i'faith she had been   
wiser than me1      ,for she took a     
bottle to church4      ,st4 ,keyne not  
only thus endowed her well1 but during  
her stay at  ,st4 ,michael's ,mount she 
gave the same virtue to ,st4 ,michael's 
chair4 ,this chair is the remains of an 
old lantern on the  south-west angle of 
the tower1 at a height of upwards of    
#bej  feet from low water4 ,it is fabled
 to have been a favourite seat of  ,st4 

,michael's4 ,whittaker1 in his          
supplement to ,polwhele's ,history of   
,cornwall1 says1 ,it was for such       
pilgrims as had stronger heads and      
bolder spirits to complete their        
devotions at the ,mount by sitting  in  
this ,st4 ,michael's chair and showing  
themselves as pilgrims to  the country  
round2 but it most probably served as a 
beacon for  ships at sea4 ,to get into  
it you must climb on to the parapet1 and
  you sit with your feet dangling over a
 sheer descent of at least  seventy     
feet2 but to get out of it is much more 
difficult1 as the  sitter is obliged to 
turn round in the seat4 ,notwithstanding
 this1  and the danger of a fall through
 giddiness1 which1 of course1 would be  
certain death1 for there is not the     
slightest protection1 ,i have seen      
ladies perform the feat4 ,curiously     
enough ,southey has also written a      
ballad on ,st4 ,michael's chair1 but it 
is not as popular as the one  before    
quoted2 it is about ,richard ,penlake   

and ,rebecca his wife1  a terrible shrew
 was she4 ,in pursuance of a vow made   
when ,richard  fell sick1 they went on a
 pilgrimage to the ,mount1 and whilst he
  was in the chapel1         ,she left  
him to pray1 and stole away      ,to sit
 in ,st4 ,michael's chair4       ,up the
 tower ,rebecca ran1      ,round and    
round and round2      ',twas a giddy    
sight to stand atop      ,and look upon 
the ground4      ',a curse on the       
ringers for rocking      ,the tower6'   
,rebecca cried1      ,as over the church
 battlements      ,she strode with a    
long stride4      ',a blessing on ,st4  
,michael's chair6'      ,she said as she
 sat down3      ,merrily1 merrily rung  
the bells1      ,and out ,rebecca was   
thrown4       ,tidings to ,richard      
,penlake were brought      ,that his    
good wife was dead2      ',now shall we 
toll for her poor soul      ,the great  
church bell8' they said4      ',toll at 
her burying1' quoth ,richard ,penlake1  
',toll at her burying1' quoth he2       

',but don't disturb the ringers now     
,in compliment to me4'      ,old writers
 give the name of ,caraclowse in clowse 
to ,st4 ,michael's  ,mount1 which means 
the ,hoar ,rock in the ,wood2 and that  
it was at one  time surrounded by trees 
is almost certain1 as at very low tides 
in  ,mount's ,bay a submarine forest1   
with roots of large trees1 may still  be
 clearly seen4 ,at these seasons        
branches of trees1 with leaves1  nuts1  
and beetles1 have been picked up4       
,old folks often compared an            
old-fashioned child to ,st4 ,michael's  
,mount1  and quaintly said1 she's a     
regular little ,mount1 ,st4 ,michael's  
,mount  will never be washed away while 
she's alive4    ,folk-lore speaks of a  
time when ,scilly was joined to the     
mainland1  which does not seem very     
improbable when we remember that within 
the  last twenty-five years a high road 
and a field have been washed away  by   
the sea between ,newlyn and ,penzance4  
,an old lady1 whose memory went  back to

 the beginning of the present century1  
told me that she had  often seen boys   
playing at cricket in some fields       
seaward of ,newlyn1  of which no vestige
 in my time remained4    ,but the       
,lyonnesse1 as this tract of land       
7containing #adj parish  churches7      
between the ,land's ,end and ,scilly was
 called1 and where1  according to the   
,poet ,laureate1 ,king ,arthur met his  
death-wound1         ,so all day long   
the noise of battle roll'd      ,among  
the mountains by the winter sea1        
,until ,king ,arthur's ,table1 man by   
man1      ,had fallen in ,lyonnesse     
about their lord1      ,king ,arthur4444
      is reputed to have been suddenly  
overwhelmed by a great flood4 ,only  one
 man of all the dwellers on it is said  
to have escaped death1 an  ancestor of  
the ,trevilians 7now ,trevelyan74 ,he   
was carried on shore by  his horse into 
a cove at ,perran4 ,alarmed by the daily
 inroad of the  sea1 he had previously  
removed his wife and family4 ,old       

fishermen of  a past generation used to 
declare that on clear days and moonlight
  nights they had often seen under the  
water the roofs of churches1  houses1   
c41 of this submerged district4         
,whether the memory of this flood is    
perpetuated by the old proverb1  ,as    
ancient as the floods of ,dava1 once    
commonly current in ,west  ,cornwall1   
but which ,i have not heard for years1  
,i know not1 as ,i have  never met with 
any one who could tell me to what floods
 it referred4    ,tradition also speaks 
of a wealthy city in the north of       
,cornwall1  called ,langarrow1 which for
 its wickedness was buried in sand1     
driven  in by a mighty storm4 ,all that 
coast as far west as ,st4 ,ives is sand1
  known as ,towans1 and the sand is     
always encroaching4    ,there is a      
little church now near ,padstow1        
dedicated to ,st4 ,enodock1  which is   
often almost covered by the shifting    
drifts4 ,it is in a  solitary situation1
 and service is only held there once a  

year1  when a path to it has to be cut  
through the sand4 ,it is said that  the 
clergyman1 in order to keep his         
emoluments and fees1 has been  sometimes
 obliged to get into it through a window
 or hole in the roof4    ,about eight   
miles from ,truro is the lost church of 
,perranzabuloe1  which for centuries was
 supposed to have been a myth1 but the  
shifting  of the sand disclosed it in   
#ahce4    ,in ,hayle ,towans is buried  
the castle of ,tendar1 the ,pagan chief 
who  persecuted the ,christians1 and in 
the neighbouring parish of ,lelant  that
 of ,king ,theodrick1 who1 after        
beheading1 in ,ireland1 many saints1    
crossed over to ,cornwall on a          
millstone4    ,many of the ,cornish     
saints are reputed to have come into    
,cornwall in  the same way as this king2
 but ,st4 ,ia1 the patron saint of ,st4 
,ives1  chose a frailer vessel4 ,she    
crossed from ,ireland on a leaf4    ,the
 afore-mentioned lost city was most     
likely a very small place1  as ,i asked 

an old woman three or four years ago1   
who lived not far  from the little      
village of ,gwithian1 where ,i could get
 something ,i  wanted1 and she told me1 
,in the city4    ,the bay between this  
place and ,st4 ,ives 7,st4 ,ives ,bay7  
has the  reputation of being haunted at 
stormy times before a shipwreck by a    
lady in white1 who carries a lantern4   
,at ,nancledra1 a village near ,st4     
,ives1 was formerly a logan rock1  which
 could only be moved at midnight2 and   
children were cured of  rickets by being
 placed on it at that hour4 ,it refused 
to rock for  those who were             
illegitimate4    ,not far from here is  
,towednack1 and there is a legend to the
  effect that the devil would never     
allow the tower of its church to  be    
completed1 pulling down at night what   
had been built up in the  day4 ,when a  
person makes an incredible statement he 
is in ,west ,cornwall  told ,to go to   
,towednack quay-head where they christen
 calves4 7,no  part of this parish      

touches the sea47    ,mr4 ,robert ,hunt 
records a curious test of innocency     
which1 not long  since1 was practised in
 this parish4 ,a farmer in ,towednack   
having been  robbed of some property of 
no great value was resolved1            
nevertheless1  to employ a test which he
 had heard the 'old people' resorted to 
for  the purpose of catching the thief4 
,he invited all his neighbours into  his
 cottage1 and1 when they were assembled1
 he placed a cock under the  'brandice' 
7an iron vessel1 formerly much employed 
by the peasantry  in baking when this   
process was carried out on the hearth1  
the fuel  being furze and ferns74 ,every
 one was directed to touch the brandice 
with his1 or her1 third finger1 and say3
 ',in the name of the ,father1  ,son1   
and ,holy ,ghost1 speak4' ,every one did
 as they were directed1  and no sound   
came from beneath the brandice4 ,the    
last person was a  woman1 who           
occasionally laboured for the farmer in 
his fields4 ,she  hung back1 hoping to  

pass unobserved amongst the crowd4 ,but 
her very  anxiety made her a suspected  
person4 ,she was forced forward1 and    
most unwillingly she touched the        
brandice1 when1 before she could  utter 
the words prescribed1 the cock crew4    
,the woman fell faint  on the floor1 and
 when she recovered1 she confessed      
herself to be  the thief1 restored the  
stolen property1 and became1 it is said1
  'a changed character from that day4'  
,the following was told me by a friend4 
,it took place in a school of one  of   
our western parishes about sixty years  
ago3--,it was in the days of  quill     
pens1 and the master had lost his       
penknife4 ,every boy pleaded  not       
guilty4 ,at twelve the master said no   
boy should leave the school  for        
half-an-hour1 when he would return and  
see if they had found his  knife4 ,the  
door was locked1 and at the appointed   
time he came back  with a small1 round  
table1 on which he had inverted a       
'half-strike'  7#d gallons7 measure4    

,the table was placed in the middle of  
the gangway2  the master stood by the   
side of it1 and asked if they had found 
his  knife4 ,all said ',no6' ',well     
then1' answered he1 'come out slowly one
  at a time and let each touch this     
measure with the right forefinger1  and 
the bantam-cock under it will crow at   
the thief4' ,the boys went  out boldly1 
as they passed touching the tub1 but the
 master missed  one whom from the first 
he had suspected4 ,he again locked the  
door1  searched the rooms1 and there1   
under a desk1 not in his own place1  he 
found the boy hiding4 ,he began to cry1 
confessed the theft1 and  gave up the   
knife4    ,another test of innocency1   
practised in bygone days1 was to kindle 
a  fire on one of the table-mn 7large   
flat stones71 so common in villages  in 
,west ,cornwall4 ,a stick lit at this   
was handed to the accused1  who had to  
put out the fire by spitting on it4 ,it 
is well-known that  fear dries up       
saliva4 ,it is still supposed in remote 

districts that  no one can bear witness 
to a misdemeanour1 seen through glass4  
,i will describe another rough ordeal   
before ,i go on to the legends  of the  
,land's ,end district4 ,it is called    
,riding the hatch1 or  heps 7a half-door
 often seen at small country shops74    
,any man  formerly accused of immorality
 was brought before a select number of  
his fellow parishioners1 and by them put
 to sit astride the heps1  which was    
shaken violently backwards and forwards3
 if he fell into the  house he was      
judged innocent2 but out on the road1   
guilty4 ,when any  one has been brought 
before his superiors and remanded he is 
still  figuratively said to have been   
made to ride the 'heps4' ,hands are     
washed1 as by ,pontius ,pilate1 to clear
 a person from crime1 and to  call any  
one dirty-fingered is to brand him as a 
thief4    ,on a bench-end in ,zennor    
church there is a very singular carving 
of  a mermaid4 ,to account for it       
,zennor folks say that hundreds of years

  ago a beautifully-attired lady1 who   
came and went mysteriously1 used        
occasionally to attend their church and 
sing so divinely that she  enchanted all
 who heard her4 ,she came year after    
year1 but never aged  nor lost her good 
looks4 ,at last one ,sunday1 by her     
charms1 she enticed  a young man1 the   
best singer in the parish1 to follow    
her3 he never  returned1 and was heard  
of no more4 ,a long time after1 a vessel
 lying  in ,pendower cove1 into which   
she sailed one ,sunday1 cast her anchor1
  and in some way barred the access to a
 mermaid's dwelling4 ,she rose up  from 
the sea1 and politely asked the captain 
to remove it4 ,he landed  at ,zennor1   
and related his adventure1 and those who
 heard it agreed  that this must have   
been the lady who decoyed away the poor 
young man4    ,not far from ,st4 ,just  
is the solitary1 dreary cairn1 known as 
,cairn  ,kenidzhek 7pronounced          
,kenidjack71 which means the hooting    
cairn1  so called from the unearthly    

noises which proceed from it on dark    
nights4 ,it enjoys a bad reputation as  
the haunt of witches4 ,close  under it  
lies a barren stretch of moorland1 the  
,gump1 over it the  devil hunts at night
 poor lost souls2 he rides on the       
half-starved  horses turned out here to 
graze1 and is sure to overtake them at a
  particular stile4 ,it is often the    
scene of demon fights1 when one  holds  
the lanthorn to give the others light1  
and is also a great  resort of the      
pixies4 ,woe to the unhappy person who  
may be there  after night-fall3 they    
will lead him round and round1 and he   
may  be hours before he manages to get  
out of the place away from his          
tormentors4 ,here more than once        
fortunate persons have seen the  small  
people too1 at their revels1 and their  
eyes have been dazzled  by the sight of 
their wonderful jewels2 but if they have
 ever managed  to secrete a few1 behold 
next morning they were nothing but      
withered  leaves1 or perhaps            

snail-shells4         ,sennen ,cove was 
much frequented by mermaids4 ,this place
 was also      resorted to by a         
remarkable spirit called the            
,hooper--from the      hooping1 or      
hooting sounds it was accustomed to     
make4 ,in old times1      according to  
tradition1 a compact cloud of mist often
 came in from      over the sea1 when   
the weather was by no means foggy1 and  
rested on      the rocks called ,cowloc1
 thence it spread itself like a curtain 
of      cloud quite across ,sennen      
,cove4 ,by night a dull light was mostly
      seen amidst the vapour1 with      
sparks ascending as if a fire burned    
within it3 at the same time hooping     
sounds were heard proceeding            
therefrom4 ,people believed the misty   
cloud shrouded a spirit1 which      came
 to forewarn them of approaching storms1
 and that those who      attempted to   
put to sea found an invisible           
force--seemingly in the      mist--to   
resist them4 ,a reckless fisherman and  

his son1 however1      disregarding the 
token1 launched their boat and beat     
through the      fog with a threshal    
7flail72 they passed the cloud of mist  
which      followed them1 and neither   
the men nor the hooper were ever more   
seen in ,sennen ,cove4 ,this is the only
 place in the county where      any     
tradition of such a guardian spirit is  
preserved4--,bottrell4      ,the same   
author tells a story of a reputed       
astrologer called ,dionysius  ,williams1
 who lived in ,mayon1 in ,sennen1 a     
century ago4 ,he found his  furze-rick  
was diminishing faster than it ought1   
and discovered by  his art that some    
women in ,sennen ,cove were in the habit
 of taking it  away at night4 ,the very 
next night1 when all honest folks should
 be  in bed1 an old woman from the ,cove
 came as was her wont to his rick  for a
 burn #f of furze4 ,she made one of no  
more than the usual size  but could not 
lift it1 neither could she after she had
 lightened her  burn by half4           

,frightened1 she tried to take out the  
rope and run  away1 but she could       
neither draw it out nor move herself4   
,of course  ,mr4 ,williams had put a    
spell upon her1 and there she had to    
remain  in the cold all night4 ,he came 
out in the morning and released her1    
giving her1 as she was poor1 the furze4 
,neither she nor the other  women ever  
troubled him again4    ,before          
proceeding any further1 to make an      
allusion in the next  legend            
intelligible1 ,i must say something     
about ,tregeagle 7pronounced            
,tregaygle71 the ,cornish ,bluebeard1   
who was popularly supposed to have  sold
 his soul to the devil1 that his wishes 
might be granted for a  certain number  
of years2 and who1 in addition to       
several other crimes1  is accused of    
marrying and murdering many rich        
heiresses to obtain  their money4 ,one  
day1 just before his death1 he was      
present when one  man lent a large sum  
to another without receiving receipt or 

security  for it 7the money was borrowed
 for ,tregeagle74 ,soon after           
,tregeagle's  death the borrower denied 
that he had ever had it1 and the case   
was brought into ,bodmin ,court to be   
tried1 when the defendant said1  ,if    
,tregeagle ever saw it ,i wish to ,god  
that ,tregeagle may come into  court and
 declare it4 ,no sooner were the words  
spoken than ,tregeagle  appeared1 and   
gave his witness in favour of the       
plaintiff1 declaring  that he could not 
speak falsely2 but he who had found it  
so easy to  raise him would find it     
difficult to lay him4 ,the money was    
paid1  but the wretched man was followed
 night and day by the spirit1  and great
 labour had the parsons and wise men    
before they could  finally rid him of   
his tormentor4 ,there are many versions 
of this  transaction4 ,tregeagle himself
 is said in another to have received the
  money for an estate of which he was   
steward1 and not to have entered  it in 
his books4 ,his ghost was doomed to do  

many impossible things1  such as to     
empty ,dosmery pool1 near ,bodmin ,moor1
 with a limpet shell  that had a hole in
 the bottom4 ,this pool had the         
reputation1 too1  of being bottomless2  
but it has lately been cut into and     
drained by  the workers of the granite  
quarries4 ,strange tales are told in    
that  neighbourhood of his appearing to 
people1 and of his dismal howls  at not 
being able to fulfil his tasks4 ,mothers
 all over ,cornwall  when their children
 are loudly crying may be often heard to
 declare  that they are roaring worse   
than ,tregeagle4 ,a tradition of the    
neighbourhood says that on the shores of
 this lonely mere 7,dosmery  pool7 the  
ghosts of bad men are ever employed in  
binding the sand  in bundles with       
'beams' 7bands7 of the same4 ,these     
ghosts1 or some  of them1 were driven   
out 7they say horsewhipped out7 by the  
parson  from ,launceston4--,h4 ,g4 ,t4  
,notes and ,queries1 ,december1 #ahej4  
,tregeagle had also to remove the sand  

from one cove to another1  where the sea
 always returned it4 ,it was on one of  
these expeditions  that either by       
accident or design he dropped a sackful 
at the mouth  of ,loe-pool1 near        
,helston4 7,when in wet seasons the     
waters of this  pool rise to such a     
height as to obstruct the working of the
 mills  on its banks1 and heavy seas    
have silted up the sand at its mouth1   
the ,mayor of ,helston presents by      
ancient custom two leather purses       
containing three halfpence each as his  
dues to the lord of ,penrose who  owns  
,loe-pool1 and asks for permission to   
cut a passage through the  bar to the   
sea74 ,another of ,tregeagle's tasks is 
to make and carry  away a truss of sand 
bound with a rope of sand from ,gwenvor 
7the  cove at ,whitsand ,bay7 near the  
,land's ,end4 ,but his unquiet spirit   
finds no rest1 for whilst he is trying  
to do his never-ending work  the devil  
hunts him from place to place1 until he 
hides for refuge  in a hermit's ruined  

chapel on ,st4 ,roche's rocks 7,east    
,cornwall74    ,when the sea roars      
before a storm1 people in the ,land's   
,end district  say ,tregeagle is        
calling1 and often1 too1 his voice may  
be heard  lamenting around ,loe-pool4 #g
    ,the substance of the following ,i  
had from a ,penzance man 7,h4 ,r4 ,c471 
to whom ,i must own ,i am indebted for  
much information about ,cornish         
folk-lore4 ,all his life he has in his  
business mingled with the  peasantry of 
,west ,cornwall1 and1 unlike myself1 he 
comes from a long  line of ,cornishmen4 
,you know ,gwenvor ,sands1 in ,whitsand 
,bay1 at the ,land's ,end1 and  have    
heard of the unresting spirit of        
,tregeagle1 by whom that spot is        
haunted4 ,he foretells storms1 and calls
 before the wind reaches home4 ,i  have 
often heard him howling before a        
westerly hurricane in the still  of     
midnight at my house in ,penzance1 a    
distance of ten miles4    ,tradition    
tells that on these sands1 many         

centuries ago1 some  foreigners landed1 
and fought a great battle with the      
inhabitants1  under ,king ,arthur1 on   
,vellan-drucher ,moor4 ,where ,madron1  
,gulval1 and  ,zennor meet1 there is a  
flat stone where ,prince ,arthur and    
four ,british  kings dined1 and the four
 kings collected the native ,cornish who
 fought  under them at the battle of    
,vellan-drucher4--7,bottrell47 ,this was
  long before the ,spaniards 7pronounced
 ,spanyers7 in #aeie came ashore  at the
 same place from a galley high by day   
7in broad daylight71  and burnt         
,vellan-dreath1 a mill close by4        
,these foreigners are popularly supposed
 to be red-haired ,danes1 and  they     
stayed so long that the birds built in  
the rigging of their  ships4 ,in all the
 western parishes of ,cornwall there has
 existed  time out of mind a great      
antipathy to certain red-haired         
families1  who are said to be their     
descendants1 and1 much to their disgust1
  they are often hailed as ,danes       

7pronounced ,deanes74 ,indeed this      
dislike was carried so far that few     
would allow any members of their        
families to intermarry with them4 ,in   
addition to the usual country  gossip in
 the beginning of this century amongst  
the women of this  district whilst      
knitting at their doors 7for the        
,cornish are famous  knitsters71 or     
sitting round breeding 7netting7        
fishing-nets1 they  had one             
never-failing topic of conversation in  
their fears that the  foreigners would  
land once more on ,gwenvor ,sands1 or at
 ,priest's ,cove1  #h in ,pendeen1 near 
,st4 ,just4 ,who these strangers were to
 be they  were not at all sure1 but they
 knew that the red-haired ,danes were to
  come again1 when ,vellan-drucher 7a   
water mill-wheel7 would once more  be   
worked with blood1 and the kings for the
 last time would dine around  the       
,garrick ,zans 7,table ,mn72 and the end
 of the world would come soon  after3   
for had not ,merlin so prophesied more  

than a thousand years  ago8 ,garrick    
,zans is the old name for a large flat  
stone1 the ,table ,mn  7pronounced      
,mayon71 at ,sennen1 near the ,land's   
,end1 and seven mythical  ,saxon kings  
are said to have dined at it when on a  
visit to ,cornwall1  ,a4,d4 #fjj4       
,around it old folk went nine times     
daily1 from some notion  that is was    
lucky and good against                  
witchcraft4--7,bottrell47    ,off the   
,land's ,end is a very striking rock    
rising out of the sea4 ,it  is known as 
the ,irish ,lady1 from the fact that an 
,irish vessel  was once wrecked on it1  
and out of all on board one poor lady   
alone  managed to scramble up to the    
top2 but no boat could get to her1 and1 
exhausted by fatigue1 she fell into the 
water1 and was drowned4 ,her  spirit    
still haunts the spot4 ,this is most    
probably a fanciful tale1  as the rock  
bears some resemblance to a human       
figure4    ,during a dreadful           
thunderstorm and hurricane on the #cjth 

,january1  #afdh1 the day on which ,king
 ,charles was beheaded1 a large stone   
figure of a man1 called the ',armed     
,knight1' which stood in an upright     
position at the extremity of the ,land's
 ,end1 forty fathoms above the  level of
 the sea1 was thrown down4 ,on the same 
day a ship riding  in ,st4 ,ives ,bay1  
having on board the king's wardrobe and 
other  furniture belonging to the royal 
family1 bound for ,france1 broke  from  
her moorings1 and ran ashore on the     
rocks of ,godrevy ,island1  where all on
 board1 about sixty persons1 were       
drowned1 except one  man and a boy4--,g4
 ,s4 ,gilbert's ,cornwall4    ,the name 
of ,armed ,knight has been transferred  
to another pile of rocks  off the       
,land's ,end4 ,the stone figure thrown  
down was most probably  a natural       
formation1 as one of the rocks there now
 bears the fanciful  name of ,dr4       
,johnson's ,head1 from a supposed       
likeness4 ,other versions  of this      
legend say that the ,armed ,knight was  

only ninety feet high1  with an iron    
spire on its top4    ,porthgwarra in    
olden times was known as ,sweethearts'  
,cove from the  following circumstance3 
,the daughter of a well-to-do farmer    
loved a  sailor1 who was once one of her
 father's serving-men4 ,her parents1    
especially her mother1 disapproved of   
the match2 and when the young  man      
returned from sea and came to see his   
sweetheart1 he was forbidden  the house4
 ,the lovers however met1 and vowed to  
be true to each other1  ,nancy saying1  
,that she would never marry any other   
man1 and ,william1  ,that1 dead or      
alive1 he would one day claim her as his
 bride4 ,he  again went to sea1 and for 
a long time no tidings came1 neither    
from  nor of him4 ,poor ,nancy grew     
melancholy1 and spent all her days1 and 
sometimes nights1 looking out seaward   
from a spot on the cliff1 called  then  
,nancy's ,garden1 now ,hella ,point4    
,she gradually became quite mad2  and   
one night fancied she heard her lover   

tapping at her bed-room  window1 and    
calling her to come out to him1 saying3 
,sleepest thou1  sweetheart8 ,awaken1   
and come hither1 love4 ,my boat awaits  
us at the  cove4 ,thou must come this   
night1 or never be my bride4 ,she       
dressed1  went to the cove1 and was     
never seen again4 ,tradition says that  
the same night ,william appeared to his 
father1 told him that he had  come for  
his bride1 and bade him farewell2 and   
that next day the news  arrived of his  
having been drowned at sea4 ,bottrell   
gives this legend  under the title of   
,the ,tragedy of ,sweet ,william and    
,fair ,nancy4    ,not far from the      
parish of ,st4 ,levan is a small piece  
of  ground--,johanna's ,garden1 which is
 fuller of weeds than of  flowers4 ,the 
owner of it was one ,sunday morning in  
her garden gathering  greens for her    
dinner1 when she saw ,st4 ,levan going  
by to catch some  fish for his4 ,he     
stopped and greeted her1 upon which she 
reproved him  for fishing on a ,sunday1 

and asked him what he thought would be  
his  end if he did so4 ,he tried to     
convince her that it was not worse than 
picking greens1 but she would not listen
 to reason4 ,at last ,st4 ,levan  lost  
patience1 and said1 ,from this time for 
ever thou shalt be known1  if known at  
all1 as the ,foolish ,johanna1 and thy  
garden shall ever  continue to bear1 as 
now1 more hemlocks and nettles than     
leeks and  lentils4 ,mark this6 to make 
thy remembrance the more accursed for   
all  time to come1 if any child of thy  
name be baptised in the waters of       
,parchapel-well 7close at hand7 it shall
 become a fool1 like thyself1  and bad  
luck follow it4--,bottrell4    ,there is
 a cleft-stone in ,st4 ,levan churchyard
 called ,st4 ,levan's  stone2 but it is 
said to have been venerated in the days 
of ,king  ,arthur2 and ,merlin1 who once
 visited these parts with him1 uttered  
this prophecy concerning it3--          
,when1 with panniers astride1      ,a   
pack-horse can ride      ,through ,st4  

,levan's stone1      ,the world will be 
done4      ,unless some earthquake      
splits it further the world will last   
thousands  of years longer4    ,on an   
almost inaccessible granite peak seaward
 of the pile of rocks  known as ,castle 
,treryn 7pronounced ,treen71 once the   
haunt and  meeting-place of witches1 on 
the summit of which is perched the      
far-famed ,cornish logan-rock1 is a     
sharp peak with a hole in it1  large    
enough to insert a hand4 ,at the bottom 
lay an egg-shaped stone1  traditionally 
called the key of the castle1 which1    
although easily  shifted1 had for ages  
defied all attempts at removal4 ,it was 
said that  should any one ever succeed  
in getting it out1 ,castle ,treryn--in  
fact  the whole cairn--would immediately
 disappear4 ,it was unfortunately       
knocked out by the men who replaced the 
logan-rock1 thrown down by  ,lieutenant 
,goldsmith4 ,its position was often     
altered by heavy seas1  and from it the 
old folk formerly foretold the weather4 

,in ,buryan parish1 named after an      
,irish saint1 a king's daughter1  who   
came into ,cornwall with some of her    
companions in the fifth  century1 is the
 famous circle of ,dawns ,myin1 or the  
,merry ,maidens1  originally consisting 
of nineteen upright stones4 ,they are   
nineteen  maidens1 who for their sin of 
dancing on a ,sunday were all turned    
into stone4 ,two mnhirs in a            
neighbouring field are the pipers1 who  
at the same time suffered the same fate4
 ,of these and other stone  circles an  
old writer says1 ,no man when counting  
them can bring the  stones twice the    
same number4    ,not far from ,buryan1  
between ,sennen and ,penzance1 is a very
  solitary weird spot--a disused        
,quakers' burial-ground4 ,in its lonely 
neighbourhood is sometimes seen by a    
privileged few1 high by day1  the spirit
 of a huntsman1 followed by his dogs4   
,he is dressed in the  hunting costume  
of bygone ages2 he suddenly appears 7for
 neither  his horse's hoofs nor his     

dogs' feet make any sound71 jumps over  
an adjacent hedge1 and is as suddenly   
lost to view4 ,i do not know  if        
tradition has ever connected this       
huntsman with ,wild ,harris of          
,kenegie1 #i who was killed when hunting
 by a fall from his horse--it  was      
frightened by a white hare1 the spirit  
of a deserted maiden1  which crossed its
 path4 ,his ghost1 in his hunting-dress1
 appeared  standing at the door of his  
house the night he was buried--the      
funeral1  according to an old custom1   
had taken place at midnight4 ,for years 
after he might be met in the vicinity of
 his home1 and he and his  boon         
companions were often heard carousing at
 nights in a summer-house  on the       
bowling-green4 ,few then cared to pass  
,kenegie after dark1 for  his was said  
not to be the only spirit that haunted  
the place4 ,wild  ,harris's ghost was   
finally laid to rest by a famous        
ghost-laying  parson1 and put as a task 
to count the blades of grass nine times 

in  an enclosure on the top of          
,castle-an-,dinas1 an old earth         
fortification  near where he is said to 
have met his death4 #aj ,ghosts only    
walk  7appear7 in the parish where their
 bodies were buried4    ,on the opposite
 side of ,buryan to the ,quakers'       
burial-ground is  the parish of ,paul   
7,st4 ,pol-de-,leon74 ,its church was   
burnt by the  ,spaniards in #aeie4 ,they
 landed on a rock1 said to have been    
named  after ,merlin--,merlin's car1 and
 marched from ,paul to ,penzance1 which 
they also fired in several places4 ,i am
 afraid the inhabitants did  not make a 
very bold stand against them2 for       
,merlin had prophesied  centuries       
before--         ,that they should land 
on the rock of ,merlin1      ,who would 
burn ,paul1 ,penzance1 and ,newlyn4     
,and this caused them to lose courage1  
and falsify the old proverb3            
,car and ,pen1 ,pol and ,tre1           
,would make the devil run away4         
,close by the highway1 where the ,buryan

 road joins the high-road  from ,paul to
 ,penzance1 is a smoothly-cut1 conical  
granite stone1  popularly supposed to   
have been placed there in memory of some
 woman  who was found murdered at that  
spot1 with nothing on to identify her1  
and with only a thimble and ring in her 
pocket4 ,it really marks the  place     
where an ancient gold ring1 three inches
 and a half in diameter1  bearing the   
motto1 ,in hac spe vivo1 was discovered 
in #agha4 ,in the  same parish1 a short 
walk from this place1 are some          
,druidical remains1  which have the     
curious name of ,kerris roundago4 ,some 
stones taken  from it to repair         
,penzance pier were fatal to the horses 
who drew them1  although they were young
 and healthy4    ,in the adjacent parish
 of ,newlyn1 a fishing village1 the     
favourite  resort of artists1 a great   
deal of gossiping on summer evenings    
goes on around the small wells 7here    
called peeths71 whilst the  women wait  
patiently for each in turn to fill her  

earthen pitchers2  some of the most     
industrious bring their knitting in     
their pockets  with them4 ,opposite one 
of these wells1 towering over ,st4      
,peter's  church1 is a striking pile of 
rocks1 ,tolcarn4 ,on the summit are     
some curious markings in the stones1    
which1 when a child1 ,i was told  were  
the devil's footprints2 but the         
following legend1 which ,i give  on the 
authority of the ,rev4 ,w4 ,s4          
,lach-,szyrma1 ,vicar of ,st4 ,peter's1 
is quite new to me3--    ,the summit of 
the rock is reticulated with curious    
veins of elvan1  about which a quaint   
,cornish legend relates that the        
,bucca-boo1 or  storm-god of the old    
,cornish1 once stole the fishermen's    
net4 ,being  pursued by ,paul choir1 who
 sang the ,creed1 he flew to the top of 
,paul  hill and thence over the ,coombe 
to ,tolcarn1 where he turned the nets   
into stone4    ,we have now reached the 
town of ,penzance1 and through its      
streets  folks of the last generation   

often heard rumbling at midnight an     
old-fashioned coach drawn by headless   
horses2 or saw a procession of  coffins 
slowly wending its way to the           
churchyard4 ,it was unlucky to  meet    
this1 as death was sure soon to follow1 
and tradition speaks of a  woman who    
accidentally struck against one and died
 in the same night4 ,a  coach with      
headless horses and coachman1 also just 
before ,christmas1  went through the    
streets of ,penryn2 this coachman had   
the power of  spiriting away people who 
met and stared at him1 unless they      
turned  their heads and averted the evil
 by some mystical signs4 ,in ,penzance  
town were many haunted houses1 but space
 will only allow of my noticing  a few4 
,one in ,chapel ,street 7formerly ,our  
,lady's ,street7 was tenanted  by the   
spirit of ,mrs4 ,baines1 an eccentric   
old lady4 ,at the back  of her house was
 a very fine orchard well stocked with  
fruit-trees1  which the boys were too   
fond of visiting4 ,she determined at    

last that  her gardener should watch for
 them1 armed with an old blunderbuss1   
charged with peas and small shot4 ,she  
gave him strict orders should  he see   
any one1 to say one1 two1 three1 and    
then fire4 ,he watched two  nights1 but 
the boys were too cunning for him1 and  
still the fruit  went4 ,on the third1   
,mrs4 ,baines1 thinking to catch him    
napping1 went  herself into the garden  
and began to shake the apples down from 
one of  the trees4 ,some say that the   
man recognised his mistress1 and1 vexed 
at her suspecting him1 said one1 two1   
three1 as quickly as he could  utter the
 words1 and fired2 others1 that he was  
sleeping1 and awakened  by the noise she
 made1 shot her by mistake1 exclaiming1 
,i know-ee1  you thief1 ,i do2 now ,i'll
 sarve-ee out1 ,i will4 ,terrified after
 he  had done the deed1 he ran off into 
the country and there hid himself  for  
some days4 ,the poor old lady was more  
frightened than hurt1 and  all the shot 
were successfully extracted by her      

doctor2 but very soon  after this       
adventure she died4 ,from this time her 
house and grounds  began to have an evil
 reputation2 ,mrs4 ,baines's ghost1     
dressed in  antiquated garb1 a quaint   
lace cap on her powdered hair1 lace     
ruffles  hanging from her sleeves1 and a
 short mode mantle over her shoulders1  
was often seen walking in the gardens or
 standing under an apple-tree1  leaning 
on the gold-headed cane she always      
carried4 ,indoors1 too1  her high-heeled
 shoes were plainly heard night after   
night tapping on  the floors as she     
paced up and down the rooms1 which noise
 was often  varied by the whirring of   
her spinning-wheel4 ,for some time the  
house  was unoccupied1 now it is divided
 into two1 and the ghost has been  laid 
to rest4 ,but long after ,mrs4 ,baines  
ceased to appear her wheel  was heard4  
,at last it was discovered that some    
leather1 which had  been nailed around a
 door to keep out draughts1 was loose in
 places1  and that the whistling of the 

wind through this made the peculiar     
sound4 ,mr4 ,bottrell says that her     
spirit was laid by a parson1 whose  name
 he thinks was ,singleton1 and he       
succeeded in getting her away  to the   
,western ,green 7west of ,penzance71    
which was then spread over  many acres  
of land1 where the waves now roll4 #aa  
,here this powerful  parson             
single-handed bound her to spin from the
 banks1 ropes of sand  for the term of a
 thousand years1 unless she1 before that
 time1 spun  a sufficiently long and    
strong one to reach from ,st4 ,michael's
 ,mount  to ,st4 ,clement's ,isle       
7across the bay74 ,about a stone's throw
 from  ,mrs4 ,baines's house1 on an     
eminence above ,quay street1 stood in   
her  days ,penzance ,chapel of ,ease    
7for ,penzance was then in ,madron      
parish71  called our ,lady's or ,st4    
,mary's ,chapel4 ,on the same site was  
built1 in  #ahce1 the present parish    
church of ,st4 ,mary's4 ,here1 in the   
memory of  a few who still survive1 a   

gentleman in the early part of this     
century  did penance1 and afterwards    
walked from thence through the streets  
to  his house1 wrapped in a sheet1 with 
a lighted taper in his hand4 ,it  was   
usual then1 as now1 for the ,mayor and  
,corporation of ,penzance1  with the    
mace-bearers and constables1 to go once 
a month in state  to church4 ,before the
 reading of the first lesson the        
mace-bearers  left1 and visited the     
public-houses1 in order to see that they
 were  shut during service time4 ,when  
the sermon began they came back and     
returned to their seats in order to be  
in readiness to escort the  ,mayor home4
 ,quay street was once the most         
fashionable part of ,penzance1  but the 
large houses are now divided into       
smaller tenements2 in some  of them bits
 of finely-moulded ceilings1 c41 still  
exist4 ,one of the  houses reputed to   
have been haunted was torn down in      
#ahac1 when the  skeleton of a man was  
found built into a wall4 ,it was1 of    

course1  put down to be the sailor's    
whose spirit was so often seen there1   
and who 7tradition said7 had been       
murdered in that house for the sake  of 
his money4 ,it was well known that he   
had brought back great riches  from     
foreign parts4 ,there is a myth that    
,sir ,walter ,raleigh landed  at        
,penzance ,quay when he returned from   
,virginia1 and on it smoked the  first  
tobacco ever seen in ,england1 but for  
this statement ,i believe  there is not 
the slightest foundation4 ,several      
western ports1 both  in ,devon and      
,cornwall1 make the same boast4    ,it  
is a fact1 however1 that the news of    
,nelson's death was first  heard here4  
,it was brought into the port by two    
fishermen1 who had  it from the crew of 
a passing vessel4 ,a small company of   
strolling  actors were playing that     
night at the little theatre then        
standing  over some stables in ,chapel  
street1 and the play was stopped for a  
few moments whilst one of the actors    

told the audience4    ,another haunted  
house1 at the opposite side of          
,penzance1 is celebrated  in a poem     
called ,the ,petition of an ,old        
,uninhabited ,house1 written  and       
published in #ahaa1 by the ,rev4 ,c4 ,v4
 ,le ,grice1 who was then ,vicar  of    
,madron4 ,he was a friend of ,charles   
,lamb1 who mentions him in his  ,essay  
on ,christ's ,hospital4 ,about this     
house a lady once told me a  strange    
story1 that ,i will relate4 ,forty years
 ago1 she1 a perfect  stranger to the   
place1 never having been in ,penzance   
before1 came  to it with her husband and
 her first child1 for she was then a    
young  wife4 ,as they meant to settle in
 the town1 they went to this hotel1     
where they intended staying until they  
could get a suitable house4 ,on  the    
evening of their arrival1 her husband   
having gone out1 she sat  alone before  
the fire nursing her child1 when she    
suddenly saw a  little old man1 in a    
very old-fashioned dress1 come into the 

room4 ,he  sat down in a chair near her1
 looked steadfastly into the fire1  and1
 after some time1 without saying a word1
 he rose and left4 ,on  her husband's   
return1 she told him of her queer       
visitor4 ,the next  morning they made   
enquiries about him1 and found that the 
hotel had  been built on the site of the
 old uninhabited house2 that nearly the 
whole of it had been destroyed1 but a   
few of the best rooms remained2  and    
that they were in a haunted chamber4    
,she declared that she could  never     
sleep there another night1 and1         
temporarily1 they engaged some          
furnished lodgings4 ,these old rooms are
 now pulled down and billiard  and other
 rooms cover the place where they stood4
    ,outside the boundary-stone1 west of
 ,penzance1 stands1 in its own  grounds1
 a house to which additions have been   
made by many succeeding  generations4   
,tradition1 of course1 gave it a ghost4 
,with the other  members of my family ,i
 lived there for several years1 but none

 of  us ever saw it4 ,i am bound1       
however1 to state that we never slept in
  the haunted chamber4 ,for a short     
period it was occupied by a groom1  who 
one morning came to me with a very long 
face1 and said he dared  not sleep there
 any more1 for some mysterious being    
came night after  night1 and pulled all 
the bed-clothes off him2 rather than do 
so1  he would sleep in the harness-room4
    ,still further west of ,penzance is 
a much larger house1 to which1  like the
 former1 many additions have been made4 
,and up its avenue1  after dark1 a      
carriage may be often heard slowly      
making its way  until it reaches the    
hall-door1 where it stops4 ,in this     
house1 about  sixty years ago1 lived1 in
 very great style1 a gentleman1 who was 
a  regular autocrat1 and of him one of  
his old servants related to me  this    
anecdote1 which is curious as an        
illustration of the manners of  those   
times4 ,when in his employ1 he gave an  
answer to some question1  which         

afterwards his master discovered to be  
an untruth4 ,the next  ,sunday he made  
him1 as the congregation came out1 stand
 at ,madron  church door1 by a tombstone
 covered with loaves of bread4 ,of      
these1  he had to give one to each poor 
person that passed1 and say1 in an      
audible tone1 ,i1 ,william ----1 last   
week told my master a lie4    ,mr4 ,g4  
,b4 ,millett1 in his ,penzance ,past and
 ,present1 gives a tale well  known in  
this district1 about the drinking habits
 of our ancestors1  which1 as ,i am now 
on the subject of manners1 ,i will      
quote4    ,a particular gentleman1 not  
far from ,penzance1 loved good liquor1  
and one evening had gathered some of his
 jovial companions together1  determined
 to make a night of it4 ,his wife1      
having had some experience  of such     
gatherings before1 with wise precaution1
 saw as much wine  taken out of the     
cellar as she thought would be good for 
her husband  and his friends4 ,then1    
safely locking the strong oak door1 she 

put the  key in her pocket1 and         
announced her intention of spending the 
evening  with some lady friends4 ,the   
hours were passing pleasantly away1 and1
  with a smile of inward satisfaction1  
she was congratulating herself  upon the
 success of her forethought1 when a     
heavy stumbling noise  was heard upon   
the stairs1 and shortly afterwards two  
burly footmen  staggered into the room1 
groaning under the weight of a ponderous
  cellar door1 with its posts and       
lintel1 which had been sent by their    
master for the mistress to unlock4      
,the manor of ,conerton1 which at one   
time nearly included the whole  of ,west
 ,penwith1 had many privileges in       
,penzance4 ,before the days of  county  
courts the lord held a monthly court    
here for the trial of  small cases not  
criminal4 ,its prison1 a wretched place 
7visited by  ,howard71 no longer exists1
 but people were confined there early in
  this century--sometimes for long      
periods4 ,i was once shown a beautiful  

patchwork quilt made by a poor woman1   
who had been imprisoned for debt4       
,until within the last fifty years every
 butcher in ,penzance market had  to pay
 to the bailiff of this manor at        
,christmas a marrow-bone or a  shilling4
 ,the first butcher who refused to pay  
it also defied one of  the bye-laws of  
the market that compelled them to wear  
white sleeves  over their blue blouses4 
,he was brought before the magistrates1 
and  declared that he would be          
incarcerated before he would do it4 ,the
  following is a favourite story handed 
down amongst the butchers from  father  
to son4 ,a solicitor in ,penzance had a 
very large dog that was in  the habit of
 coming into their market and stealing  
joints of meat from  the stalls4 ,one   
day one of them went to the lawyer1 and 
said1--,please  sir1 could ,i sue the   
owner of a dog for a leg of mutton      
stolen from my  stall8 ,certainly1 my   
good man4 ,then1 please sir1 the dog is 
yours1  and the price of the mutton is  

#ds4 #f;d4 ,the money was paid1 and the 
man was going away in triumph1 when he  
was called back by these words3  ,stay a
 moment1 my good man1 a lawyer's        
consultation is #fs4 #h;d41 you  owe me 
the difference3 which sum the           
discomfited butcher had to pay4         
,every stream in ,cornwall however small
 is called a river 7pronounced  revvur74
 ,one flows into the sea west of        
,penzance1 between it and  ,newlyn1     
known as ,laregan1 and another at the   
east in ,gulval parish1  as ,ponsandane 
river4 ,there is an old rhyme about them
 that runs thus3         ,when          
,ponsandane calls to ,laregan river1    
,there will be fine weather4      ,but  
we may look for rain      ,when ,laregan
 calls to ,ponsandane4      ,years ago  
there was a marsh between ,penzance and 
,newlyn1 now covered  by the sea1 known 
to the old people as the ,clodgy2 when  
the sea  moaned there they said1 ,clodgy
 is calling for rain4 ,sometimes at  the
 present day it is ,bucca is calling1   

,bucca being the nickname  in ,penzance 
for the inhabitants of ,newlyn4         
,penzance boys up in a tree1            
,looking as wisht 7weak1 downcast7 as   
wisht can be2      ,newlyn ',buccas1'   
strong as oak1      ,knocking them down 
at every poke4      ,the weather at     
,mount's ,bay is also foretold by the   
look of the ,lizard  land1 which lies   
south3         ,when the ,lizard is     
clear1 rain is near4      ,the marsh on 
,marazion ,green still exists1 and not  
many years ago  no one cared to cross it
 after nightfall1 especially on         
horseback1  for at a certain spot close 
by the marsh a white lady was sure to   
arise from the ground1 jump on the      
rider's saddle1 and1 like the  ,white   
,lady of ,avenel1 ride with him         
pillion-fashion as far as the  ,red     
river #ab that runs into the sea just   
below the smelting-works  at ,chyandour1
 a suburb of ,penzance4 ,the last person
 who saw her  was a tailor of this town1
 who died in #ahdj4 ,he was commonly    

called  ,buck ,billy1 from his wearing  
till the day of his death a pigtail1  a 
buff waistcoat1 and a blue coat with    
yellow buttons4    ,marazion1 or        
,market-jew1 which latter is a          
corruption of its old  ,cornish name1   
,marghaisewe1 meaning a ,thursday's     
market1 is a small  town exactly        
opposite ,st4 ,michael's ,mount4 ,until 
its present church  was built its mayor 
sat in a very high seat with his back   
against a  window4 ,this is the origin  
of the ,cornish proverb3 ,in your own   
light1  like the mayor of ,market-jew4  
,this mayor is jokingly said to have    
three privileges4 ,the first is1 ,that  
he may sit in his own light2  the       
second1 ,next to the parson2 and the    
third1 ,if he see a pig in  a gutter he 
may turn it out and take its place4 #ac 
,in the churchyard of the neighbouring  
parish of ,st4 ,hilary is  a monument to
 the ,rev4 ,john ,penneck1 ,m4,a41 who1 
in the early part  of the last century1 
was ,chancellor of ,exeter ,cathedral4  

,his ghost  is very eccentric1 sometimes
 getting into a passion1 and on these   
occasions raising a great storm of wind4
    ,in the parish of ,breage1 near the 
sea1 about four miles from ,marazion1   
are the ruins of ,pengersick ,castle1 of
 which only some fragments of  walls and
 a square tower now stand4 ,some of the 
upper rooms in the  latter have fallen  
in1 and they are all in a state of      
decay4 ,the  lower have oak-panels      
curiously carved and painted1 but time  
has  almost effaced the designs4 ,the   
most perfect is one representing        
,perseverance1 under which are the      
following lines3         ,what thing is 
harder than the rock8      ,what softer 
is than water cleere8      ,yet wyll the
 same1 with often droppe1      ,the hard
 rock perce as doth a spere4      ,even 
so1 nothing so hard to attayne1         
,but may be hadde1 with labour and      
payne4      ,so many are the legends    
told of the former inhabitants of       
,pengersick1  that it would be almost   

impossible at this date to decide which 
is  the original4 ,these ruins stand on 
the site of a much older castle1  and in
 it dwelt1 far back in the dark ages1 a 
very wicked man1 who1  when he was      
fighting in foreign parts1 forgetting   
his wife at home1  courted a king's     
daughter1 who gave him a magic sword1   
which ensured  in every battle the      
victory to its owner4 ,he deceived and  
left her2  but she1 with her son in her 
arms1 followed him to his home by the   
,mount4 ,there she met him1 and         
upbraided him with his cruelty1 and  in 
a fit of passion he threw them both into
 the sea4 ,the lady was  drowned1 and   
after her death she was changed into a  
white hare1 which  continually haunted  
the old lord2 but her boy was picked up 
alive by a  passing ship4 ,the lord's   
wife afterwards died1 and he married    
again a  woman as bad as himself1       
reputed to be a witch1 who was very     
cruel to  her step-son1 who lived with  
his father at the castle4 ,one night    

there  was a great storm in ,mount's    
,bay1 and the young man went down to the
  shore to see if there were any vessels
 in distress1 and spied on the  beach an
 almost exhausted sailor1 who had been  
washed in by the waves1  and whom he    
bade his servants carry to his home1 and
 put into his own  bed4 ,when he        
revived1 all were struck by the         
marvellous resemblance  to the young    
heir2 and they conceived a great        
affection for each  other4 ,together    
they went to ,marazion to see if they   
could find the  vessel from whose deck  
the stranger had fallen into the sea4   
,it was  safe in harbour1 and the       
captain1 whom the sailor had always     
thought  to be his father1 told him then
 for the first time1 ,how1 when he  was 
an infant1 he had rescued him from      
drowning where last night he  had nearly
 lost his life4 ,thus they were         
discovered to be brothers1  and a day or
 two after1 when out hunting1 guided by 
the white hare1  they accidentally came 

upon the miraculous sword that had      
disappeared  when his mother was        
drowned4 ,then these two brothers sailed
 away from  ,cornwall1 and dwelt in     
peace in the land of a strange princess2
 where  the ,cornishman studied1 under a
 celebrated master1 astrology and all   
other occult sciences4 ,after some time 
the old lord of ,pengersick met  his    
death in this wise3 ,as he was riding   
out one fine morning1 the  white hare   
suddenly sprang up in front of his horse
 and startled it1  so that it ran madly 
with its rider into the sea1 where both 
were  swallowed up4 ,when this news was 
brought to him1 the ,cornishman  bade   
his brother an affectionate farewell1   
and1 with his wife1 a  learned princess1
 went back to ,pengersick1 where they   
lived happily  for several generations1 
for amongst many other wonderful things1
  the young lord had discovered an      
elixir of life which1 had they so       
wished1 would have kept them alive to   
the present day4 7,see ,bottrell47      

,in addition to being well versed in    
occult lore1 ,pengersick's wife  was a  
fine musician2 she could with her harp  
charm and subdue evil  spirits1 and     
compel the fish in ,mount's ,bay1 also  
the mermaids who  then dwelt there1 to  
come out of the sea4    ,another account
 of the old lord's death says that he   
and a party of  his friends were dining 
in his yacht around a silver table when 
she  went down1 and all on board        
perished4 ,this happened off ,cudden    
,point1  which juts into the sea just   
opposite ,pengersick4 ,children living  
there  formerly used to go down to the  
beach at low water to try and find  this
 silver table4 7,a ship laden with      
bullion is reported to have been  lost  
here in the time of ,queen ,elizabeth47 
,the present castle1 one  tradition     
says1 was built in the reign of ,henry  
,,viii4 by a merchant  who had acquired 
immense wealth beyond the seas1 and who 
loaded an ass  with gold1 and broke its 
back4 ,he sold the castle to a ,mr4     

,milliton1  who1 having slain a man1    
shut himself up in it to escape         
punishment4    ,another legend says that
 ,sir ,william ,milliton built it1 and1 
soon after  its completion1 married a   
very rich but extremely ugly and        
shrewish  woman1 of whom he tried by    
various ways to rid himself but in vain4
 ,one  day1 after a desperate quarrel1  
he begged her forgiveness1 and asked    
her1 in proof of having pardoned him1 to
 sup with him that evening  in a room   
overlooking the sea4 ,she agreed2 and at
 the conclusion of  the feast they      
pledged each other in goblets of rich   
wine4 ,then ,sir  ,william's looks      
altered1 and1 in a fierce voice1 he     
said1 ,woman1  now prepare for death6   
,you have but a short time to live1 as  
the  wine that you have just drunk was  
poisoned4 ,then we die together1  she   
answered1 for ,i had my suspicions1 and 
mixed the contents of the  goblets4 ,up 
to this time the moon1 which was at its 
full1 had been  shining brightly through

 the open windows1 for it was a warm    
summer  night1 when suddenly a frightful
 storm of thunder and lightning arose1  
the winds lashed the waves to fury1 and 
the moon was darkened4 ,the  servants1  
alarmed by this1 and the unearthly      
fiendish yells that came  from the      
banqueting hall1 rushed upstairs1 and   
there found the bodies  of their master 
and mistress dead on the floor2 and     
through the open  window they saw1 by   
the light of the moon which for a moment
 shone  through a rift in the clouds1   
their souls borne away on the wings of  
a demon in the shape of a bird4    ,the 
original name of ,breage parish was     
,pembro2 but ,st4 ,breaca1 hearing  that
 the inhabitants were at a loss to raise
 the money for a peal of  bells1 offered
 to extricate them from their difficulty
 on condition  that they should call the
 parish after her4 ,the condition was   
accepted1  the bells were hung1 and the 
parish henceforth was known as that of  
,st4 ,breage4--,through ,rev4 ,s4       

,rundle4    ,st4 ,germoe 7,geronicus7 an
 ,irish king1 who was converted to      
,christianity  in the fifth century1 is 
said to have been the foster-son of     
,breaca  7or ,breage71 with whom he     
crossed over into ,cornwall where they  
settled4 ,two churches in adjoining     
parishes are dedicated to them2  ,st4   
,germoe is reputed to have been the     
founder of his1 and there is  a curious 
structure at the north-east of the      
churchyard1 known as  ,st4 ,germoe's    
chair or ,king ,germoe's throne4        
,there is more than one story attached  
to this chair4 ,one is to the  effect   
that the saint sat in the central chair 
with two assessors1  one on either side 
of him2 another legend is that the      
priests rested  in the chair2 whilst a  
third is that pilgrims to the tomb of   
the saint  also rested therein4 ,be that
 as it may1 however1 it is possible that
  this is a shrine1 and that the body of
 ,st4 ,germoe rests underneath          
it4--,rev4 ,w4 ,a4 ,osborne1            

,transactions ,penzance ,natural        
,history  ,society1 #ahhf1 #ahhg4    ,at
 ,great ,work ,mine 7,huel ,vor7 near   
by1 a narrow level 7not far down7  is   
still thought to have been made by      
,christian slaves1 when the  first      
church at ,germoe was built4            
,germoe1 little ,germoe lies under a    
hill1      ,when ,i'm in ,germoe ,i     
count myself well2      ,true love's in 
,germoe1 in ,breage ,i've got none1     
,when ,i'm in ,germoe ,i count myself at
 home4--                                
,through ,rev4 ,s4 ,rundle4      ,all   
,cornishmen at one time were supposed to
 be wreckers1 and from  the             
peninsular-shape of their county came   
the proverb1 ',tis a bad  wind that     
blows no good to ,cornwall4 ,but the    
dwellers in ,breage and  ,germoe must in
 olden times1 from the following        
distich1 have been  held in worse repute
 than their neighbours3         ,god    
keep us from rocks and shelving sands1  
,and save us from ,breage and ,germoe   

men's hands4      ,the most noted and   
daring ,cornish smuggler of the last    
century1  ,coppinger1 a ,dane1 lived on 
the north coast1 and of him a legendary 
catalogue of dreadful tales is told1 all
 to be found in the  ,rev4 ,r4 ,s4      
,hawker's book1 the ,footprints of      
,former ,men in ,far  ,cornwall4 ,he    
lays the scene of his exploits in the   
neighbourhood  of ,hartland ,bay1 my    
informant near ,newquay4 ,he swam ashore
 here  in the prime of life1 in the     
middle of a frightful storm1 from a     
foreign-rigged vessel that was seen in  
the offing1 and of which nothing  more  
was ever heard or known4 ,wrapped in a  
cloak1 that tradition says  he tore from
 off the shoulders of an old woman who  
was on the beach1  he jumped up behind a
 farmer's daughter1 who had ridden down 
to see  the wreck1 and was by her taken 
to her father's house1 where he was     
fed1 clothed1 and most hospitably       
received4 ,he was a fine1 handsome1     
well-built man1 and gave himself out to 

be most highly connected in  his own    
country4 ,he soon won the young woman's 
affections1 and at her  father's death1 
which took place not long after1 he     
easily induced her  to marry him2 but it
 was far from a happy union4 ,luckily   
they had but  one child--a deaf and dumb
 idiot1 who had inherited his father's  
cruel  disposition1 and delighted in    
torturing all living things4 ,it is even
  said that he cunningly killed one of  
his young playmates4 ,coppinger1  after 
his marriage1 organized a band of       
smugglers1 and made himself  their      
captain2 and quickly through his        
misdeeds earned the title  of cruel     
,coppinger4 ,one legend relates that he 
once led a ,revenue  cutter into a      
dangerous cove1 of which he alone knew  
the soundings1  and that he and his crew
 came out of it in safety1 but the other
  vessel with all on board perished4    
,mr4 ,hawker calls ,coppinger's ship    
the ,black ,prince1 and says he had it  
built for himself in ,denmark1  and that

 men who had made themselves in any way 
obnoxious to him on  land were carried  
on board her1 and compelled by fearful  
oaths to  enrol themselves in her crew4 
,in #ahce an old man of the age of      
ninety-seven related to this writer     
that when a youth he had been so        
abducted1 and after two years'  service 
he had been ransomed by his friends with
 a large sum4 ,and  all1 said the old   
man1 very simply1 because ,i happened to
 see  one man kill another1 and they    
thought ,i should mention it4 ,the  same
 author gives him a wonderfully fleet   
horse1 which no one but  ,coppinger     
could master1 and says that on its back 
he made more than  one hairbreadth      
escape4 ,he has also a marvellous       
account of his end1  in which he        
disappears as he came1 in a vessel which
 he boarded in  a storm of thunder1     
lightning1 and hail4 ,as soon as he was 
in her1  she was out of sight in a      
moment1 like a spectre or a ghost4 ,for 
this he quotes the following verse3--   

,will you hear of the cruel ,coppinger8 
,he came from a foreign kind2      ,he  
was brought to us from the salt water1  
,he was carried away by the wind4       
,the one thing certain about him is1    
that at one time he amassed money       
enough by smuggling to buy a small      
freehold estate near the sea1 the       
title-deeds of which1 signed with his   
name1 still exist4 ,but in his  old age1
 ,i have been told1 he was reduced to   
poverty1 and subsisted  on charity4     
,that in those bygone days smuggling was
 thought no sin every one  knows4 ,and  
who has not heard the oft-quoted        
apocryphal anecdote of  the ,cornish    
clergyman1 who--when he was in the      
middle of his sermon  and some one      
opened the church door and shouted in1  
,a wreck6 a  wreck6--begged his         
parishioners to wait whilst he took off 
his gown  that they might all start     
fair4    ,the following is1 however1 a  
genuine letter of the last century from 
a vicar in the eastern part of the      

county to a noted smuggler of  that     
district3--         ,martin ,rowe1 you  
very well know1      ,that ,cubert's    
vicar loves good liquor1      ,one      
bottle's all1 upon my soul4      ,you'll
 do right to come to-night2      ,my    
wife's the banker1 she'll pay for the   
anker4      ,to the same jovial vicar is
 credited this grace1 given to his      
hostess'  horror at her table after he  
had dined out several days in           
succession1  and had rabbits offered    
him1 a dish he detested3--         ,of  
rabbits young and rabbits old1      ,of 
rabbits hot and rabbits cold1      ,of  
rabbits tender1 rabbits tough1      ,i  
thank the ,lord we've had enough4       
,inland from ,breage is the small hamlet
 of ,leed's-town 7called after  the     
,duke of ,leeds1 who has property in    
,cornwall74 ,it is the seat of the      
following short story3--,the            
,leed's-town ghost runs up and down     
stairs  in a house during the night1 and
 then sits in a corner of the room      

weeping and sleeking her hair4 ,it is   
the ghost of a young woman who  was     
engaged to be married to a man who      
refused to become her husband  until she
 gave him certain deeds kept in a box in
 the above room4 ,as  soon as the deeds 
were in his possession1 he realised the 
property and  escaped to ,america1      
leaving the luckless girl to bemoan her 
loss4 ,she  went mad3 night and day she 
was searching for her deeds2 sometimes  
she  would sit and wail in the spot     
where the box had been4 ,at length she  
died3 her spirit1 however1 had no rest1 
and still constantly returns  to keep   
alive the memory of man's               
perfidy4--,through ,rev4 ,s4 ,rundle4   
,close to ,leed's-town1 at the foot of  
,godolphin-hill1 is the old house1  or  
hall1 of ,godolphin4 ,the basement-floor
 of the original house  alone remains3  
it consists of a long faade supported by
 pillars  of white granite1 the interior
 containing many objects of interest    
well worth a visit4 ,opposite the       

inhabited part of the house is the      
,king's room1 opening on the ,king's    
garden4 7,the title of ,king's  room was
 given to it from the legend that       
,charles ,,ii4 once slept  there47 ,you 
could leave it by five ways2 as there   
were three doors1  one exit through the 
floor1 and another through the roof4    
,godolphin  is held by a very curious   
tenure1 said to have originated in a bet
  between the representatives of the    
,godolphin and ,st4 ,aubyn families  on 
a snail race4 ,as the ,godolphin snail  
was being beaten1 its owner  pricked it 
with a pin to make it go faster1 but it 
drew in its horns  and refused to move1 
consequently the other won4 ,the        
following is the  ceremony which takes  
place every ,candlemas4 ,before sunrise 
a person1  appointed as reeve by the    
,rev4 ,st4 ,aubyn ,molesworth ,st4      
,aubyn1  the lord of the manor of       
,lamburn1 in the parish of              
,perranzabuloe  7near ,truro71 knocks at
 the ancient outer door of the          

quadrangle1  and repeats this demand    
thrice3--,oyez6 ,oyez6 ,oyez6 ,here come
 ,i  the reeve of the manor of ,lamburn1
 to demand my lord's dues1 eight  groats
 and a penny in money1 a loaf1 a cheese1
 a collar of brawn1  and a jack of the  
best ale in the house4 ,god save the    
,queen and the  lord of the manor4 ,it  
is said at the outer door of the        
quadrangle1  at the inner door1 and for 
the third and last time at the table in 
the kitchen 7which is one of the oldest 
and not the least interesting  rooms74  
,the above high lordship is paid by the 
,duke of ,leeds to  the ,st4 ,aubyn     
family1 to whom should they fail an heir
 the estate  reverts4 ,there is another 
curious tenure in this part of          
,cornwall1  which as ,i am on the       
subject ,i will1 before proceeding      
further1  quote4 ,the parsonage of ,st4 
,grade1 with a small portion of land1   
including an orchard1 is held of the    
manor of ,erisey by the following       
tenure1 viz41 that on ,easter-day1      

yearly1 the parson provide a dinner  for
 the master and mistress of ,erisey     
house1 and their man and maid1  with a  
pan of milk for a greyhound             
bitch4--,lake1 ,helston and ,lizard4    
,the old manor-house of ,erisey is in   
,ruan ,major 7near the ,lizard71  and of
 one of the family the following story  
is told3--,he was  dancing with other   
ladies and gentlemen at ,whitehall      
before ,james  ,i41 and1 through the    
violent motion and action of his body in
 the  middle of the dance1 had his cap  
slip from his head and fall to the      
ground2 but he instantly with his foot  
tossed it on his head again1  and       
proceeded without let or hindrance with 
his part in that dance1  to the         
admiration of all who saw it1 which gave
 occasion to ,king ,james  to enquire   
who that active gentleman was1 and being
 told that his name  was ,erisey1 he    
forthwith replied1 ',i like the         
gentleman very well1  but not his name  
of ,heresey6' ,the rector of ,ruan      

,minor by ancient  usage and            
prescription 7which is always admitted7 
claims a right of  sending a horse into 
a certain field in the parish of        
,landewednack1  whenever it is cropped  
with corn1 and taking away as many      
sheaves as  the horse can carry away on 
its back4    ,at ,jew's ,lane ,hill1    
near ,godolphin1 a ,jew is said to have 
hung himself  on a tree still pointed   
out1 and was buried beneath the road4   
,his ghost  appears in the shape of a   
bull and a fiery chariot4 ,this         
superstition  has been known for        
generations4--,m4 ,h41 through ,rev4 ,s4
 ,rundle4          ,,cornwall ,,stone4  
,i remember this stone a rough cube     
about three feet in height2  it stood by
 the wayside forty or fifty years ago   
about a quarter  of a mile from the old 
,godolphin mansion near the coast1 where
 the  nobility and gentry of the county 
were wont periodically to assemble  to  
hear the news from ,court4 ,the servants
 who waited on their masters  at the    

banquet diligently listened to the      
conversation1 and afterwards  spread the
 information thus collected among the   
crowd assembled for  the purpose around 
,cornwall stone4--,g4 ,f4 ,w41 ,western 
,antiquary1 #ahha4    ,an old writer on 
the ,scilly ,isles mentions a rock on   
,bryher1 one  of the smallest of the    
islands1 where the neighbours were wont 
to  collect to hear and repeat the news4
 ,he calls it the ,news ,rock4          
,between ,helston and the ,lizard lies  
the parish of ,st4 ,keverne2 unlike  the
 other parishes of ,cornwall it contains
 no mines4 ,to account for  this it is  
said that ,st4 ,keverne cursed it when  
he lived there1 for  the want of respect
 shown him by its inhabitants4 ,hence   
the proverb  ,no metal will run within  
the sound of ,st4 ,keverne's bells4     
,st4 ,just1 from the ,land's ,end       
district1 once paid a visit to  ,st4    
,keverne1 who entertained him for       
several days to the best of his  power4 
,after his departure his host missed    

some valuable relics1 and  determined to
 go in pursuit of his late guest1 and   
try1 if possible1  to get them from him4
 ,as he was passing over ,crousadown1   
about two  miles from ,st4 ,keverne     
church1 he pocketed three large stones1 
each  weighing about a quarter of a ton1
 to use if ,st4 ,just should offer  any 
resistance4 ,he overtook him at a short 
distance from ,breage  and taxed him    
with the theft1 which was indignantly   
denied4 ,from  words the saints came to 
blows1 and ,st4 ,keverne flung his      
stones  with such effect that ,st4 ,just
 ran off1 throwing down the relics as   
he ran4 ,these stones lay for centuries 
where they fell1 about four  hundred    
yards from ,pengersick ,lane1 as when   
taken away by day1 they  were in bygone 
times always brought back at night4     
,going along the coast from ,breage to  
the ,lizard the solitary church of      
,gunwalloe is passed1 built so close to 
the sea that the waves wash its         
graveyard walls4 ,it is said to have    

been erected as a thank-offering by     
some man who escaped drowning when      
shipwrecked4 ,in the sandbanks near  it 
7or1 as others say1 at ,kennack cove71  
the notorious buccaneer ,avery  is      
reported to have buried several chests  
of treasure previously to his  leaving  
,england on the voyage from which he    
never returned4 ,so strongly  did this  
opinion prevail that ,mr4 ,john ,knill1 
collector of the ,customs  at ,st4      
,ives1 procured about the year #aggj a  
grant of treasure trove1  and expended  
some money in a fruitless search4--,rev4
 ,c4 ,a4 ,johns1  ,week at the ,lizard4 
,near by is ,mullion parish1 of which   
the celebrated ghost-layer1  the ,rev4  
,thomas ,flavel1 who died in #afhb1 was 
the vicar1 and the  following quaint    
lines to his memory may still be read in
 the chancel  of his church3--          
,earth take thine earth1 my sin let     
,satan havet1      ,the world my goods1 
my soul my ,god who gavet2      ,for    
from these four1 ,earth1 ,satan1 ,world1

 and ,god1      ,my flesh1 my sin1 my   
goods1 my soul ,i had4      ,of him the 
,rev4 ,c4 ,a4 ,johns writes3--,this     
,thomas ,flavel1 during his  life1      
attained great celebrity for his skill  
in the questionable art  of laying      
ghosts4 ,his fame still lingers in the  
memories of the more  superstitious of  
the inhabitants through the following   
ridiculous  stories4 ,on one occasion   
when he had gone to church his          
servant-girl  opened a book in his      
study1 whereupon a host of spirits      
sprang up all  round her4 ,her master   
observed this1 though then occupied at  
church1  closed his book1 and dismissed 
the congregation4 ,on his return home   
he took up the book with which his      
servant had been meddling1 and  read    
backwards the passage which she had been
 reading1 at the same  time laying about
 him lustily with his walking-cane1     
whereupon all  the spirits took their   
departure1 but not before they had      
pinched  the servant-girl black and     

blue4 ,his celebrity1 it seems1 was not 
confined to his own parish1 for he was  
once called on to lay a very            
troublesome ghost in an adjoining       
parish4 ,as he demanded the large  fee  
of five guineas for his services1 two of
 the persons interested  resolved to    
assure themselves1 by the evidence of   
their own eyes1  that the ceremony was  
duly performed4 ,they accordingly1      
without  apprising one another of their 
intention1 secreted themselves  behind  
two graves in the churchyard a short    
time before the hour  named for the     
absurd rites4 ,in due time the          
ghost-layer entered it  with a book in  
one hand and a horsewhip in the other4  
,on the first  smack of the whip the    
watchers raised their heads             
simultaneously1  caught a glimpse of    
each other1 and were both so terrified  
that they  scampered off in opposite    
directions1 leaving the operator to     
finish  his business as he might4 ,so   
popular are superstitions of this kind1 

and so long do they linger1 that to the 
present day a spot is pointed  out on   
the downs1 named ',hervan ,gutter1'     
where ,thomas ,flavel's own  ghost was  
laid by a clergyman1 of whom he said    
before his death1  ',when he comes ,i   
must go4' ,in olden days there were     
several of these  ghost-laying clergymen
 in ,cornwall1 of whom1 before going on 
with the  legends of the parishes1 ,i   
will mention three known in folk-lore4  
,in  the parish of ,ladock1 on the east 
side of ,truro1 dwelt rather more  than 
a century ago the famed ghost-layer1 the
 ,rev4 ,mr4 ,woods1 who1  when walking1 
usually carried an ebony stick with a   
silver head1  on which was engraved a   
pentacle1 and on a broad silver ring    
below  planetary signs and mystical     
figures4 ,of him ,mr4 ,bottrell tells   
many  thrilling tales2 ,i will only give
 the substance of one4 ,mr4 ,woods was  
usually a match for most demons1 whom he
 would change into animals  and thrash  
with his whip2 but one more cunning than

 the rest defied  him1 by taking the    
shape of an unknown coal-black bird1 and
 perching  on the church tower1 from    
whence during divine service he made all
  sorts of queer noises1 disturbing the 
congregation1 and inciting the          
irreverent to laughter4 ,he was too high
 up to be exorcised or reached  with the
 whip4 ,at last the clergyman1 at his   
wit's end1 remembered  that the ,evil   
,one could not endure the sight of      
innocent children1  and he sent his     
clerk round to all the mothers of his   
parish who had  unchristened children1  
asking them to bring them to church on  
the  next ,sunday to have the rite      
performed4 ,as he was a great favourite 
with his people all the mothers1 and    
they were eight1 readily agreed  to     
come4 ,but as twelve is the mystical    
number he invited four other  mothers   
whose children had recently been        
baptised1 to come as well1  and bring   
their children and sponsors with them4  
,the eight children  were christened1   

and the parson walked out of church     
followed by the  twelve mothers with    
their infants in their arms4 ,the clerk 
arranged  them in lines five deep1 the  
mothers in front1 opposite the belfry   
door4 ,mr4 ,woods directed each to pass 
her child from one to the other  of its 
sponsors1 and then hand it to him that  
he might hold it up for  the demon to   
see2 but for some time the cunning bird 
hid himself behind  a pinnacle1 and     
nothing would induce him to look1 until 
one of the  children1 growing tired1    
began to cry1 and all the others chimed 
in1  screaming in chorus at the top of  
their voices4 ,then the demon hopped    
down from his perch and peered over the 
parapet to try and find out  what could 
be the matter4 ,the sight of the twelve 
children had such  an effect upon him   
that he too gave an unearthly yell and  
flew away  never to re-appear4 ,the     
church bells were soon after put in     
order1  and it is well known that no    
evil spirit ever ventures within sound  

of their ringing4    ,one of the three  
,jagos1 who were ,vicars of ,wendron1   
was much renowned  for his powers of    
necromancy4 ,he was in the habit of     
taking people to  ,st4 ,wendron ,cross1 
where a man called ,tucker was buried1  
and asking  them whether they had a mind
 to see ,tucker man2 he would make him  
rise  from the dead as a mark of        
delicate attention to                   
them4--,cornubiana1  ,rev4 ,s4 ,rundle1 
,penzance ,natural ,history ,society1   
#ahhe-ahhf4    ,i will close this list  
of worthies by a short notice of ,parson
 ,dodge1  a vicar of ,talland1 a village
 on the south coast of ,cornwall1 and   
then  give an encounter of the famous   
,nonconformist divine1 ,john ,wesley1   
with some spirits whom he vanquished at 
,st4 ,agnes on the north4 ,the  church  
of ,talland is not in the centre of the 
parish1 but near the  sea2 a legend     
accounts for its position thus3 ,it was 
begun at a spot  called ,pulpit1 but    
each night a voice was heard saying3    

,if you will my wish fulfil1      ,build
 the church on ,talland hill2      and  
the stones put up by day were removed4  
7,tales similar to this  are told of    
many ,cornish churches4 ,the work of    
removal is sometimes  carried on by the 
devil2 at ,altarnon he was accompanied  
by a hare  and a deer47 ,of this church1
 about a hundred and fifty years ago1   
the ,rev4 ,richard ,dodge was vicar4 ,he
 had such command over the  spirit-world
 that he could raise and lay ghosts at  
his will1 and by  a nod of his head     
banish them to the ,red ,sea4 ,his      
parishioners looked  up to him with     
great awe1 and were afraid of meeting   
him at midnight1  as he was sure then1  
whip in hand1 to be pursuing and driving
 away the  demons1 that in all kinds of 
shapes were to be seen hovering around  
him4 ,amongst his other eccentricities  
he was fond of frequenting his          
churchyard at the dead of night4 ,parson
 ,dodge's fame was not confined  to his 
own immediate district1 and one day he  

received a letter from  a               
fellow-clergyman1 the ,rev4 ,grylls1    
rector of ,lanreath1 asking his         
assistance in exorcising a man habited  
in black1 who drove a sable  coach1     
drawn by headless horses1 across        
,black-a-down 7a neighbouring  moor71 as
 this apparition1 when they happened to 
meet it1 frightened  his people almost  
out of their wits4 ,he acceded to this  
request1 and  late at night the two     
clergymen rode to the spot1 where they  
waited  for some time1 but seeing       
nothing decided to separate and return  
to  their respective homes4 ,mr4 ,dodge1
 however1 had not gone very far when    
his horse obstinately refused to proceed
 a step further in a homeward           
direction3 this he interpreted to be a  
sign from heaven which he must  obey1   
and giving it the rein he allowed it to 
go as it willed4 ,it  wheeled round and 
went back at a great pace to the moor4  
,here through  the gloom he saw standing
 the black coach with the headless      

horses3  its driver had dismounted1 and 
the ,rev4 ,grylls lay in a swoon at  his
 feet4 ,mr4 ,dodge was terribly alarmed1
 but managed to keep his  presence of   
mind1 and began to recite a prayer3     
before he could finish  it the driver   
said--,dodge is come6 ,i must be gone6  
jumped on to his  seat and disappeared  
for ever4 ,mr4 ,grylls' parishioners now
 arrived  in search of their rector2    
they knew there must be something amiss1
  for his horse1 startled by the        
horrible spectres1 had thrown its  rider
 and galloped off1 never stopping until 
it reached its stable  7his friend's1   
through fright1 had also been1 until the
 apparition  vanished1 almost           
unmanageable74 ,they found him          
senseless1 supported  in ,mr4 ,dodge's  
arms2 but he soon revived1 and they took
 him home1  although it was some days   
before his reason recovered from the    
shock4 ,a  much fuller account of this  
may be found in the ,history of         
,polperro1  by ,mr4 ,t4 ,q4 ,couch4 ,it 

has also been published by ,mr4 ,robert 
,hunt in  his ,popular ,romances of the 
,west of ,england4 ,the ,rev4 ,r4 ,s4   
,hawker1  in his ,footprints of ,former 
,men in ,far ,cornwall1 gives some very 
interesting extracts from the ,diurnal  
of one ,parson ,rudall1 of  ,launceston1
 who in #affe1 with the sanction of his 
,bishop1 laid the  ,botathen ghost--the 
spirit of a young woman by name ,dorothy
 ,dinglet1  who could not rest in her   
grave--,unquiet because of a certain    
sin4 ,it  is a very well-known fact that
 the ,rev4 ,john ,wesley was a firm     
believer  in supernatural agencies2 he  
compiled a book of ghost-stories1 that  
was lent to me when ,i was about ten    
years old by a kind but ignorant  woman1
 the reading of which caused me many    
sleepless nights4 ,on one  occasion     
,wesley could1 when at ,st4 ,agnes1 find
 no place to pass the  night save a     
house which had the reputation of being 
haunted4 ,however1  he was not deterred2
 he entered and went to bed4 ,but he    

could not  rest1 for there was a        
terrible tumult below2 the sound of     
carriages  was heard1 the noise of feet1
 and fearful oaths4 ,at length he could 
bear it no longer2 he descended1 and    
then found the large hall  filled with  
guests4 ,they greeted him with loud     
welcome1 and begged  him to be seated4  
,he consented1 saying1 however1 that he 
must say  grace first4 ,this remark was 
hailed with roars of laughter4 ,nothing 
daunted he began--,jesus1 the ,name high
 over all4 ,he did not finish2  in a    
moment the lights were extinguished1 he 
was alone1 and from that  time the house
 was no more haunted4--,through ,rev4   
,s4 ,rundle4    ,clergymen in ,cornwall 
are still supposed to be able to drive  
out  evil spirits4 ,a poor1 half-crazed 
woman1 yet living in ,madron parish1    
near ,penzance1 went about ten years    
since to the house of a clergyman  then 
residing there1 and asked him to walk   
around her1 reading some  passages from 
the ,bible1 to exorcise the ghost of her

 dead sister1  who had entered into her1
 she said1 and tormented her in the     
shape  of a small fly1 which continually
 buzzed in her ear4 ,once before the    
,board of ,guardians she talked sensibly
 for some time1 then suddenly  stopped  
and exclaimed1 shaking her head3 ,be    
quiet1 you brute6 don't  you see ,i am  
talking to the gentlemen8    ,we must   
now1 after this long digression1 return 
to ,mullion4 ,between  it and the       
,lizard is a fine headland1 the ,rill1  
and on its summit  are a number of      
loose1 rough stones1 known as the ,apron
 ,string1  which the country people say 
were brought here by an evil spirit1    
who intended to build with them a bridge
 across to ,france for the  convenience 
of smugglers4 ,he was hastening along   
with his load1  which he carried in his 
apron1 when one of its strings broke1   
and in  despair he gave up the idea4 ,on
 the opposite side of the ,lizard1 at   
the  mouth of ,helford river1 stands the
 church of ,st4 ,anthony in ,meneage2   

like that of ,gunwalloe it is little    
above the level of the sea1 and  is1    
also according to tradition1 a votive   
offering4 ,some people of  high rank1   
crossing over from ,normandy to         
,england1 were caught in a  storm1 and  
in their peril vowed to ,st4 ,anthony   
that they would build  a church in his  
honour if he would bring them safe into 
harbour4 ,the  saint heard their        
prayers1 and the church was erected on  
the spot  where they landed4 ,helford   
river1 in ,carew's days1 was the haunt  
of pirates1 and of it he says3          
,falmouth's ower neere neighbourhood    
lesseneth his vse and darkeneth his     
reputation1 as quitting it onely  to the
 worst sort of ,seafarers1 ,i mean      
,pirats1 whose guilty breasts  with an  
eye in their backs1 looke warily how    
they may goe out1 ere  they will        
aduenture to enter1 and this at         
unfortified ,hailford cannot  be        
controlled1 in which regard it not      
vnproperly brooketh his common  term of 

,helford and the nickname of ,stealford4
    ,on the subject of pirates a friend 
writes3--,the popular play of ',the     
,pirates of ,penzance' had not its      
origin in that town1 but in the little  
fishing village of ,penberth1 near the  
,land's ,end2 but that1 alas6 is  in its
 'custom port4' ,the captain of the     
pirate vessel1 and all his  ship's crew1
 were wrestlers4 ,they would go out to  
the small ,spanish1  ,dutch1 and other  
merchant ships1 and would ask for       
provisions1 or  tender assistance1 and  
on making sure that the ship was unarmed
 they  would overpower the sailors and  
plunder it4 ,this was before the time   
when the ,trinity ,corporation had begun
 its work on our ,cornish coast4        
,from ,helford we will proceed to       
,penryn--the scene of ,lillo's play1    
,fatal ,curiosity4 ,the legend on which 
it is founded is as follows3  ,a        
gentleman who had rashly squandered his 
own and his wife's fortune1  sent their 
only son early into the world to seek   

his4 ,during his  absence his parents   
were reduced to penury2 but he          
prospered1 returned  home1 and sought   
them out4 ,he did not at first disclose 
to them who  he was1 intending to do so 
later on1 but begged to be allowed to   
rest  in their house1 and whilst he was 
sleeping asked his mother to take       
charge of a casket for him4 ,her        
curiosity impelled her to open it1  and 
her avarice was so inflamed at the sight
 of the rich jewels it  contained that  
she incited her husband by prayers and  
reproaches to  murder the poor young    
man4 ,after the fatal deed was done1 the
 unhappy  pair discovered him to be     
their son4    ,it has been said that a  
party of ,spaniards landed at ,penryn in
 #aefe1  intending to plunder the town1 
but were alarmed by the sound of a  drum
 beaten by some strolling players1 and  
made a hasty retreat4    ,before the    
year #afjj there were only a few houses 
where ,falmouth  now stands1 called     
,pennycomequick1 which name tradition   

declares  was given it from the         
following3 ,a woman1 who had been a     
servant to  a ,mr4 ,pendarves1 left his 
employ1 and went there to reside1 where1
 ,i  suppose1 she kept an ale-house1 as 
the story says that he ordered her  to  
brew a cask of ale1 and on a certain day
 he and some friends would  come and    
drink it4 ,the ale was brewed2 but in   
the meantime a ,dutch  vessel put into  
the creek1 and she sold it all to the   
sailors4 ,when  her former master and   
his friends arrived at the appointed    
time1  he was of course very angry4 ,her
 excuse was that the penny comed so     
quick that she could not refuse it4 ,the
 name really means the head  of the     
valley of the creek4    ,there is a     
pyramidal monument at the south end of  
,falmouth erected  by one of the        
,killigrews to the memory of ,sir       
,walter ,raleigh1 who  had been         
entertained by an ancestor at their     
family-seat of ,arwenack1  when there   
was only one other house in the place4  

,there is a red stain  on it1 ,a        
blood-mark1 the old people said1 that   
would not wash out1  splashed there from
 the body of a man employed in making   
it1 who fell  from its top and was      
killed4    ,on the coast just outside   
the town is ,gyllanvaes1 or ,william's  
,grave1  which is pointed out as the    
place where ,king ,henry ,i4's son1 who 
was  drowned on his passage from        
,normandy to ,england1 was buried4      
,on the opposite side of ,falmouth      
harbour1 where ,st4 ,anthony's church   
now stands1 was formerly the priory of  
,st4 ,mary de ,vale1 and ,king  ,henry  
,,viii4 is reported to have landed here 
in #aecg1 and told the  prior that it   
would soon be destroyed1 and he with all
 his brethren  turned out4 ,it was2 but 
the prior left his curse behind him1 and
 the  first holder of the lands lost all
 his family by untimely deaths1  and he 
himself committed suicide4    ,of all   
the creeks up the ,fal from ,falmouth to
 ,truro1 most marvellous  tales of      

smugglers and their daring deeds are    
told2 and of ,king  ,harry's passage1   
where a ferry-boat crosses the river1   
this legend3  ,that it is called after  
bluff ,king ,hal1 who forded it with his
 queen  7sometimes ,katherine of        
,arragon7 on his back4 ,to have         
accomplished  this feat he must have    
been taller than the sons of ,anak1 for 
in the  middle the water is several     
fathoms deep4    ,at the head of one of 
these creeks is ,veryan parish4 ,and    
there  is a tradition that should its   
church clock strike on the ,sunday      
morning during the singing of the hymn  
before the sermon1 or before  the       
,collect against ,perils at ,evening    
,prayer 7which does not often  happen71 
there will be a death in the parish     
before the next ,sunday4    ,on a hill  
near ,veryan is a barrow1 in which      
,gerennius1 a mythical king  of         
,cornwall1 was said to have been buried 
many centuries ago1 with  his crown on  
his head1 lying in his golden boat with 

silver oars4 ,it  was opened in #ahee1  
when nothing but a kistvaen 7a rude     
stone chest7  containing his ashes was  
found4 ,his palace of ,dingerein was in 
the  neighbouring village of ,gerrans4  
,a subterranean passage1 now known as   
,mermaid's ,hole1 one day discovered    
when ploughing a field1 was supposed  to
 have led from it to the sea4 ,treasures
 of great value are reputed to  be      
hidden under all the ,cornish menhirs   
and barrows4 ,carew tells of a          
gentleman who was persuaded that by     
digging under a menhir near ,fowey  he  
would get great riches4 ,wherefore1 in a
 faire moone-shine night1  thither with 
certaine good fellowes hee hyeth to dig 
it up4 ,a working  they fall1 their     
labour shortneth1 their hope increaseth1
 a pot of  gold is the least of their   
expectation4 ,but see the chance4 ,in   
midst  of their toyling the skie        
gathereth clouds1 the moonelight is     
overcast  with darknesse1 downe fals a  
mightie showre1 up riseth a blustering  

tempest1 the thunder cracketh1 the      
lightning flasheth4 ,in conclusion1  our
 money-seekers washed instead of loden1 
or loden with water instead  of yellow  
earth1 and more afraid than hurt1 are   
forced to abandon their  enterprise and 
seeke shelter of the next house they    
could get into4    ,malpas 7pronounced  
,mopus7 ferry was1 nearly a century ago1
 kept by  a woman called ,jenny ,mopus1 
who was quite a character4 ,wemmin and  
pigs she used to declare were the worst 
things to ferry across4    ,the water   
bounds of the borough of ,truro are     
renewed every six years1  and the       
following curious ceremony takes place3 
,on reaching the limits  of their       
jurisdiction1 the mayor1 town clerk1    
members of corporation1  c41 go on      
shore1 when a writ for the sum of #iiil4
 #ais4 #aa #c_/d;d4 is  produced against
 a person present1 selected beforehand4 
,he is  arrested by the bailiff of the  
borough1 on which two of the party      
offer themselves as bail1 and the       

prisoner is liberated4 ,not far  from   
,perranworthal is one of the most       
celebrated ,cornish ,tol-mn1            
,mn-an-tol1 or holed stones4 ,this is an
 immense egg-shaped mass  of granite1   
perched on a dreary hill nearly #gjj    
feet above the  sea1 and is thought to  
weigh #gej tons4 ,it is generally known 
as  the ,cornish ,pebble1 and is        
supported on the points of two other    
stones leaving a hollow space beneath4  
,in this it differs from  other         
,mn-an-tol which have the orifice in the
 centre of the stone  7hence their      
name74 ,there are many in the county4   
,the one at ,madron  is sometimes called
 the ,crick ,stone4 ,it gets this name  
because in  days not very long ago      
people afflicted with rheumatism1       
sciatica1  c41 in ,may1 and at certain  
other seasons of the year1 crawled on   
all fours nine times around these       
,mn-an-tol from east to west1 and1  if  
thin enough1 squeezed themselves through
 the aperture4 ,this was  then thought  

such a sovereign remedy for these       
diseases that parents  brought their    
weak-backed children and carried them   
around4 ,to work  the charm properly    
there must always be two people1 one of 
each sex1  who stand one on each side of
 the stone4 ,the child1 if a male1 must 
first be passed from the woman to the   
man2 if a girl1 from the man  to the    
woman1 and always from the left of the  
one to the right of  the other4 ,some   
sort of divination1 too1 was formerly   
practised on  these ,mn-an-tol by pins  
laid cross-ways on the top4    ,in the  
parish of ,st4 ,dennis the church is    
dedicated to that saint4 ,and  when ,st4
 ,dennis had his head cut off at ,paris1
 blood1 a legend says1  fell on the     
stones of this churchyard2 a similar    
occurrence often  afterwards foretold   
other calamities4 #ad ,the exact centre 
of the  county is reputed to be a hole  
in a field at ,probus1 a neighbouring   
parish4    ,at ,boconnoc1 near          
,lostwithiel1 not long ago stood the    

stump of an  old oak1 in which1 in      
#afdd1 when ,charles ,i4 made this seat 
his  head-quarters1 the royal standard  
was fixed4 ,it bore variegated  leaves4 
,according to tradition1 they changed   
colour when an attempt  was made to     
assassinate the king whilst he was      
receiving the sacrament  under its      
branches4 ,the ball passed through the  
tree1 and a hole in  its trunk was      
formerly pointed out in confirmation of 
the story4    ,heath1 in his            
,description of ,cornwall1 #agej1 speaks
 of two other trees  of the same kind to
 be seen in this county4 ,in ,lanhadron 
,park1 he  says1 there grows an oak that
 bears leaves speckled with white1 as   
another1 called ,painter's ,oak1 grows  
in the hundred of ,east4 ,some are  of  
opinion that divers ancient families of 
,england are preadmonished  by oaks     
bearing strange leaves4 ,a turtle-dove  
is said to be seen  by the ,bassetts of 
,tehidy1 in ,camborne1 before death1 and
 to another  ,cornish family a white    

bird appears4    ,the church of ,st4    
,neot1 in the parish of ,st4 ,neot1 is  
celebrated  for its beautifully-painted 
glass4 ,one of the windows contains many
  legends of this saint1 but they have  
all been too fully described by  other  
writers to require a lengthy notice from
 me4 ,st4 ,neot is the  reputed brother 
of ,king ,alfred1 and lived some        
hundreds of years before  the present   
church dedicated to him was erected4    
,but folk-lore has it  that it was built
 at night entirely by his own hands1 and
 that he drew  from a neighbouring      
quarry1 by the help of reindeer1 all the
 stones  he used in the building4 ,he is
 described as a man of short stature1   
and tradition also says that after the  
church was finished he found  that he   
was not tall enough to reach the keyhole
 of the door1 and  could not therefore  
unlock it4 ,to remedy this defect he put
 a stone  opposite 7still pointed out71 
from which1 when he stood on it1 he     
could  throw the key into the lock with 

unerring precision4 ,about a mile  to   
the west of it1 is an elevated spot with
 a square entrenchment2  an ancient     
granite cross stands at one corner4     
,there is a story  attached to it which 
runs thus3--,the crows in this          
neighbourhood  were in his time so      
numerous that the farmers could not1    
fearing  the mischief they might do in  
their absence1 leave their fields and   
young crops to attend ,st4 ,neot's      
discourses4 ,he1 on hearing of it1      
determined to put a stop both to the    
excuse and the thieving habits  of the  
birds1 and one day ordered them all to  
enter this enclosure1  from whence they 
could not stir until he gave the signal2
 upon which  they all immediately flew  
away and returned no more4    ,the      
church of ,st4 ,mawgan1 in ,kerrier1 was
 formerly at ,carminowe1  at the end of 
the parish4 ,it was removed thence to   
its present site  on account of the     
ghoulish propensities of the giants1 who
 used to  dig up the dead from their    

graves4 ,the inhabitants tried in vain  
to destroy them by making deep pits1 and
 covering them over with  'sprouse'     
7light hay or grass7 so that the unwary 
giants1 walking  over them as on firm   
ground1 might fall into them and be     
killed4 ,as  this project failed1 they  
were reluctantly compelled to remove the
  church to its present place1 beyond   
the reach of their troublesome          
neighbours4--,rev4 ,s4 ,rundle1         
,penzance ,natural ,history ,society1   
#ahhe-ahhf4    ,the fine old mansion of 
,cottrell1 situated on the ,river       
,tamar1 was  built in the reign of      
,henry ,,vii42 it belongs to the ,earl  
of ,mount  ,edgcumbe1 and is full of    
quaint treasures1 many of the rooms and 
the  furniture they contain dating from 
the time of ,queen ,elizabeth4 ,but  the
 only part that concerns us is a little 
chapel in the woods perched  on a rock  
overhanging the river1 of which this    
legend is told4 ,it was  erected by ,sir
 ,richard ,edgcumbe1 who was a partizan 

to ,henry1 ,duke of  ,richmond1 the     
rival of ,richard ,,iii4 ,a party of    
soldiers were sent to  take him         
prisoner1 but he managed to elude them  
and escaped into the  woods1 where his  
pursuers were so close upon his heels   
that he would  certainly have been      
captured had not his cap1 as he was     
climbing down  this rock1 fallen off his
 head and floated on the stream4 ,on    
seeing  it the men1 thinking that ,sir  
,richard had in despair drowned himself1
  gave up the chase4 ,he shortly after  
crossed over to ,brittany1 where  he    
stayed until the news came of the defeat
 and death of the king1  when he        
returned home1 and1 in gratitude for his
 miraculous escape1  caused this chapel 
to be built4    ,dupath ,well1 not far  
from ,cottrell1 was1 according to       
tradition1 the  scene of a desperate    
duel between two ,saxons1 called by one 
authority  ,colan and ,gotlieb1 who were
 both suitors for the hand of the fair  
lady  ,gither2 but the ,rev4 ,r4 ,s4    

,hawker1 who has written a ballad on    
part  of the legend1 gives the name of  
,siward to the younger and favoured  one
 who killed his rival1 but who himself  
in the combat received a  wound from    
which he soon after died4 ,the same     
author has also put  into verse the     
well-known story of ,bottreaux bells4   
,bottreaux is  the parish church of     
,boscastle1 a corruption of ,bottreaux  
castle1  and its tower is1 and always   
has been1 silent4 ,when it was built    
the inhabitants1 who had long been      
jealous of the beautiful peal at        
,tintagel1 a neighbouring village1 aided
 by the ,lord of ,bottreaux1  raised    
enough money to buy a set for           
themselves1 cast by a famous  ,london   
founder4 ,but when the ship that brought
 them was nearly  in port the sound of  
,tintagel bells was in the calm evening 
borne  across the water4 ,the pilot1 a  
native of that parish1 hearing them1    
piously crossed himself1 and thanked    
,god that he should soon be safe  on    

shore4 ,on this the captain grew very   
wroth1 and said1 ,thank the  ship and   
the canvas at sea1 thank ,god on shore4 
,no6 meekly replied  the pilot1 we      
should thank ,god at sea as well as on  
land4 ,at this  the captain grew still  
more angry1 swore and blasphemed1 and   
with  an oath exclaimed1 ,not so1 thank 
yourself and a fair wind4 ,upon  which a
 violent storm suddenly arose1 the ship 
became unmanageable1  struck on a rock1 
and went down4 ,all on board1 with the  
exception of  the pilot1 were drowned4  
,above the roar of the winds and waves  
the  eager watchers from the shore1 who 
were waiting for the arrival of  the    
vessel with her precious freight1 could 
hear the solemn tolling  of their bells4
 ,and still before a gale their warning 
chimes sound  from their ocean bed1 but 
woe to the unhappy ship's crew that     
hears  them1 for wreck1 misfortunes1 and
 deaths are sure to follow4 ,the        
following proverb would seem to infer   
that ,boscastle1 as well as no  bells1  

has no market3 ,all play and no play1   
like ,boscastle ,market1  which begins  
at twelve o'clock and ends at noon4     
,mevagissey church1  on the opposite    
coast1 has neither tower nor bells1 and 
there is a  standing joke against its   
people that they sold their bells to pay
  the cost of pulling down the tower4   
,gorran men1 who live in an adjoining   
parish1 seem in former days  to have    
been rivals to the famous ,wise men of  
,gotham1 from the  absurd deeds         
attributed to them1 such as ,trying to  
throw the moon  over the cliffs1        
,building a hedge to keep in the        
moonlight1  c4 ,the inhabitants of more 
than one parish in ,cornwall are said   
to have built a hedge to keep in the    
'guckaw' 7cuckoo74 ,in fact1  of nearly 
all the parishes in the county some joke
 is current in the  neighbouring        
villages4    ,not far from ,boscastle is
 the beautiful waterfall of ,st4        
,nighton's  ,kieve1 and close by are the
 ruins of a cottage1 once the habitation

  of two ladies1 who took possession of 
it at night4 ,they evidently  had seen  
better days1 but their names and from   
whence they came  remain a mystery1 as  
from the date of their arrival they held
 no  communication with the outer world4
 ,they kept no servant1 and from  the   
villagers bought for themselves the     
necessaries of life1 asking  but few    
questions1 and not answering any4 ,at   
first they took long  solitary walks in 
the most secluded spots of the district2
 when met  they were rarely conversing1 
and never spoke to a stranger4 ,these   
walks  were gradually discontinued1 and 
one day a rumour spread through the     
village that one of the poor ladies was 
dead4 ,tradition says that the          
neighbours found the other weeping      
silent tears by the side of the  corpse4
 ,after the funeral the survivor daily  
grew more infirm and but  rarely left   
the house1 and one morning soon after1  
no smoke issuing  from the chimneys of  
the cottage1 the villagers peeped in    

through  the uncurtained windows and saw
 her sitting dead in her chair4 ,the    
friends were buried in one grave1 and   
their secret died with them4    ,in     
,wellcombe church1 near ,morwenstow1    
against the font in the north  wall is a
 door called the devil's door1 opened at
 baptisms at the  ,renunciation1 that   
the devil1 which is then supposed to    
come out of  the child1 may be able to  
get away4    ,trecarrel1 in ,east       
,cornwall1 formerly belonged to the     
,trecarrels1  the last of whom built    
,launceston church4 ,a singular story   
has been  handed down from the sixth    
century of the birth and death of his   
only son4 ,his father is described as   
having been very learned in  philosophy1
 astrology1 astronomy1 and other        
sciences2 and it is said  that1 having  
surveyed the planetary orbs just as his 
child was about to  be brought into the 
world1 he perceived that the time was   
unfavourable  to its birth1 and         
foreboded a speedy and accidental death 

to the  child4 ,overcome with these     
gloomy ideas he hastened to the house1  
and requested the midwife to delay the  
birth 7if it were possible7  for one    
hour2 but nature1 conspiring with fate  
on the downfall of his  house1 turned a 
deaf ear to his entreaties1 and a son   
was born1 to the  great joy of all      
present except to him who was the most  
interested  in the event4 ,the child1   
however1 grew up in a very promising    
way1  until a servant-maid1 having      
placed him to stand near a bowl of water
  in order to wash him1 chanced to have 
forgotten the towel1 and having  stepped
 into another room to procure one1 on   
her return found the  boy dead1 having  
fallen into the water with his head     
foremost3 and  in consequence of this   
unfortunate event the father spent a    
large  part of his large property in    
charitable purposes1 and in building    
and repairing churches in the county of 
,cornwall4--,j4 ,c4 ,gilbert4    ,a     
story of a similar nature is related of 

one of the ,arundells1  of whom it had  
been foretold that he should die in the 
sands4 ,to  prevent this he left his    
house of ,efford1 near ,stratton1 and   
took up  his abode at ,trerice1 another 
of his estates1 about three-and-a-half  
miles from ,newquay4 ,but the ,earl of  
,oxford1 having surprised and  taken    
,st4 ,michael's ,mount1 ,sir ,john      
,arundell1 who was then sheriff  of     
,cornwall1 marched there to besiege and 
retake it for the king1  ,edward ,,iv4  
,here his fate overtook him1 for in a   
skirmish on ,marazion  sands he lost his
 life1 and was buried in the chapel at  
the ,mount4 ,a  funeral procession goes 
through ,stratton before the death of   
the  ,bathes of ,kilkhampton4           
,between ,stratton and the village of   
,marham1 about half-a-mile from  the    
former town1 in the orchard of ,binamy  
farm-house1 is an old  quadrangular     
moat1 all that remains to show where    
stood the castle  of the                
,blanchminsters1 an old family now1 ,i  

believe1 extinct in  this neighbourhood4
 ,of one of them1 who lived in the reign
 of ,edward  ,i4 and went with him on a 
crusade1 folk-lore still tells some     
strange  but--through the lapse of      
time--vague tales4 ,his name was        
,ranulph de  ,blanchminster1 corrupted  
by the country people into old          
,blowmanger1  and it is said that after 
he had been absent for two or three     
years  in the ,holy ,land1 his wife1 ,i 
suppose thinking that he was dead1      
married another baron4 ,on his return he
 shut himself up alone in his  castle1  
with the drawbridge generally raised to 
keep off intruders4 ,no  one was with   
him when he died2 but after his death a 
will was found  leaving the greater part
 of his property for the benefit of the 
poor  of the parish of ,stratton4 ,his  
effigy may be seen in the church1  in   
the habit of a ,crusader1 grasping a    
sword1 with his feet resting  on the    
back of a lion4 ,through his interest   
,stratton had the charter  of its       

market4 ,his spirit haunts ,binamy      
grounds 7avoided after dark  by the     
superstitious7 in the form of a hare1   
which always starts out  of the moat and
 manages to elude the dogs4    ,of the  
doings of the famous ,grenvilles of     
,stow1--,sir ,beville1 the  brave       
,royalist leader1 who lost his life at  
the battle of ,lansdowne in             
#afdc1--;,admiral ,sir ,richard1        
immortalized by ,tennyson in his ballad 
,the ,revenge1--and of his son1 ,sir    
,john1 who served under ,sir  ,walter   
,raleigh and died at sea1--,i shall say 
nothing1 these noted  men belonging more
 to history than folk-lore4    ,under   
the same head1 too1 may be classed the  
,cornish female  ,whittington1          
,thomasine ,bonaventure1 of ,st4 ,mary  
,wike 7now ,week  ,st4 ,mary71 who lived
 in the fourteenth century2 the daughter
 of  a labourer1 she herself was a      
shepherdess4 ,a ,london merchant1 when  
travelling in ,cornwall1 lost himself on
 our moors1 and accidentally met  her   

with her sheep4 ,he asked of her the    
way1 and was so much struck by  her good
 looks and intelligence that he begged  
her from her parents  and took her back 
with him to be a servant to his wife4   
,in her new  situation she conducted    
herself with so much propriety that on  
his  wife's death he courted and married
 her4 ,soon after he himself died1  and 
left her a wealthy widow4 ,her next     
marriage was to a much richer  man1     
named ,henry ,gall4 ,widowed a second   
time1 and again inheriting  her         
husband's money1 she took for her third 
and last husband ,sir  ,john ,percival1 
,lord ,mayor of ,london4 ,him1 too1 she 
outlived1 and  after his death returned 
to her native village1 where she        
employed  her great riches in works of  
charity4 ,amongst her other good deeds  
she founded and endowed a chantry there1
 together with a free school1  and      
lodgings for masters1 scholars1 and     
officers4    ,the ,rev4 ,r4 ,s4 ,hawker1
 in his book before-quoted1 has a legend

 which  he calls ,the first ,cornish    
,mole4 ,a ,morality4 ,i1 however1       
suspect  it to be a pure invention of   
this author2 but as it is very pretty1  
,i will give the substance of it4 ,alice
 of the ,coombe was a very  beautiful1  
but proud and vain1 damsel2 the only    
child of her widowed  mother1 with whom 
she dwelt at ,morwenstow4 ,it chanced   
one day that  they1 with all the        
neighbouring gentry1 had been bidden to 
a grand  banquet at ,stow2 and1 as she  
had set her love on the great and noble 
,sir ,beville ,grenville1 its owner1    
,alice1 to win his affections1  dressed 
herself in her richest robe--a woven    
velvet1 glossy and  soft--and put on her
 fairest jewellery4 ,her mother1 when   
she saw  her thus attired1 struck by her
 exceeding grace and beauty1 said1      
,often shall ,i pray to-night that the  
,grenville heart may yield4 ,aye1  thy  
victory shall be my prayer4 ,the haughty
 maiden replied1 ,with  the eyes ,i now 
see in that glass1 and with this        

vesture1 meet for a  queen1 ,i lack no  
trusting prayer4 ,at this a sudden cry  
was heard1  and the damsel disappeared  
from their sight for ever4 ,shortly     
after1  the ,coombe gardener discovered 
in the garden a small1 unknown hillock1 
and on top of it shone a ring1 which was
 recognized as the one the  lady wore on
 the day she vanished4 ,a close         
examination showed that  an old ,cornish
 couplet was now traced on it1 which the
 parish priest  interpreted to mean--   
,the earth must hide      ,both eyes    
with pride4      ,as he uttered these   
words a low cry was heard at his feet1  
and there  ,they beheld1 ,o wondrous and
 strange6 a small dark creature1 clothed
  in a soft velvet skin1 in texture and 
in hue like the robe of ,lady  ,alice1  
and they saw as it groped into the earth
 that it moved along  without eyes in   
everlasting night4 ,she1 herself had    
become                                  
,,the ,,first ,,mole                    
,,of ,,the ,,hillocks ,,of ,,cornwall4  

,before finishing this section of my    
work ,i must say a few words about  the 
,islands of ,scilly and their legends4  
,the ,rev4 ,h4 ,j4 ,whitfield1  ,m4,a41 
in #aheb1 published a book on this      
subject1 but his legends are  for the   
most part purely fictitious1 and its    
title1 ,scilly and its  ,legends1 a     
little misleading4    ,the ,scilly      
,isles1 just off the ,land's ,end1 are  
very numerous1  but only five are       
inhabited2 some are mere rocks in the   
sea1 and1  counting those1 they are said
 to be a hundred and fifty4 ,the largest
 is  ,st4 ,mary's1 and the dwellers on  
it are apt to look with contempt on the 
inhabitants of the other islands 7the   
,off ,islands74 ,the word ,scilly  is   
sometimes derived from ,sullh1 rocks    
dedicated to the sun1 and  sometimes    
from ,sillyas1 a conger4 ,this fish is  
very plentiful on these  coasts1 and a  
ridiculous rhyme says that ,scilly fare 
consists of--         ,scads and 'tates1
 scads and 'tates1      ,scads1 and     

'tates1 and conger1      ,and those who 
can't eat scads and 'tates--      ,oh1  
they must die of hunger4                
,occasionally the saying runs3 ,oh6 the 
,scillonians live on fish and  'taties  
every day1 and conger-pie for ,sundays4 
,in the beginning of this century1      
before steam-boats were invented1  when 
communication between ,scilly and       
,penzance 7the mainland7 depended  upon 
wind and weather1 in winter its people  
were often reduced to  great straits for
 want of provisions1 which gave rise to 
the proverb1  ,there is always a feast  
or a fast in ,scilly4 ,this is1 however1
 now  far from being the truth1 and it  
is one of the most prosperous parts  of 
,great ,britain2 its inhabitants1 as a  
rule1 are well educated1 they  are noted
 for their courteous manners2 and for   
its beautiful scenery  ,scilly is well  
worth a visit4 ,the dialect of its      
poorer people1 as also  the tones of    
their voices 7each island has its       
peculiarity71 differ  from those of the 

same class in ,west ,cornwall4 ,their   
pronunciation  rather resembles the     
,irish4 ,thread with them is tread1 the 
th at the  beginning of words being     
rarely sounded1 pint is point1 and point
 pint4    ,irreverent people declare    
that when ,ireland was made some little 
bits  of earth fell from the shovel and 
formed ,scilly4 ,certain it is that     
when ,st4 ,patrick drove out all        
venomous reptiles from the former place 
he did the same kind service to the     
latter4 ,the island of ,st4 ,agnes  was 
particularly favoured1 for until        
recently there was not a rat on  it1    
they were introduced from a wrecked     
vessel4    ,small as ,st4 ,mary's is    
7about three miles long and nine around7
  it boasts of two capitals2 the modern 
one dates from the time of  ,queen      
,elizabeth1 and is called ,hugh ,town2  
before that ,old ,town was  the         
principal village4 ,at the east of ,old 
,town ,bay is ,tolman ,point  7a        
corruption1 ,i suppose1 of ,tl ,mn1 the 

holed stone74 ,of it an old  legend says
 when ,scilly was under the monks of    
,tavistock1 and ,old  ,town the only    
port of ,st4 ,mary's1 that they drew a  
chain from ,tollman  head across the    
entrance1 and levied a toll from all who
 embarked and  landed there1 not        
excepting the fishermen4 ,it was        
abolished by ,richard  ,plantagenet1    
who1 coming disguised to the port1 was  
not recognized by  the friar in charge1 
who demanded from him his dues4 ,upon   
which ,earl  ,richard1 in a fit of      
passion1 struck him dead at his feet4   
,according  to ,leland1 ,inniscan longid
 to ,tavestock1 and there was a poor    
celle  of monkes of ,tavestock4 ,sum    
caulle this ,trescau4    ,there was a   
settlement of ,benedictine monks here   
long before the ,norman  ,conquest2     
their cell was dedicated to ,st4        
,nicholas4 ,st4 ,nicholas1  as well as  
,st4 ,peter1 is the patron saint of     
fishermen2 the former  also takes       
school-boys under his protection4       

,fragments of ,tresco  ,abbey which was 
then founded still exist4 ,it was       
independent until  the reign of ,edward 
,i41 when it was joined to ,tavistock4  
,the same  monarch1 ,edward ,i41 made   
,ranulph de ,white ,monastery 7supposed 
to be  ,ranulph de ,blankminster1 or    
,randolph de ,blancheminster71 according
 to  an old archive1 constable of these 
islands1 with the castle of ,ennor1  in 
,old ,town1 on his ,paying yearly1 at   
the feast of ,st4 ,michael the          
,archangel1 #cjj birds1 called puffins1 
or #fs4 #h;d4 ,traces of these  monastic
 visitors are to be found in a pile of  
rocks at ,st4 ,mary's1  called ,carn    
,friars 7a farm near by bears the same  
name71 and one of the  most highly      
cultivated and sheltered spots1 where a 
few trees grow1  is known as ,holy      
,vale4 ,whitfield places a nunnery      
there1 and says  ,holy ,vale takes its  
name from a miraculous rosebush that    
grew in it1  and that ,one of its       
flowers was deemed to have the power1 if

 worn1  to preserve its bearer from     
mortal sin1 but no other authority      
mentions it4    ,giants1 of course1     
frequently played a great part in the   
history of  ,scilly4 ,buzza's ,hill1    
just beyond ,hugh ,town 7,st4 ,mary's71 
commemorates  a giant of the name of    
,bosow1 who made his home on its summit 
7now  crowned by a ,spanish windmill71  
and from whom the family of ,bosow were 
descended4 ,one of the finest           
promontories on the same island is      
,giant's  ,castle--,troutbeck says1     
built by the ,danes4 ,here1 too1 is     
,giant's  ,chair1 where the ,arch ,druid
 used in former days to sit and watch   
the sun rise4 ,druidical remains are    
scattered all over the different        
islands1 and the many barrows are known 
as giants' graves4 ,in  the old abbey   
gardens at ,tresco is a curious stone1  
about four feet  long1 two feet wide1   
and six inches in thickness1 in an      
upright  position4 ,near the top are two
 holes1 one above the other 7one being  

somewhat larger than the other71 through
 which a man might pass his  hand4 ,it  
is supposed to be an old ,druidical     
betrothal or wishing-stone1  and used   
before the monks built the abbey at     
,tresco4 ,young people1  engaged to be  
married1 would pass their hands through 
the holes1 and1  joining them together1 
would so plight their troth4 ,as a      
wishing-stone1  or to break a spell1 a  
ring would be passed through the holes  
with  some incantations4--,j4 ,c4       
,tonkin's ,guide to the ,isles of       
,scilly4    ,the finest headland on ,st4
 ,mary's is ,peninnis1 and some of the  
sheltered nooks under its rocks have    
rather curious names4 ,one  of them is  
known as ,sleep's ,abode 7or ,parlour71 
and close by is  ,pitt's ,parlour1 which
 commands a lovely view2 it is so called
 after  a ,mr4 ,pitt1 who1 when on a    
visit to ,scilly1 spent his summer      
evenings  there with a chosen party of  
friends4 ,an old lady1 a native of      
,scilly1  long since dead1 told me that 

tradition said ,mr4 ,pitt came to       
,scilly  in consequence of a bet he made
 with a gentleman 7,i believe the then  
governor of the islands71 who1 when in  
,london1 spoke in the highest  terms of 
the morality of its women1 and offered  
to lay a heavy wager  that not a single 
courtesan could be found there4 ,mr4    
,pitt took up  the bet1 travelled down  
to ,scilly1 and for a long time seemed  
likely  to lose it2 but at last1 by a   
large bribe1 he overcame the virtue of  
one very poor woman1 and1 in gratitude1 
allowed her a small pension  until her  
death4    ,at the foot of ,peninnis is  
,piper's ,hole 7in which there is a pool
  of fresh water74 ,this is said to be  
the entrance of a subterranean  passage 
leading to the island of ,tresco1 where 
another ,piper's ,hole  is shown as the 
exit4 ,old people told marvellous tales 
of rash people  venturing in so far that
 they never returned1 but died in it    
overcome  by fatigue--the passage being 
too narrow for them to turn4 ,also  of  

dogs who disappeared in the hole at ,st4
 ,mary's1 and after many  days crept out
 from the one in ,tresco1 very          
emaciated1 and almost  hairless4 ,the   
,rev4 ,j4 ,w4 ,north1 in his ,week in   
the ,isles of ,scilly1  has an          
interesting account of ,piper's ,hole at
 ,tresco4    ,half-way down ,giant's    
,castle1 the steep carn before mentioned
 on  ,st4 ,mary's1 lies a very          
inaccessible cave known as ,tom ,butt's 
,bed1  from the fact that a boy of that 
name hid himself there in ,queen        
,anne's time three days and three nights
 out of sight of the press-gang4    ,the
 wreck of ,sir ,cloudesley ,shovel in   
#agjg1 upon ,gilston ,rock1 in ,porth   
,hellick ,bay1 near ,old ,town1 is of   
course a matter of history4 ,very  many 
traditions have1 however1 gathered      
around this sad event1 related  by many 
authors4 ,i must briefly retell them1 as
 no book of this kind  would be complete
 without them4    ,the admiral1         
accompanied by the whole of his fleet1  

was returning  home from ,toulon1 after 
the capture of ,gibraltar1 in his ship  
the  ,association4 ,when they were off  
,scilly1 on ,october #bbnd1 #agjg1 the  
weather became thick and dirty1 and     
orders were given to lie-to4 ,this  was 
in the afternoon4 ,later on1 about six1 
,sir ,cloudesley again made  sail1 but  
two hours after his ship showed signals 
of distress1 which  were answered from  
several of the others4 ,in two minutes  
she struck on  the ,gilston ,rock1 sank 
immediately1 and all on board perished4 
,the  ,eagle and the ,romney with their 
crews shared the same fate2 the         
,firebrand also was lost1 but her       
captain with most of her men were       
saved4 ,the other men-of-war with       
difficulty escaped by having timely     
notice4 ,in this storm between fifteen  
hundred and two thousand people  were   
drowned in one night4    ,a day or two  
before this took place1 one man1 a      
native of ,scilly1 is  said to have     
persistently warned the officer of the  

watch on board  the ,association that   
unless their ship's course was altered  
she1  with all the fleet1 would soon be 
on the ,scilly rocks amongst the        
breakers4 ,these warnings so exasperated
 the officer that he repeated  them to  
his admiral1 and he1 vexed that a common
 sailor should think  that he knew      
better than his superiors how to        
navigate a vessel1  summarily ordered   
him to be hanged at the yard-arm for    
inciting the  others to insubordination 
and mutiny4 ,the man before his         
execution  begged1 as a great favour1   
that the chaplain should be allowed to  
read him one of the ,psalms4 ,his       
request was granted1 and he chose the   
#ajith1 repeating after the reader in a 
loud voice all the curses it  contains4 
,and with his last breath he prophesied 
that the admiral1 with  those who saw   
him hanged1 would find a watery grave4  
,up to that time  the weather had been  
fair1 but as soon as his body had been  
committed  to the sea it changed1 the   

wind began to blow1 and his shipmates   
were horrified to see the corpse out of 
its winding-sheet1 face up1  following  
in their wake1 and even before their    
vessel struck they  gave themselves up  
for lost men4 ,some say that ,sir       
,cloudesley's body  came ashore on a    
hatch1 on which he had endeavoured to   
save himself1  with his favourite little
 dog dead by his side4 ,others1 that    
after  the wreck it was cast naked on   
,porth ,hellick beach1 where it was     
discovered by a soldier1 who took off   
his ring which he still wore1  and      
buried him in the sands4    ,another    
account1 on the authority of ,robert1   
second ,lord ,romney1 ,sir  ,cloudesley 
,shovel's grandson1 runs thus3--,there  
is one circumstance  relating to ,sir   
,cloudesley ,shovel's death that is     
known to very few  persons1 namely1 he  
was not drowned1 having got to shore1   
where1  by the confession of an ancient 
woman1 he was put to death4 ,this1  many
 years after1 when on her death-bed1 she

 revealed to the minister  of the       
parish1 declaring she could not die in  
peace until she had  made this          
confession1 as she was led to commit    
this horrid deed for  the sake of       
plunder4 ,she acknowledged having1 among
 other things1  an emerald ring in her  
possession1 which she had been afraid to
 sell  lest it should lead to a         
discovery4 ,this ring1 which she        
delivered  to the minister1 was by him  
given to ,james1 ,earl of ,berkeley1 at 
his  particular request1 ,sir           
,cloudesley ,shovel and himself having  
lived  on the strictest footing of      
friendship4    ,in the place and manner 
of his burial all traditions agree4     
,where he  lay is still pointed out--a  
bare spot surrounded by green grass4    
,and  the ,scillonians will tell you    
that1 because he so obstinately refused 
to hear a warning1 and wantonly threw   
away so many lives1 ,god1 to  keep alive
 the memory of this great wickedness1   
permits nothing to  grow on his grave4  

,another legend has it that the man who 
gave the warning escaped death1  as the 
storm suddenly arose whilst the ,psalm  
was being read1 before  the order for   
his execution could be carried out1 and 
that he was  the only person on board   
the ,association who was not drowned4   
,when ,lady ,cloudesley ,shovel heard of
 the wreck1 she asked that a  search    
might be made for her husband's body4 ,a
 soldier showed a ring  which he had in 
his possession1 which was immediately   
recognised as  ,sir ,cloudesley         
,shovel's4 ,the body was dug up and     
identified by the  marks of his wounds4 
,the ring was forwarded to his wife1 and
 she1 in  gratitude for the soldier's   
kindness in giving her husband a decent 
burial1 rewarded him with a pension for 
life4 ,sir ,cloudesley's body  was      
embalmed1 first taken to ,plymouth by   
sea1 where for some time  it lay in     
state1 and finally to ,london1 where it 
was interred in  ,westminster ,abbey4   
,the abbey at ,tresco1 formerly under   

the jurisdiction of the monks  of ,st4  
,nicholas #ae at ,tavistock1 has been   
already mentioned4 ,the  abbey house1   
built on its site1 is the seat of ,mr4  
,dorrien ,smith 7the  ,proprietor1 as   
the ,scillonians call him74 ,the gardens
 that surround it  are very beautiful1  
and famed for the tropical plants that  
here grow  out of doors4 ,there is an   
anecdote related of one of the          
inhabitants  of ,tresco1 who1 when asked
 what they did for firewood in a spot   
where  no trees grew1 answered1 ,we     
kindle our fires from the loppings of   
our geranium hedges4 ,tresco1 like ,st4 
,levan1 at the ,land's ,end1  was in    
bygone days the favourite haunt of      
witches4 ,a poor man there  walking out 
at nightfall had the misfortune to meet 
with a party of  them taking a moonlight
 ride on their broomsticks4 ,a relation 
of his  was one of the number1 and she  
warned him1 in a stentorian voice1  that
 if he ever mentioned what he had       
accidentally seen1 he should  bear the  

marks of their wrath until his dying    
day4 ,for a long time  the secret       
weighed heavily upon him1 and at last he
 could not refrain  from telling his    
wife4 ,the witches1 in revenge1 turned  
his black hair  white in a single night4
    ,the ,rev4 ,h4 ,g4 ,whitfield1 in   
his ,legends of ,scilly1 gives some     
marvellous tales of the family of ,dick 
the ,wicked4 ,they were  all hardened   
wreckers1 who generations ago lived on  
this island1  and who also had the gift 
of second sight4 ,dick himself1         
according  to this writer1 when ill and 
unrepentant1 was1 by ,satanic agency1   
taken out of his bed and borne1 wrapt in
 a long loose coat1 which  he was in the
 habit of wearing1 some considerable    
distance from his  house4 ,here his     
friends discovered him on the following 
morning4    ,on this island stands      
,cromwell's castle1 built during his    
,protectorate4 ,old people thought that 
he in person visited it4 ,the  large    
china tankard1 out of which he was said 

to have drunk his  breakfast-beer1 still
 exists4 ,on a hill above are the ruins 
of  ,charles's castle4 ,scilly always   
remained loyal and true to the          
unfortunate monarch1 and this verse of a
 ballad told me by a ,scillonian  was   
not written of one of them3         ,in 
,cromwell's days ,i was for him1        
,but now1 my boys1 ,i'm for the king2   
,for ,i can turn1 boys1 with the tide1  
,and wear my coat on the strongest side4
      ,st4 ,warna1 who presided over    
wrecks1 was the patron saint of ,st4    
,agnes1  another of the principal       
islands4 ,she crossed over here from    
,ireland  in a wicker-boat covered with 
hides1 and landed at ,st4 ,warna's  bay4
 ,like many other saints she had her    
holy-well2 and often the  superstitious 
inhabitants of ,st4 ,agnes 7five        
families in all71  who enjoyed the      
reputation of being the most daring and 
unscrupulous  amongst the ,scilly       
wreckers of those days1 threw crooked   
pins into it1  and daily invoked and    

prayed her to send them a rich wreck4   
,there  was no church on it then1 and   
its people rarely visited the other     
islands4 ,but it chanced one fine       
morning the entire population started   
in their boats for the church of ,ennor1
 in ,st4 ,mary ,old ,town1 as two of    
them wished to be married4 ,after the   
ceremony was over the clergyman  in the 
presence of most of his parishioners1   
who had assembled to  witness it        
7between whom and the men of ,st4 ,agnes
 there was always  a bitter feud71      
rebuked them for their lawless deeds4   
,they1 angry at  being put to shame     
before their enemies1 answered with many
 profane  and mocking words1 and were   
with difficulty restrained from coming  
to  blows4 ,so incensed were they that  
they took no notice of the signs  which 
heralded a coming storm1 and hastily got
 on board their boats  to return to     
their own home1 which none of them were 
ever destined  to reach1 as it broke    
with great fury when they were about    

half-way  across4 ,when close to land   
and the rowers were straining every     
nerve  to get there1 one wave larger    
than the rest broke over them1 and every
  soul found a watery grave4 ,this was  
of course said to be a judgment  on them
 for their wicked ways4 7,leland briefly
 chronicles it47 ,from  that time ,st4  
,warna's well was neglected2 there was  
no one left the  day after twelfth-day1 
as had been the custom1 to clean it out 
and  return her thanks for her bounty3  
it gradually got filled with stones1    
and at the present day is little more   
than a hole4    ,there is a curious     
labyrinth on this island called         
,troy-town1 which  it is popularly      
supposed to represent2 but all intricate
 places in  ,cornwall are so            
denominated1 and ,i have even heard     
nurses say to  children when they were  
surrounded by a litter of toys that they
  looked as if they were in ,troy-town4 
,a peculiar mode of punishment was      
formerly practised in ,scilly4 ,the     

offenders were placed in a chair called 
a ducking chair1 and publicly  at ,st4  
,mary's quay-head ducked in the salt    
water4                  ,,fairies4      
,the fairies of ,cornwall may be divided
 into four classes1 the ,small  ,people1
 the ,pixies 7pronounced ,piskies or or 
,pisgies71 the ,spriggans1  and the     
,knockers4 ,the first are harmless      
elfish little beings known  all over    
,england1 whose revels on fine summer   
nights have often been  described by    
those favoured individuals who have     
accidentally had  the privilege of      
seeing them4 ,as a rule they1 however1  
wish to think  themselves invisible1 and
 in this county it is considered unlucky
 to  call them by the name of fairies4  
,the stories told about them by our  old
 folk differed but slightly from those  
related elsewhere4 ,there  was the      
well-known cow that gave the finest     
yield of milk1 and  retained it all the 
year round when others of the herd ran  
dry1 but  always ceased the flow at a   

certain time1 and if efforts were made  
to  draw more from her1 kicked over the 
the milking-pail4 ,the milkmaid         
discovered that the cow belonged to the 
small people1 by reason of  her wearing 
in her hat a bunch of flowers having in 
it a four-leaved  clover1 which rendered
 them visible1 when she saw them        
climbing up  the cow's legs and sucking 
at her teats4 ,the greedy mistress1 when
  the maid told her of this discovery1  
contrary to advice1 washed the  poor    
animal all over with salt water1 which  
fairies particularly  dislike 7as well  
as the smell of fish and grease71 in    
order to  drive them away4 ,of course   
she succeeded in her object1 and by so  
doing brought nothing but ill-luck for  
ever after on herself and  family4 ,when
 unmolested1 fairies bring good fortune 
to places they  frequent2 but they are  
spiteful if interfered with1 and delight
 in  vexing and thwarting people who    
meddle with them4 ,it is well known     
that they can't abear those whom they   

can't abide4 ,then there were  the tales
 of persons spirited away to fairyland1 
to wait upon the  small people's        
children and perform various little     
domestic offices1  where the time has   
passed so pleasantly that they have     
forgotten all  about their homes and    
relations1 until by doing a forbidden   
thing they  have incurred their master's
 anger4 ,they were then punished by     
being  thrown into a deep sleep1 and on 
awakening found themselves on some  moor
 close to their native villages4 ,these 
unhappy creatures never1  after their   
return1 settled down to work1 but roamed
 about aimlessly  doing nothing1 hoping 
and longing one day to be allowed to go 
back  to the place from whence they had 
been banished4 ,they had first put      
themselves into the fairies' power by   
eating or drinking something  on the    
sly1 when they had surprised them at one
 of their moonlight  frolics2 or by     
accepting a gift of fruit from the hands
 of one of  these little beings4 ,there 

are also two or three legends of curious
  women1 who by underhand dealings have 
got hold of a mysterious box of  green  
ointment belonging to the fairies1      
which1 rubbed on the eyes1  gave them   
the power of seeing them by daylight1   
when they look old1  withered1 and grey1
 and hate to be spied upon by mortals4  
,these women  are always interrupted    
when they have put the ointment on one  
eye  before they have time to anoint    
both1 and by an inadvertent speech  they
 invariably betray their ill-gotten     
knowledge4 ,they cannot resist  making  
an exclamation when they see a fairy    
pilfering or up to some  mischievous    
trick4 ,neither can they keep the secret
 of the side on  which they see1 and    
they are quickly made to pay the penalty
 of their  misdeeds by a well-directed  
blow from the elf's fist1 which deprives
  them of the sight of that eye for     
ever4 ,all these old wives' tales  are  
fully related by ,mr4 ,bottrell in his  
three series of ,traditions1  c41 of    

,west ,cornwall4    ,fairies haunt the  
ancient monuments of this county1 and   
are supposed  to be the beings who bring
 ill-luck on the destroyers of them4    
,not  long ago a woman of ,moushal 7a   
village near ,penzance7 told me that    
troops of small people1 not more than a 
foot-and-a-half high1 used1  on         
moonlight nights1 to come out of a hole 
in the cliff1 opening on  to the beach1 
,newlyn side of the village1 and but a  
short distance  from it4 ,the little    
people were always dressed very smart1  
and if  anyone came near them would     
scamper away into the hole4 ,mothers    
often  told their children that if they 
went under cliffs by night the small    
people would carry them away into       
',dicky ,danjy's hole4'--,bottrell4     
,these small people are said to have    
been half-witted people who had         
committed no mortal sin1 but who1 when  
they died1 were not good  enough to go  
to ,heaven4 ,they are always thought1 in
 some state1  to have lived before4     

,the small people go about in parties1  
but pisky in his habits1 at  least in   
,west ,cornwall1 is a solitary little   
being4 ,i gather however1  from ,mr4 ,t4
 ,q4 ,couch's ,history of ,polperro that
 in the eastern part  of the county the 
name of ,pisky is applied               
indiscriminately to both  tribes4 ,he   
says two only of them are known by name1
 and quotes the  following rhyme3       
,jack o' the lantern6 ,joan the wad1    
,who tickled the maid and made her mad2 
,light me home1 the weather's bad4      
,here in the west he is a ragged merry  
little fellow 7to laugh like  a pisky is
 a common ,cornish simile71 interesting 
himself in human  affairs1 threshing the
 farmer's corn at nights1 or doing other
  work1 and pinching the maidservants   
when they leave a house dirty at        
bed-time4 ,margery ,daw1 in our version 
of the nursery-song1 meets with         
punishment at his hands for her         
misdoings--         ,see saw1 ,margery  
,daw1      ,sold her bed and lay upon   

straw2      ,sold her bed and lay upon  
hay1      ,and pisky came and carried   
her away4      ,for wasn't she a dirty  
slut      ,to sell her bed and lie in   
the dirt8      ,should the happy        
possessor of one of these industrious1  
unpaid fairy  servants 7who never object
 to taking food left for them by        
friends7  express his thanks aloud1 thus
 showing that he sees him1 or try to    
reward him for his services by giving   
him a new suit of clothes1  he leaves   
the house never to return1 and in the   
latter case may be  heard to say3       
,pisky fine1 pisky gay6      ,pisky now 
will fly away4      ,or in another      
version3         ,pisky new coat1 and   
pisky new hood1      ,pisky now will do 
no more good4--7,t4,q4,c47      ,mr4    
,cornish1 the ,town ,clerk of ,penzance1
 mentioned at an antiquarian  meeting   
recently held in that town1 that there  
was a brownie still  existing in it2    
that a gentleman1 whose opinion he would
 take on many  matters1 had told him    

that he had often seen it sitting       
quietly by  the fireside4 ,when         
mischievously inclined pisky often leads
 benighted  people a sad dance2 like    
,will of the ,wisp1 he takes them over  
hedges  and ditches1 and sometimes round
 and round the same field1 from which   
they in vain try to find their way home 
7although they can always see  the path 
close at hand71 until they sit down and 
turn their stockings  the wrong side    
out1 as an old lady1 born in the last   
century1 whom ,i  well knew1 once told  
me she had done4 ,to turn a pocket      
inside out has  the same effect4 ,but to
 quote the words of a late witty        
,cornish doctor1  ,pisky led is often   
whiskey led4    ,mr4 ,t4 ,q4 ,couch in  
his before-mentioned book has two or    
three amusing  stories of their merry   
pranks4 ,one is called ,a ,voyage with  
the  ,piskies4 ,a ,polperro lad meeting 
them one night as he was going  on an   
errand heard them say in chorus1 ,i'm   
for ,portallow ,green  7a place in the  

neighbourhood74 ,repeating the cry after
 them1  quick as thought he found       
himself there surrounded by a throng  of
 laughing piskies4 ,the next place they 
visited was ,seaton ,beach1  between    
,polperro and ,plymouth2 the third and  
last cry was ,i'm for the  ,king of     
,france's cellar4 ,again he decided on  
joining them1 dropped the  bundle he was
 carrying on the sands1 and immediately 
found himself in  a spacious cellar1    
engaged with his mysterious companions  
in tasting  the richest wines4          
,afterwards they strolled through the   
palace1 where  in a room he saw all the 
preparations made for a feast1 and could
 not  resist the temptation of pocketing
 one of the rich silver goblets from    
the table4 ,the signal for their return 
was soon given1 and once more  he found 
himself on ,seaton ,beach1 where he had 
just time to pick up  his bundle before 
he was whisked home4 ,all these voyages 
were made  in the short space of five   
minutes4 ,when on his return he told his

  adventures they were listened to with 
incredulity until he produced the       
goblet1 which proved the truth of his   
tale4 ,after having been kept for       
generations this trophy has disappeared4
 ,these little creatures seem           
sometimes1 ,mr4 ,couch says1 to have    
delighted in mischief for its own  sake4
 ,old ,robin ,hicks1 who formerly lived 
in a house at ',quay ,head'             
7,polperro71 has more than once1 on     
stormy winter nights1 been alarmed  at  
his supper by a voice sharp and         
shrill--',robin6 ,robin6 your boat  is  
adrift4' ,loud was the laughter and the 
tacking of hands 7clapping7  when they  
succeeded in luring ,robin as far as the
 quay1 where the  boat was lying safely 
at its moorings4    ,another of his     
legends is about a fisherman of his     
district1 ,john  ,taprail1 long since   
dead1 who was1 on a frosty night1       
aroused  from his sleep by a voice which
 called to him that his boat was  in    
danger4 ,he went down to the beach to   

find that some person had  played a     
practical joke on him4 ,as he was       
returning he saw a group  of piskies    
sitting in a semicircle under a much    
larger boat belonging  to one of his    
neighbours4 ,they were dividing a heap  
of money between  them by throwing a    
piece of gold alternately into each of  
the hats  which lay before them4 ,john  
was covetous1 and forgot that piskies   
hate to be spied upon2 so he crept up   
and pushed his hat slily in  with the   
others4 ,when the pile was getting low  
he tried to get off  with his booty     
without their detecting the fraud4 ,he  
had got some  distance before the cheat 
was discovered2 then they pursued him in
  such hot haste that he only escaped   
with his treasure by leaving his        
coat-tails in their hands4 ,the pisky's 
midwife is common1--a mortal  who has   
been decoyed into fairyland discovers it
 by accidentally  rubbing her eye with a
 bit of soap whilst washing the baby4   
,like  those who have stolen and applied

 the green ointment1 she loses  the     
sight of it by a blow from an angry     
pisky's fist4 ,she meets and  recognizes
 the father at a fair where1 as usual1  
he is pilfering1  and foolishly asks    
after the welfare of mother and child4  
,but all  these stories in ,west        
,cornwall would be told of the small    
people1  as well as the well-known      
,colman ,grey 7of course the name       
varies71  which relates how a farmer one
 day found a poor1 half-starved looking 
bantling1 sitting alone in the middle of
 a field1 whom he took home  and fed    
until he grew quite strong and lively4  
,a short time after a  shrill voice was 
suddenly heard calling thrice upon      
,colman ,grey4 ,upon  which the imp     
cried ,ho6 ho6 ho6 my daddy is come6    
flew through the  keyhole1 and was never
 heard of after4 ,unbaptised children   
were1 in  this county at the beginning  
of the century1 said to turn1 when they 
died1 into piskies2 they gradually went 
through many transformations  at each   

change1 getting smaller until at last   
they became ,meryons  #af 7ants7 and    
finally disappeared4 ,another tradition 
is that they  were ,druids1 who1 because
 they would not believe in ,christ1 were
 for  their sins condemned to change    
first into piskies2 gradually getting   
smaller1 they too1 as ants1 at last are 
lost4 ,it is on account of  these       
legends considered unlucky to destroy an
 ant's nest1 and a  piece of tin put    
into one could1 in bygone days1 through 
pisky power  be transmuted into silver1 
provided that it was inserted at some   
varying lucky moment about the time of  
the new moon4    ,moths were formerly   
believed in ,cornwall to be departed    
souls1 and  are still1 in some          
districts1 called piskies4    ,there is 
also a green bug which infests          
bramble-bushes in the late  autumn that 
bears the same name1 and one of the     
reasons assigned for  blackberries not  
being good after ,michaelmas is that    
pisky spoils them  then4 ,pisky is in   

some places invoked for luck at the     
swarming of bees4    ,it was once a     
common custom in ,east ,cornwall1 when  
houses were built1  to leave holes in   
the walls by which these little beings  
could enter2  to stop them up would     
drive away good luck4 ,and in ,west     
,cornwall  knobs of lead1 known as      
pisky's paws or pisky feet1 were placed 
at  intervals on the roofs of           
farm-houses to prevent the piskies from 
dancing on them and turning the milk    
sour in the dairies4    ,country people 
in ,east ,cornwall sometimes put a      
prayer book under a  child's pillow as a
 charm to keep away piskies4 ,i am told 
that a poor  woman1 near ,launceston1   
was fully persuaded that one of her     
children  was taken away and a pisky    
substituted1 the disaster being caused  
by the absence of a prayer book on one  
particular night4--,h4 ,g4 ,t41  ,notes 
and ,queries1 ,december1 #ahej4         
,small round stones1 known as ,pisky    
,grinding ,stones1 are occasionally     

found in ,cornwall2 they are most       
probably parts of old spindles4    ,if  
piskies are kind and helpful little     
beings1 spriggans or sprites  are       
spiteful creatures1 never doing a good  
turn for anyone4 ,it is  they who carry 
off poor babies from their mothers1 when
 they have  been obliged to leave them  
for a few hours alone1 putting their own
  ugly1 peevish brats in their cradles1 
who never thrive under the              
foster-mother's care1 in spite of all   
the trouble they may bestow  upon them4 
,mr4 ,bottrell tells the story of a     
spriggan1 a married  man with a family1 
who took the place of a poor woman's    
child one  evening when she was at work 
in the harvest field4 ,for although an  
innocent baby held in the arms is       
thought in ,cornwall to protect  the    
holder from mischief caused by ghosts   
and witches1 it has no  power over these
 creatures1 who are not supposed to have
 souls4 ,the  scene of this legend was  
under ,chapel ,carn ,brea1 on the old   

road from  ,penzance to ,st4 ,just in   
,penwith4 ,the mother1 ,jenny ,trayer by
 name1  was first alarmed on her return 
one night from her work in the harvest  
field by not finding her child in its   
cradle1 but in a corner of the  kitchen 
where in olden days the wood and furze  
for the then general  open fires were   
kept4 ,she was however too tired to take
 much notice1  and went to bed1 and     
slept soundly until the morning4 ,from  
that time  forth she had no peace2 the  
child was never satisfied but when      
eating  or drinking1 or when she had it 
dandling in her arms4 ,the poor woman   
consulted her neighbours in turn as to  
what she should do with the  changeling 
7as one and all agreed that it was74    
,one recommended her  to dip it on the  
three first ,wednesdays in ,may in      
,chapel ,uny ,well1  #ag which advice   
was twice faithfully carried out in the 
prescribed  manner4 ,the third          
,wednesday was very wet and windy1 but  
,jenny  determined to persevere in this 

treatment of her ugly bantling1  and    
holding the brat 7who seemed to enjoy   
the storm7 firmly on her  shoulders1 she
 trudged off4 ,when they got about      
half-way1 a shrill  voice from behind   
some rocks was heard to say1            
,tredrill6 ,tredrill6      ,thy wife and
 children greet thee well4      ,not    
seeing anyone1 the woman was of course  
alarmed1 and her fright  increased when 
the imp made answer in a similar voice1 
,what care ,i for wife or child1        
,when ,i ride on ,dowdy's back to the   
,chapel ,well1      ,and have got pap my
 fill8      ,after this adventure1 she  
took the advice of another neighbour1   
who  told her the best way to get rid of
 the spriggan and have her own  child   
returned was to put the small body upon 
the ashes' pile1 and  beat it well with 
a broom2 then lay it naked under a      
church stile2  there leave it and keep  
out of sight and hearing till the turn  
of  night2 when nine times out of ten   
the thing will be taken away and  the   

stolen child returned4 ,this was finally
 done2 all the women of  the village    
after it had been put upon a convenient 
pile belabouring  it with their brooms1 
upon which it naturally set up a        
frightful  roar4 ,after dark it was laid
 under the stile1 and there next morning
  the woman found her own 'dear cheeld' 
sleeping on some dry straw1  most       
beautifully clean and wrapped in a piece
 of chintz4 ,jenny nursed  her recovered
 child with great care1 but there was   
always something  queer about it1 as    
there always is about one that has been 
in the  fairies' power--if only for a   
few days4    ,there are many other tales
 of changelings1 but they resemble each 
other  so much that they are not worth  
relating4 ,in the one before quoted from
  ,mr4 ,bottrell he gives a third charm 
for getting a child restored1 as        
follows3 ,make by night a smoky fire1   
with green ferns and dry4 ,when  the    
chimney and house are full of smoke as  
one can bear1 throw the  changeling on  

the hearthstone2 go out of the house1   
turn three times  round2 when one       
enters1 the right child will be         
restored4 ,spriggans1  too1 guard the   
vast treasures that are supposed to be  
buried beneath  our immense carns and in
 our cliff castles4 ,no matter if the   
work  be carried on by night or by day1 
they are sure to punish the rash  person
 who ventures to dig in hopes of        
securing them4 ,when he has  got some   
way down1 he finds himself surrounded by
 hundreds of ugly  beings1 in some cases
 almost as tall as he1 who scare the    
unhappy  man until he loses all control 
over himself1 throws down his tools1    
and rushes off as fast as he can        
possibly go4 ,the fright often makes    
him so ill that he has to lie for days  
in bed4 ,should he ever summon  up      
courage to return to the spot1 he will  
find the pit refilled1  and no traces to
 show that the ground had been          
disturbed4    ,knockers 7pronounced     
knackers7 are mine fairies1 popularly   

supposed to  be 7as related elsewhere7  
the souls of the ,jews who crucified    
,christ1  sent by the ,romans to work as
 slaves in the tin mines4 ,in proof of  
this1 they are said never to have been  
heard at work on ,saturdays1 nor  other 
,jewish festivals4 ,they are compelled  
to sing carols at ,christmas  time4     
,small pieces of smelted tin found in   
old smelting-works are  known as ,jews' 
bowels4 ,these fairies haunt none but   
the richest tin  mines1 and many are    
reputed to have been discovered by their
 singing  and knocking underground2 and 
miners think when they hear them that   
it is a sign of good luck1 because when 
following their noises they  often      
chance on lodes of good ore4 ,when a    
miner goes into an old  level and sees a
 bright light1 it is a sure sign that he
 will find  tin there4 ,knockers like   
spriggans are very ugly beings1 and1 if 
you  do not treat them in a friendly    
spirit1 very vindictive4 ,as stiff as   
,barker's knee is a common saying in    

,cornwall2 he having in some way        
angered the knockers1 either by speaking
 of them disrespectfully or  by not     
leaving 7as was formerly the custom7 a  
bit of his dinner on the  ground for    
them 7for good luck71 they in revenge   
threw all their tools  in his lap1 which
 lamed him for the rest of his life4    
,mr4 ,bottrell  tells a similar story of
 a man named ,tom ,trevorrow1 who when  
he was  working underground heard the   
knockers just before him1 and roughly   
told them to be quiet and go4 ,upon     
which1 a shower of stones fell  suddenly
 around him1 and gave him a dreadful    
fright4 ,he seems however  to have      
quickly got over it1 and soon after1    
when eating his dinner1  a number of    
squeaking voices sang1         ,tom     
,trevorrow6 ,tom ,trevorrow6      ,leave
 some of thy 'fuggan' #ah for bucca1    
,or bad luck to thee to-morrow6         
,but ,tom took no notice and ate up     
every crumb1 upon which the knockers    
changed their song to         ,tommy    

,trevorrow6 ,tommy ,trevorrow6          
,we'll send thee bad luck to-morrow2    
,thou old curmudgeon1 to eat all thy    
fuggan1      ,and not leave a 'didjan'  
#ai for bucca4      ,after this such    
persistent ill-luck followed him that he
 was obliged  to leave the mine4        
,bucca is the name of a spirit that in  
,cornwall it was once thought  necessary
 to propitiate4 ,fishermen left a fish  
on the sands for bucca1  and in the     
harvest a piece of bread at lunch-time  
was thrown over the  left shoulder1 and 
a few drops of beer spilled on the      
ground for him1  to ensure good luck4   
,bucca1 or bucca-boo1 was1 until very   
lately  7and ,i expect in some places   
still is7 the terror of children1 who   
were often when crying told that if they
 did not stop he would come  and carry  
them off4 ,it was also the name of a    
ghost2 but now-a-days  to call a person 
a great bucca simply implies that you   
think him  a fool4 ,there were two      
buccas--        ',bucca ,gwidden1' the  

white1 or good spirit1     ',bucca      
,dhu1' the black1 malevolent one4       
,,superstitions3    ,,miners'1          
,,sailors'1 ,,farmers'4      ,although  
,cornish miners1 or tinners as they are 
generally called1  are a very           
intelligent1 and since the days of      
,wesley a religious body  of men1 many  
of their old-world beliefs still linger4
 ,to this day it is  considered unlucky 
to make the form of a cross on the sides
 of a mine1  and when underground you   
may on no account whistle for fear of   
vexing  the knockers and bringing       
ill-luck1 but you may sing or even swear
  #bj without producing any bad effect4 
,down one mine-shaft a black  goat is   
often seen to descend1 but is never met 
below2 in another  mine a white rabbit  
forebodes an accident4    ,the          
occurrence of a black cat in the lowest 
depths of a mine will warn  the older   
miners off that level until the cat is  
exterminated4--,thomas  ,cornish1       
,western ,antiquary1 ,october1 #ahhg4   

,a hand clasping the ladder and coming  
down with1 or after a miner1  foretells 
misfortune or death4 ,this superstition 
prevails1 also1  in the slate quarries  
of the eastern part of the county4      
,the miners in the slate quarries of    
,delabole have a tradition that  the    
right hand of a miner1 who committed    
suicide1 is sometimes seen  following   
them down the ladders1 grasping the     
rings as they let  them go1 holding a   
miner's light between the thumb and     
finger4 ,it  forebodes ill to the       
seer4--,esm ,stuart4 ,see ,tamsin's     
,choice1  ,longman1 ,june1 #ahhc4       
,miners1 too1 had some superstition in  
regard to snails1 known in  ,cornwall as
 bullhorns2 for if they met one on their
 way to work  they always dropped a bit 
of their dinner or some grease from     
their  lanthorn before him for          
good-luck4    ,miraculous dreams are    
related2 warnings to some miners1 which 
have  prevented on particular days their
 going down below with their  comrades1 

when serious accidents have happened and
 several have  lost their lives4 ,rich  
lodes1 too1 have been discovered through
 the  dreams of fortunate women1 who    
have been shown in them where their     
male relatives should dig for the hidden
 treasure4    ',dowsing' 7divining with 
the rod7 is of course believed in here  
as  elsewhere1 and some men are known as
 noted 'dowsers4' ,a forked twig  of    
hazel 7also called a 'dowser'7 is used  
by our ,cornish miners to  discover a   
vein of ore2 it is held loosely in the  
hand1 the point  towards the 'dowser's' 
breast1 and it is said to turn round    
when the  holder is standing over metal4
    ,miners still observe some quaint   
old customs2 a horse-shoe is sometimes  
placed on a convenient part of the      
machinery1 which each1 as he goes  down 
to his day's work1 touches four times to
 ensure good-luck4 ,these  must be      
,tributers 7pronounced trib-ut-ers71 who
 work on trib-ut1  when a percentage is 
paid on ores raised2 in                 

contradistinction to  ,tut-workers1 who 
are paid by the job4    ,a miner1 going 
underground with shoes on1 will drive   
all the mineral  out of the             
mine4--,cornubiana1 ,rev4 ,s4 ,rundle4  
,in #ahhf1 at ,st4 ,just in ,penwith two
 men of ,wheal ,drea had their hats     
burnt one ,monday morning1 after the    
birth of their first children4    ,three
 hundred fathoms below the ground at    
,cook's ,kitchen mine1 near  ,camborne1 
swarms of flies may be heard buzzing1   
called by the men1  for some unknown    
reason1 ,mother ,margarets4 ,from being 
bred in the  dark1 they have a great    
dislike to light4    ,swallows in olden 
times were thought to spend the winter  
in deep1  old disused ,cornish          
tin-works2 also in the sheltered nooks  
of its  cliffs and cairns4 ,it is the   
custom here to jump on seeing the first 
in spring4    ,a water-wagtail1 in      
,cornwall a tinner1 perching on a       
window-sill1  is the sign of a visit    
from a stranger4    ,carew says--,the   

,cornish tynners hold a strong          
imagination1 that in  the withdrawing of
 ,noah's floud to the sea the same took 
his course  from east to west1 violently
 breaking vp1 and forcibly carrying with
  it the earth1 trees1 and rocks1 which 
lay anything loosely neere the  vpper   
face of the ground4 ,to confirme the    
likelihood of which supposed  truth1    
they doe many times digge vp whole and  
huge timber-trees1 which  they conceiue 
at that deluge to haue been ouerturned  
and whelmed4    ,miners frequently in   
conversation make use of technical      
proverbs1  such as ,capel rides a good  
horse4 ,capel is schorl1 and indicates  
the presence of tin4 ,it's a wise man   
that knows tin alludes to the  various  
forms it takes4 ,to an old tune they    
sing the words--         ,here's to the 
devil1 with his wooden spade and shovel1
      ,digging tin by the bushel1 with  
his tail cocked up4      ,and on the    
signboard of a public-house in ,west    
,cornwall a few years  ago 7and probably

 still7 might be read--         ,come   
all good ,cornish boys #ba walk in1     
,here's brandy1 rum1 and shrub1 and gin2
      ,you can't do less than drink     
success      ,to copper1 fish1 and tin4 
,miners believe that mundic 7iron       
pyrites7 being applied to a wound       
immediately cures it2 of which they are 
so sure that they use no  other remedy  
than washing it in the water that runs  
through the mundic  ore4--,a ,complete  
,history of ,cornwall1 #agcj4    ,it is 
an easy transition from mines to fish1  
the next staple  industry of ,cornwall1 
and to the superstitions of its         
fishermen and  sailors4 ,fish is a word 
in ,west ,cornwall applied more         
particularly  to pilchards 7pelchurs74  
,they frequent our coasts in autumn4    
,when the corn is in the shock1         
,then the fish are on the rock4         
,and if on a close foggy day in that    
season you ask the question1--,do  you  
think it will rain8 the answer often    
is--,no6 it is only het  7heat7 and     

pelchurs1 that sort of weather being    
favourable for  catching them4    ,a    
good year for fleas is a good year for  
fish1 the proverb says2  and when eating
 a pilchard the flesh must be always    
taken off the bone  from the tail to the
 head4 ,to eat them from head to tail is
 unlucky1  and would soon drive the fish
 from the shore4 ,there are many other  
wise sayings about pilchards2 but ,i    
will only give one more couplet1  which 
declares that--         ,they are food1 
money1 and light1      ,all in one      
night4 #bb      ,should pilchards when  
in bulk #bc make a squeaking noise1 they
 are  crying for more1 and another shoal
 will quickly be in the bay4            
,fishermen dread going near the spot    
where vessels have been wrecked1  as the
 voices of the drowned often call to    
them there1 especially  before a storm4 
,sometimes their dead comrades call them
 by their  names1 and then they know for
 certain that they will soon die2 and   
often when drowning the ghosts of their 

friends appear to them4 ,they  are seen 
by them sometimes taking the form of    
animals4    ,mr4 ,bottrell speaks of a  
farmer's wife who was warned of her     
son's  death by the milk in the pans    
ranged round her dairy being agitated   
like the sea waves in a storm4 ,there is
 a legend common to many  districts of a
 wrecker who rushed into the sea and    
perished1 after  a voice had been heard 
to call thrice1 ,the hour is come1 but  
not  the man4 ,he was carried off by the
 devil in a phantom ship seen in  the   
offing4 ,but ships haunted with seamen's
 ghosts are rarely lost1  as the spirits
 give the sailors warning of storms and 
other dangers4    ,in a churchyard near 
the ,land's ,end is the grave of a      
drowned captain1  covered by a flat     
tombstone2 proceeding from it formerly  
the sound of a  ghostly bell was often  
heard to strike four and eight bells4   
,the tale  goes that when his vessel    
struck on some rocks close to the shore1
  the captain saw all his men safely off

 in their boat1 but refused  himself to 
leave the ship1 and went down in her    
exactly at midnight1  as he was striking
 the time4 ,his body was recovered1 and 
given decent  burial1 but his poor soul 
had no rest4 ,an unbelieving sailor once
  went out of curiosity to try if he    
could hear this bell2 he did1  and soon 
after sailed on a voyage from which he  
never returned4    ,spectre ships are   
seen before wrecks2 they are generally  
shrouded in  mist2 but the crew of one  
was said to consist of two men1 a woman1
  and a dog4 ,these ships vanish at some
 well-known point4 ,jack ,harry's       
lights1 too1 herald a storm2 they are so
 called from the man who  first saw     
them4 ,these appear on a phantom vessel 
resembling the one  that will be lost4  
,on boarding a derelict1 should a live  
cat or other animal be found1 it  is    
thrown into the sea and drowned1 under  
the idea that if any living  thing is in
 her1 the finders can claim nothing from
 the owners4 ,in  fact she is not a     

derelict4    ,the apparition of a lady  
carrying a lanthorn always on one part  
of the  ,cornish coast #bd foretells a  
storm and shipwrecks4 ,she is supposed  
to be searching for her child who was   
drowned1 whilst she was saved1  because 
she was afraid to trust it out of her   
arms4 ,for the legends  of ,the ,lady of
 the ,vow and ,the ,hooper or ,hooter of
 ,sennen ,cove1  see ante1 p4 #ga4 #be  
,mermaids are still believed in1 and it 
is very  bad to offend them1 for by     
their spite harbours have been filled up
  with sand4 ,they1 however1 kindly take
 idiot children under their  protection4
 ,the lucky finder of one of their combs
 or glasses has  the power 7as long as  
it remains in his possession7 of        
charming  away diseases4    ,boats are  
said to come to a sudden standstill when
 over the spot where  lies the body of a
 drowned man1 for whom search is being  
made4 ,the  body is supposed to rise    
when drowned1 on the seventh1 eighth1   
or ninth day4 ,sailors regard many      

things as bad omens1 such as a  loaf of 
bread turned upside-down on a table4    
7,this will bring some  ship to         
distress47 ,they will not begin a voyage
 on ,childermas-day1  nor allow a piece 
of spar-stone 7quartz7 to be carried on 
board a  vessel3 that would ensure her  
striking on a rock4 ,of course1 they    
neither whistle when there1 nor speak of
 hares1 two most unlucky  things2 and   
should they meet one of these animals on
 their way to  the place of embarkation 
they think it far wiser to turn back    
home1  and put off sailing for a tide4  
,hares 7as already noticed7 play  a     
great part in ,cornish folk-lore4 ,the  
following amusing story ,i  had from a  
friend3--,jimmy ,treglown1 a noted      
poacher living in a  village of ,west   
,cornwall1 became converted at a revival
 meeting2  he was tempted on his way to 
class-meeting one ,sunday morning soon  
after by the devil in the form of a     
beautiful hare4 ,jimmy said1  ',there   
thee art1 my dear2 but ,i waan't tooch  

thee on a ,sunday--nor  yet on a weeky  
day1 for that matter4' ,he went briskly 
on his way for  a few paces1 and then1  
like ,lot's wife1 he was tempted to look
 behind  him4 ,alas6 in ,jimmy's own    
words1 ',there she was in her seat1     
looking  lovely4 ,i tooked up a stone1  
and dabbed at her4 ,away she runned1    
and fare-ee well1 religion4 ,mine runned
 away with her4 ,i went home1  and never
 went to class no more4 #bf ,you see it 
was the devil1 and  'simmen to me'      
7seeming7 ,i heard 'un laugh and say1   
',ah6 ah6 ,jimmy1  boy1 ,i had thee on  
the hip then4 ,thee must confess thee'st
 had a fair  fall4' ,so ,i gave in1 and 
never went nigh the 'people'            
7,wesleyans7  no more4 ,nobody should   
fire at hares of this sort1 except with 
a  silver bullet2 they often appear as  
white1 but the devil knowed ,i  couldn't
 be fooled with a white 'un4' ,nothing  
is too ridiculous  to be told of hares4 
,another old man from ,st4 ,just 7still 
living7  once recited this anecdote in  

our kitchen1 and from his grave manner  
evidently expected it to be             
believed3--,i was out walking 7he said7 
one ,sunday morning1 when ,i saw a hare 
in a field which ,i longed to  have2 so 
,i shied a bit of 'codgy wax' 7cobbler's
 wax71 the only thing  ,i had in my     
pocket1 at 'un1 when he ran away4 ,what 
was my surprise  on getting over a stile
 to see two hares in the next field face
 to  face1 the 'codgy wax' had stuck to 
the nose of the first1 and he in  his   
fright had runned against the other1 and
 was holden 'un fast1  too4 ,so ,i      
quietly broke the necks of both1 and    
carried em home4    ,the grapes are sour
 is in ,cornwall often changed to       
,lev-un go6 he's  dry eaten after all1  
as the old man said when he couldn't    
catch  the hare4    ,sailors and        
fishermen have naturally many weather   
proverbs1 of which  ,i will give a      
few3--    ,a north wind is a broom for  
the ,channel4    ,a ,saturday's moon is 
a sailor's curse4    ,a ,saturday's and 

,sunday's moon ,comes once in seven     
years too soon4    ,between twelve and  
two you'll see what the day will do4    
,a southerly wind with a fog bring an   
easterly wind in 'snog'  7with          
certainty74    ,friday's noon is        
,sunday's doom4    ,friday and the week 
are never alike4    ,there's never a    
,saturday in the year ,but what the sun 
it doth  appear1 etc4    ,weather dogs  
are pillars of light coloured like the  
rainbow1 which  appear on the horizon   
generally over the sea in unsettled     
weather1  and always foretell storms4   
,the inland dwellers of ,cornwall have  
also  their wise sayings on this        
subject4 ,rooks darting around a        
rookery1  sparrows twittering1 donkeys  
braying1 are signs of rain4 ,cats       
running  wildly about a house are said  
to bring storms on their tails4 ,some of
  their omens are simply ludicrous1 such
 as ,we may look for wet when a  cat1 in
 washing its face1 puts its paw over its
 ear1 or when hurlers  7small sparks7   

play about the bars of a grate4 ,a cock 
crowing on a  stone is a sign of fine   
weather2 on the doorstep1 of a stranger4
 ,but  here it is well known ,that fools
 are weather-wise1 and ,that those  that
 are weather-wise are rarely otherwise4 
,in ,west ,cornwall1 not very long ago  
farmers1 before they began to  break up 
a grass field or plough for sowing1     
always turned the faces  of the cattle  
attached to the plough towards the west 
and solemnly  said1 ,in the name of ,god
 let us begin1 and then with the sun's  
course proceeded on their work4         
,everything in this county1 even  down  
to such a small thing as taking the     
cream off the milk-pans set  round the  
dairy1 must for luck be done from left  
to right4 ,invalids1  on going out for  
the first time after an illness1 must   
walk with1  not against1 the sun1 for   
fear of a relapse4    ,farmers here are 
taught that if they wish to thrive they 
must rise  with the craw 7crow71 go to  
bed with the yow 7ewe71 not be like     

,solomon the wise1 who was loth to go to
 bed and loth to rise1 for  does not the
 master's eye make the mare fat8 ,a     
,february spring1  according to one     
proverb1 is not worth a pin1 and another
 says a dry  east wind raises the       
spring4 ,sayings current in other       
counties1 such  as a peck of ,march dust
 is worth a king's ransom1 are also     
quoted1  but those ,i shall not give4   
,there should be as many frosty mornings
 in  ,may as in ,march1 for a hot ,may  
makes a fat church-hay4 ,a wet ,june    
makes a dry ,september4 ,cornwall will  
stand a shower every day1 and  two for  
,sundays4 ,there is always a black month
 before ,christmas4 ,the  farmer too is 
told--         ,a rainbow in the morn1  
put your hook in the corn2      ,a      
rainbow in the eve1 put your hook in the
 sheave4      ,in ,cornwall1 as well as 
in ,devon1 there is an old prophecy     
quoted  to the effect1 that in the      
latter days there will be no difference 
between summer and winter1 save in the  

length of the days and the  greenness of
 the leaf4 ,it is erroneously asserted  
to be in the  ,bible4--,cornubiana1     
,rev4 ,s4 ,rundle1 ,transactions        
,penzance ,natural  ,history ,society1  
etc41 #ahhe-ahhf4    ,countrymen in     
,cornwall1 if the breeze fail whilst    
they are winnowing1  whistle to the     
spriggan1 or air spirit1 to bring it    
back4--,comparative  ,folk-lore1        
,cornhill1 #ahgf4    ,a swarm of bees in
 ,may is worth a yow 7ewe7 and lamb same
 day4 ,it is  considered lucky in these 
parts for a stray swarm to settle near  
your  house2 and if you throw a         
handkerchief over it you may claim it as
 your  own4 ,to sell them is unlucky2   
but you may have an understanding with  
a purchaser that he will give you an    
equivalent for your bees4 ,the  inside  
of hives should be rubbed with scawnsy  
buds 7elderflowers7  to prevent a new   
swarm from leaving them4 ,honey should  
be always  taken from the hive on ,st4  
,bartholomew's ,day1 he being the patron

  saint of bees4 ,of course all the     
principal events happening in the       
families to whom they belonged1 in this 
as in other counties1 were  formerly    
whispered to them1 that the bees might  
not think themselves  neglected1 and    
leave the place in anger4 ,at a recent  
meeting of the  ,penzance ,natural      
,history and ,antiquarian ,society a    
gentleman mentioned  that when a boy he 
had seen thirty hives belonging to ,mr4 
,joshua ,fox1  of ,tregedna1 tied up in 
crape 7an universal practice7 because of
 a  death in the ,fox family4 ,another  
at the same time said that when1  some  
years since1 the landlady of the ,first 
and ,last ,inn1 at the  ,land's ,end1   
died1 the bird-cages and flower-pots    
were also tied with  crape1 to prevent  
the birds and plants from dying4 ,when  
withering1  because this has not been   
done1 if the plants be remembered in    
time  and crape put on the pots1 they   
may revive4 ,enquiring a short time ago 
what had become of a fine maiden-hair   

fern that we had had for years1  ,i was 
told that we had neglected to put it    
into mourning when a near  relative of  
our's had died1 or to tell it of his    
death2 and therefore  it had gradually  
pined away4 ,after a death1 pictures1   
but especially  portraits of the        
deceased1 are also supposed to fade4    
,snails as well  as bees are thought    
here to bring luck1 for the house is    
blest where  snails do rest4 ,children  
on meeting them in their path1 for some 
reason stamp their feet and say1        
,snail6 snail6 come out of your hole1   
,or ,i will beat you black as a coal4   
,another ,cornish farmers' superstition 
is that ducks won't lay until  they have
 drunk ',lide' 7,march7 water2 and the  
wife of one in #ahhj  declared that if a
 goose saw a ,lent lily 7daffodil7      
before hatching  its goslings it would1 
when they came forth1 destroy them4     
,some  witty thieves1 many years ago1   
having stolen twelve geese from a       
clergyman in the eastern part of the    

county1 tied twelve pennies and  this   
doggerel around the gander's neck--     
,parson ,peard1 be not afeard1          
,nor take it much in anger1      ,we've 
bought your geese at a penny a-piece1   
,and left the money with the gander4    
,hens must never be put to sit on an    
even number of eggs1 eleven or  thirteen
 are lucky numbers2 ,basilisks are      
hatched from cock's eggs4    ,when cocks
 crow children are told that they say1  
,cock-a-doodle-doo6      ,grammer's lost
 her shoe1      ,down by the barley moo 
7mow71      ,and what will grammer do1  
,cock-a-doodle-doo4      ,moles in this 
county are known as wants1 and once in  
the ,land's ,end  district ,i overtook  
an old man and asked him what had made  
so many  hillocks in a field through    
which we were passing4 ,his answer was1 
,what you rich people never have in your
 houses1 'wants4'    ,to this day in    
,cornwall1 when anything unforeseen     
happens to our small  farmers1 or they  
have the misfortune to lose by sickness 

some of their  stock1 they still think  
that they are ill-wished1 and start off 
7often on long journeys7 to consult a   
pellar1 or wise man1 sometimes  called a
 white witch 7which term is here used   
indiscriminately for  persons of both   
sexes74 ,the following ,i had from a    
dairy-man ,i know1  who about twelve    
years ago quarrelled with a domestic    
servant1 a woman  living in a           
neighbouring house4 ,soon after1 from   
some reason1 two or  three of his cows  
died2 he was quite sure1 he told me1    
that she had  overlooked and ill-wished 
him4 ,to ease his mind he had consulted 
a  pellar about the matter1 who had     
described her accurately to him1  and1  
for payment1 removed the spell 7,i do   
not know what rites were  used71 telling
 him to look at his watch and note the  
hour1 as he would  find1 when he        
returned home1 that a cow he had left   
sick would have  begun at that moment to
 recover 7which he says it did74 ,the   
pellar  also added1 ,the woman who has  

'ill-wished' you will be swaddled in    
fire and lapped in water2 and by a      
strange coincidence she emigrated  soon 
after1 and was lost in the ill-fated    
,cospatrick1 that was burnt  at sea4    
,water from a font is often stolen to   
sprinkle ill-wished persons  or things4 
,the two next examples were communicated
 to me by a friend3 ,some  twenty-six   
years ago a farmer in a neighbouring    
village 7,west ,cornwall7  sustained    
during one season continual losses from 
his cows dying  of indigestion1 known as
 'loss of cud1' 'hoven-blown1' etc4     
,after  consulting an old farrier called
 ,armstrong he was induced to go to a   
'pellar' in ,exeter4 ,his orders were to
 go home1 and1 on nearing his  farm1 he 
would see an old woman in a field hoeing
 turnips1 and that  she was the party   
who had cast the 'evil eye' on him4     
,when he saw her  he was to lay hold of 
her and accuse her of the crime1 then   
tear off  some of her dress1 take it to 
his farm1 and burn it with some of the  

hair from the tails of his surviving    
stock4 ,these directions were  fully    
carried out1 and his bad health 7caused 
by worry7 improved1  and he lost no more
 cows4 ,a spotted clover that grew      
luxuriantly that  summer was no doubt   
the cause of the swelling4 ,another     
farmer in  the same village eighteen    
years since lost all his feeding cattle 
from pleuro-pneumonia2 believing them to
 be 'ill-wished' by a woman1  he also   
consulted the ,exeter 'pellar4' ,he     
brought home some bottles  of elixir1   
potent against magic1 and made an image 
of dough1 pierced  it from the nape of  
the neck downward1 in the line of the   
spine1  with a very large blanket-pin4  
,in order to make the agonies of the    
woman with the 'evil eye' excruciating  
in the last degree1 dough  and pin were 
then burnt in a fire of hazel and ash4  
,the cure failed1  as anyone acquainted 
with the disease might have forecast4   
,besides those remedies already         
mentioned for curing cattle1 you may    

employ these3--,take some blood from the
 sick animal by wounding him2  let the  
blood fall on some straw carefully held 
to the place--not  a drop must be lost2 
burn the straw2 when the ill-wisher will
 be  irresistibly drawn to the spot2    
then by violence you can compel him  to 
take off the spell4 ,or1 ,bleed one     
animal to death to save the  whole herd4
    ,a local newspaper1 in #ahhc        
7,cornishman71 gives the                
following3--,superstitions die hard4--,a
 horse died the other day on  a farm in 
the neighbourhood of ,st4 ,ives4 ,its   
carcase was dragged on a  ,sunday away  
up to the granite rock basins and       
weather-worn bosses of  ,trecoben hill1 
and there burnt1 in order to drive away 
the evil spell1  or ill-wishing1 which  
afflicted the farm where the animal     
belonged4 ,i1  a few years since1 saw a 
dying cat taken out of a house on a mat1
 by  two servants1 that it might not die
 inside and bring ill-luck4 ,in #ahfe  a
 farmer in ,portreath sacrificed a calf1

 by burning1 for the purpose of         
removing a disease which had long       
followed his horses and cows4 ,and  in  
another case a farmer burnt a living    
lamb1 to save1 as he said1  his flock   
from spells which had been cast on      
them4--,robert ,hunt4    ,the           
,cornishman1 in another paragraph1      
says3--,our ,summercourt 7,east         
,cornwall7 correspondent witnessed an   
amusing affair on ,thursday  morning    
7,april1 #ahhc74 ,seeing a crowd in the 
street1 he asked the  reason1 and found 
that a young lady was about to perform  
the feat  of throwing a pig's nose over 
a house for good luck6 ,this is how  it 
was done4 ,the lady took the nose of a  
pig1 that was killed the  day before1 in
 her right hand1 stood with her back to 
the house1  and threw the nose over her 
head1 and over the house1 into the  back
 garden4 ,had she failed in the attempt 
her luck was supposed to  be bad4 ,whet 
your knife on ,sunday1 you'll skin on   
,monday1 is a  very old ,perranuthnoe   

and ,st4 ,hilary 7,west ,cornwall7      
superstition1  so that1 however blunt   
your knife may be1 you must use it as it
 is1  lest by sharpening it you bring   
ill-luck on the farmer1 and he lose  a  
sheep or bullock4 ,mr4 ,t4 ,q4 ,couch1  
,w4 ,antiquary1 #ahhc1 says of one1  ,he
 is an old-fashioned man1 and1 amongst  
his other 'whiddles' 7whims71  keeps a  
goat amongst his cattle for the sake of 
keeping his cows from  slipping their   
calves4 ,branches of care 7mountain ash7
 were1 in the  east of the county1 hung 
over the cattle in their stalls to      
prevent  their being ill-wished1 also   
carried in the pocket as a cure and     
prevention of rheumatism4 ,rheumatism   
will attack the man who carries  a      
walking stick made of                   
holly4--,cornubiana1 ,rev4 ,s4 ,rundle4 
,the belief in witchcraft in ,west      
,cornwall is much more general  than    
most people imagine4 ,several cases have
 lately come under  my own notice2 one1 
that of a man-servant in our employ who 

broke  a blood-vessel1 and for a long   
time was so ill that his life was       
despaired of4 ,he was most carefully    
attended by a ,penzance physician1  who 
came to see him three times a day4 ,but 
directly that his strength  began to    
return he asked permission to go to     
,redruth to consult a  pellar1 as he was
 quite sure that he had been overlooked 
and  ill-wished4 ,an old ,penzance man1 
afflicted with rheumatism1 who  gained  
his living by selling fruit in the      
streets1 fancied himself  ill-wished4   
,he went to ,helston to see a wiseman   
residing there1  to whom he paid        
seven-and-sixpence1 with a further      
promise of five  pounds on the removal  
of the spell4 ,as he was too poor to pay
 this  himself a brother agreed to do it
 for him1 but somehow failed to  perform
 his contract4 ,now the poor old man    
thinks that the pellar's  ill-wishes are
 added to his former pains4    ,the     
pellars wore formerly magical rings1    
with a blue stone in them1  said to have

 been formed by snakes breathing on     
hazel-twigs4 ,our  country-people often 
searched for these stones4              
,,charms1 ,etc4      ,many are the      
charms against ill-wishing worn by the  
ignorant4 ,i will  quote some mentioned 
by ,mr4 ,bottrell3 ,a strip of parchment
 inscribed  with the following words    
forming a four-sided acrostic3--        
,s   ,a   ,t   ,o   ,r                  
,a   ,r   ,e   ,p   ,o                  
,t   ,e   ,n   ,e   ,t                  
,o   ,p   ,e   ,r   ,a                  
,r   ,o   ,t   ,a   ,s      ,at the time
 of an old lady's decease1 a little     
while ago1 on  her breast was found a   
small silk bag containing several       
charms1  among others a piece of        
parchment1 about three inches square1   
having  written on one side of it       
',nalgah' 7in capital letters72 under   
this  is a pen-and-ink drawing something
 like a bird with two pairs of  wings1 a
 pair extended and another folded       
beneath them4 ,the creature  appears to 

be hovering and at the same time        
brooding on a large egg1  sustained by  
one of its legs1 whilst it holds a      
smaller egg at the  extremity of its    
other leg1 which is outstretched and    
long4 ,its  head1 round and small1 is   
unlike that of a bird4 ,from the        
rudeness  of the sketch and its faded   
state it is difficult to trace all the  
outlines4 ,under this singular figure is
 the word ',tetragrammaton'  7in        
capitals72 on the reverse in large      
letters--                               
',jehovah4'                  ',jah1     
,eloim4'                  ',shadday4'   
',adonay4'                  ',have mercy
 on a poor woman4'      ,a pellar of    
great repute in the neighbourhood tells 
me that this  is inscribed with two     
charms1 that ,nalgah is the figure only4
 ,the  ,abracadabra is also supplied1   
the letters arranged in the usual  way4 
,another potent spell is the rude draft 
of the planetary signs  for the ,sun1   
,jupiter1 and ,venus1 followed by a     

cross1 pentagram1  and a figure formed  
by a perpendicular line and a divergent 
one  at each side of it united at the   
bottom4 ,under them is written1         
',whosoever beareth these tokens will be
 fortunate1 and need fear no  evil4'    
,the charms are folded in a paper on    
which is usually written1  ',by the help
 of the ,lord these will do thee good1' 
and inclosed in  a little bag to be worn
 on the breast4    ,people in good      
health visited these pellars every      
spring to get  their charms renewed1 and
 bed-ridden people who kept theirs under
  their pillow-beres were then visited  
by the pellar for the same  purpose4 ,of
 amulets mention must be made of certain
 small crystal  balls called 'kinning   
stones1' held in high esteem for cure of
 ailments  of the eye4 ,i examined one  
of these 'kinning stones' recently1     
which had been lent to a person with a  
bad eye1 who on recovering  from his    
ailment had returned it to the owner4   
,it proved to be a  translucent1        

blueish-white globular crystal1 about   
one-and-a-quarter  inch in diameter2 in 
texture1 horny rather than vitreous2    
apparently  not made of glass1 but      
perhaps of rock crystal2 pierced by a   
hole  containing a boot lace for        
suspension2 having stri running through 
the substance of the crystal            
perpendicular to the hole4 ,it had been 
for many generations in possession of   
the family of the owner1 who  valued it 
very highly1 'but was willing to lend it
 to anyone to do  good4' ,this kind of  
amulet is worn around the neck1 the bad 
eye being  struck with the crystal every
 morning4 ,there are other 'kinning     
stones'  within reach1 but examples are 
not common2 their virtues are familiar  
to the people1 and instances are to be  
met with among the country folk1  whose 
recovery from a 'kinning' in the eye    
7'kennel1' ,west ,cornwall7  is         
attributed solely to the use of these   
charms4--,notes on the  ,neighbourhood  
of ,brown ,willy 7,north ,cornwall71    

,rev4 ,a4 ,h4 ,malan1 ,m4,a4    ,in     
every small ,cornish village in olden   
times 7and the race is not yet  extinct7
 lived a charmer or white witch4 ,their 
powers were not quite  as great as those
 of a pellar1 but they were thoroughly  
believed in1  and consulted on every    
occasion for every complaint4 ,they were
 not  only able to cure diseases1 but   
they could1 when offended1 overlook  and
 ill-wish the offender1 bringing        
ill-luck on him1 and also on his  family
 and farm-stock4 ,the seventh son of the
 seventh son1 or seventh  daughter of   
the seventh daughter1 were born with    
this gift of charming1  and made the    
most noted pellars2 but anyone might    
become a witch who  touched a ,logan    
rock nine times at midnight4 ,these     
,logan rocks are  mentioned elsewhere as
 being in ,cornwall their favourite     
resorts1  and to them they went1 it is  
said1 riding on ragwort stems1 instead  
of the traditional broomsticks4    ,or1 
he might1 says another authority1 use   

the following charm3 ,go  to the chancel
 of a church to sacrament1 hide away the
 bread from  the hands of the priest1 at
 midnight carry it around the church    
from  south to north1 crossing east     
three times4 ,the third time a big toad1
  open-mouthed1 will be met1 put the    
bread in it2 as soon as swallowed  he   
will breathe three times upon the man1  
and from that time he will  become a    
witch4 ,known by five black spots       
diagonally placed under the  tongue4    
,there is also a strange glare in the   
eye of a person who can  overlook1 and  
the eyelids are always red4    ,witches 
could in this country change themselves 
into toads1 as well as  hares4 ,mr4     
,robert ,hunt relates the story of one  
who met her death in  that form1 and    
,mr4 ,t4 ,q4 ,couch tells the tale of a 
sailor who was a  witch1 who received   
several injuries whilst in the shape of 
that  animal4 ,when a very small child1 
having a kennel 7an ulcer7 on my  eye1  
,i was unknown to my parents taken by an

 old servant to a ,penzance  charmer1   
who then made a great deal of money by  
her profession4 ,all  ,i can remember   
about it is1 that she breathed on it1   
made some curious  passes with her hands
 and muttered some incantation4         
,about twelve years ago1 a woman who    
lived in the west country  7,land's ,end
 district7 as well as being a white     
witch was a famous  knitster1 and we    
amongst others frequently gave her work4
 ,when she  brought it back she was     
treated by our maids1 who lived in great
 fear  of her ill-wishing them1 to the  
best our kitchen could afford2  and many
 were the marvellous stories she told me
 of her power to  staunch blood1 etc41  
when doctors failed4 ,it was not        
necessary for  her to see the person2   
she could cure them sitting by her      
fireside if  they were miles away4      
,witches are also consulted about the   
recovery  of stolen property1 which1 by 
casting their spells over the thief1  it
 is still supposed they can compel him  

to return4    ,a part of ,launceston    
,castle is locally known as ,witch's    
,tower1 from  the tradition that one was
 burnt at its foot2 no grass grows on   
the  spot4 ,another is said to have met 
with the same fate on a flat stone      
close to ,st4 ,austell market-house4    
,charms are still in use by the         
simple-minded for thrush1 warts1  and   
various complaints2 also for the cure of
 cattle1 when some evil  disposed person
 has 'turned a figure upon 7i4e4        
bewitched7 them2'  and white            
witches--those who avert the evil       
eye--have not yet ceased  out of the    
land4--,notes on the ,neighbourhood of  
,brown ,willy 7,north  ,cornwall71 ,rev4
 ,a4 ,h4 ,malan1 ,m4,a4    ,i will give 
some of their charms culled from various
 sources1 and  remedies for diseases    
still used in ,cornwall3--,take three   
burning  sticks from the hearth of the  
overlooker1 make the patient cross  over
 them three times and then extinguish   
with water4 ,place nine  bramble-leaves 

in a basin of ,holy ,well's water1 pass 
each leaf over  and from the diseased   
part1 repeating three times to each     
leaf4 ,three  virgins came from the     
east1 one brought fire1 the others      
brought  frost4 ,out fire6 ,in frost6   
,in the name of the ,father1 ,son1 and  
,holy  ,ghost4 ,or take a stick of      
burning furze from the hearth1 pass over
  and above the diseased part1 repeating
 the above nine times4 ,if  you can     
succeed by any means in drawing blood   
from the ill-wisher  you are certain to 
break and remove the spell4 ,stick pins 
into an  apple or potatoe1 carry it in  
your pocket1 and as it shrivels the     
ill-wisher will feel an ache from every 
pin1 but this ,i fancy does  not do the 
person overlooked any good4 ,another    
authority says1  ,stick pins into a     
bullock's heart1 when the 'ill-wisher'  
will feel  a stab for every one put in1 
and in self-defence take off the curse4 
,a friend writes1 ,an old man called    
,uncle ,will ,jelbart1 who had been     

with the ,duke of ,kent in ,america1 and
 also a very long time in the           
,peninsular1 about forty years ago lived
 in ,west ,cornwall2 he had a  small    
pension1 and in addition made a good    
income by charming warts1  wildfire     
7erysipelas71 cataracts1 etc4 ,he used  
to spit three times and  breathe three  
times on the part affected1 muttering1  
',in the name of  the ,father1 ,son1 and
 ,holy ,ghost ,i bid thee begone4' ,for 
cataract he  pricked the small white    
'dew-snail' 7slug71 found about four    
a4m41  with a hawthorn spine1 and let a 
drop fall into the eye2 and in the  case
 of skin diseases occasionally          
supplemented the charm with an  ointment
 made of the juice extracted from       
house-leeks and 'raw-cream2'  he        
sometimes changed the words and repeated
 those which with slight  variations are
 known all over ,cornwall--',three      
virgins1' etc4    ,the crowfoot locally 
known as the 'kenning herb' is in some  
districts  used in incantations for     

curing 'kennings' or 'kennels' 7ulcers  
in  the eye74         ',three ladies 7or
 virgins7 come from the east3      ,one 
with fire and two with frost2      ,out 
with thee1 fire1 and in with thee1      
frost3      ,in the name of the ,father1
 ,son1 and ,holy ,ghost4'      ,this is 
often said nine times over a scald4 ,in 
prose it begins thus3  ',as ,i passed   
over the river ,jordan1 ,i met with     
,christ4 ,he said1 ,what  aileth thee8  
,oh ,lord1 my flesh doth burn4 ,the     
,lord said unto me1  ,two angels1' etc4 
,a lady once told me that about forty   
years ago she was taken to a  charmer1  
who stood in a ,cornish market-place on 
fixed days1 to  have her warts cured4   
,the remedies for this childish         
complaint are  very numerous4 ,i once   
had my forehead rubbed with a piece of  
stolen  beef1 which was then buried in a
 garden1 to send them away1 the idea    
being that as the beef decayed the warts
 would fall off or dwindle  gradually4  
,there are two or three other ways of   

getting rid of them  of a similar kind4 
,touch each wart with a new pin1 enclose
 them in a  bottle1 either bury them in 
a newly-made grave of the opposite sex1 
or  at four cross-roads2 as the pins    
rust1 the warts will disappear4 ,or1    
touch them with a knot made in a piece  
of string 7there should be as  many     
knots as there are warts71 bury it2 when
 the rope decays so will  the warts4    
,the two next are selfish remedies4     
,touch each wart with  a pebble1 put the
 stones in a bag1 throw them away1 and  
the finder  will get them and they will 
leave you4 ,or1 in coming out of church1
  wish them on some part of another     
person's body 7or on a tree72 they  will
 go from you and appear on him1 or on   
the spot named4 ,one method  employed by
 professional charmers is to take two   
pieces of charred  stick from a fire1   
form them into a cross and place them on
 the warts1  and repeat one of the      
formul above quoted4 ,yet another is to 
wash  the hands in the moon's rays      

focussed in a dry metal basin1 saying1  
,i wash my hands in this thy dish1      
,oh man in the moon1 do grant my wish1  
,and come and take away this4      ,the 
moon too is invoked for the curing of   
corns4 ,corns down here6 ,no  corns up  
there6 is repeated nine times4 ,the     
fore-finger pointing  first to the      
ground and then to the sky4    ,when    
pricked by a thorn1 use one of the      
following charms3--         ,christ was 
of a virgin born3      ,and he was      
pricked by a thorn1      ,and it did    
never 'bell' 7fester71      ,and ,i     
trust in ,jesus this never will4        
,or1         ,christ was crowned with   
thorns1      ,the thorns did bleed but  
did not rot1      ,no more shall        
thy--7mentioning the part affected73    
,in the name of the ,father1 ,son1 and  
,holy ,ghost4      ,in prose3 ,when     
,christ was upon the middle earth the   
,jews pricked  him1 his blood sprung up 
into heaven1 his flesh never rotted nor 
'fustered1' no more ,i hope will not    

thine4 ,in the name1 etc4--,from  ,mr4  
,t4 ,q4 ,couch1 who gives two others    
very similar4          ,,for ,,tetters4 
,tetter1 tetter1 thou hast nine sisters1
      ,god bless thee1 flesh1 and       
preserve thee1 bone2      ,perish thou1 
tetter1 and be thou gone3      ,in the  
name1 etc4        ,tetter1 tetter1 thou 
hast eight sisters1 etc4      ,this     
charm is thus continued until it comes  
to the last1 which is1--                
,tetter1 tetter1 thou hast no sister1   
etc4--,bottrell4          ,,toothache4  
,in prose and verse slightly varied1    
common in all parts of the  county1--   
,christ passed by his brother's door1   
,saw ,peter his brother lying on the    
floor2      ,what aileth thee1          
brother8--      ,pain in thy teeth8     
,thy teeth shall pain thee no more3     
,in the name of1 etc4      ,this is to  
be worn in a bag around the neck4 ,mr4  
,t4 ,q4 ,couch gives  this charm in     
prose4 ,it begins thus3 ,peter sat at   
the gate of the  ,temple1 and ,christ   

said unto him1 ,what aileth thee8 etc4  
,another  remedy against toothache is1  
always in the morning to begin dressing 
by putting the stocking on the left     
foot4--,through ,rev4 ,s4 ,rundle4    ,a
 knuckle-bone is often carried in the   
pocket as a cure and preventive  of     
cramp4 ,i once saw an old woman turn out
 her pocket2 amongst its  contents1 as  
well as the knuckle-bone1 was the tip of
 an ox-tongue  kept for good luck4      
,slippers on going to bed are1 when     
taken off1 for the same complaint  often
 placed under the bed with the soles    
upwards1 or on their heels  against the 
post of the bed with their toes up4 ,the
 following is  from ,mr4 ,t4 ,q4 ,couch3
 ,the cramp is keenless1 ,mary was      
sinless when  she bore ,jesus3 let the  
cramp go away in the name of ,jesus4    
,all the  charms published by the       
above-named author in his ,history of   
,polperro  were taken from a manuscript 
book1 which belonged to a white witch4  
,when a foot has gone to sleep ,i have  

often seen people wet their  forefingers
 in their mouths1 stoop and draw the    
form of a cross on  it4 ,this is said to
 be an infallible remedy4 ,mr4 ,robert  
,hunt has a  rather similar cure for    
hiccough3 ,wet the forefinger of the    
right  hand with spittle1 and cross the 
front of the left shoe 7or boot7  three 
times1 repeating the ,lord's ,prayer    
backwards4 ,the most popular  cure with 
children is a heaping spoonful of moist 
sugar4 ,a sovereign  remedy for hiccough
 and almost every complaint is a small  
piece of  a stale ,good ,friday bun     
grated into a glass of cold water4 ,this
 bun  is hung up in the kitchen from one
 year to the other4 ,bread baked on     
this day never gets mouldy4             
,,for ,a ,,strain4         ,christ rode 
over the bridge1      ,christ rode under
 the bridge2      ,vein to vein1 strain 
to strain1      ,i hope ,god will take  
it back again4          ,,for ,,ague4   
,when our ,saviour saw the cross1       
whereon he was to be crucified1 his     

body did shake4 ,the ,jews said1 ,hast  
thou an ague8 ,our ,saviour said1  ,he  
that keepeth this in mind1 thought1 or  
writing1 shall neither be  troubled with
 ague or fever4          ,,for          
,,wildfire 7,erysipelas74               
,christ1 he walketh over the land1      
,carried the wildfire in his hand1      
,he rebuked the fire1 and bid it stand2 
,stand1 wildfire1 stand 7three times    
repeated73      ,in the name of1        
etc4--,t4 ,q4 ,couch4      ,mr4 ,robert 
,hunt gives in his book on ,old         
,cornwall a ,latin charm for  the       
staunching of blood4 ,i find1 however1  
on making inquiries that  it is not the 
one generally used1 which is as follows3
         ,christ was born in ,bethlehem1
      ,baptised in the river ,jordan2   
,there he digged a well1      ,and      
turned the water against the hill1      
,so shall thy blood stand still3        
,in the name1 etc4      ,there are other
 versions all much alike4 ,a prose one  
runs thus3  ,baptised in the river      

,jordan when the water was wild1 the    
water was  good1 the water stood1 so    
shall thy blood4 ,in the name1 etc4--,t4
 ,q4 ,c4    ,the ,rev4 ,s4 ,rundle says 
a charmer once told him the charm for   
staunching blood consisted in saying a  
verse from the ,psalms2 but  she could  
not read1 and he was inclined to believe
 the form was1  ,jesus came to the river
 ,jordan1 and said1 ',stand1' and it    
stood2  and so ,i bid thee1 blood1      
stand4 ,in the name1 etc4 ,for bleeding 
at the nose1 a door-key is often placed 
against the back4 ,cuts are  plugged    
with cobwebs1 flue from a man's hat1    
tobacco leaves1 and  occasionally filled
 with salt4    ,club-moss is considered 
good for eye diseases4 ,on the third day
 of  the moon1 when the thin crescent is
 seen for the first time1 show it  the  
knife with which the moss for the charm 
is to be cut1 and repeat1         ,as   
,christ healed the issue of blood1      
,so ,i bid thee begone3      ,in the    
name of1 etc4      ,mr4 ,robert ,hunt   

says1         ,do thou cut what thou    
cuttest for good6      ,at sun-down1    
having carefully washed the hands1 the  
club-moss is  to be cut kneeling4 ,it is
 to be carefully wrapped in a white     
cloth1  and subsequently boiled in water
 taken from the spring nearest its      
place of growth4 ,this may be used as a 
fomentation4 ,or the club-moss  made    
into an ointment with butter made from  
the milk of a new cow4    ,a stye on the
 eye is often stroked nine times with a 
cat's tail2  with a wedding ring taken  
from a dead woman's1 or a silver one    
from  a drowned man's1 hand4 ,the belief
 in the efficacy of a dead hand in      
curing diseases in ,cornwall is         
marvellous4 ,i1 in a short paper read at
  an ,antiquarian meeting1 gave this    
instance1 related to me by a medical    
man about ten years ago 7now dead74 ,a  
day or two after1 a number of  other    
cases in proof of my statement appeared1
 to my surprise1 in our  local papers1  
which1 as well as my own1 ,i will       

transcribe4 ,once ,i  attended a poor   
woman's child for an obstinate case of  
sore eyes4 ,one  day when leaving the   
house the mother said to me1 ',is there 
nothing  more1 doctor1 ,i can do for my 
little girl8' ,i jokingly answered1     
',nothing1 unless you care to stroke    
them with a dead man's hand4' ,about  a 
week after ,i met the woman in the      
streets1 who stopped me1 and said1  ',my
 child's eyes are getting better at     
last1 doctor4' ,i expressed  myself     
pleased that the ointment ,i had given  
her was doing good4 ,to  my             
astonishment1 she replied1 ',oh1 it is  
not that1 we never used it2  we took    
your advice about the dead man's hand4' 
,until she recalled  it to my memory1 ,i
 had quite forgotten my foolish speech4 
,i am one  of those who can bear        
testimony to the fact of a cure having  
been  effected by the means above-named4
 ,i was born with a disfigurement on  my
 upper lip4 ,my mother felt a great     
anxiety about this1 so my nurse         

proposed that a dead man's hand should  
be passed seven times over my  lip4 ,i  
was taken to the house of one ,robin    
,gendall1 ,causewayhead1  ,penzance1 who
 at that time was lying dead1 and his   
hand was passed  over my lip in the     
manner named4 ,by slow degrees my       
friends had the  satisfaction of seeing 
that the charm had taken                
effect4--,octogenarian4    ,i may add my
 testimony to ,miss ,courtney's remarks 
as to the belief  in ,cornwall in the   
virtue of the touch of a diseased part  
by a dead  man's hand4 ,a case came     
under my knowledge at ,penzance of a    
child who  had from birth a peculiar    
tuberous formation at the junction of   
the  nose with the forehead1 which the  
medical men would not cut for fear of   
severing veins4 ,the child was taken by 
her mother to a friend's house1  in     
which were lying the remains of a young 
man who had just died from  consumption4
 ,the deceased's hand was passed over   
the malformation seven  times1 and it   

soon began to grow smaller and smaller4 
,i have myself  seen the child since    
,miss ,courtney read her paper          
7,november1 #ahha71  and1 though the    
mark is still apparent1 ,i am assured it
 is surely1  if slowly1 disappearing4 ,a
 relation of mine also tells me that1   
like  ,miss ,courtney1 she was taken to 
the ,penzance witch for the purpose  of 
having a 'stye' removed from one of her 
eyes by charming4--,tramp4    ,i was    
told of many other cases--one by another
 surgeon2 but it would  be useless to   
repeat them4 ,i will end with one ,i    
have taken from  ,notes and ,queries1   
,december1 #ahei3--    ,a lady1 who was 
staying lately at ,penzance1 attended a 
funeral1  and noticed that whilst the   
clergyman was reading the burial service
  a woman forced her way through the    
pall-bearers to the edge of the  grave4 
,when he came to the passage1 ',earth to
 earth1 ashes to ashes1  dust to dust1' 
she dropped a white cloth upon the      
coffin1 closed her  eyes1 and apparently

 said a prayer4 ,on making inquiries as 
to the cause  of this proceeding1 this  
lady found that a superstition exists   
amongst  the peasantry in that part1    
that if a person with a sore be taken   
secretly to a corpse1 the dead hand     
passed over the sore place1 and  the    
bandage afterwards be dropped upon the  
coffin during the reading  of the burial
 service1 a perfect cure will be the    
result4 ,this woman  had a child with a 
bad leg1 and she had followed this      
superstition with  a firm belief in its 
efficacy4 ,the peasants1 also1 to the   
present day  wear charms1 believing they
 will protect them from sickness and    
other  evils4 ,the wife of the clergyman
 of the parish was very charitable  in  
attending the sick and dispensing       
medicines1 and one day a woman  brought 
her a child having sore eyes to have    
them charmed1 having more  faith in that
 remedy than in medicines4 ,she was     
greatly surprised to  find that         
medicines only were given to her4--,e4  

,r4    ,there is no virtue in the dead  
hand of a near relation4 ,a curious  old
 troth plight was formerly practised in 
,cornwall3 ,the couple broke  a wedding 
ring taken from the finger of a corpse1 
and each kept one  half4 ,the editor of 
a local paper 7,cornishman7 once        
obtained a piece  of rope1 with which a 
man was hanged1 for a poor woman who had
 walked  fourteen miles to ,bodmin in   
the hopes of getting it1 that she might 
effect the cure of her sore eyes4       
,the ,rev4 ,s4 ,rundle writes that a    
,cornish surgeon recommended a charmer  
as being more efficacious than himself  
in curing shingles4 ,according  to the  
same authority1 a liquid composed of    
bramble and butter-dock  leaves is      
poured on the place1 whilst a light     
stick is waved over the  decoction by   
the charmer1 who repeats an incantation4
 ,it is popularly  supposed in ,cornwall
 that should shingles meet around your  
waist1  you would die4 ,the cures and   
charms against epilepsy are also very   

numerous1 and very generally used here4 
,thirty pence are collected at  the     
church door by the person afflicted1    
from one of the opposite sex1  changed  
for sacrament money 7silver71 and made  
into a ring to be worn  day and night4  
,very lately1 at ,st4 ,just-in-,penwith1
 a young woman  begged from young men   
pennies to buy a silver ring1 a remedy  
which  she believed would cure her fits4
 ,another charm1 which it requires a    
person of strong nerves to perform1 is  
to walk thrice round a church  at       
midnight1 then enter and stand before   
the altar4 ,in connection  with this    
rite the ,rev4 ,s4 ,rundle relates the  
following3--,at ,crowan  7a village in  
,west ,cornwall71 an epileptic subject  
entered the church  at midnight4 ,as he 
was groping his way through the pitchy  
dark1 his  heart suddenly leaped1 and   
almost stood still4 ,he uttered shriek  
upon  shriek1 for his hand had grasped a
 man's head4 ,he thought it was the     
head of the famous ,sir ,john ,st4      

,aubyn4 ,he was removed in a fainting   
state1 and it was then discovered that  
he had seized the head of the  sexton1  
who had come in to see that nothing was 
done to frighten the  man4 ,the         
unfortunate fellow never recovered from 
the shock1 but died in  a lunatic       
asylum4 ,a middle-aged ,camborne man was
 subject to violent  fits until two     
years ago1 when some one told him to    
kill a toad1 put  one of its legs in a  
bag1 and wear it suspended by a string  
around  his neck4 ,he did so1 and has   
never had a fit since4--,cornishman1    
,december1 #ahha4    ,in ,cornwall a    
black cock is buried on the spot where  
the person is  first attacked by        
epilepsy 7to avert a similar            
attack74--,comparative  ,folk-,lore1    
,cornhill1 #ahgf4    ,for other charms  
see ,addenda1 ,a ,bundle of ,charms1 by 
the  ,rev4 ,a4 ,h4 ,malan1 ,m4,a4       
,toads are also worn as charms for other
 diseases in this county3--,on  the     
#bgth ,july1 #ahge1 ,i was lodging with 

a very intelligent grazier  and         
horse-dealer1 at ,tintagel1 ,cornwall1  
when he was knocked down by  a very     
serious attack of quinsey1 to which he  
had been subject for  many years4 ,he   
pulled through the crisis2 and on being 
sufficiently  recovered he betook       
himself to a 'wise woman' at ,camelford4
 ,she  prescribed for him as            
follows3--',get a live toad1 fasten a   
string  around its throat1 and hang it  
up till the body drops from the head2   
then tie the string around your own     
neck1 and never take it off1  night or  
day1 till your fiftieth birthday4       
,you'll never have quinsey  again4'     
,when ,i left ,tintagel1 ,i understood  
that my landlord1 greatly  relieved in  
mind1 had already commenced the         
operation4--,augustus  ,jessop1 ,d4,d4  
,when a kettle won't boil1 instead of   
the old adage1 ,a watched pot  never    
boils1 ,cornish people say1 ,there is a 
toad or a frog in  it4 ,it is here      
considered lucky for a toad to come into

 the house4    ,this charm for yellow   
jaundice ,i culled from the ,western    
,antiquary4 ,i  was walking in a village
 churchyard near the town of ,st4       
,austell  7,i think in the autumn of    
#ahci71 when ,i saw a woman approach an 
open  grave4 ,she stood by the side of  
it and appeared to be muttering some    
words4 ,she then drew out from under her
 cloak a good-size baked  meal-cake1    
threw it into the grave and then left   
the place4 ,upon  inquiry ,i found the  
cake was composed of oatmeal mixed with 
dog's  urine1 baked1 and thrown into the
 grave as a charm for the yellow        
jaundice4 ,this cure was at that time   
commonly believed in by the  peasantry  
of the neighbourhood4--,joseph          
,cartwright1 ,march1 #ahhc4    ,snakes  
avoid and dread ash-trees2 a branch will
 keep them away4 ,our  peasantry believe
 however much you may try to kill       
quickly an adder  or snake1 it will     
never die before sunset4 ,mr4 ,robert   
,hunt says1  ,when an adder is seen1 a  

circle is to be rapidly drawn around it 
and  the sign of the cross made within  
it1 whilst the first two verses of  the 
#fhth ,psalm are repeated4 ,this is to  
destroy it2 there are also  charms to be
 said for curing their bites1 when they 
are apostrophised  under the ashen leaf4
 ,the following old charm is to make    
them  destroy themselves1 by twisting   
themselves up to nothing3--             
,underneath this 'hazelen mot' #bg      
,there's a 'braggaty' #bh worm1 with a  
speckled throat1      ,now6 nine        
'double' #bi hath he4      ,now from    
nine double1 to eight double1      ,from
 eight double1 to seven double1         
,from seven double1 to six double1      
,from six double1 to five double1       
,from five double1 to four double1      
,from four double1 to three double1     
,from three double1 to two double1      
,from two double1 to one double1        
,now6 no double hath he4      ,the words
 of charms must be muttered 7they lose  
their efficacy  if recited aloud71 and  

the charmer must never communicate them 
to  one of the same sex1 for that       
transfers the power of charming to  the 
other person4 ,of superstitious rites   
practised for the cure of               
whooping-cough1 etc41 ,i will speak a   
little further on4 ,cornishmen in  the  
last century from their cradles to their
 graves might have been  guided in their
 actions by old women's widdles         
7superstitions71  some as already shown 
are still foolishly followed2 but ,i    
hope that  few people are silly enough  
at the present day to leave their       
babies'  heads a twelvemonth unwashed1  
under the mistaken notion that it would 
be unlucky to do it4    ,i have often   
and very recently seen the creases in   
the palms of  children's hands filled   
with dirt2 to clean them before they    
were a  year old would take away        
riches--they would live and die poor4   
,their  nails1 too1 for the same period 
should be bitten1 not cut1 for that     
would make them thieves4 ,hair at no age

 must be cut at the waning of  the moon1
 that would prevent its growing         
luxuriantly2 locks shorn off  must be   
always burnt1 it is unlucky to throw    
them away2 then birds  might use them in
 their nests and weave them in so firmly
 that there  would be a difficulty in   
your rising at the last day4 ,children's
 first  teeth are burnt to prevent dog's
 or snaggles irregular teeth coming  in 
their stead4 ,coral necklaces are worn  
to ensure easy teething2  the beads are 
said to change their colour when the    
wearer is ill4 ,all  locks are unlocked 
to favour easy birth 7or death74--,a4   
,h4 ,bickford1  ,m4,d41 ,camborne1      
#ahhc4 ,cornishmen in the ,west are said
 to be born with  tails2 they drop off  
when the ,tamar is crossed4    ,a       
popular notion amongst old folks is1    
that when a boy is born on the  waning  
moon the next birth will be a girl1 and 
vice vers4 ,they also  say that when a  
birth takes place on the growing of the 
moon1 the next  child will be of the    

same sex4 ,a child born in the interval 
between  the old and new moons is fated 
to die young1 and babies with blue      
veins across their noses do not live to 
see twenty-one4 ,a cake called  a       
groaning cake is made in some houses in 
,cornwall after the birth  of a child1  
of which every caller is expected to    
partake4 ,the mother  often carries a   
groaning cake when she is going to be   
upraised  7churched72 this she gives to 
the first person she meets on her way4  
,kimbly is the name of an offering1     
generally a piece of bread or  cake1    
still given in some rural districts of  
this county to the  first person met    
when going to a wedding or a            
christening4 ,it is  sometimes presented
 to anyone who brings the news of a a   
birth to  an interested party4 ,two     
young men1 ,i knew about thirty years   
ago1  were taking a walk in ,west       
,cornwall2 crossing over a bridge they  
met a  procession carrying a baby to the
 parish church1 where the child was  to 

be baptised4 ,unaware of this curious   
custom1 they were very much  surprised  
at having a piece of cake put into their
 hands4 ,a magistrate  wrote to the     
,western ,morning ,news1 in ,january1   
#ahhd1 saying1 that on  his way to his  
petty sessions he had had one of these  
christening  cakes thrust into his hand1
 but unluckily he did not state in what 
parish this happened4 ,this called forth
 several letters on the subject1  parts 
of which ,i will quote4    ,about thirty
 years ago at the christening of a      
brother 7in the ,meneage  district1     
,helston71 and when the family party    
were ready for the walk  to the         
afternoon service in ,cury church1 ,i   
well recollect seeing the  old nurse    
wrap in a pure white sheet of paper what
 she called the  'cheeld's fuggan4' #cj 
,this was a cake with plenty of currants
 and  saffron1 about the size of a      
modern tea-plate4 ,it was to be given to
  the first person met on returning1    
after the child was christened4 ,it     

happened that1 as most of the           
parishioners were at the service1 no one
  was met until near home1 almost a mile
 from the church1 when a tipsy  village 
carpenter rambled around a corner1 right
 against our party1 and  received the   
cake4 ,regrets were expressed that the  
'cheeld's fuggan'  should have fallen to
 the lot of this notoriously evil liver1
 and  my idea was that it was a bad     
omen4 ,however as my brother has always 
been a veritable ,rechabite1 enjoys good
 health1 a contented mind1 and  enough  
of this world's goods to satisfy every  
moderate want1 no evil  can thus far be 
traced to the mischance4--,j4 ,c41      
,western ,morning ,news4    ',kimbly' in
 ,east ,cornwall is the name of a thing1
 commonly a piece  of bread1 which is   
given under peculiar circumstances at   
weddings and  christenings4 ,when the   
parties set out from the house to go to 
church1  or on their business1 one      
person is sent before them with this    
selected  piece of bread in his or her  

hand 7a woman is commonly preferred for 
this office71 and the piece is given to 
the first individual that  is met4 ,i   
interpret it to have some reference to  
the idea of the  evil eye and its       
influence1 which might fall on the      
married persons  or on the child1 which 
is sought to be averted by this         
unexpected  gift4 ,it is also observed  
in births1 in order that by this gift   
envy  may be turned away from the infant
 or happy parents4 ,this 'kimbly'  is   
commonly given to the person bringing   
the first news to those  interested in  
the birth4--,t4 ,q4 ,couch1 ,western    
,morning ,news4    ,i witnessed this    
custom very frequently at ,looe1 in     
,south-east  ,cornwall1 from fifty to   
sixty-five years ago4 ,i believe it is  
correct  to say that this gift was there
 a small cake1 made for the occasion1   
and termed the 'christening-crib1' a    
crib of bread or cake being a           
provincialism for a bit of bread1       
etc4--,william ,pengelly1 ,western      

,morning ,news4    ,children1 when they 
leave small bits of meat1 etc41 on their
 plates1  are in ,cornwall often told to
 eat up their cribs4    ,on the         
afternoons of ,good ,friday1 little     
girls of ,carharrack1 in the  parish of 
,gwennap 7,west ,cornwall71 take their  
dolls to a stream at  the foot of       
,carnmarth1 and there christen them4    
,occasionally a young  man will take    
upon himself the office of minister1 and
 will sprinkle  and name the            
dolls4--,charles ,james1 ,gwennap4      
,the ,rev4 ,s4 ,rundle1 ,vicar of       
,godolphin1 says1 ,that once he was     
sent for to baptise a child1 around     
whose neck hung a little bag1  which the
 mother said contained a bit of a       
donkey's ear1 and that  this charm had  
cured the child of a most distressing   
cough4    ,in some parts of ,cornwall it
 is considered a sure sign of being     
sweethearts if a young man and woman    
'stand witness together1'  i4e4 become  
godfather and godmother of the same     

child4--,t4 ,c4 ,but  not in all1 for ,i
 remember once hearing in ,penzance a   
couple refuse  to do so1 saying that it 
was unlucky4 ,first at the font1 never  
at  the altar4 ,when ,i was young1 old  
nurses often breathed in babies'  mouths
 to cure the thrush1 thrice repeating   
the second verse of the  ,eighth ,psalm1
 ,out of the mouths of babes and        
sucklings1 etc4 ,may  children and      
'chets' 7kittens7 never thrive1 and it  
is unlucky to  tuck 7short coat7        
children in that month4         ,tuck   
babies in ,may1      ,you'll tuck them  
away4      ,it is of course considered  
an unfortunate month for marriages4     
,neither  should babies be tucked on a  
week day1 but on a ,sunday1 which day   
should also be chosen for leaving off   
any article of clothing2 as then  you   
will have the prayers of every          
congregation for you1 and are sure  not 
to catch cold4 ,a friend lately sent me 
the following charm of one  year's      
duration which prevents your feeling or 

taking a cold4 ,eat a  large apple at   
,hallow-een under an apple-tree just    
before midnight2 no  other garment than 
a bed-sheet should be worn4 ,a kill or  
cure remedy4    ,an empty cradle should 
never be rocked unless you wish to have 
a  large family1 for--         ,rock the
 cradle empty      ,you'll rock the     
babies plenty4      ,rev4 ,s4 ,rundle   
says1 ,it is unlucky to rock an empty   
cradle1 as the  child will              
die4--,cornubiana4    ,the jingles which
 follow are often repeated by ,cornish  
nurse-maids  with appropriate actions to
 amuse their little charges4 ,first1    
touching each part of the face as       
mentioned with the forefinger1          
,brow brender1 #ca      ,eye winker1    
,nose dropper1      ,mouth eater1       
,chin chopper1      ,tickle-tickle4     
,second--         ,tap a tap shoe1 #cb  
that would ,i do1      ,if ,i had but a 
little more leather4      ,we'll sit in 
the sun till the leather doth come1     
,then we'll tap them both together4     

,here the two little feet are struck    
lightly one against the other4          
,several letters have lately appeared in
 the ,western ,morning ,news1  giving   
different versions of the old rhymes--  
,matthew1 ,mark1 ,luke1 and ,john1      
,pray bless the bed that ,i 'lay' on1   
,four corners to my bed1      ,four     
angels there are spread1      ,two 'to' 
foot and two 'to' head1      ,and six   
will carry me when ,i'm dead4           
,although attributed by the             
correspondents to ,cornwall1 ,i have    
always  understood that they were known 
all over ,england4    ,children with    
rickets were taken by their parents on  
the three first  ,sundays in ,may to be 
dipped at sunrise in one of the numerous
 ,cornish  holy wells1 and then put to  
sleep in the sun1 with sixpence under   
their  heads4 ,small pieces torn from   
their clothes were left on the bushes   
to propitiate the pixies4 ,for the same 
disease they were passed nine  times    
through a ,mn-an-tol 7holed stone74 ,a  

man stood on one side1  and a woman on  
the other1 of the stone4 ,the child was 
passed with  the sun from east to west1 
and from right to left2 a boy from the  
woman to the man1 a girl from the man to
 the woman4 ,this order is  always1 in  
these charms1 strictly observed4 ,as    
lately as #ahhc1 in  the village of     
,sancred1 ,west ,cornwall1 a little     
girl1 suffering from  whooping-cough1   
was passed from a man to a woman nine   
times under a  donkey's belly2 a little 
boy standing the while at the donkey's  
head  feeding it with cribs of wheaten  
bread4 ,my informant did not know  if on
 this occasion any incantation was      
repeated4 ,another family1 he  tells me1
 some years back were in the same       
neighbourhood cured of the              
whooping-cough by donkey's hair1 which  
was dried on the baking iron of  the    
open hearth1 reduced to powder1 and     
administered to them4 ,there  are very  
various ways of doing this1 one is      
between thin slices of  bread and       

butter4 ,some authorities say the latter
 ingredients must  belong to a couple   
called ,john and ,joan4 ,mr4 ,robert    
,hunt gives a  charm which in a measure 
combines the two above-mentioned4 ,the  
child  must be passed naked nine times  
over the back and under the belly  of a 
female donkey4 ,three spoonfuls of milk 
drawn from the teats of  the animal1    
three hairs cut from its back1 and three
 from its belly1  are to stand in the   
milk three hours1 and to be given in    
three doses  repeated on three mornings4
 ,mr4 ,hunt also says1 ,there were some 
doggerel lines connected with the       
ceremony which have escaped my  memory1 
and ,i have endeavoured in vain to find 
anyone remembering  them4 ,they were to 
the effect that as ,christ placed the   
cross on the  ass's back when he rode   
into ,jerusalem and so rendered the     
animal holy1  if the child touched where
 ,jesus sat it should cough no more4 ,i 
will  quote another of ,mr4 ,hunt's     
charms4 ,gather nine spar-stones        

7quartz7  from a running stream1 taking 
care not to interrupt the free passage  
of the water in doing so4 ,then dip a   
quart of water from the stream1  which  
must be taken in the direction in which 
the stream runs--by  no means must the  
vessel be dipped against the stream4    
,then make the  nine stones red-hot1 and
 throw them into the quart of water4    
,bottle  the prepared water1 and give   
the afflicted child a wine-glass of this
  water for nine mornings4 ,other       
remedies are to cross the child over    
running water nine times1 or under a    
bramble bough bent into the ground      
7this latter and through a cleft ash are
 also tried for hernia74 ,some  nurses  
take children1 with whooping-cough1 out 
for a walk1 in hopes of  meeting a man  
on a white or piebald horse4 ,should    
they be fortunate  enough to do so1 they
 ask the rider how they can cure the    
patient3  his advice is always          
implicitly followed4    ,children with  
dirty habits are often told that a      

mousey pasty  shall be cooked for their 
dinners4    ,cornish children are warned
 by their nurses not to grimace1 lest1  
whilst so doing1 the wind should change 
and their faces always remain           
contorted4 ,there is another form in    
which this warning is often given3      
,don't make mock of a 'magum'           
7,may-game71 for you may be struck      
comical  yourself one day4 ,magum in    
most cases means a facetious person1    
one who is full of merry pranks2 and the
 expressions1 ,he's a reg'lar  magum1 or
 ,he's full of his magums1 are often    
heard4 ,but the idea  intended to be    
conveyed in the first saying is that it 
is wrong to  make fun of a person       
suffering from an infirmity1 which may  
at any  time afflict the jeerer4 ,the   
puritanical notion of ,sunday lingers in
  the belief in ,cornwall that it is    
unlucky to use a scissors on that  day1 
even to cut your nails2 you must        
,cut them on ,monday1 before your fast  
you break1      ,and you'll have a      

present in less than a week4            
,children here are pleased to see gifts 
7white spots7 on their  thumb-nails1 as 
,gifts on the thumb are sure to come1   
,but gifts on the finger are sure to    
linger4      ,occasionally white spots  
on the five fingers are named as        
follows3  ,a gift1 a friend1 a foe1 a   
true lover1 a journey to go4 ,should the
  little ones1 when picking flowers1    
sting themselves with nettles1 they  are
 of course in this locality1 as         
elsewhere in ,england1 taught to rub    
the spot with dock-leaves1 repeating the
 words1 ,in dock1 out nettle2  but they 
are often told in addition to wet the   
place affected with  their spittle1 and 
make a cross over it with their         
thumb-nails1 pressed  down as heavily as
 possible4 ,school-boys and school-girls
 often years  ago practised a cruel jest
 on their more innocent companions4     
,they  induced them to pick a nettle by 
saying ,nettles won't sting this  month4
 ,when the children were stung and      

complained1 the retort was1  ,i never   
said they would not sting you4 ,the blue
 scabious in ,cornwall  is never        
plucked4 ,it is called the devil's bit1 
and the superstition  is handed down    
from one generation of children to      
another that1 should  they transgress   
and do so1 the devil will appear to them
 in their  dreams at night4 ,but anyone 
who wishes to dream of the devil should 
pin four ivy-leaves to the corners of   
his pillow4 ,flowers plucked from       
churchyards bring ill-luck1 and even    
visitations from spirits on the         
plucker4 ,wrens and robins are sacred in
 the eyes of ,cornish boys1 for         
,hurt a robin or a wran1      ,never    
prosper1 boy nor man4      ,a groom who 
had1 when a lad1 shot a robin and held  
it in one of his  hands told me that it 
shook ever after4 ,but they always chase
 and try  to kill the first butterfly of
 the season2 and1 should they succeed1  
they will overcome their enemies--,i    
suppose1 in football1 etc4    ,to hear  

the first cuckoo of spring on the right 
ear is lucky1 on the  left unlucky2 as  
many times as it repeats its notes will 
the number  of years be before the      
hearer is married4 ,the cuckoo song--   
',in ,april1 come he will1      ,in     
,may1 he sings all day1      ,in ,june1 
he alters his tune1      ,in ,july1 he  
prepares to fly1      ,come ,august1 go 
he must'--      is known all over the   
county1 with additions and slight       
variations1  such as--         ',in     
,march1 he sits upon his perch1      ,in
 ,aperel1 he tunes his bell4'           
--,south-east ,cornwall1 ,w4 ,pengelly4 
,a bat in ,cornwall is called an        
'airy-mouse2' village boys address  it  
as it flits over their heads in the     
following rhymes--         ',airy-mouse1
 airy-mouse6 fly over my head1      ,and
 you shall have a crust of bread1       
,and when ,i brew1 or when ,i bake1     
,you shall have a piece of my wedding   
cake4'                                  
--,polperro1 ,t4 ,q4 ,couch4            

,sometimes in ,west ,cornwall they say--
          ,bit-bat6 bit-bat6 come under 
my hat4      ,earwigs they hold in      
detestation1 as they believe that1      
should they  get into their ears1 they  
will cause madness4 ,there is a legend  
popular  amongst them which relates that
 a poor man was once driven frantic by  
a very queer sensation in his head4 ,at 
last1 not being able to bear  it any    
longer1 he went into a meat-market1 laid
 it down upon a block1  and asked a     
butcher to chop it off4 ,whilst in this 
recumbent position  an earwig crept out 
of his ear1 and the pain instantly      
ceased4 ,our  school-boys have other    
fallacies1 such as1 the pain caused by a
  custice1 i4e4 a stroke across the palm
 of the hand with a cane1  may be       
neutralised by placing two hairs on it  
crossways4 ,also that  the wound made by
 a nail can be kept from festering by   
wrapping the  nail in a piece of fat    
bacon to prevent its rusting4           
,school-girls' superstitions are more   

sentimental1 and often connected  with  
wishing4 ,if1 when talking together1 one
 accidentally makes a  rhyme1 she       
wishes2 and1 should she be asked a      
question before she  speaks again1 to   
which she can answer ,yes1 she thinks   
that she is  sure to get it4 ,when an   
eyelash falls out its owner puts it on  
the  tip of her nose1 wishes and blows  
at it2 should she blow it off1  she will
 have her wish4 ,should she by chance   
hear a dog dreaming1  she stands up1    
puts a foot on each side of it1 and then
 wishes4 ,years  ago one gravely told me
 that if ,i wanted to know a dog's      
dreams ,i  must throw a                 
pocket-handkerchief over it when        
sleeping and keep it  there until it    
awoke2 then1 before getting into bed1   
put it under  my pillow1 and ,i should  
have the same dream4 ,dreams in         
,cornwall are  always said to go by     
contraries4 ,if you dream of the dead   
you will  hear tell of the living1 etc4 
,to dream anyone is kissing you is a    

sign of deceit4 ,of fruit out of season1
 trouble without reason4          ,a    
,friday's dream on ,saturdays told      
,is sure to come true1 be it ever so    
old4      ,to see if a friend loves her1
 a ,cornish girl pulls out a hair from  
her  friend's head1 and then tries to   
suspend it by the root from the palm  of
 her own hand4 ,if this can be done the 
test is successful4 ,when a  little     
older there are many ways in which our  
maidens try for their  sweethearts4 ,a  
few of the rules prescribed for these   
rites1 which  have been handed down from
 generation to generation1 may be worth 
transcribing4 ,draw a bracken fern1 cut 
it at the bottom of the stalk2  there   
you will find your lover's initials4    
,take an apple-pip between  the         
forefinger and the thumb1 flip it into  
the air1 saying1 ,north1  south1 east1  
west1 tell me where my love doth rest1  
and watch the  direction in which it    
falls4 ,go into the fields at the time  
of the  new moon and pluck a piece of   

herb yarrow2 put it when going to bed   
under your pillow1 saying--             
,good night1 fair yarrow1      ,thrice  
good night to thee2      ,i hope before 
to-morrow's dawn      ,my true love ,i  
shall see4      ,if you are to be       
married your sweetheart will appear to  
you in  your dreams4    ,look out of    
your bed-room window on ,st4            
,valentine's morn1 note the  first man  
you see1 and you will marry the same1 or
 one of the name4    ,to lose your apron
 or your garter shows that your lover is
 thinking of  you4 ,three candles       
burning at the same time is the sign of 
a wedding2  and the girl who is nearest 
to the door1 the cupboard1 and the      
shortest candle1 will be married first4 
,when two people accidentally  say the  
same thing at the same time the one who 
finishes first will  be married first4  
,there are a great number of omens      
similar to these  last1 equally stupid1 
and not worthy of notice4    ,friday is 
a cross day for marriage1 and ,if you   

marry in ,lent you'll  live to repent4  
,should you in marrying         ,change 
the name1 and not the letter1           
,you'll change for the worse1 and not   
for the better4      but it is lucky if 
your initials form a word4    ,the young
 men of a place1 when they know that a  
person is paying  attention to a girl or
 woman1 seize hold of him1 place him in 
a  wheelbarrow1 in which they wheel him 
up and down until they are tired1  when 
they upset him on the nearest pile or in
 a pond4 ,this is called  riding in the 
'one-wheel coach2' and to say that a man
 has ridden in  the 'one-wheel coach' is
 tantamount to the expression that he   
has  'gone-a-courting4'--,rev4 ,s4      
,rundle1 ,transactions ,penzance        
,natural  ,history ,society1 etc41      
#ahhe-ahhf4    ,when a younger sister   
marries first the elder is said to dance
 in  the bruss 7short twigs of heath or 
furze71 from an old custom  of dancing  
without shoes on the furze prickles     
which get detached  from the stalk4     

,only old maids can rear a myrtle1 and  
they will  not blossom when trained     
against houses where there are none4 ,it
 is  considered extremely unlucky here  
to break or lose your wedding-ring1     
also for a wedding-cake to crack after  
baking4 ,a lady told me of one  made for
 a couple she knew1 which fell to pieces
 when taken out of  the oven4 ,before   
the wedding-day came the bride had      
sickened of some  disorder1 was dead1   
and buried4 ,a hole in a loaf1 too1     
foretells a  separation in a family2 and
 to turn one upside down on a table     
wrecks  a vessel4 ,if a hare cross the  
path of a wedding party1 the bride or   
bridegroom will die within seven        
years4--,rev4 ,s4 ,rundle1 ,cornubiana4 
,a young woman who has been three times 
a bridesmaid will never be  a bride4 ,it
 was an old custom1 religiously observed
 until lately  in ,zennor and adjacent  
parishes on the north coast of          
,cornwall1  to waylay a married couple  
on their wedding night and flog them  to

 bed with cords1 sheep-spans1 or        
anything handy for the purpose1         
believing that this rough treatment     
would ensure them happiness and the     
'heritage and gift that cometh of the   
,lord1' of a numerous family4 ,at  more 
modish weddings the guests merely       
entered the bridal chamber1  and threw  
stockings in which stones or something  
to make weight were  placed1 at the     
bride and bridegroom in bed4 ,the first 
one hit of the  happy pair betokened the
 sex of their first-born4--,bottrell4   
,should there be a great discrepancy    
between the ages of the bride  and      
bridegroom1 or the marriage of a couple 
in any way be a matter  of notoriety1   
they are in ,west ,cornwall on their    
wedding night often  treated to a       
shallal1 a serenade on tin-kettles1     
pans1 marrow-bones1  c4 ,any great noise
 in this part of the county is described
 as being  a reg'lar shallal4 ,in olden 
times 7in fact the custom is not quite  
discontinued at the present day1 for ,i 

heard a whisper of one having  taken    
place in a small fishing-village two    
years ago7 married people  accused of   
immorality were in ,cornwall punished by
 a riding4 ,i will  give the description
 of one by ,mr4 ,t4 ,q4 ,couch4    ,a   
cart was got1 donkeys were harnessed in1
 and a pair personating  the guilty or  
suspected were driven through the       
streets1 attended by  a train of men and
 boys4 ,at ,polperro 7,east ,cornwall7  
the attendants  acted as trumpeters2 the
 bullocks' horns used by the fishermen  
at sea  for fog or night signals were   
always available for the purpose4 ,the  
mummers were very cautious1 by careful  
disguise in dress or voice1  and        
avoiding of anything directly libellous 
in their rather ribald  dialogue1 to    
keep themselves out of the clutches of  
the law4 ,i remember  one riding when an
 old rusty cannon of the smuggling      
period was waked  up from its long quiet
 for service for the occasion1 and      
bursting1  led to the mutilation of     

several and the death of one4 ,on the   
borders  of ,devon and in that county   
this ceremony was known as a mock-hunt4 
,a lock of hair hanging down over the   
forehead is in ,cornwall called  a      
widow's lock2 7and children are still   
here told when it falls down  to shed   
their hair back out of their eyes47 ,a  
foolish warning says1         ,go thro' 
a gate when there's a stile hard by1    
,you'll be a widow before you die4      
,the sudden appearance of rats or mice  
in ,cornish houses is said to  be a     
certain forerunner of sickness and      
death4 ,many curious tales  are told in 
confirmation of this superstition2 one  
,i particularly  remember was in        
connection with a young man who was     
killed on the  ,west ,cornwall ,railway4
 ,after the accident1 they vanished as  
quickly  as they came4 ,it is also      
considered to be very unlucky for a bird
  to perch on the window-sill of a sick 
person's room1 farewell then  to all    
chances of recovery2 and strange birds  

coming into a house  7especially a robin
 through the back door7 foretell the    
death of  some one in it1 or connected  
with the family4 ,i was once where a    
little child lay dying1 a small brown   
bird sang on the window-sill1  the nurse
 told me that it was waiting to carry   
away the child's  soul4 ,but when a flea
 bites a sick person he is sure not to  
be  dangerously ill1 as it is well known
 that they never bite those who  have   
had their death-stroke4 ,the            
superstitions that you cannot die       
easily on pillows stuffed with wild     
birds' feathers1 and that life  goes out
 with the tide1 are as current here as  
in other places4 ,death  in ,cornwall is
 often spoken of as going round land1   
and gone dead  is a common idiom4 ,a    
threat to kill is occasionally conveyed 
in the  words ,i will give you your     
quietus4 ,in some cases it is supposed  
that life may be restored after death if
 when the breath stops the  body be     
violently shaken4 ,when a member of a   

family dies1 his death  it is said will 
bring two others with it1 #cc from the  
idea that one  misfortune never comes   
alone4 ,a ,cornish country vicarage was 
lately  startled by the tolling at an   
unwonted hour of the church bell4 ,on   
sending to ascertain the cause of the   
disturbance an old inhabitant  was found
 in the belfry1 who had been engaged in 
the absence or  illness of the usual    
sexton to dig the grave4 ,he said in    
explanation  that in his time it was    
always usual for the gravedigger to toll
 the  bell three times before breaking  
the consecrated ground4--,j4 ,h4 ,c41   
,notes and ,queries1 #eth series1 vol4  
ii41 ,august1 #ahgd4    ,a corpse should
 never be carried to church by a new    
road1 and should  a hearse stop on its  
way to the churchyard there will soon be
 another  death in the house4 ,singing  
funerals1 or as they are called in      
,cornwall  buryings 7pronounced         
berrins71 were once almost universal    
7and one  may still occasionally be     

met74 ,the mourners and friends         
following  the coffin sang as they      
walked through the streets or lanes     
their  favourite hymns1 often to most   
elaborate tunes4         ,to shaw our   
sperrits lev-us petch #cd      ,the     
laast new berrin tune4--,tregellas4     
,few people in old days were buried on  
the north side of a  church4 ,flowers   
and shrubs planted in ,cornish          
churchyards are never  plucked1 from the
 fear that the spirits of the departed  
will at night  visit the desecrator4    
,should an urn found in a barrow be     
taken  into a house1 the person whose   
ashes it contained will haunt it2  it   
must be broken up and the pieces hidden4
 ,cross-roads1 the former  burying-place
 of suicides1 are after nightfall       
avoided1 such spots  being haunted2 but 
if you have courage to go there at      
midnight and  wish1 you will get your   
wish4    ,with a few general            
superstitions ,i shall bring this part  
to an  end4 ,it is unlucky in ,cornwall 

to see the new moon first over the left 
shoulder1 or through a window1          
especially if the day should happen  to 
be a ,friday4 ,to ensure good luck on   
your first sight of her1 you  should    
curtsey1 spit on your money and turn it 
in your pocket4 7,a  man well paid for  
any chance job early in the day calls it
 here a  hansel1 and spits on the money 
for good luck47 ,if you particularly    
desire anything1 look at the new moon   
and wish before you speak4 ,you  may    
also wish when you see a falling star1  
and if you can succeed in  framing it   
before it disappears your wish will be  
granted4 ,seeing the  new moon in the   
old moon's arms is a sign of a change in
 the weather1  so is a star passing over
 it4 ,the change will be for the worse  
if the  moon goes over the star4 ,herbs 
for drying must be gathered at full     
moon2 winter fruit picked and stored at 
full moon1 not to lose its  plumpness4  
,timber should be felled on the bating  
of the moon1 because  the sap is then   

down1 and the wood will be more         
durable4--,bottrell4    ,card-table     
,superstitions3--,good luck in cards1   
bad luck in a husband  7or wife74 ,a    
shuffling cut is good for the dealer4 #a
 #b #c #d played  in succession kiss the
 dealer4 ,to cut an honour for the trump
 card is  unlucky1 for ,when quality    
opens the door there is poverty behind2 
but ,good luck lurks under a black deuce
 7it should be touched by  the cutter74 
,superstitions connected with the       
body3--,a twitching in the eyelid is    
lucky2 but you must not say when it     
comes nor when it goes4    ,right eye   
itching1 a sign of laughter2 but left   
over right1 you'll  cry before night4   
,right cheek burning1 some one praising 
you2 left one1 abusing 7a  knot tied in 
the apron-string will cause the         
slanderer to bite his  or her tongue72  
but left or right are both good at      
night4 ,if the  cheek burns1 someone is 
talking scandal of you4 ,i have often   
heard  the lines spoken3--              

,right cheek6 left cheek6 why do you    
burn8      ,cursed be she that doth me  
any harm2      ,if she be a maid1 let   
her be staid2      ,if she be a widow1  
long let her mourn2      ,but if it be  
my own true love--burn1 cheek1          
burn6--,t4 ,q4 ,couch4      ,nose       
itching1 you will be kissed1 cursed1 or 
vexed2 or shake hands  with a fool4     
,right hand itching1 someone will pay or
 give you money2 but the left  you will 
be the payer4 ,in regard to the former1 
,if you rub it on wood1      ,it will be
 sure to come good4        ,sneeze on   
,sunday morning fasting1      ,enjoy    
your true love for everlasting4      ,on
 every other morning it is lucky to     
sneeze once before breakfast2  but not  
twice4    ,fire ,superstitions3--,a     
difficulty in kindling the fire in the  
mornings  is a sign of anger2 burning   
only on one side1 of a separation in    
the family 7some say of a wedding74 ,a  
flake of smut on the bar  of the grate  
shows that a stranger is coming to the  

house4 ,should  the fire be burning     
brightly1 he will bring good news2 but  
if the  contrary1 bad4 ,if after you    
poke the fire it burns up brightly1 your
  sweetheart is in a good temper2 but   
should it not improve he is in a  bad   
one4 ,a coal popping out of the fire is 
either a cradle or coffin1  or a purse4 
,it is allowed to cool and then examined
 to find out the  shape2 if pronounced  
to be a purse1 it is shaken close to the
 ear1  when should it jingle it is said 
to contain money4 ,i once saw this done 
in a school by its mistress4 ,it is     
unlucky to put a bellows on a table4    
,ladies' trees1 small branches of dried 
seaweed1 are sometimes hung  up in      
chimneys to protect houses from fire2 or
 a ,passover biscuit  suspended by a    
string from a nail in the wall4    ,a   
bright spark on a candle foretells a    
letter1 but if pointed out it  never    
arrives4    ,there are so many unlucky  
omens in ,cornwall that to believe in   
them all would make life miserable1 and 

to enumerate them would  fill a volume4 
,the major part of them too are silly   
and not worth  transcribing2 three or   
four of them as examples will1 ,i am    
quite sure1  amply suffice4 ,a work     
begun on ,friday is never ended4        
,if you sing afore bite1      ,you'll   
cry before night4      ,it is unlucky to
 sing carols before ,christmas2 or      
before the first  arish mow #ce is made4
 ,also1 ,to scat #cf hands before       
,christmas1  i4e41 beat them for warmth4
    ,it is unlucky to pour out water or 
any other liquor back-handed4    ,it is 
unlucky to lend1 or say thank you for a 
pin4 ,and         ,if you see a pin1 and
 pass it by1      ,you'll want a pin    
before you die4      ,it is unlucky to  
mend your clothes on you1 for then you  
will never  grow rich4    ,it is unlucky
 to wear a hole in the bottom of a shoe1
 for         ,a hole in the sole1       
,you'll live to spend whole4            
,servants who come to their places after
 noon never stay1 etc41 etc4            

,,cornish ,,games4      ,many old games 
worth recording are still played by     
,cornish children1  out of doors in     
summer1 indoors in winter1 and at their 
numerous  school-treats4 ,to those      
common elsewhere1 other names in        
,cornwall are  often given1 and         
different words sung4 ,some well known  
thirty-five  years ago1 now 7#ahij7 live
 only in the memory of those who were   
children then1 or linger in a very      
fragmentary state in some remote        
country districts4 ,such as             
,here come three dukes a-riding4        
,to play this the children were divided 
into two parties4 ,in the first  were   
only the three dukes2 in the second the 
other players1 who stood  in a long     
line1 linked hand in hand1 facing       
them1--the mother in the  middle1 with  
her daughters ranged according to size  
on each side of  her4 ,one duke was     
chosen as spokesman1 and he began the   
following  dialogue1 which was sung2 the
 party singing advanced and retreated1  

whilst the others stood still3--        
,here 'comes' three dukes a-riding1     
a-riding--      ,here 'comes' three     
dukes a-riding1 to court your daughter  
,jane4       ,my daughter ,jane is yet  
too young      ,to bear your silly1     
flattering tongue4       ,be she young  
or be she old1      ,she for her beauty 
must and shall be sold4       ,so fare  
thee well1 my lady gay1      ,we'll take
 our horse and ride away1      ,and call
 again another day4       ,come back6   
come back6 you ,spanish knight1         
,and clean your spurs1 they are not     
bright4       ,my spurs are bright as   
'rickety rock' 7and richly wrought71    
,and in this town they were not bought1 
,and in this town they shan't be sold1  
,neither for silver1 copper1 nor gold4  
,so fare thee well1 etc4       ,come    
back6 come back6 you ,spanish ,jack 7or 
coxcomb74       ,spanish ,jack 7or      
coxcomb7 is not my name1      ,i'll     
stamp my foot 7stamps7 and say the same4
        ,so fare thee well1 etc4        

,come back6 come back6 you ,spanish     
knight1      ,and choose the fairest in 
your sight4      ,the dukes retired1    
consulted together1 and then selected   
one1 singing--         ,this is the     
fairest ,i can see1      ,so pray young 
damsel walk with me4      ,when all the 
daughters had been taken away1 they were
 brought back  to their mother in the   
same order1 the dukes chanting3--       
,we've brought your daughter1 safe and  
sound1      ,and in her pocket a        
thousand pound1      ,and on her finger 
a gay gold ring1      ,we hope you won't
 refuse to take her in4       ,i'll take
 her in with all my heart1      ,for she
 and 'me' were loth to part4      ,the  
,rev4 ,s4 ,rundle1 vicar of ,godolphin1 
near ,helston1 saw some  children lately
 in his neighbourhood playing a portion 
of this game1  when to ,here comes three
 dukes a-riding they added--,my rancy1  
dancy  dukes4 ,mr4 ,halliwell ,phillips1
 in his ,nursery ,rhymes and ,tales of  
,england1 has published three versions  

of it1 but the game as played  in       
,cornwall has some additional couplets4 
,,pray1 ,,pretty ,,miss4    ,for        
this--quite1 ,i think1 a thing of the   
past--the children 7a boy  and girl     
alternately7 formed a ring4 ,one stood  
in the middle holding  a white          
handkerchief by two of its corners3 if a
 boy he would single  out one of the    
girls1 dance backwards and forwards     
opposite to her1  and sing--            
,pray1 pretty ,miss1 will you come out8 
,will you come out8 will you come out8  
,pray1 pretty ,miss1 will you come out1 
,to help me in my dancing8      ,if the 
answer were ,no6 spoken with averted    
head over the left  shoulder1 the rhyme 
ran--         ,then you are a naughty   
,miss6      ,then you are a naughty     
,miss6      ,then you are a naughty     
,miss6      ,won't help me in my        
dancing4      ,occasionally three or    
four in turn refused4 ,when the request 
was  granted the words were changed to--
         ,now you are a good ,miss6     

,now you are a good ,miss6      ,now you
 are a good ,miss6      ,to help me in  
my dancing4      ,the handkerchief was  
then carefully spread on the floor2 the 
couple  knelt on it and kissed3 the     
child formerly in the middle joined the 
ring1 and the other took his place1 or  
if he preferred it1 remained in  the    
centre2 in that case the children       
clasped hands and sang together--       
,pray1 pretty ,miss 7or ,sir71 etc4     
,the last to enter the ring had always  
the privilege of selecting the  next    
partner4    ,in all these childish      
games1 to prevent disputes1 and decide  
who shall  be middleman1 hide first1    
etc41 one or other of the following     
formul  is always recited by the eldest 
of the party1 who as he repeats the     
words points with his forefinger at each
 player in succession until  he comes to
 the end of the rhyme4 ,the person then 
indicated goes out3--         ,vizzery1 
vazzery1 vozery-vem1      ,tizzery1     
tazzery1 tozery-tem1      ,hiram1 jiram1

 cockrem1 spirem1      ,poplar1 rollin1 
gem4       ,there stands a pretty maid  
in a black cap1      ,if you want a     
pretty maid in a black cap1      ,please
 to take 'she4'--7,east ,cornwall74     
,ene1 mene1 mona1 mi1      ,pasca1 lara1
 bona 7or bora71 bi1      ,elke1 belke1 
boh6       ,eggs1 butter1 cheese1 bread1
      ,stick1 stack1 stone1             
dead6--7,west ,cornwall74      ,to this 
latter there are several nonsensical    
modern editions4    ,a game with a      
jingle somewhat like the first is played
 by children  at ,newlyn ,west1 near    
,penzance1 called--         ,vesey1     
vasey1 vum4      ,one child is          
blindfolded1 the others hide something1 
and shout--         ,vesey1 vasey1 vum1 
,buck-a-boo has come6      ,find if you 
can and take it home1      ,vesey1      
vasey1 vum6      ,a search is then made 
for the hidden object3 when found the   
finder  in his turn is blindfolded4     
,after this digression ,i will give all 
the other forgotten games before        

describing those still played4          
,,friskee1 ,,friskee1 ,i ,,was1 ,,and ,i
 ,,was4    ,known elsewhere as ,now we  
dance looby1 looby1 looby4 ,to play it  
the children formed a ring and danced   
around1 singing--         ,friskee1     
friskee1 ,i was1 and ,i was      ,a     
drinking of small beer4      ,they then 
stopped suddenly and said1 ,right arms  
in6 7all were  extended towards the     
centre of the circle72 ,right arms out6 
7all  wheeled round with arms           
outstretched in the contrary direction72
  ,shake yourselves a little and little 
and turn yourselves about4 ,the  circle 
was reformed1 ,friskee1 etc41 was       
repeated1 and the game went  on until   
all the different parts of the body had 
been named4          ,,fool1 ,,fool1    
,,come ,,to ,,school4    ,all the       
children in this game1 except one who   
left the room1 called  themselves by the
 name of some bird1 beast or fish4 ,the 
child outside  was brought in1 and one  
chosen as schoolmaster said--           

,fool6 fool6 come to school1      ,and  
find me out the ----3      giving the   
assumed name of one of the players4 ,if 
the fool fixed on  the right person1 he 
stayed in and the other went out1 which 
of course  involved re-naming2 but if he
 made a mistake they all cried out--    
,fool6 fool6 go back to school1         
,and learn your letters better4      ,he
 retired1 pretended to knock his head   
against the door1 and returned1  when he
 was again asked in the same words to   
name some other player4    ,some of the 
games were much rougher1 such as ,pig in
 the middle and  can't get out1 and     
,solomon had a great dog4    ,for the   
first1 one of the children stood in the 
centre1 whilst the  others danced around
 him in a circle1 saying1 ,pig in the   
middle and  can't get out4 ,he replied1 
,i've lost my key but ,i will get out1  
and threw the whole weight of his body  
suddenly on the clasped hands  of a     
couple to try and unlock them4 ,when he 
had succeeded he changed  the words to1 

,i've broken your locks1 and ,i have got
 out4    ,one of the pair whose hands he
 had opened took his place1 and he      
joined the ring4    ,for the second1 the
 players knelt in a line2 the one at the
 head1  in a very solemn tone1 chanted1 
,solomon had a great dog2 the others    
answered in the same way1 ,just so 7this
 was always the refrain74 ,then  the    
first speaker made two or three more    
ridiculous speeches1 ending  with1 ,and 
at last this great dog died1 and fell   
down1 giving at  the same time a violent
 lurch against his next neighbour1 who1 
not  expecting it1 fell against his1 and
 so on to the end of the line4          
,,scat 7,cornish for slap74    ,a       
paper-knife1 or thin slip of wood1 was  
placed by one player on  his open palm4 
,another took it up quickly1 and tried  
to scat his  opponent's hand before he  
could draw it away4 ,sometimes a feint  
of  taking the paper-knife was made     
three or four times before it was       
really done4 ,when the scat was given1  

the scatter in his turn  rested the     
knife on his palm4          ,,hole ,,in 
,,the ,,wall4    ,a person1 who did not 
know the trick1 was blindfolded1 another
 stood  in the corner of the room with  
his mouth open4 ,the forefinger of  the 
blindfolded player was carefully guided 
around the walls of the  room to find   
the hole1 until at last it was put into 
the open mouth1  when it was sharply    
bitten4          ,,malaga1 ,,malaga     
,,raisins 7a forfeit game74    ,the     
players sat in a circle4 ,one acquainted
 with the trick took a poker  in his    
right hand1 made some eccentric         
movements with it1 passed it  to his    
left1 and gave it to his next neighbour 
on that side1 saying1  ,malaga1 ,malaga 
raisins1 very good raisins ,i vow1 and  
told him to  do the same4 ,should he    
fail to pass it from right to left1 when
 he  in his turn gave it to his         
neighbour1 without being told where the 
mistake lay he was made to pay a        
forfeit4          ,,she ,,said1 ,,and   

,,she ,,said4    ,this required a       
confederate1 who left the room4 ,the    
other in the secret  asked a person     
inside to whisper to him whom she 7or   
he7 loved1 then  called in his          
companion1 and the following dialogue   
was carried on3--         ,she said1 and
 she said6      ,and what did she say8  
,she said that she loved4       ,and    
whom did she love8      ,suppose she    
said she loved ----8       ,no6 she     
never said that1 whatever she said4     
,an indefinite number of names were     
mentioned before the right one4 ,when   
that came1 to the surprise of the       
whisperer1 the answer was--             
,yes6 she said that4      ,the secret   
was very simple1 the name of a widow or 
widower was always  given before that   
whispered4    ,the two next are played  
everywhere1 but the words ,i believe are
  peculiar to ,cornwall4          ,,drop
 ,,the ,,handkerchief4    ,this is much 
too common to require a description4 ,i 
will therefore only  give the doggerel1 

which is recited by the holder of the   
handkerchief  as he walks around the    
ring3--         ,i sent a letter to my  
love1      ,i carried water in my glove1
      ,and by the way ,i dropped it4    
,i did so6 ,i did so6      ,i had a     
little dog that said ',bow6 wow6'       
,i had a little cat that said ',meow6   
meow6'      ,shan't bite you1 shan't    
bite you1        ,shall bite you4       
,throws the handkerchief1 and chases the
 girl4          ,,how ,,many ,,miles    
,,to ,,babylon8    ,to this game1 known 
elsewhere as ,thread the ,needle1 the   
following  lines are chanted3--         
,how many miles to ,babylon8            
,three score and ten4      ,can ,i get  
there by candle-light8        ,yes6 if  
your legs are long and straight4        
,then open your gates as high as the    
sky1      ,and let ,king ,george and all
 his troops pass by4          ,,rules   
,,of ,,contrary4    ,four children hold 
a handkerchief by the four corners1 one 
moves a  finger over it saying1 as fast 

as possible--         ,here ,i go round 
the rules of contrary1      ,hopping    
about like a little canary1      ,when  
,i say ',hold fast' leave go2      ,when
 ,i say ',leave go' hold fast4      ,any
 player making a mistake pays a forfeit4
          ,,lady ,,queen ,,anne4    ,a  
very pretty version of this old ,english
 game is often played at  juvenile      
parties in ,cornwall4    ,one child is  
chosen to remain in the room1 whilst the
 others go  outside and consult together
 as to whom shall hold the ball 7some   
small  thing74 ,they then troop in1 with
 their hands either hidden under the    
skirts of their dresses1 or clasped in  
such a way that ,lady ,queen ,anne1  by 
looking at them1 cannot tell which has  
it2 all repeating--         ,here come  
we to ,lady ,queen ,anne1      ,with a  
pair of white gloves to cover our hand2 
,as white as a lily1 as fair as the     
rose1      ,but not so fair as you may  
suppose4        ,l4 ,q4 ,a4 ,turn1      
ladies1 turn6        7,whirl round47    

,the more we turn the more we may1      
,queen ,anne was born on ,midsummer day4
        ,l4 ,q4 ,a4 ,the king sent me   
three letters1 ,i never read them all1  
,so pray1 ,miss ----1 deliver the ball4 
,should she have guessed correctly1 all 
the party curtsey1 and say--            
,the ball is yours and not ours1        
,you must go to the garden and gather   
the flowers4      ,and the child who had
 the ball takes the queen's seat1 whilst
 she  retires with the others2 but      
should she have made a mistake1 the same
  party go out again1 saying as they    
curtsey--         ,the ball is yours and
 not ours1      7,repeat7 ,we1 etc4     
,mr4 ,halliwell ,phillips1 in his book  
before quoted1 has shorter versions  of 
this1 with different rhymes4    ,another
 game which has descended from          
generation to generation is--           
,,old ,,witch4    ,the children chose   
from their party an old witch 7who is   
supposed  to hide herself7 and a mother4
 ,the other players are the daughters1  

and are called by the names of the week4
 ,the mother says that she is  going to 
market1 and will bring home for each the
 thing that she most  wishes for4 ,upon 
this they all name something4 ,then1    
after telling them  upon no account to  
allow anyone to come into the house1 she
 gives her  children in charge of her   
eldest daughter ,sunday1 and goes away4 
,in a  moment1 the witch makes her      
appearance1 and asks to borrow some     
trifle4    ,sunday at first refuses1    
but1 after a short parley1 goes into the
 next  room to fetch the required       
article4 ,in her absence the witch      
steals the  youngest of the children    
7,saturday71 and runs off with her4     
,sunday1  on her return1 seeing that the
 witch has left1 thinks there must be   
something wrong1 and counts the         
children1 saying1 ,monday1 ,tuesday1    
etc41 until she comes to ,saturday1 who 
is missing4 ,she then pretends  to cry1 
wrings her hands1 and sobs out--,mother 
will beat me when  she comes home4      

,on the mother's return1 she1 too1      
counts the children1 and1  finding      
,saturday gone1 asks ,sunday where she  
is4 ,sunday answers1  ,oh1 mother6 an   
old witch called1 and asked to borrow   
----1 and1  whilst ,i was fetching it1  
she ran off with ,saturday4 ,the mother 
scolds and beats her1 tells her to be   
more careful in the future1  and again  
sets off for the market4 ,this is       
repeated until all the  children but    
,sunday have been stolen4 ,then the     
mother and ,sunday1  hand in hand1 go   
off to search for them4 ,they meet the  
old witch1  who has them all crouching  
down in a line behind her4    ,mother4  
,have you seen my children8    ,o4 ,w4  
,yes6 ,i think1 by ,eastgate4    ,the   
mother and ,sunday retire1 as if to go  
there1 but1 not finding them1  again    
return to the witch1 who this time sends
 them to ,westgate1  then to ,southgate 
and ,northgate4 ,at last one of the     
children pops  her head up over the     
witch's shoulder1 and cries out1 ,here  

we are1  mother4 ,then follows this     
dialogue3--    ,m4 ,i see my children1  
may ,i go in8    ,o4 ,w4 ,no6 your boots
 are too dirty4    ,m4 ,i will take them
 off4    ,o4 ,w4 ,your stockings are too
 dirty4    ,m4 ,i will take them off4   
,o4 ,w4 ,your feet are too dirty4    ,m4
 ,i will cut them off4    ,o4 ,w4 ,then 
the blood will stream over the floor4   
,the mother at this loses patience1 and 
pushes her way in1 the witch  trying in 
vain to keep her out4 ,she1 with all her
 children1 then chase  the witch until  
they catch her2 when they pretend to    
bind her hand  and foot1 put her on a   
pile1 and burn her1 the children fanning
 the  imaginary flames with their       
pinafores4 ,sometimes the dialogue after
  ,here we are1 mother1 is omitted1 and 
the witch is at once chased4    ,mr4    
,halliwell ,phillips calls this the     
,game of the ,gipsy1 and gives  some    
rhymes to which it is played1 but ,i    
have never heard them in  this county4  
,the next1 a game quite unknown to me1  

,i took down from the lips of  a little 
girl in ,west ,cornwall1 in #ahhb1 who  
told me it was a great  favourite with  
her and her playmates4          ,,ghost 
,,at ,,the ,,well4    ,one of the party 
is chosen for ghost 7if dressed in white
 so much  the better72 she hides in a   
corner2 the other children are a mother 
and daughters4 ,the eldest daughter     
says3    ,mother1 mother1 please give me
 a piece of bread and butter4    ,m4    
,let me 7or leave me7 look at your      
hands1 child4 ,why1 they are  very      
dirty4    ,e4 ,d4 ,i will go to the well
 and wash them4    ,she goes to the     
corner1 the ghost peeps up1 and she     
rushes back1  crying out--    ,mother6  
mother6 ,i have seen a ghost4    ,m4    
,nonsense1 child6 it was only your      
father's nightshirt ,i have washed  and 
hung out to dry4 ,go again4    ,the     
child goes1 and the same thing happens4 
,she returns1 saying--    ,yes1 mother6 
,i have seen a ghost4    ,m4 ,nonsense1 
child6 we will take a candle1 and all go

 together to  search for it4 ,the mother
 picks up a twig for a candle1 and they 
set off4 ,when they come near to the    
ghost1 she appears from her             
hiding-place1 mother and children rush  
away in different directions2  the ghost
 chases them until she has caught one1  
who in her turn  becomes ghost4         
,,mother1 ,,mother1 ,,may ,i ,,go ,,out 
,,to ,,play8    ,i thought this game was
 a thing of the past1 but ,i came on    
some  children playing it in the streets
 of ,penzance1 in #ahhc4 ,it may be     
played by any number1 and1 as in the two
 former games1 one is chosen  for       
mother4 ,this is the dialogue3    ,c4   
,mother1 mother1 may ,i 7or we7 go out  
to play8    ,m4 ,no1 child6 no1 child6  
not for the day4    ,c4 ,why1 mother8   
why1 mother8 ,i won't stay long4    ,m4 
,make three pretty courtesies1 and away6
 begone6    ,c4 ,one for mammy1 one for 
daddy1 one for ,uncle ,john4    ,the    
child1 as she mentions the names1       
spreads out the skirts of her  dress and

 courtesies1 after which she retires to 
a little distance1  and then returns4   
,m4 ,where1 child6 where1 child6 have   
you been all the day8    ,c4 ,up to     
granny's4    ,m4 ,what have you been    
doing there8    ,the answer to this is  
often ,washing dolls' clothes1 but      
anything  may be mentioned4    ,m4 ,what
 did she give you8    ,the reply is     
again left to the child's fancy4    ,m4 
,where's my share8    ,c4 ,the cat ate  
it4 ,what's in that box1 mother8    ,m4 
,twopence1 my child4    ,c4 ,what for1  
mother8    ,m4 ,to buy a stick to beat  
you1 and a rope to hang you1 my child4  
,the child at this tries to snatch at   
the box1 the mother chases her  until   
she has caught her 7when there are      
several children1 until she  has caught 
one71 she then pretends to beat her1 and
 puts her hands  around her neck as if  
she were going to hang her4             
,,here ,i ,,sit ,,on ,a ,,cold ,,green  
,,bank4    ,the children form a ring    
around one of the party1 who sits in the

  middle1 and says3         ,here ,i sit
 on a cold green bank1      ,on a cold  
and frosty morning4      ,then those in 
the circle dance round her1 singing3    
,we'll send a young man 7or woman7 to   
take you away1      ,to take you away1  
to take you away2      ,we'll send a    
young man to take you away1      ,on a  
cold and frosty morning4        ,child4 
,pray tell me what his name shall be8   
,or1         ,pray1 whom will you send  
to take me away8        ,circle4 ,we'll 
send ,mr4 ---- to take you away4        
,this is repeated three times with the  
refrain1 ,on a cold1 etc4 after  which  
the dancing and singing cease1 and the  
child is asked1 ,sugar1  sweet1 or      
vinegar1 sour8 ,her answer is always    
taken in a contrary  sense1 and sung1 as
 before1 three times1 whilst the        
children circle  round4 ,the one in the 
middle then rises to her feet4 ,the boy 
7or  girl7 named advances and kisses    
her1 they change places1 and the game   
begins again4          ,,joggle ,,along4

    ,this is a very favourite open-air  
game4 ,to play it there must be an      
uneven number4 ,he 7or she7 stands in   
the middle1 whilst the others1  arm in  
arm1 circle around him singing3--       
,come all ye young men1 with your wicked
 ways1      ,sow all your wild oats in  
your youthful days1      ,that we may   
live happy1 that we may live happy1     
,that we may live happy when we grow    
old4      ,the day is far spent1 the    
night's coming on1      ,give us your   
arm1 and we'll 'joggle along4'          
,that we may live happy1 etc41 etc4     
,at the words joggle along1 they all    
drop the arm of the person they  are    
leading1 and try to catch the arm of the
 player in front of them1  whilst the   
middle man tries at the same time to get
 a partner4 ,should  he succeed1 the    
player left without one takes his place4
 7,repeat47    ,i am indebted to the    
,rev4 ,s4 ,rundle1 vicar of ,godolphin1 
for another  set of words to this game1 
which he calls--          ,,the ,,jolly 

,,miller1    ,and1 under this title1 a  
lady1 two years since1 saw some children
  playing it at ,st4 ,ives1 in          
,cornwall4         ,there was a jolly   
miller1 lived by himself1      ,by      
grinding corn he got his wealth2        
,one hand in the upper1 the other in the
 bag1      ,as the wheel went round1    
they all called ',grab4'      ,in this  
county ,tom ,tiddler's ,ground is known 
as ,mollish's ,land1  ,cat and ,mouse as
 ,the ,duffan ,ring1 and ,blind ,man's  
,buff as  ,blind ,buck-a-,davy4 ,to this
 last the following words are repeated1 
which ,i have never seen in print4 ,one 
of the players takes the blind  person  
by the shoulders1 and says3    ,how many
 horses has your father got in his      
stables8    ,a4 ,three4    ,what colour 
are they8    ,a4 ,red1 white1 and grey4 
7,whirling him round47 ,then turn about1
 and twist about1 and catch  whom you   
may4    ,to make barley bread 7in other 
districts1 ,cockley bread7 this rhyme   
is used in ,west ,cornwall3--           

,mother has called1 mother has said1    
',make haste home1 and make barley      
bread4'      ,up with your heels1 down  
with your head1      ,that is the way to
 make barley bread4          ,,bobby    
,,bingo4    ,of this1 which is a very   
common game at school-treats in some    
parts  of ,west ,cornwall1 ,i have only 
lately1 through the kindness of the     
,rev4 ,s4 ,rundle1 succeeded in getting 
a description4 ,he saw some  children1  
in #ahhd1 playing it in his parish      
7,godolphin1 ,helston74 ,a  ring is     
formed1 into the middle of which goes a 
child holding a stick1  the others with 
joined hands run round in a circle1     
singing--         ,there was a farmer   
had a dog1      ,his name was ,bobby    
,bingo2      ,b4 ,i4 ,n4 ,g4 ,o41       
,his name was ,bobby ,bingo4      ,when 
they have finished singing they cease   
running1 whilst the one  in the centre  
pointing with his stick asks them in    
turn to spell  ,bingo4 ,if they all     
spell it correctly they again move round

 singing2  but1 should either of them   
make a mistake1 he or she has to take   
the  place of the middle man4           
,,weigh ,,the ,,butter1 ,,weigh ,,the   
,,cheese1    is rather dangerous1 and   
now but rarely played4 ,two children    
stand  back to back with their arms     
locked4 ,one stoops as low as he can1   
supporting the other on his back1 and   
says1 ,weigh the butter2 he  rises1 and 
the second stoops in his turn with      
,weigh the cheese4 ,the  first repeats  
with ,weigh the old woman2 and it ends  
by the second1  with ,down to her knees4
          ,,libbety1 ,,libbety1         
,,libbety-,,lat4    ,a game of a very   
different character1 which pleases young
 children4 ,the  child stands before a  
hassock1 and as if he were going        
up-stairs puts  on it first his right   
and then his left foot1 gradually       
quickening  his steps1 keeping time to  
the words3--         ,libbety1 libbety1 
libbety-lat1      ,who can do this8 and 
who can do that8      ,and who can do   

anything better than that8      ,this   
ends the games in which children of both
 sexes join4 ,i must next  give those   
exclusively for boys4 ,i will begin by a
 very old one3          ,,ship ,,sail   
is a game usually played with marbles2  
one boy puts his hand into his  trousers
 pocket and takes out as many marbles as
 he feels inclined2  he closes his      
fingers over them1 and holds out his    
hand with the palm  down to the opposite
 player1 saying1 ,ship sail1 sail fast4 
,how many  men on board8 ,a guess is    
made by his opponent2 if less1 he has to
  give as many marbles as will make up  
the true number2 if more1 as  many as he
 said over4 ,but should the guess be    
correct he takes them1  and then in his 
turn says ,ship sail1 etc4              
,,buck ,,shee1 ,,buck1    is another    
game of chance1 and is generally played 
by three boys in  the following way4    
,one stands with his back to a wall1 the
 second  stoops down with his head      
against the stomach of the first boy1   

forming a back1 the third jumps on it1  
and holds up his hand with  the fingers 
distended1 saying--         ,buck shee1 
buck1 shee buck1      ,how many fingers 
do ,i hold up8      ,should the stooper 
guess correctly1 they all change places 
and the  jumper forms the back4 ,another
 and not such a rough way of playing    
this game is for the guesser to stand   
with his face towards a wall1  keeping  
his eyes shut4    ,leap-frog is known in
 ,cornwall as ,leap the long-mare1 and  
there is  a curious variation of it     
called--          ,,accroshay4    ,a cap
 or small article is placed on the back 
of the stooping boy  by each in turn as 
he jumps over him4 ,the first as he     
jumps says  ,accroshay1 the second      
,ashotay1 the third ,assheflay1 and the 
last  ,lament1 lament1 ,leleeman's 7or  
,leleena's7 war4 ,the boy who in jumping
  knocks off either of the things has to
 take the place of the stooper4         
,,buckey-,,how4    ,for this the boys   
divide into sides2 one stops at home1   

the other  goes off to a certain        
distance agreed on beforehand and shouts
  ,buckey-how4 ,the boys at home then   
give chase1 and1 when they  succeed in  
catching an adversary1 they bring him   
home and there he  stays until all on   
his side are caught1 when they in turn  
become  the chasers4          ,,cutters 
,,and ,,trucklers 7,,smugglers74    ,a  
remembrance of the old smuggling days4  
,the boys divide into two  parties2 the 
trucklers try to reach some given point 
before the  cutter catches them4        
,,marble ,,playing    is a favourite    
recreation with the young fishermen in  
,west ,cornwall2  ,pits and ,towns are  
the common games4 ,boys who hit their   
nails are  looked on with great         
contempt1 and are said to fire ,kibby4  
,when two  are partners and one in      
playing accidentally hits the other's   
marble1  he cries out no custance1      
meaning that he has a right to put back 
the marble struck2 should he fail to do 
so1 it would be considered  out of the  

game4 ,to steal marbles is to strakey4  
,to make ducks and drakes with a stone  
on the water is in ,cornwall  called    
,tic-,tac-,mollard4                     
,,cock-,,haw4    ,this game is1 ,i      
believe1 known in other counties as     
,cob-nut1 but  in ,cornwall the boys    
give the name of ,victor-nut to the     
fruit of  the common hazel1 and play it 
to the words3         ,cock-haw6 ,first 
blaw6 ,up hat6 ,down cap6 ,victor6      
,the nut that cracks another is called a
 cock battler4    ,children under the   
title of ,cock battler often in country 
walks  play a variation of ,cock-haw    
with the ,hoary plantain1 which they    
hold by the tough stem about two inches 
from the head2 each in turn  tries to   
knock off the head of his opponent's    
flower4          ,,winky-,,eye4    ,a   
rural game1 played in the spring4 ,an   
egg taken from a bird's nest  is placed 
on the ground1 at some distance off--the
 number of paces  having been previously
 fixed4 ,blindfolded1 one after the     

other1  the players attempt with a stick
 to hit and break it4          ,,uppa1  
,,uppa ,,holye 7pronounced oopa1 oopa   
holly74    ,when the writer was a boy1  
the following were the words used in the
  boys' game of fox-hunting4 ,when the  
hounds 7the boys7 were at fault  the    
leader cried--         ,uppa1 uppa      
holye1      ,if you don't speak      ,my
 dogs shan't folly4                     
7,east ,cornwall4 ,f4 ,w4 ,p4 ,jago1    
,m4,b41 ,plymouth47      ,boys here1 as 
probably elsewhere1 are very fond of    
hitting each other  and then running    
away1 shouting--         ,last blaw1    
never graw1      ,for seven years to    
come4      ,the old ,cornish game of    
,hurling ,i have already described under
 the  head of ,feasten ,customs4        
,cricket1 football1 and lawn tennis are 
of  course played in ,cornwall4         
,,tom ,,toddy1    an old drinking game1 
now ,i expect known to but few4 ,each   
person in  succession has to drink a    
glass of beer or spirits1 on the top of 

which a piece of lighted candle has been
 put1 whilst the others sing--          
,tom ,toddy es come hoam1 come hoam1    
,tom ,toddy es come hoam1      ,weth es 
eyes burnt1 and his nawse burnt1        
,and es eye-lids burnt also4      ,tom  
,toddy es1 etc4      ,specimens of      
,cornish ,provincial ,dialect4--,uncle  
,jan ,trenoodle4      ,of the old dance 
,letterpooch1 the name only is          
remembered4                  ,,ballads1 
,etc4      ,there are a few well-known  
old ,cornish ballads1 which have already
 been  printed and reprinted2 my apology
 for again introducing them here1 must  
be1 that a work of this kind would not  
be complete without them4 ,john  ,dory1 
,an old ballad on a ,duke of ,cornwall's
 ,daughter1 ,the ,stout  ,cripple of    
,cornwall1 and ,the ,baarley ,mow1 may  
all be found in  ,specimens of ,cornish 
,provincial ,dialect1 by ,uncle ,jan    
,trenoodle  7,sandys72 ,tweedily1       
,tweedily1 ,twee1--,through ,rev4 ,s4   
,rundle1 in  ,transactions ,penzance    

,natural ,history and ,antiquarian      
,society1 #ahhg-hh2  ,ye sexes give ear 
to my fancy1 ,t4 ,q4 ,couch1 ,polperro1 
,cornwall2 and  ,a fox went forth one   
moonshining night1 ,edward ,pole1 in    
,notes and  ,queries1 #ahed2 ,the ,long 
,hundred1 a song of ,numbers1 ,w4       
,pengelly1  ,notes and ,queries1 #ahgc2 
,when shall we be married8 which ,i     
heard  many years ago in ,scilly1 and of
 which ,i only remember three verses1   
,i have never seen in print4    ,the    
,rev4 ,s4 ,baring ,gould1 ,m4,a41 is now
 making a collection of the             
,traditional ,ballads and ,songs of the 
,west of ,england4 ,part ,i4 has  been  
published2 it contains ,sweet           
,nightingale1 said to be a favourite    
with the miners of ,cornwall and ,devon2
 this must be in ,north ,cornwall1  as  
the nightingale is unknown in the       
western part of the county1  scared     
away1 according to the country-folk1 by 
the sweet singing of  its men and women4
 ,and ,the ,hunting of ,arscott of      

,tetcot1 of which  as it has been       
recast1 ,i will only transcribe the     
first four lines4         ,in the month 
of ,november1 in the year fifty-two     
7#afeb71      ,three jolly fox-hunters1 
all sons of the blue1      ,came o'er   
from ,pencarrow1 not fearing a wet coat1
      ,to have some diversion1 with     
,arscott of ,tetcot1 etc4      ,trelawny
 was for many years supposed to be a    
genuine old ,cornish  ballad1 and as    
such was accepted and admired by several
 well-known  literary men2 but it was   
written by the late ,rev4 ,r4 ,hawker1  
,vicar  of ,morwenstowe2 only the       
lines--         ,and shall ,trelawny    
die8      ,here's twenty thousand       
,cornishmen1      ,will know the reason 
why6--      being ancient4              
,,john ,,dory4          ,as it fell on a
 holy day1        ,and upon a holytide  
a3      ,john ,dory brought him an      
ambling nag1        ,to ,paris for to   
ride a4        ,and when ,john ,dory to 
,paris was come1        ,a little before

 the gate a2      ,john ,dory was       
fitted1 the porter was witted1          
,to let him in thereat a4        ,the   
first man that ,john ,dory did meet1    
,was good ,king ,john of ,france a2     
,john ,dory could well of his courtesie1
        ,but fell down in a trance a4   
,a pardon1 a pardon1 my liege and my    
king1        ,for my merry men and for  
me a3      ,and all the churls in merry 
,england        ,i'll bring them bound  
to thee a4        ,and ,nichol was then 
a ,cornish man        ,a little beside  
,bohyde a2      ,he manned him forth a  
goodly bark1        ,with fifty good    
oars of a side a4        ,run up1 my    
boy1 into the main top1        ,and look
 what thou can'st spy a2      ,who1 ho6 
who1 ho6 a good ship do ,i see1         
,i trow it be ,john ,dory a4            
,they hoist their sails both top and    
top1        ,the mizen and all was tried
 a1      ,and every man stood to his    
lot1        ,whatever should betide a4  
,the roaring cannons then were plied1   

,and dub-a-dub went the drum a3         
,the braying trumpets loud they cried1  
,to courage both all and some a4        
,the grappling hooks were brought at    
length1        ,the brown bill and the  
sword a2      ,john ,dory at length1 for
 all his strength1        ,was clapt    
fast under board a4      ,this song is  
mentioned by ,carew in his ,survey of   
,cornwall2 in it he  says--the prowesse 
of one ,nicholas1 sonne to a widdow     
neere ,foy is  deskanted upon4 7,he was 
one of the ,fowey gallants47            
,,an ,,old ,,ballad1    ,,on ,a ,,duke  
,,of ,,cornwall',s ,,daughter2    ,,who 
,,after ,,her ,,marriage ,,to ,a ,,king 
,,of ,,albion1 ,,was ,,divorced ,,for   
,,the ,,sake  ,,of ,a ,,favourite       
,,mistress2 ,,and ,,her ,,exemplary     
,,revenge ,,on ,,them ,,both4           
,when ,humber in his wrathful rage      
,king ,albanact in field had slain1     
,whose bloody broils for to assuage1    
,king ,locrin then applied his pain2    
,and with a host of ,britons stout1     

,at length he found king ,humber out3   
,at vantage great he met him then1      
,and with his host beset him so1        
,that he destroyed his warlike men1     
,and ,humber's power did overthrow2     
,and ,humber1 which for fear did fly1   
,leapt into a river desp'rately2        
,and being drowned in the deep1         
,he left a lady there alive1      ,which
 sadly did lament and weep1        ,for 
fear they should her life deprive4      
,but by her face that was so fair1      
,the king was caught in ,cupid's snare3 
,he took this lady to his love1         
,who secretly did keep it still2        
,so that the queen did quickly prove1   
,the king did bear her most good will3  
,which though by wedlock late begun1    
,he had by her a gallant son4           
,queen ,guendolin was griev'd in mind1  
,to see the king was alter'd so3        
,at length the cause she chanc'd to     
find1        ,which brought her to much 
bitter woe4      ,for ,estrild was his  
joy 7,god wot71      ,by whom a daughter

 he begot4        ,the ,duke of         
,cornwall being dead1        ,the father
 of that gallant queen3      ,the king  
with lust being overlaid1        ,his   
lawful wife he cast off clean3      ,who
 with her dear and tender son1      ,for
 succour did to ,cornwall run4          
,then ,locrin crowned ,estrild bright1  
,and made of her his lawful wife3       
,with her which was his heart's delight1
        ,he sweetly thought to lead his 
life4      ,thus ,guendolin1 as one     
forlorn1      ,did hold her wretched    
life in scorn4        ,but when the     
,cornish men did know        ,the great 
abuse she did endure1      ,with her a  
number great did go1        ,which she  
by prayer did procure4      ,in battle  
then they march'd along1      ,for to   
redress this grievous wrong4        ,and
 near a river called ,store1        ,the
 king with all his host she met2        
,where both the armies fought full sore1
        ,but yet the queen the field did
 get3      ,yet ere they did the        

conquest gain1      ,the king was with  
an arrow slain4        ,then ,guendolin 
did take in hand1        ,until her son 
was come to age1      ,the government of
 all the land2        ,but first her    
fury to assuage1      ,she did command  
her soldiers wild1      ,to drown both  
,estrild and her child4                 
,incontinent then they did bring        
,fair ,estrild to the river-side1       
,and ,sabrine1 daughter to a king1      
,whom ,guendolin could not abide2       
,who being bound together fast1         
,into the river they were cast3         
,and ever since that running stream     
,wherein the ladies drowned were1       
,is called ,severn through the realm1   
,because that ,sabrine died there4      
,thus those that did to lewdness bend1  
,were brought unto a woful end4         
,,ye ,,sexes ,,give ,,ear4          ,ye 
sexes give ear to my fancy2        ,in  
the praise of good women ,i sing4       
,it is not of ,doll1 ,kate1 nor ,nancy1 
,the mate of a clown nor a king4        

,old ,adam when he was created1         
,was lord of the universe round2        
,but his happiness was not completed1   
,until that a helpmate was found4       
,he had all things for food that was    
wanting1        ,which give us content  
in this life2      ,he had horses and   
foxes for hunting1        ,which many   
love more than a wife4        ,he'd a   
garden so planted by nature1        ,as 
man can't produce in this life2         
,but yet the all-wise great ,creator    
,saw still that he wanted a wife4       
,old ,adam was laid in a slumber1       
,and there he lost part of his side2    
,and when he awoke1 in great wonder     
,he beheld his most beautiful bride4    
,with transport he gazed all on her1    
,his happiness then was complete2       
,and he blessed the bountiful ,donor1   
,who on him bestowed a mate4        ,she
 was not took out of his head1          
,to reign or to triumph o'er man3       
,she was not took out of his feet1      
,by man to be trampled upon4        ,but

 she was took out of his side1          
,his equal and partner to be3           
,though they are united in one1         
,still the man is the top of the tree4  
,then let not the fair be despised      
,by man1 as she's part of himself2      
,for a woman by ,adam was prized        
,more than the whole world with its     
pelf4        ,then man without woman's a
 beggar1        ,tho' of the whole world
 he's possessed2      ,and a beggar that
 has a good woman1        ,with more    
than the world he is blest4          ,a 
,,fox ,,went ,,forth4          ,a fox   
went forth one moonshining night1       
,and he prayed to the moon to give him  
good light1      ,for he'd many miles to
 trot that night1        ,before he got 
home to his den ,o1        ,his den ,o1 
his den ,o4      ,for he'd many miles to
 trot that night1      ,before he got   
home to his den ,o4        ,and when he 
came unto a wood1      ,as on his hinder
 legs he stood1      ,a little bit of   
goose will do me good1        ,before ,i

 get home to my den ,o4        ,my den  
,o1 my den ,o4        ,so off he set to 
a farmer's yard1      ,the ducks and the
 geese were all of them scared2         
,the best of you all shall grease my    
beard1        ,before ,i get home to my 
den ,o4        ,he seized the great     
goose by the neck      ,and flung it all
 across his back1      ,the young ones  
cried out1 quack1 quack1 quack1         
,and the fox went home to his den ,o4   
,old mother ,slipper-slopper jumped out 
of bed1      ,she open'd the window and 
popp'd out her head1--      ,john6      
,john6 ,john6 the great goose is dead4  
,and the fox has gone home to his den   
,o4        ,so ,john went up unto a     
hill1      ,and blew his horn both loud 
and shrill2      ,says the fox ,this is 
very pretty music1 still        ,i'd    
rather be safe in my den ,o4        ,but
 when he came unto the den1      ,where 
he had young ones1 nine and ten1        
,crying out1 ,daddy ,fox1 you must go   
there again1        ,for we think its a 

lucky town ,o4        ,the fox and his  
wife they had such a strife1      ,they 
never ate a better goose in all their   
life2      ,they tore it abroad1 without
 fork or knife1        ,and the little  
ones pick'd the bones ,o4               
,,tweedily1 ,,tweedily1 ,,twee 7,north  
,cornwall74          ,there was an old  
couple and they were poor2      ,they   
lived in a house that had but one door1 
,tweedily1 tweedily1 twee4        ,now  
this old man went far from home1        
,and left his old wife to stay at home1 
,tweedily1 tweedily1 twee4        ,now  
this old man came home at last1         
,and found his door and windows fast1   
,tweedily1 tweedily1 twee4        ,ah1  
,i've bin sick whilst you've gone1      
,if you'd bin in the garden you could've
 heard me groan4        ,tweedily1      
tweedily1 twee4        ,an ,i'm sorry   
for that1 cries he2      ,an ,i'm sorry 
for that1 cries he2        ,tweedily1   
tweedily1 twee4        ,then pluck me an
 apple from yonder tree1      ,that will

 ,i willingly do1 cries he2      ,that  
will ,i willingly do1 cries he2         
,tweedily1 tweedily1 twee4        ,pop  
goes the ladder1 and down goes he1      
,an that's cleverly done1 cries she2    
,an that's cleverly done1 cries she2    
,tweedily1 tweedily1 twee4              
,,when ,,shall ,,we ,,be ,,married8     
,when shall we be married1 ,willy1 my   
pretty lad8      ,to-morrow if you think
 it fit4      ,not before to-morrow1    
,willy1 my pretty lad8      ,would you  
have me be married to-night8        ,i  
should think the girl was mad4          
,what shall we have for dinner1 ,willy1 
my pretty lad8      ,roast beef and plum
 pudding if you think it fit4           
,shan't we have anything else1 ,willy1  
my pretty lad8      ,would you have me  
to spend all my money8        ,i should 
think the girl was mad4        ,who     
shall we have to dinner1 ,willy1 my     
pretty lad8      ,father and mother1 if 
you think it fit4      ,shan't we have  
anyone else1 ,willy1 my pretty lad8     

,would you have me ask the king and     
queen8        ,i should think the girl  
was mad4          ,,sweet ,,nightingale4
          ,my sweetheart1 come along1   
,don't you hear the fond song1          
,the sweet notes of the nightingale     
flow8      ,don't you hear the fond tale
      ,of the sweet nightingale1        
,as she sings in the valley below8      
,pretty ,betty1 don't fail1      ,for   
,i'll carry your pail        ,safe home 
to your cot as we go2      ,you shall   
hear the fond tale      ,of a sweet     
nightingale1        ,as she sings in the
 valley below4        ,pray let me      
alone1      ,i have hands of my own1    
,along with you1 ,sir1 ,i'll not go1    
,to hear the fond tale      ,of the     
sweet nightingale1        ,as she sings 
in the valley below4        ,pray sit   
yourself down      ,with me on the      
ground1        ,on this bank where the  
primroses grow2      ,you shall hear the
 fond tale      ,of the sweet           
nightingale1        ,as she sings in the

 valley below4        ,the couple       
agreed1      ,and were married with     
speed1        ,and soon to the church   
did they go2      ,no more is she afraid
      ,for to walk in the shade1        
,nor sit in those valleys below4        
,,the ,,stout ,,cripple ,,of ,,cornwall4
    ,,wherein ,,is ,,shewed ,,his       
,,dissolute ,,life ,,and ,,deserved     
,,death4          ,of a stout cripple   
that kept the high-way1      ,and begg'd
 for his living all time of the day1    
,a story ,i'll tell you that pleasant   
shall be1      ,the ,cripple of         
,cornwall surnamed was he4        ,he   
crept on his hands and his knees up and 
down1      ,in a torn jacket and a      
ragged torn gown1      ,for he had never
 a leg to the knee2      ,the ,cripple  
of ,cornwall surnamed was he4        ,he
 was of a stomach courageous and stout1 
,for he had no cause to complain of the 
gout2      ,to go upon stilts most      
cunning was he1      ,with a staff on   
his neck most gallant to see4           

,yea1 no good fellowship would he       
forsake1      ,were it in secret a horse
 for to take2      ,his stool he kept   
close in a hollow tree1      ,that stood
 from the city a mile1 two1 or three4   
,thus all the day long he begg'd for    
relief1      ,and all the night long he 
played the false thief2      ,for seven 
years together this custom kept he1     
,and no man knew him such a person to   
be4        ,there were few graziers went
 on the way1      ,but unto the ,cripple
 for passage did pay1      ,and every   
brave merchant that he did descry1      
,he emptied their purses ere they did   
pass by4        ,the noble ,lord        
,courtney1 both gallant and bold1       
,rode forth with great plenty of silver 
and gold1      ,at ,exeter there a      
purchase to pay1      ,but that the     
false ,cripple the journey did stay4    
,for why1 the false ,cripple heard      
tidings of late1      ,as he sat for    
alms at the nobleman's gate2      ,this 
is1 quoth the ,cripple1 a booty for me1 

,and ,i'll follow it closely as closely 
may be4        ,then to his companions  
the matter he mov'd1      ,which their  
false actions before had prov'd2        
,they make themselves ready1 and deeply 
they swear      ,the money's their own  
before they come there4        ,upon his
 two stilts the ,cripple did mount1     
,to have the best share it was his full 
account1      ,all clothed in canvass   
down to the ground1      ,he took up his
 place his mates with him round4        
,then came the ,lord ,courtney with     
half-a-score men1      ,yet little      
suspecting these thieves in their den1  
,and they perceiving them come to their 
hand1      ,in a dark evening bid them  
to stand4        ,deliver thy purse1    
quoth the ,cripple1 with speed1      ,we
 be good fellows and therefore have     
need1      ,not so1 quoth ,lord         
,courtney1 but this ,i'll tell ye1      
,win it and wear it1 else get none of   
me4        ,with that the ,lord         
,courtney stood in his defence1         

,and so did his servants1 but1 ere they 
went hence1      ,two of the true men   
were slain in this fight1      ,and four
 of the thieves were put to the flight4 
,and while for their safeguard they run 
thus away1      ,the jolly bold ,cripple
 did hold them in play1      ,and with  
his pike-staff he wounded them so1      
,as they were unable to run or to go4   
,with fighting the ,lord ,courtney was  
out of breath1      ,and most of his    
servants were wounded to death1         
,then came other horsemen riding so     
fast1      ,the ,cripple was forced to  
fly at the last4        ,and over a     
river that run there beside1      ,which
 was very deep1 and eighteen foot wide1 
,with his long staff and his stilts     
leaped he1      ,and shifted himself in 
an old hollow tree2        ,then        
throughout the city was hue and cry     
made1      ,to have these thieves       
apprehended and staid2      ,the        
,cripple he creeps on his hands and his 
knees1      ,and in the high-way great  

passing he sees4        ,and as they    
came riding he begging doth say1      ,o
 give me one penny1 good masters1 ,i    
pray1      ,and thus unto ,exeter creeps
 he along1      ,no man suspecting that 
he had done wrong4        ,anon the     
,lord ,courtney he spies in the street1 
,he comes unto him and kisses his feet1 
,god save your honor and keep you from  
ill1      ,and from the hands of your   
enemies still4        ,amen1 quoth ,lord
 ,courtney1 and therewith threw down    
,unto the poor ,cripple an ,english     
crown1      ,away went the ,cripple1 and
 thus he did think1      ,five hundred  
pounds more will make me to drink4      
,in vain that hue and cry it was made1  
,they found none of them though the     
country was laid1      ,but this grieved
 the ,cripple night and day1      ,that 
he so unluckily missed of his play4     
,nine hundred pounds this ,cripple had  
got      ,by begging and thieving1 so   
good was his lot2      ,a thousand pound
 he would make it1 he said1      ,and   

then he would give over his trade4      
,but as he striv'd his mind to fulfil1  
,in following his actions so lewd and so
 ill1      ,at last he was taken the law
 to suffice1      ,condemned and hanged 
at ,exeter 'size4        ,which made all
 men amazed to see      ,that such an   
impudent cripple as he      ,should     
venture himself such actions as they1   
,to rob in such sort upon the high-way4 
,,the ,,baarley ,,mow 7a harvest song74 
,here's a health to the baarley mow1 my 
braave boys1      ,here's a health to   
the baarley mow4      ,we'll drenk et   
out of the jolly brown boul1            
,here's a health to the baarley mow4    
,chorus4        ,here's a health to the 
baarley mow1 my braave boys1            
,here's a health to the baarley mow4    
,we'll drenk et out of the nepperkin1   
#cg boys1      ,here's a health to the  
baarley mow4      ,the nepperkin1 and   
the jolly brown boul4                   
,chorus4--,here's a health1 etc4        
,we'll drenk et out of the quaarter     

pint1 boys1      ,here's a health to the
 baarley mow4      ,the quaarter pint1  
nepperkin1 and the jolly brown boul4    
,chorus4--,here's a health1 etc4        
,this goes on through very many verses  
until all the different parts  of liquid
 measure are exhausted2 the three last  
verses are--          ,we'll drenk et   
out of the well1 my braave boys1        
,here's a health to the baarley mow4    
,the well1 the hoosghead1 #ch the haalf 
hoosghead1 ainker1 #ci          the     
haalf ainker1 gallon1 the pottle1 the   
quaart1 the          pint1 the haalf a  
pint1 quaarter pint1 nepperkin1         
and the jolly brown boul4               
,chorus4--,here's a health1 etc4        
,we'll drenk et out of the rever1 my    
boys1      ,here's a health to the      
baarley mow4      ,the rever1 the well1 
etc4        ,chorus4--,here's a health1 
etc4        ,we'll drenk et out of the  
ocean1 my boys1      ,here's a health to
 the baarley mow4      ,the ocean1 the  
rever1 the well1 etc4                   

,chorus4--,here's a health1 etc4        
,at ,looe1 in ,east ,cornwall1 it was   
usual forty years ago1 and  probably it 
is still1 for labourers to sing ',the   
,long ,hundred'  7a song of numbers71   
when throwing ballast with shovels from 
a sand  barge into a ship4 ,the object  
was said to be threefold2 'to keep time 
7i4e4 work simultaneously71 to prevent  
anyone from shirking his share  of work1
 and to cheer themselves for the        
labour1' which was by no  means light4  
,a shovelful of ballast was delivered by
 every man with  each line of the song1 
which ran thus3--          ,,the ,,long 
,,hundred4         ',there goes one4    
,one there is gone4      ,oh1 rare one6 
,and many more to come      ,to make up 
the sum      ,of the hundred so long4   
',there goes1' etc4 on to twenty4       
,the song1 it will be seen1 consisted of
 twenty six-line stanzas2  hence when it
 was completed1 each man had thrown on  
board one hundred  and twenty1 i4e4 'a  
long hundred1' shovelfuls of ballast4   

,after a  pause both the song and the   
ballasting were resumed1 and so on to   
the end4--,w4 ,pengelly4    ,there are a
 great many jingling local rhymes and   
modern dialect poems  not worth         
recording2 ,i will only quote two of the
 first3--          ,,elicompane4        
,what is your name8--,elicompane4       
,who gave you that name8--,my master and
 dame4      ,how long will you keep     
it8--,as long as ,i like it4      ,how  
long will that be8--,as long as me and  
my master agree4      ,polwhele calls a 
tomtit ,elicompane2 and says ,there is a
 vulgar  tradition that it is a bird by 
day and a toad by night4                
,,uncle ,,jan ,,dory4         ,i'll tell
 'ee a story 'bout ,uncle ,jan ,dory1   
,who lived by the side of a well1       
,he went to a 'plomp' 7pump71 and got   
himself drunk1      ,and under the table
 he fell4      ,the ,cornish peasantry  
of the last century were very fond of   
riddles1  but most of them will not bear
 repetition2 they are 7as well as many  

of their sayings and rhymes7 much too   
broad for the taste of this  generation1
 and would only be tolerated in the days
 when a spade  was called a spade4      
,there are two exceptions that ,i know  
worth  transcribing2 one has already    
appeared with its answer1 through  the  
,rev4 ,s4 ,rundle1 in ,transactions     
,penzance ,natural ,history and         
,antiquarian ,society1 #ahhe-hf4        
,riddle me6 riddle me right6      ,guess
 where ,i was to last ,saturday night4  
,up in the old ivy tree1      ,two old  
foxes under me1      ,digging a grave to
 bury me4      ,first ,i heard the wind 
blow1      ,then ,i heard the cock crow1
      ,then ,i saw the chin-champ       
chawing up his bridle1      ,then ,i saw
 the work-man working hisself idle4     
,answer4--,a young woman made an        
appointment to meet her sweetheart2     
arriving first at the place1 she climbed
 into an ivy-covered tree  to await his 
coming4 ,he came in company with another
 man1 and not  seeing her the two old   

foxes began to dig a grave1 in which    
from  her hiding-place she heard that   
after murdering they intended putting   
her4 ,the chin-champ was the horse on   
which they rode away1 when they  failed 
to discover her4 ,working hisself idle1 
is working in vain4         ,as ,i went 
over ,london bridge      ,upon a cloudy 
day1      ,i met a fellow1 clothed in   
yellow1      ,i took him up and sucked  
his blood1      ,and threw his skin     
away4      ,what was he8 ,answer4--,an  
orange4    ,with a nonsensical acrostic 
on the word ,finis1 well known in the   
beginning of this century1 ,i must end  
this 7,i fear7 long1 rambling  work4    
,f--for ,francis1      ,i--for ,jancis1 
,n--for ,nich'las ,bony2      ,i--for   
,john the water-man1      ,s--for ,sally
 ,stony4                          ,m4   
,a4 ,courtney4                          
,,addenda4      ,helston ,borough       
,bounds1 page #bj4--;,at the close of   
this ceremony eleven  dozen buns are    
thrown amongst the crowd to be scrambled

 for4 ,one is  always reserved for the  
,mayor4    ,wells1 page #fe4--,some     
wells in ,cornwall 7not holy7 were famed
 for  their wonderful virtues3 ,i will  
mention two4 ,the water of the first1   
which was west of ,penzance1 was        
esteemed a sovereign cure for sore      
eyes4 ,people from far and near visited 
it1 and even carried away the  water in 
bottles4 ,it was1 however1 best if      
possible to walk to the well  before    
breakfast1 and there bathe the eyes4    
,the second was at ,castle  ,chn1       
between ,penzance and ,st4 ,just2 its   
water endowed the drinkers  with        
perpetual youth4 ,both have dried up    
within the last fifty years4    ,ghosts1
 page #ii4--,the following quaint story 
was told me by a girl  whose grandmother
 was the friend mentioned4    ,in the   
last century there lived in ,trezelah 7a
 hamlet in the  parish of ,gulval1 near 
,penzance71 a widow who had been        
deprived of  her rights4 ,walking one   
day in the fields near her home she saw 

a  strange spotted dog who seemed to    
know her2 she met it a second time1  and
 decided when she next went out to take 
a friend with her4 ,again  she saw it   
7her friend did not71 and said ,in the  
,name of the ,lord1  speak to me4 ,it   
changed into her husband1 who told her  
to be ready at  a certain time1 when he 
would fetch her4 ,soon after1 her friend
 being  in the house1 the woman1 who was
 giving her children their supper1 said 
,the time is come1 ,i must be gone2 she 
then put on her sun-bonnet and  went    
out4 ,she was away about an hour1 when  
she suddenly appeared with  a great     
noise1 as if someone had hurled her in  
through the door4 ,her  story was that  
her husband had taken her up in his arms
 and carried  her over the tree-tops as 
far as ,ludgvan ,church1 where he       
deposited  her on the ,church-stile1    
from whence she saw a great many        
spirits1  some good and some bad4 ,the  
latter wanted her to join them1 but her 
husband bade her remain where she was4  

,what they told her was never  known2   
but by their aid she got back her       
rights4 ,then her husband  bore her home
 again by the way they had come2 but    
before he parted  from her said ,i must 
take something from you2 either your    
eyesight1  or your hearing4 ,she        
preferred losing the latter1 and from   
that hour  could never hear a word4 ,one
 of her shoes that in her flight through
  the air had caught on a tree-top1     
seven years after was placed on  her    
window-sill4    ,farmers'               
,superstitions1 page #ada4--;,if you can
 throw fire over a  witch you will break
 the spell4 ,bleeding a white hen on a  
millstone  prevents danger from the     
mill2 for they say a mill will have     
blood  every seven years4    ,charms1   
page #add4--,some were provided with    
little bags of earth1  teeth1 or bones  
taken from a grave4 ,most of the very   
religious  folks had a verse of         
scripture1 concluded with the           
comfortable  assurance that by the help 

of the ,lord the white witch hopes to do
  them good4--,bottrell4    ,epilepsy1  
page #aed4--;,another authority says    
that the thirty pence  collected by     
thirty young men at the ,church door is 
deposited for a  half-crown1 from which 
the centre is cut4 ,the flat ring left  
is worn  by the epileptic person day and
 night4--,through ,rev4 ,a4 ,h4 ,malan1 
,m4,a4        ,the ,bundle of ,charms1  
,rev4 ,a4 ,h4 ,malan1 ,m4 ,a41 is       
unavoidably      omitted4    ,burning   
the ,witch1 page #ahj4--,still played4  
,a pole about five feet  long is placed 
with its ends resting on low stools1 or 
bottles4 ,on  this a person sits        
lengthways with crossed ankles4 ,he 7or 
she7 holds  in his hand a long stick    
with a slit at one end1 into which the  
paper  effigy of the witch is stuck4    
,this must be burnt at a candle placed  
on the floor at a short distance from   
the sitter2 he must not support  himself
 in any way1 nor leave his perch4       
,,notes      #a ,a very general one for 

poor people in some parts of the county 
on ,christmas-eve was pilchards and     
unpeeled potatoes boiled together  in   
one crock4    #b ,scat1 a blow1 a slap4 
#c ,uther is still used as a ,christian 
name in ,cornwall4    #d ,the ,cornish  
manner of pronouncing the name of ,st4  
,clare4    #e ,supposed to have been    
shads1 vulgarly here called             
,chuck-cheldern1  from the number of    
bones in them4    #f ,burn1 a1 load1 a  
burden4    #g ,a fuller account of      
,tregeagle and his wonderful doings may 
be  found in ,bottrell's ,traditions1   
,west ,cornwall4    #h ,a monastery     
existed there1 and in #ahhc portions of 
the building  were still standing4    #i
 ,a gentleman's seat in the parish of   
,gulval1 near ,penzance4    #aj ,there  
is a small enclosure near the castle1   
where several  members of the family of 
,hosking were interred1 owing to a      
quarrel  that ,mr4 ,hosking had with the
 vicar of ,ludgvan over some tithes4    
,the  last funeral took place in #ahbc4 

,on one of the stones is inscribed1  ,it
 is virtue alone that consecrates this  
ground1 and ,custom is  the idol of     
fools4    #aa ,the ,penzance ,promenade 
is built on part of it4 ,in my childhood
  it was said to be one of the resorts  
of ,spring-heeled ,jack1 of whom  ,i    
then lived in mortal dread4    #ab ,a   
small stream coloured by running through
 tin mining works4    #ac ,marazion is  
no longer a ,corporate town4    #ad     
,dennis is a very common ,cornish       
surname4    #ae ,old ,monk is a term of 
contempt in ,cornwall1 applied to old   
or young men4 ,i saw the old monk coming
 down the garden 7a youth  of twenty74  
#af ,the word ,meryons is also used in  
,cornwall as a term of endearment1      
,she's faather's little ,meryon4    #ag 
,see ante1 ,cornish ,feasts and ,feasten
 ,customs4    #ah ,fuggan1 a cake made  
of flour and raisins often eaten by     
miners  for dinner4    #ai ,didjan1 a   
tiny bit4    #bj ,some say you must     
neither whistle nor swear1 but you may  

sing  and laugh4    #ba ,all men are    
boys in ,cornwall4    #bb ,train-oil is 
expressed from them4    #bc ,to bulk    
pilchards is to place them1 after they  
have been rubbed  with salt1 in large   
regular heaps1 alternately heads and    
tails4    #bd ,st4 ,ives4    #be ,and   
,cornish ,feasts and ,customs4    #bf   
,the illiterate ,cornish often double   
their negatives3 ,i don't  know1 not ,i2
 ,i'll never do it1 no1 never no more4  
#bg ,hazelen mot--root of a hazel tree4 
#bh ,braggaty--spotted4    #bi          
,double--a ring4    #cj ,fuggan1 a flat 
cake4    #ca ,brend1 to knit the brows4 
#cb ,tap a shoe1 to sole4    #cc ,a     
similar superstition prevails about     
breakages1 and a servant  who has had   
the misfortune to break a valuable piece
 of china will  sometimes smash a common
 basin or tea-cup to arrest the         
ill-luck4    #cd ,pitch a tune1 to give 
the keynote4    #ce ,arish mow1 a rick  
of corn made in the field where it was  
cut4    #cf ,scat1 to slap4    #cg ,a   

gill4    #ch ,cornish for hogshead4     
#ci ,anker4