Category Archives: Customs

Burns Night

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Robert Burns

Robert Burns

Robert Burns (25 January 1759 – 21 July 1796) was a Scottish poet and lyricist. He is widely regarded as the national poet of Scotland and is celebrated worldwide.

As well as making original compositions, Burns also collected folk songs from across Scotland, often revising or adapting them.

In 2009, STV ran a television series and public vote on who was “The Greatest Scot”. On St Andrew’s Day, STV announced that Robert Burns had been voted the greatest Scot of all time, narrowly beating William Wallace.

On 25th January, to celebrate his birth Scots (and others) around the world celebrate his life and works with a Burns Supper.

The main dish is haggis, served with neeps (turnip or swede) and tatties (potatoes) and perhaps the odd shot of whisky.

The arrival of the dish is announced by one of Burns’ most famous poems.

Address to a Haggis Read more »

Posted in Georgean (1714AD - 1837AD), Authors and Poets, Food and Drink, Scotland

The Prophesy of Merlin – John Reade (1870)

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Sir Bedivere, in silence, watched the barge
That bore away King Arthur to the vale
Of Avalon, till it was seen no more.
Then, on the beach, alone amid the dead,
He lifted up his voice and sorely wept
” Alas ! ” he cried, ” gone are the pleasant days
At Camelot, and the sweet fellowship
Of noble knights and true, and beauteous dames
Who have no peers in all the living world,
Is quite dissolved for ever, and the King
Has gone and left none like him among men.
O happy, thrice and fourfold, ye who rest,
Both friends and foemen, in one peaceful bed,
While I am sick at soul and cannot die !
Oh ! that the battle might be fought again !
Then would I surely seek the way to death,
And bleed and sleep like you, and be at peace.
Read more »

Posted in Songs and Poems, Witchcraft and Magic

Little Sir Hugh

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When the body of a nine year-old boy was found in a well in Lincoln in 1255, the Jewish owner of the well was (despite the lack of any evidence) held for the child’s murder.

Before his execution, he was tortured and coerced into implicating not only himself but also a number of prominent Jews, that had come to the city to attend a wedding, in a ritual murder that among other tortures involved the boy being crucified.

Six months earlier Henry III had sold his rights to tax the Jews to his brother Richard, Earl of Cornwall, this alleged crime gave him an excuse to seize the property of any found guilty of the crime.

92 Jews were arrested and taken to London, 18 were hanged for refusing to take part in the trial and the rest were found guilty and sentenced to death but later pardoned when Earl Richard interceded on their behalf.

Little Hugh’s body was buried in Lincoln Cathedral.

The story of the boy’s death stirred the anti-semitism that was already virulent in England at that time. Read more »

Posted in Medieval (1066AD - 1485AD), Foul Deeds, Lincolnshire, Songs and Poems

Beth Gelert; or, the Grave of the Greyhound

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To the south of the villiage of Beddgelert in The Snowdonia National Park is a small stone monument marks the resting place of Gelert the faithful hound of the medieval Welsh Prince Llewelyn the Great.

Gelert

Gelert

The spearmen heard the bugle sound,
And cheerly smiled the morn;
And many a brach, and many a hound,
Obeyed Llewelyn’s horn.

And still he blew a louder blast,
And gave a lustier cheer:
‘Come, Gelert come, wer’t never last
Llewelyn’s horn to hear.

‘Oh where does faithful Gelert roam,
The flower of all his race;
So true, so brave, a lamb at home,
A lion in the chase?’

‘Twas only at Llewelyn’s board
The faithful Gelert fed;
He watched, he served, he cheered his lord,
And sentinelled his bed. Read more »

Posted in Animals, Caernarfonshire, Monuments, Songs and Poems

A Glossary of Lancashire Dialect

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Glossary of Lancashire dialect.

by

George Hull.

 

Abeawt, about
Aboon, above
Afoor, before
An’, and
Appos, apples
As, ‘At, that
Aw, I
Aw’ll, I will
Aw s’, I shall
Aye, sure; yes, certainly

Bawls eawt, calls out
Beawn to, bound to, going to
Beawt, without
Bell-heawr, meal time
Bi theirsel’, by themselves, alone
Bin, been
Bobby, policeman
Bod, but, only
Booat, boat
Bowt, bought
Brass, money
Breet, bright
Brid, bird
Browt, brought
Broo, brow
Brooak, broke
Brunt, burnt
Bud, but, only

Campin’, chatting.
Canel, Canal
Catched, caught
Ceawrd, cowered
Chaff, banter
Chap, fellow
Cheer, chair
Childer, children
Chimbley, chimney
Chucked, thrown
Clam, starve
Cleawds, clouds
Cleynin’, cleaning
Clooas, clothes
Co, (1) call, (2) abuse
Codger (Cadger), fellow
Con, can
Connod, cannot
Cooat, coat
Cooartin‘, courting
Coom, came
Corn’d, cannot
Cosses, curses, curse
Cowd, cold
Crack, (1) an instant, (2) a joke or merry
anecdote
Craytur, creature
Creawded, crowded
Cronies, mates
Cut, canal

Dad, father
Daicent, decent
Deawn, down
Dee, die
Disate, deceit
Doesno’, does not, dost not
Dooin’, doing
Dorn’d, don’t
Dree, monotonous
Dreeam, dream
Drooav, drove
Dudn’d, did not
Dust, a warm discussion
Dule (Devil), smart fellow

Eawr, our
Eawt, out
E’e, eye; E’en, eyes
‘Em, them
Eyt, eat

Fauce (False), knowing, wise
Fayther, father
Fayver, fever
Feeard, afraid
Fella, fellow
Fleawr, (1) flour, (2) flower
Fo, fall
Foo’, fool
Fooak, folk
Footbo’, football
Forged, forget
Forrad, forward
Fost, first
Fotch, fetch
Fowd, fold, yard
Fowt, fought, toiled
Fun’, found

Ged, get;
Geddin, getting
Geet, got
Getten, gotten
Gill (Jill), in Lancashire, half-a pint
Gi’n, given
Gooa, go; Gooan, gone
Gowd, gold
Gradely, proper-ly, thorough-ly
Gred, great
Gronny, granny

Hafe, or Hofe, half
Hafe-timer (Half-timer), a child
who works during one half of each day and attends school the other half
Heaw, how
Heawr, hour
Heawse, house
Hed, had
He’d, (1) he had, (2) he would
Heeard, heard
Hes, has; Hev, have
Heyd, head
Hob, side of fireplace opposite oven
Hoo, she
Hooam, home
Hooarse, hoarse
Horts, hurts
Hoss, horse

I’, in
Id, it; Id’, its
Ill fooak, sick folks
Iv, if

Jannock, genuine
Jiffy, instant

Keer, care
Knowed, knew

Layrock, lark
Leeap, leap
Leet, light
Leet on, alight upon, discover
Lick, beat
Limber, lithe, active
Loce, loose
Looan, lane
Lots, plenty
Loysin’, losing

Mad, vexed
Maister, master
Mam, mother
Marlocks, practical jokes
Meawse, mouse
Meawths, mouths
Med, made; Mek, make
Meyt, meat
Mi, my; Misel’, myself
Mich, much
Mo, me
Mon, man
Mony, many
Mooast, most Moor, more
Moytherd, worried, troubled
Mun, must; Mut, might

Nau’but, naught but
Neaw, now
Neet, night
Nob’ry, nobody
Nod, not
Nod, a, a doze, a sleep
Nor, than
Nowe, no (the negative answer)
Nowt, nought
Noysy, nosy

O, all
O’, of, on
Oather, either
Olez, always
On, of
Ooak, oak
Oon, Oven
Oppen, open
Otogether, altogether
Ov, of
Owd, old
Owt, aught, anything, ought

Papper, paper, newspaper
Peawnd, pound
Peawrs, powers
Peearkt, perched
Pleecemon, policeman
Pon, pan
Poo’d, pulled
Pooarch, porch
Pratty, pretty
Preawd, proud

Quare, queer
Quate, quiet

Rayther, rather
Reawnd, round
Reet, Reight, right
Rowls, rolls
Ruffins (Ruffians), rough lads

Scoor, score
Seawnd, sound
Seawr, sour
Seeatbooard, the seatboard of
a handloom
Seet, sight; See ‘t, see it, saw it.
Seet off, started off
Set, sat
Sheawr, shower
Sheawted, shouted
Sheed, shed, let fall
Si, (1) see, (2) saw
Sich, such
Sin, seen; Sin’, since
Skeeam, scheme
Slutch, sludge
Smooky, smoky
Some’at, somewhat, something
Sooa, so; Sooart, sort
Sowd, sold
Sowjered, soldiered, served in the army
Sowl, soul
Speawtin’ (Spouting), speechmaking
Stannin’, standing
Sterted, started
Steylin’, stealing
Stooary, story
Stor thi stumps, stir thy feet
Swellin’, swelling, swaggering

T’, Th’, the
Ta, Tha, Thae, thou
Tay, tea
Teawn, town
Tekkin’, taking
Tentin’, attending to
Tenter, weaver’s assistant
Ter’ble, terrible, wonderful
Teyched, taught
Thad, that
Thae’rt, Tha’rt, thou art
Thacked, thatched
Theer, there
Theirsel’, themselves
They’n, they have
Thick, friendly
Thowt, thought
To’ard, To’art, toward
Took his hook, ran off
Towd, told
Toyler, toiler
Two-o’-thre’ (two or three), a few

Uns, ones

Varra, very
Voyce, voice

Wakken, waken
Watter, Wayter, water
Waur, were, was
Waurld, world
Weel, well
Welly, well nigh
We’n, we have
Wer, short sound of were; used in dialect for was, and occasionally for our
We s’, we shall
Weyvin’, weaving
Wheer, where
Whol, while
Wi’, with
Wi’nod, will not
Wi’ ‘t, with it
Wo, wall
Wod, (1) what, (2) would
Wodn’d, would not
Wooave, wove
Wo’st, worst
Wo’th, worth

Yar, our
Yed, head
Yer, Yore, your
Yo’n, you have
Posted in Lancashire, Spoken Word

Nine Daies Wonder – William Kemp

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William Kemp was an English actor and dancer specialising in comic roles and is best known for having been one of the original players in early dramas by William Shakespeare.

Nothing is known of his origins but he is first noted as a performer with Leicester’s Men in May 1585. Kemp’s success by 1598 made him one of the core shareholders in the Lord Chamberlain’s Men (one of the leading theatrical companies of the time) alongside Shakespeare and Richard Burbage and was a sharer in the plans to construct the Globe Theatre.

In 1600 undertook his Nine Days Wonder a Morris Dance from London to Norwich an account of which he published as a pamphlet.

The last definite mention of him is in 1602, but due to a vague reference in parish records, he is thought to have died in Southwark in 1603, penniless.

The pamphlet was published with an introduction and notes by Rev. Alexander Dyce for the Camden Society in 1839 and has been reproduced by folkcustoms.co.uk (2012)

Posted in Dances, Essex, Norfolk, Suffolk

Morris Dancing

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The Morris dance is common to all inhabited worlds in the multiverse.

It is danced under blue skies to celebrate the quickening of the soil and under bare stars because it’s springtime and with any luck the carbon dioxide will unfreeze again.

The imperative is felt by deep-sea beings who have never seen the sun and urban humans whose only connection with the cycles of nature is that their Volvo once ran over a sheep.

It is danced innocently by raggedy-bearded young mathematicians to an inexpert accordion rendering of “Mrs Widgery’s Lodger” and ruthlessly by such as the Ninja Morris Men of New Ankh, who can do strange and terrible things with a simple handkerchief and a bell.

Terry Pratchett – Reaper Man

Often seen as a quintessential English pastime, the full origins of Morris Dancing are lost in the mists of time. While there are mentions of sword dances, mumming plays, guising and other activities that we now associate with Morris, but it isn’t until the late 15th century that the term is first recorded. Even then, the term “Morys” seems to refer to a court dance rather than the public spectacle that it is today.

Abbots Bromley Horn Dance

In 1492, the Spaniards having driven the Moors out of the country celebrated with a pageant known as a Moresca which included a sword dance. It is likely that this is where the association between the name and the form of dance originates. With sword dances widespread around the world, it is probable that Morris was either a renaming or an adaptation of a much older tradition, the sticks commonly used by Morris Dancers today a remnant of the original swords.

Read more »

Posted in Dances

Fair Ellen of Radcliffe

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There was a lord of worthy fame,
And a hunting he would ride,
Attended by a noble traine
Of gentrye by his side.

And while he did in chase remaine,
To see both sport and playe,
His ladye went,
as she did feigne,
Unto the church to praye.

This lord he had a daughter deare,
Whose beauty shone so bright,
She was beloved both far and neare
Of many a lord and knight.

Read more »

Posted in Foul Deeds, Lancashire, Songs and Poems
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