The Project Gutenberg eBook, Old English Sports, by Peter Hampson Ditchfield

Title: Old English Sports

Author: Peter Hampson Ditchfield

Release Date: December 10, 2004 [eBook #14315]

Language: English

Character set encoding: ISO-8859-1

***START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK OLD ENGLISH SPORTS***

E-text prepared by Jonathan Ingram, Richard J. Shiffer,
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OLD ENGLISH SPORTS

Pastimes and Customs

BY

P.H. DITCHFIELD, M.A.

FELLOW OF THE ROYAL HISTORICAL SOCIETY; RECTOR OF BARKHAM, BERKS HON. SEC. OF BERKS ARCHÆOLOGICAL SOCIETY ETC.

First published by Methuen & Co., 1891

TO Lady Russell THIS BOOK IS DEDICATED WITH THE AUTHOR'S KINDEST REGARDS.

PREFACE.

Encouraged by the kind reception which his former book, Our English Villages, met with at the hands of both critics and the public, the author has ventured to reproduce in book-form another series of articles which have appeared during the past year in the pages of The Parish Magazine. He desires to express his thanks to Canon Erskine Clarke for kindly permitting him to reprint the articles, which have been expanded and in part rewritten. The Sports and Pastimes of England have had many chroniclers, both ancient and modern, amongst whom may be mentioned Strutt, Brand, Hone, Stow, and several others, to whose works the writer is indebted for much valuable information.

The object of this book is to describe, in simple language, the holiday festivals as they occurred in each month of the year; and the sports, games, pastimes, and customs associated with these rural feasts. It is hoped that such a description may not be without interest to our English villagers, and perhaps to others who love the study of the past. Possibly it may help forward the revival of the best features of old village life, and the restoration of some of those pleasing customs which Time has deprived us of. The writer is much indebted to Mr. E.R.R. Bindon for his very careful revision of the proof-sheets.

BARKHAM RECTORY,
1891.

CONTENTS.

CHAPTER I.

JANUARY

Dedication Festivals—New Year's Day—"Wassail"—Twelfth Night—"King of the Bean"—St. Distaffs Day—Plough Monday—Winter Games—Skating—Sword-dancing

1

CHAPTER II.

FEBRUARY.

Hunting—Candlemas Day—St. Blaize's Day—Shrove-tide— Football—Battledore and Shuttlecock—Cock-throwing

13

CHAPTER III.

MARCH.

Archery—Lent—"Mothering" Sunday—Palm Sunday— "Shere" Thursday—Watching the Sepulchre

25

CHAPTER IV.

APRIL.

Easter Customs—Pace Eggs—Handball in Churches—Sports confined to special localities—Stoolball and Barley-brake—Water Tournament:—Quintain—Chester Sports—Hock-tide

36

CHAPTER V.

MAY.

May-day Festivities—May-pole—Morris-dancers—The Book of Sports—Bowling—Beating the Bounds—George Herbert's description of a Country Parson

44

CHAPTER VI.

JUNE.

Whitsuntide Sports—Church-ales—Church-house—Quarter-staff— Whistling and Jingling Matches—St. John's Eve—Wrestling

52

CHAPTER VII.

JULY.

Cricket—Club-ball—Trap-ball—Golf—Pall-mall—Tennis— Rush-bearing

61

CHAPTER VIII.

AUGUST.

Lammas Day—St. Roch's Day—Harvest Home—"Ten-pounding"—Sheep-shearing— "Wakes"—Fairs

74

CHAPTER IX.

SEPTEMBER.

Hawking—Michaelmas—Bull and Bear-baiting

84