ACCROSHAY-NUTS IN MAY LONDON DAVID NUTT, 270-71 STRAND 1894 TO _MY HUSBAND_ PREFACE Soon after the formation of the Folk-lore Society in 1878 my husband planned, and has ever since been collecting for, the compilation of a dictionary of British Folk-lore. A great deal of the material has been put in form for publication, but at this stage the extent of the work presented an unexpected obstacle to its completion. To print the whole in one alphabet would be more than could be accomplished except by the active co-operation of a willing band of workers, and then the time required for such an undertaking, together with the cost, almost seemed to debar the hope of ever completing arrangements for its publication. Nevertheless, unless we have a scientific arrangement of the enormously scattered material and a close comparison of the details of each item of folk-lore, it is next to impossible to expect that the full truth which lies hidden in these remnants of the past may be revealed. During my preparation of a book of games for children it occurred to me that to separate the whole of the games from the general body of folk-lore and to make them a section of the proposed dictionary would be an advantageous step, as by arranging the larger groups of folk-lore in independent sections the possibility of publishing the contemplated dictionary again seemed to revive. Accordingly, the original plan has been so far modified that these volumes will form the first section of the dictionary, which, instead of being issued in one alphabet throughout, will now be issued in sections, each section being arranged alphabetically. The games included in this collection bear the important qualification of being nearly all Children s Games: that is to say, they were either originally children s games since developed into games for adults, or they were the more serious avocations of adults, which have since become children s games only. In both cases the transition is due to traditional circumstances, and not to any formal arrangements. All invented games of skill are therefore excluded from this collection, but it includes both indoor and outdoor games, and those played by both girls and boys. The bulk of the collection has been made by myself, greatly through the kindness of many correspondents, to whom I cannot be sufficiently grateful.
| -- | -- | -- | | 5.| -- | -- | -- | | 6.|Your grass is so |The grass is so green.|The grass is so green.| | |green. | | | | 7.|The fairest damsel | -- | -- | | |ever seen. | | | | 8.| -- |The fairest young lady| -- | | | |ever seen. | | | 9.
--[London][5] (Halliwell s _Nursery Rhymes_, clii.). III. London Bridge is broaken down, Is broaken down, is broaken down, London Bridge is broaken down, My fair lady. Build it up with bricks and mortar, Bricks and mortar, bricks and mortar, Build it up with bricks and mortar, My fair lady. Bricks and mortar will not stay, Will not stay, will not stay, Bricks and mortar will not stay, My fair lady. Build it up with penny loaves, Penny loaves, penny loaves, Build it up with penny loaves, My fair lady. Penny loaves will mould away, Mould away, mould away, Penny loaves will mould away, My fair lady. What have this poor prisoner done, Prisoner done, prisoner done, What have this poor prisoner done? My fair lady. Stole my watch and lost my key, Lost my key, lost my key, Stole my watch and lost my key, My fair lady.
White always has the advantage, usually believed to be equal to 55%, counting drawn games as one half. This is because White can usually take more risks in offering a gambit than Black can in accepting it, and the best judges say that they would rather give a Knight and take the white pieces, than give Pawn-and-move and take the black. _=Gambit=_ is a term used in Italian wrestling, and means that the adversary is given an apparent advantage at the start, in order more successfully to trip him up later on. There are a great many chess openings, all of which have been analysed as far as the tenth move, including every possible variation on the way. The student who wishes to study them in detail should procure Freeborough’s “Chess Openings,” or Cook’s “Synopsis.” In these works, if either side has an advantage before the tenth move, it is indicated by a plus sign; if the position is equal, it is so marked. In studying openings, the student should be careful always to play with the winning side next him; that is, never study how to play a losing game. If the variation ends with a plus sign, showing a win for the white, play it over with the white men next you. In selecting openings for general use in play, if it is one for the white men, take those openings that have the greatest number of variations ending in favour of white. The Ruy Lopez is a very good opening for beginners, and the Evans’ Gambit may be studied later.
The Congleton and London versions are played by two lines of children of about equal numbers. In the Lincolnshire version the above description answers, except that when the last line is sung every one claps hands. In the Sussex version the child at the end of the line is taken over by the child who sings the verses, and they lock their little fingers together while singing the remainder. Addy (_Sheffield Glossary_) says:-- Two children advance and retire on one side. When the opposite side says Yes! the two take the first child in the row and dance round with her, singing the remaining verse. This is called the wedding. The Lanarkshire version is quite a different one, and contains rather remarkable features. Mr. Black says that the game was played entirely by girls, never by boys, and generally in the months of May or June, about forty years ago. The children sang with rather mincing and refined voices, evidently making an effort in this direction.
If this is to be allowed, it should be so understood at the beginning of the game. _=The High Hand=_ jack pot is played whenever a hand of an agreed value, such as a flush or a full, is shown to the board; that is, called. In some places four of a kind calls for _=a round of jacks=_, every player in turn making it a jack on his deal. _=Only Two In.=_ It is a common custom in large parties, say six or seven players, to make it a jack when no one but the dealer will ante. Instead of allowing the blind to make his ante good, and draw cards against the dealer, each player contributes two white counters, the age adding one to his blind, and the cards are redealt for a jack pot. Another variety of this custom is when the blind is opposed by only one ante, to allow the age to make this player take down his two counters, and to pay two counters for him, to make it a jack. For instance: Five play, and A has the age. B and C pass, and D antes two counters. The dealer, E, says: “I pass for a jack.
_=THE CRIB.=_ The cards dealt, each player takes up his six cards and examines them with a view to laying out two cards, face downward, for the crib; leaving himself four cards with which to play. The four cards which form the crib, two from each hand, always belong to the dealer, and it is usual for each player, in discarding for the crib, to slip his two cards under the end of the cribbage board opposite to that occupied by the remainder of the pack. Cards once laid out for the crib, and the hand removed from them, cannot be taken up again. A penalty of two points may be scored by the adversary for each card so taken up again, whether it is returned to the player’s hand or not. If either player confuses his cards in any manner with those of the crib, his adversary scores two points, and may also claim a fresh deal. If it is not discovered until he comes to lay out for the crib, that a player has too many cards, the same rules apply that are given for misdealing; but if he has too few cards there is no remedy, as he has lifted his hand. He must lay out two cards for the crib and play with what remain, his adversary scoring two points penalty at the same time. _=THE STARTER.=_ Both players having discarded for the crib, the non-dealer cuts the remainder of the pack, and the dealer lifts the top card from the portion left on the table, turning it face up.
Catchers One bicken is required in this game, and at this a lad must stand with a bat and ball in hand. He hits the ball away along the sand. Another boy picks it up and asks the striker How many? who replies-- Two a good scat, Try for the bat. The ball is then thrown to the bicken, and if it does not come within the distance named--two bats--the striker again sends the ball away, when the question is again asked-- Three a good scat, Try for the bat. And so on until the boy standing out throws the ball in to the required distance.--Old newspaper cutting without date in my possession (A. B. Gomme). Chacke-Blyndman Scotch name for Blindman s Buff. --Jamieson.
The first player then takes the other s place in the ring, and in turn walks round the outside repeating the same formula.--_Folk-lore Journal_, vii. 212; Penzance (Mrs. Mabbott). In Shropshire, as soon as the player going round the ring has dropped the handkerchief on the shoulder of the girl he chooses, both players run _opposite ways_ outside the ring, each trying to be the first to regain the starting-point. If the one who was chosen gets there first, no kiss can be claimed. It is often called Drop-handkerchief, from the signal for the chase. The more general way of playing (either with or without words), as seen by me on village greens round London, is, when the handkerchief has been dropped, for the player to dart through the ring and in and out again under the clasped hands; the pursuer must follow in and out through the same places, and must bring the one he catches into the ring before he can legally claim the kiss. Elworthy (_West Country Words_), in describing this game, says: The person behind whom the handkerchief is dropped is entitled to kiss the person who dropped it, if he or she can catch him or her, before the person can get round the ring to the vacant place. Of course, when a girl drops it she selects a favoured swain, and the chase is severe up to a point, but when a girl is the pursuer there often is a kind of donkey race lest she should have to give the kiss which the lad takes no pains to avoid.
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quoted in Halliwell s _Dictionary_. In Peele s play of the _Old Wives Tale_, a voice thus speaks from the bottom of a well:-- Gently dip, but not too deep, For fear you make the golden beard to weep. Fair maiden, white and red, Stroke me smooth and comb my head, And thou shalt have some _cockell-bread_. Cockly-jock A game among boys. Stones are loosely placed one upon another, at which other stones are thrown to knock the pile down.--Dickinson s _Cumberland Glossary_. See Castles. Cock s-headling A game where boys mount over each other s heads.--Halliwell s _Dictionary_. See Cockertie-hooie.
9. The deal passes to the left. 10. There must be a new deal by the same dealer if the pack is proved to be incorrect, either during the deal or during the play of a hand; or if any card is faced in the pack, or is found to be so marked or mutilated that it can be named. In the last case a new pack must be used. 11. If a card is exposed during the deal, the player to whom it is dealt may demand a new deal, provided he has not touched any of his cards. If the deal stands, the exposed card cannot be called. 12. Any one dealing out of turn may be stopped before the last card is dealt.
Jamieson (_Etymological Dict._) gives this as a sport of children. [Illustration: Fig. 1. Fig. 2.] See Dump, Green Grass, Hot Cockles. Doddart A game played in a large level field with a bent stick called doddart. Two parties, headed by two captains, endeavour to drive a wooden ball to their respective boundaries (Halliwell s _Dictionary_). Brockett (_North Country Words_) adds to this that the captains are entitled to choose their followers by alternate votes.
=_ At the bottom of any of the three vertical columns, taking in the twelve numbers. This pays 2 for 1. Limit is 3,000 francs. 7. _=Bas à cheval=_, between any two of these columns. This pays ½ for 1. Limit is 3,000 francs. 8. _=Premier, Milieu, Dernier.=_ Bets placed in the spaces marked P 12, M 12, and D 12, are upon the first, middle and last twelve numbers; that is, from 1 to 12, 13 to 24, and 25 to 36 respectively.
Sweeting. Maxey Rev. W. D. Sweeting. NORTHUMBERLAND { Brockett s _Provincial Words_, ed. { 1846. Hexham Miss J. Barker. NOTTINGHAMSHIRE Miss Peacock.
ii. SHROPSHIRE Burne s _Shropshire Folk-lore_. Madeley, Middleton Miss Burne. Tong Miss R. Harley. { Elworthy s _Dialect_, _Somerset and SOMERSETSHIRE { Dorset Notes and Queries_, Holloway s { _Dictionary_. Bath Miss Large. STAFFORDSHIRE-- Hanbury Miss E. Hollis. Cheadle Miss Burne.