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THE  LIBRARY 

OF 

THE  UNIVERSITY 

OF  CALIFORNIA 

LOS  ANGELES 


GOLSPIE 


••^     Golspie     ?<• 

Contributions  to  its  Folklore 

by  Amiie  and  Bella  dcmming,  Jane  Stuart, 

Willie  W.  Mtinro,  Andrew  Gimn, 

Henri  J.  MacLean,  and  Minnie  Sutherland 

{when  pupils  of  Golspie  School) 

Collected  and  edited, 

with  a  chapter  on  '  The  Place  and  its  Peopling,' 

by  Edward  W.  B.  Nicholson,  M.A., 

Bodley  s  Librarian 

in  the  University  of  Oxford 


With  illustrations, 

chiefly  from  photographs  by  A.  M.  Dixon 


London 

David  Niitt,  270-271  Strand 

1897 


HORACE    HART,    PRINTER    TO    THE    UNIVERSITY 


145" 


^ 


TO 


THE  RE\^  JAxMES  MAXWELL  JOASS,  D.D., 


IN    MEMORY    OF 


CONSTANT   HELP   AND   KINDNESS   RECEIVED 


CONTENTS 


INTRODUCTION  page 

Our  first  coming  to  Golspie        .....  i 

How  this  book  came  to  be  written      ....  2 

Annotation,  and  chief  works  used  for  it      .         .  4 

The  Folk-Lore  Society,  and  a  suggestion  to  it  .  6 

A  new  class  of  subjects  for  prize-essays  in  schools     .  7 
Want  of  research-training  in  English  schools  and 

universities  ........  8 

Results  hoped  for  from  this  book        ....  8 

Its  pretensions  limited         ......  9 

Its  special  obligation  to  Dr.  Joass     ....  9 

STORIES 

Oral  tradition  and  its  decay 14 

Keltic  stories  : 

The  Horse-fairy 1 5 

The  Water-wraith  of  Loch  Lindie           .         .         ■  i? 

How  the  Water- wraith  story  was  worked  up       .  19 

Similar  tales  of  Lochan  a'  Ghille  and  Glenogle  .  21 

Satanic  story 25 

How  that  was  worked  up,  and  its  original  form      .  30 

Its  topographical  statements  .....  32 

Stories  of  hauntings    .......  33 

„        „  ghosts  that  were  no  ghosts— with  a  caution 

against  ghost-shamming          ...  34 


viii  Contents 

STORIES  (continued)  page 
Historical  and  geographical  traditions  : 
The  origin  of  the  wild-cat  crest  of  the  Earls  of 

Sutherland 41 

The  names  Cat,Cataibh,  Catu'^,  and  Clann  Cattach 

applied  to  Sutherland  and  Clan  Sutherland  43 

The  correct  form  of  Scott's  '  Mac  Galium  More '  48 

The  obelisk  on  Golspie  bridge    ....  49 

A  cave  at  Backies $0 

SUPERSTITIONS 

'Superstition'  exists   in  all  parts  of  Great  Britain 

and  among  all  classes 53 

What  '  superstition  'is 53 

The  theory  of  omens 54 

Superstitions  about  Fishing  : 

Dread  of  the  hare 55 

Consulting  a  witch 56 

The  praying  over  the  boats $6 

Boats  not  to  be  counted 56 

Unluckiness  of '  the  minister,'  &c.          •        •         •  57 

Sunday  and  the  sun  in  fishing-superstitions    .  59 

Not  taking  a  dead  body  into  the  boat     ...  60 

Superstitions  about  Animals  : 

Black  snails  as  money-bringers       .         .         .         .61 

Cockcrowing  at  night  a  bad  sign    .         .         .         .61 

Cuckoo's  note  before  a  door  a  death-omen     .         .  62 

Unlucky  to  hear  cuckoo  first  time  if  you  are 

fasting 62 

Peacock's  feather  unlucky 62 

First  sight  of  beasts 63 

Horse-shoes  as  amulets 65 

Superstitions  about  particular  Times  : 

Cutting  nails  on  Sunday 66 

Monday  unlucky 67 

New  moon 67 

Hallowe'en's  night 68 


Contents 


IX 


Superstitions  about  the  Evil  Eye  : 

The  Evil  Eye .... 

Feared  in  churning 

Counteracted  by  a  red  thread 

And  by  a  live  coal  . 
,,     ,,  water,&c.,inwhichasilvercoinhasbeenput 
Superstitions  about  Birth,  Marriage,  and  Death,  &c 

Child's  first  airing  at  Christening   . 

Child-curing  with  gold-and-silver  water 

Marriage-contract  by  whom  written 

Brass  candlesticks  to  be  used  at  marriage   and 
death        ........ 

Losing  the  wedding-ring  omen  of  husband's  death 

Woman's   first    airing  after    childbirth   to   be   at 
churching  ....... 

Superstitions  about  Witches,  &c.  : 

Witches  as  hares     .... 

Which  are  to  be  shot  only  with  silver 

Cow-witching,  and  charms  against  it 

Image-killing.         .... 

Various  charms  against  witchcraft 

Sham  wizardry         .... 
Miscellaneous  superstitions  : 

Teeth  falling  out — lucky  if  not  found 

Breaking  a  looking-glass  unlucky 

Crossing  on  stairs  unlucky 

Picking  up  a  pin  lucky    . 

Money  in  water  lucky 

Fairies  milking  cows 


PAGE 

68 
69 
69 
70 
70 

72 
72 
73 

74 
74 

75 

76 

77 
80 
82 
84 
84 

85 
85 
86 
86 
87 
87 


CUSTOMS  ATTACHING  TO  DAYS 

Disappearance  of  old  customs    . 
Hallowe'en  : 

Outdoor  amusements — 

Turnip-lanterns  ..... 

Blocking  up  and  bombardment  of  doors 


91 


•       91 
■       91 


Contents 


Outdoor  amusements  (continued) 

Blowing  smoke  through  keyholes 

.       92 

Stopping  chimneys 

•       92 

Window-tapping 

93 

Sham  window-smashing      .... 

•       94 

Carrying  away  ploughs  &c. 

94 

Leading  horses  astray          .... 

•       94 

Indoor  amusements  — 

Marriage-divination  by  cabbage-stocks,  by 

nuts. 

by  a  ring,  by  three  saucers  . 

•       95 

Bob-apple  &c 

.       98 

Christmas  :  Guising    ...... 

•       99 

Hog(o)manay      ...... 

100 

Origin  of  the  name 

.     104 

Gowking-day  (April  Fools'  Day) 

.     109 

May-day  :  washing  faces  in  dew  for  beauty 

.     Ill 

GAMES  WITHOUT  RIMES 

Games  already  described  in  Cassell's  '  Book  of  Sports 

and  Pastimes'      ..... 

■     "5 

Other  games  : 

Bonnets 

•     117 

Bullie  Horn 

•     117 

Buttons  or  Buttony         .... 

.     iiS 

Cabbage-stock 

.     118 

French  and  English        .... 

•     119 

King  and  queen 

.     119 

Skeby  or  Tit  for  tat         ...         . 

.     120 

Smuggle  the  giggie         .... 

.     121 

Stand  but(t) 

.     122 

RIME-GAMES 

The  different  kinds  of  rime-games 

.     127 

I.  Games  in  a  line  : 

.     128 

j  '  Father  and  mother,  may  I  go  ? '      . 

.     129 

I.  s  '  As  I  went  down  yon  bank,  oh  ! '     . 

•     130 

I '  My  delight 's  in  tansies  ' 

•     130 

Contents 


9- 
lo. 


My  name  is  Queen  Alary  ' 

[I'll]  take  her  by  the  lily  white  hand ' 

Roses  in  and  roses  out '  . 

I've  a  lad  at  Golspie  ' 

I  can  wash  a  sailor's  shirt' 

I  can  chew  tobacco  ' 

May  be  I'll  get  married' 

Johnie  Johnson  took  a  notion  ' 

Here  comes  gentle(s)  roving  ' 

Mother,  the  nine  o'clock  bells  are  ringin 

Green  grass  set  a  pass '  . 

E.  I.O.' 

Hop,  Hop,  the  butcher's  shop  ' 

Green  peas,  mutton  pies ' 

I  love  Bella,  she  loves  me  ' 

Here 's  a  poor  widow  from  Babylon  ' 

When  I  was  a  lady '         .         .        . 

Here 's  three  sweeps,  three  by  three  ' 

Take  your  daughter  safe  and  sound ' 


II.  Games  in  a  ring : 

1 .  '  Water,  water,  wallflowers ' 

2.  'Hilliballu'      .... 
Derivation  of  'hullabaloo'  &c. 

3.  '  Hull  many  an  auld  man' 

4.  *  Four  in  the  middle  of  the  soldier's 

III.  '  Mrs.  Brown'     .... 
Mrs.  Brown  went  to  town ' 
Where  have  you  been  all  the  time 
Oh  !  what  a  cold  you  have  got' 
Oh  !  dear,  doctor,  shall  I  die  ? ' 
There  was  a  man '  . 

TUNES  OF  THE  GAME-RIMES 
How  the  tunes  were  taken  . 
'Scottish  '  music .... 


joy' 


132 
133 
133 
134 
134 
134 
135 
148 
150 

155 
156 
156 
156 
157 
157 
158 
164 
169 
170 

174 
174 
176 
182 
1S5 
187 
1S7 
188 
189 
1S9 
190 
190 


195 
195 


Xll 


Contents 


•  Father  and  mother,  may  I  go  ? ' 

■  My  delight 's  in  tansies  '  . 
'  My  name  is  Queen  Mary' 

'  Green  gravel '     .         .         .         . 

■  [I'll]  take  her  by  the  Hly  white  hand,'  &c 

'  Oh  yesterday  in  the  morning  gay  ' 
'  I  can  wash  a  sailor's  shirt,'  &c. 
'  Johnie  Johnson  took  a  notion  ' 
'  Here  comes  gentle(s)  roving  '  . 
'  Mother,  the  nine  o'clock  bells  are  ringing 

'  E.  I.  O.',  &c 

'  Here's  a  poor  widow  from  Babylon  ' 

*  When  I  was  a  lady '         .         .         . 
'  Here's  three  sweeps,'  &c. . 

'  Water,  water,  wallflowers ' 

'Hihiballu' 

'  Four  in  the  middle  of  the  soldier's  joy ' 
'  Mrs.  Brown  ' 


SONGS  ABOUT  GOLSPIE 


PAGB 

198 
198 

202 
203 
203 
203 
203 
204 
204 
205 
205 
206 
207 
207 


211 


215 
215 
216 
218 
218 


NUMBER-RIMES       .... 
'  One,  two,  three,  four "... 
'  Scinty  tinty,  my  black  hen ' 
'  Scinty  tinty  heathery  beathery ' 
'  The  Anglo-Cymric  score ' 

RIMING  INSCRIPTIONS  IN  BOOKS 

'If  I  by  chance  should  lose  this  book'       .         .         .225 
'  Black  is  the  raven  ' 225 

MISCELLANEOUS  RIMES 
'  Eel-e,  eel-e-ot ' 229 


'  Golspie  is  a  bonny  place ' 
'  I,  when  I  think  of  what  I  are ' 
'  Napoleon  was  a  general' 
'  Rain,  rain,  rattlestone(s) ' 

Johnnie  Groat's  house— not  John  o'  Groat's  house 


230 
231 
232 
233 
234 


Contents 


XIU 


PROVERBS          

PAGE 

PHRASES     

.         240 

SIMILES       

.         241 

BELIEFS  ABOUT  WEATHER       . 

•         247 

THE  PLACE  AND  ITS  PEOPLING 

The  lie  of  the  land 

.         251 

The  forming  of  the  land 

.        251 

The  climate  and  the  soil     ..... 

•         253 

Caves 

•         254 

Weems    ........ 

.        255 

Hut-circles      ....... 

•        255 

Earth-houses 

256 

Brochs  ('  Pictish  towers  ').... 

256 

The  origin  and  age  of  brochs 

260 

Kilmaly  and  Kirkton          ..... 

268 

Who  was  St.  Malin  ? 

268 

The  Kilmaly  Ogam-stone,  and  the  Pictish  Ogams 

269 

A  'Popish'  stone  in  Loch  Brora     . 

277 

Kilmaly  and  St.  Garden  :  who  was  he  ? 

279 

Golspie        . 

280 

Derivation  of  its  name 

280 

Derivation  of  the  name  of  Canisbay 

281 

(The)  Backies 

282 

Derivation  of  the  name 

282 

Drummuie 

282 

Derivation  of  its  name    ...... 

282 

Dunrobin 

282 

Derivation  of  its  name    ...... 

282 

Drumrabyn 

283 

St.  John's  Well 

284 

Golspie  Tower .         . 

285 

An  old  burn-mouth  ('  The  Hollow  Park  ') 

285 

XIV 


Contents 


Rhives         .... 
Derivation  of  the  name    . 
The  present  village  of  Golspie 

Site  of  the  original  village 
The  population  of  the  parish 
„  »  „     ,)    village 

Their  occupations 
Their  races 

Clan  Sutherland 
,,      Mackay  . 
„      Murray  . 
„      MacDonald     . 
„      Ross 
„      Gordon  . 
„      MacKenzie 
„      Grant 
„      Gunn 
„      Matheson 
,,     MacRae 
Apparent  geographical  origin  of 

tion       .... 
Evidence  of  clan-names  as  to 

sumptive 
Clan  Munro 
,,    Fraser 
Their  languages  : 

Proportion  of  speakers  of  Gaelic 
Long  life  to  Highland  Gaelic  ! 
The  dialect  of  English  spoken 
Their  education  .... 


the 


present  popula 


nationality  only  pre- 


287 
287 
287 
287 
288 
288 
288 
289 
290 
290 
290 
291 
291 
291 
291 
291 
292 
292 
292 

292 

293 
293 
293 
293 
294 
294 
294 
296 


APPENDIX 

'  The  Anglo-Cymric  score  ' 
Additional  counting-out  rimes 
Glossary  to  the  contributions 


301 
306 
312 


Contents 


XV 


Rimes  in  Chambers  known  to  A.  C.  or  B.  C. 

„       „    Halliwell       „       „        „      ,,       „ 
A  dictionary  of  the  Kilmaly  Ogam-stone  . 

List  of  the  Pictish  inscriptions 
The  competition  and  the  contributors 
Additional  notes  to  the  contributions  : 

Derivation  of  '  kilpie,'  '  kelpie  ' 

Dread  of  the  hare  . 

Monday  unlucky 

Witches  as  hares     . 

How  to  discover  a  cow-witch  . 

Stand  but(t)    .... 

*  See  the  robbers  passing  by ' 

*  Rosy  apple,  lemon,  and  pear ' 
'  Mother,  the  nine  o'clock  bells  are  ringing 

Poor  Tom 
Notes  on  the  illustrations  . 
Descent  of  the  Sutherland  title 


315 
316 

319 
319 

328 

332 
332 
333 

334 
539 
339 
340 

343 
344 
345 
349 
350 


ILLUSTRATIONS 

1.  *  Mountains,  meadow,  and  bay  . 

2.  *Golspie  Burn     .... 

3.  Map  of  the  district 

4.  *The  waterfall    .... 

5.  Outside  view  of  a  broch 

6.  Section  of  the  elevation  of  a  broch 

7.  Ground-plan  of  a  broch  .     . 
8, 9.  *The  Kilmaly  Ogam-stone  (2)   . 

10.  The  Pictish  Ogam  alphabet  .     . 

11.  The  Ogams  on  the  Kilmaly  stone 
12,  13.  Dunrobin  in  1805  (2) 

14.  *Dunrobin  in  1S96     . 

15.  *An  old  burn-mouth 

*  From  photographs  by  Mr.  A.  M.  Dixon 


.    to  face  Title 

>> 

P- 

2 

.   before 

P- 

251 

.  to  fact 

P- 

253 

P- 

258 

P- 

259 

P- 

264 

.    after 

P- 

268 

pp.  2 

71-2 

P- 

273 

after 

P- 

282 

to  face 

P- 

284 

J} 

P- 

286 

n,  Golspie. 

INTRODUCTION 


We  had  left  the  pleasant  uplands  of  Glen  Shee 
for  the  sands,  the  waves,  the  bracing  breezes  of 
Nairn — and  to  our  dismay  Nairn  was  full  already. 
We  had  then  turned  our  eyes  to  the  varied  coast- 
line opposite,  stretching  away  for  league  upon 
league  toward  the  Orkneys,  and  had  resolved  to 
try  Tain.  We  had  found  Tain  peaceful  and  pic- 
turesque— but  alas !  its  shores  were  not  for  the  feet 
of  the  paddler  or  the  spade  of  the  digger,  and  so 
we  had  sped  northward  still,  to  Golspie. 

And  at  Golspie  we  had  found  all  that  we  craved. 
On  the  north  of  the  bay,  where  we  first  sought  it, 
there  was  just  sand  enough — we  had  not  yet  seen 
the  miles  of  smooth  sand  which  lie  south  of  the 
village.  Before  us,  across  the  steely  sea  rose  far 
and  dim  the  line  of  Moray  hills ;  while  in  front  of 
us  the  seabirds  swam,  wheeled,  and  settled.  Behind, 
brown  kye  and  snowy  geese  were  dotted  over 
a  broad  belt  of  green  pasture.  To  left  stood  the 
woody  heights  and  gleaming  turrets  of  Dunrobin. 
To  right  swept  a  low  shore  backed  by  a  crescent 

B 


2     Hoiv  this  book  came  to  be  zvritten 

of  mountains.  And  Golspie  Burn  !  with  its  beautiful 
fall,  babbling  rapids,  and  clear  pools  of  brown 
water !  its  rocks  and  trees  and  ferns  and  mosses ! 
and  its  dusky  rabbits  scudding  away  wlierever  we 
bent  our  steps !  Yes,  certainly  we  should  have 
found  content  at  Golspie — even  if  the  Sutherland 
Arms  had  been  less  homelike ;  even  if  our  host,  the 
Duke's  whilom  gardener,  had  not  joined  to  it  one 
of  the  most  delightful  of  simple  old-fashioned  gar- 
dens ;  even  if  every  noontide  a  robin  (or  was  he  an 
enchanted  prince?)  had  not  come  in  at  the  window 
and  by  his  example  gracefully  invited  us  to  partake 
of  the  newly  spread  luncheon. 

I  had  gone  into  the  village  one  morning  to  buy 
something,  and  as  I  came  back  the  boys  and  girls 
w^ere  at  play  in  the  steep  playground  which  slopes 
down  from  the  School  to  the  road.  I  stood  looking 
at  them,  and  especially  at  a  game  which  some  of 
the  girls  were  playing.  They  were  dancing  in 
a  ring,  reciting  as  they  danced,  and  then  they 
would  suddenly  reverse  and  dance  the  other  way 
round,  still  reciting.  Presently  some  of  the  5^ounger 
ones — children  of  perhaps  seven  or  eight— came 
down  and  formed  a  ring  in  the  road  before  me.  In 
a  minute  or  two  some  of  the  older  girls  did  the 
same.  I  thanked  them  all  and  spun  up  a  sixpence 
for  them  to  scramble  for :  then  they  had  to  go  back 
into  school  and  I  went  on  to  the  Sutherland  Arms. 
There  I  sat  down  and  wrote  the  proposal  for 
a  prize-competition  from  which  you  will  find  some 
extracts  at  p.  328. 


GOLSPIK    BURN 


Hozv  this  hook  came  to  he  tvritten     3 

Not  being  quite  certain  how  that  proposal  might 
be  generally  received,  I  took  it  to  the  Minister 
of  the  Established  Kirk  at  Golspie,  Dr.  Joass,  a 
geologist  and  archaeologist  of  far  higher  than 
'  local '  rank,  and  always  ready  to  help  those  who 
come  to  him.  Armed  with  the  assurance  of  his 
sympathy,  I  next  approached  Mr. James  H.  Loudon, 
the  then  master  of  the  school,  now  a  master  in 
Kelvinside  Academy'-,  Glasgow.  He  at  once  entered 
heartily  into  the  plan,  and  it  is  to  him  that  I  owe 
the  possibility  of  carrying  it  out. 

In  February  1892  Mr.  Loudon  sent  me,  as  the 
result  of  my  proposal,  the  essays  of  the  seven  girls 
and  boys  whose  names  are  on  the  titlepage.  At 
p.  331  you  will  see  some  particulars  as  to  their 
ages,  parentage,  and  places  in  the  competition  at 
large  and  in  the  several  branches  of  it.  As  six  out 
of  the  seven  afterwards  won  'district  prizes,'  it 
cannot  be  said  that  the  competitors  were  not  a  good 
representative  team. 

The  italicized  extracts  from  those  essays  which 
form  the  basis  of  this  book  are  in  the  exact  words 
and  spelling  of  the  originals  \  and  each  is  followed 
by  its  writer's  initials:  everything  else,  including 
notes  and  headings,  is  mine.  But  I  have  not 
felt  myself  bound  to  follow  the  writers  in  their 
2  punctuation  (in  which  I  include  the  hyphen  and 

1  In  a  few  cases  where  I  suspected  a  mere  slip,  I  gave  the 
writer  the  chance  of  looking  at  his  or  her  MS.  of  the  passage  and 
making  a  correction — but  never  pointed  out  an  error. 

=*  I    have   never  altered  it  where  there  was  any  question   of 
a  shade  of  difference  in  the  sense. 
B  2 


4  Chief  sources  from  which 

apostrophe),  their  use  of  capitals,  or  their  division 
into  paragraphs  or  verses. 

It  would  have  been  easy  to  bestow  on  the  editing 
all  my  leisure  for  several  years.  I  have  not  been 
able  to  spare  the  time  for  that ;  and  what  is  wanted 
at  present  is  not  so  much  to  comment  as  to  collect. 
If  the  folklore  of  the  entire  kingdom  were  collected 
and  classified,  it  would  to  a  great  extent  annotate 
itself  Nevertheless  I  have  tried  by  explanation 
and  illustration  to  make  a  substantial  contribution 
of  my  own  to  the  study  of  British  folklore. 

The  chief  books  and  articles  which  have  been 
consulted  for  the  purpose  of  annotating  the  work 
of  the  contributors  I  quote  for  brevity  by  author 
and  page  only :  they  are  these : — 

Dempster  (Miss)  The    folk-lore   of  Sutherlandshire  ^.     In   the 

Folk-lore  journal,  vol.  6,  1888. 
Napier  (James)  Folk  lore :  or,  superstitious  beliefs  in  the  West 

of  Scotland  within  this  century.     1879. 
*Gregor  (Rev.  Walter)  Notes  on  the  folk-lore  of  the  North- East 

of  Scotland.     1881  (Folk-Lore  Soc,  vol.  7). 
^Henderson    (W.)    Notes    on    the    folk-lore    of   the    Northern 

counties  of  England  and  the  Borders.      1879  (Folk-Lore 

Soc,  vol.  2). 
*Shropshire   folk-lore.      Ed.  by  Charlotte    S.  Burne  from  the 

collection  of  Georgina  F.  Jackson.     1883. 

^  May  I  entreat  Miss  Dempster  and  all  the  other  people  without 
number  who  speak  of  Sutherland  as  '  Sutherlandshire '  to  do  so 
no  longer?  When  a  shire  is  named  after  a  town,  it  is  natural, 
and  generally  necessary,  to  use  the  word  'shire,'  as  in  '  Lincoln- 
shire '  :  but  when  it  is  not  so  named,  but  is  the  title  of  a  more 
ancient  territorial  division,  the  use  of 'shire'  is  both  needless 
and  derogatory.  We  shall  talk  of  '  Essexshire '  and  '  Suffolkshire ' 
next ! 


the  contributions  are  annotated       5 

Choice  notes  from  '  Notes  and  Queries,'  Folklore.     1859. 

*Chambers  (Robert)  Popular  rhymes  of  Scotland. 

♦Northall  (G.  F.)  English  folk-rhj'mes.      1892. 

*HalliwelP  (James  Orchard)  Nursery  rhymes  and  nursery  tales 

of  England — an  undated  edition  containing  xv  +  352  pp. 
Udal  (J.  S.)  Dorsetshire  children's  games,  etc.    In  the  Folk-lore 

journal,  vol.  7,  1889. 
*Newell  (William  Wells)  Games  and  songs  of  American  children. 

New  York,  Harper  &  brothers.     1884. 
Bolton  (Henry  Carrington)  The  counting-out  rhymes  of  children. 

1888. 
Allen    (Miss)   Children's    game-rhymes.      Copied    down    from 

word  of  mouth  by  Miss  Allen,   School  house,  Hersham, 

Surrey.     In  the  Folk-lore  record,  vol.  5.     1882. 
*Gomme  (Mrs.  Alice  Bertha)  The  traditional  games  of  England, 

Scotland,  and  Ireland.    2  vols. — being  pt.  i.  of  'A  dictionary 

of  British  folk-lore  ed.  by  G.  Laurence  Gomme.' 

The  volumes  in  particular  which  I  have  marked  * 
ought  to  be  in  every  British  public  library  which 
can  afford  to  buy  them. 

All  the  parts  of  my  book  which  deal  with  games 
had  been  written  before  I  saw  the  announcement 
of  Mrs.  Gomme's  very  valuable  work.  The  first 
volume  of  that  was  published  in  1894,  and,  although 
it  contained  no  games  from  North  of  the  Moray 
Firth,  it  afforded  me  some  new  illustrations  from 
other  parts  of  the  country.  I  was  anxious  to  get 
the  benefit  of  her  second  volume  as  well,  and,  since 
it  had  not  appeared  up  to  the  spring  of  1896, 
I  took  a  friend's  suggestion  and  asked  her  pub- 
lisher if  she   would   exchange   proof-sheets  with 

'  Afterwards  HaUiwell-Phillipps. 


6  The  Folk- Lore  Society 

me.  This  she  has  very  kindly  done,  as  far  as  hers 
were  ready  (down  to  '  Sally  Waters '),  and  I  hope 
my  young  Golspie  friends  and  I  may  have  furnished 
to  her  as  much  aid  as  she  has  to  me.  All  my 
obligations  to  her  are  separately  acknowledged. 

Visiting  Golspie  a  third  time  in  1893,  to  complete 
my  book,  I  came  by  chance  to  study  the  Pictish 
inscriptions  of  Scotland,  Orkney,  and  Shetland, 
which  had  not  hitherto  been  solved.  Their  solution 
will  be  found  in  my  work  on  '  The  vernacular 
inscriptions  of  the  ancient  kingdom  of  Alban,' 
published  in  1896,  which  I  cite  simply  by  my  own 
name.  Its  preparation  and  printing  kept  back  the 
present  volume  for  more  than  two  years,  but  my 
new  study  furnished  so  much  additional  information 
which  I  have  been  able  to  use  in  these  pages  that 
the  delay  proved  '  a  blessing  in  disguise.' 

Before  I  came  to  prepare  them  I  had  merely 
browsed  now  and  then  on  folklore,  as  on  much 
else,  in  a  very  casual  kind  of  way.  There  is 
a  Folk-Lore  Society,  which  has  many  distinguished 
men  among  its  members,  which  has  published  and 
continues  to  publish  a  valuable  journal  and  im- 
portant works — among  them  being  a  Handbook  of 
Folklore^  which  is  priceless,  and  only  costs  half 

1  By  some  accident  this  book,  though  dated  1890,  did  not  reach 
the  Bodleian  till  1893.  Had  I  in  1891  known  of  its  existence,  the 
questions  which  I  put  to  the  boys  and  girls  of  Golspie  school 
would  have  been  many  more.  In  a  paper  in  this  volume  on  'the 
way  to  collect  folklore '  we  are  told  that  '  a  visit  may  be  paid  to 
the  school  in  the  mid-day  "recess,"  and  the  children  may  be 
bribed  to  play  all  the  games  they  know  for  the  instruction  of  the 


and  a  suggesfton  to  it  7 

a  crown.  If  I  may  offer  to  that  Society  some  sug- 
gestions which  occur  to  me,  they  are  these.  Instead 
of  being  a  London  society  without  branches,  start, 
if  3'ou  can,  a  branch  in  every  town  and  con- 
siderable village  in  the  kingdom,  and  set  about 
collecting.  And,  when  you  do  so,  begin  with  the 
young.  They  will  collect  for  you  not  only  from 
those  of  their  own  age  but  from  their  elders  as 
well.  And,  if  a  stray  tourist  can  so  easily  obtain  in 
one  small  place  in  our  furthest  North  the  amount  of 
curious  matter  which  you  will  find  in  these  pages, 
by  way  of  answer  to  his  few  hastily  prepared 
queries,  what  cannot  you  collect  by  organized 
effort  ?  Try,  gentlemen,  try.  The  public  will 
surely  help  you,  if  you  ask  it ;  for  we  have  all  been 
children  once,  and  many  of  us  would  be  glad  to  be 
children  again. 

It  is,  of  course,  not  only  primary  schools  which 
should  be  encouraged  to  furnish  such  collections, 
but  secondary  schools  as  well.  And  to  those  who 
are  interested  in  our  '  grammar  '  and  '  high  '  schools 
I  would  say — Offer  prizes  not  merely  for  collections 
of  the  folklore  of  a  district,  but  for  collections  of 
its  old  songs ;  for  vocabularies  of  its  dialect ;  for 
accounts  of  its  general  history  and  antiquities,  of 
the  history  of  its  peopling,  of  the  history  of  its 
industries.  By  so  doing  you  will  store  up  valuable 
material  which  is  rapidly  being  lost,  and  which,  if 

visitor'  (p.  170),  but  the  idea  of  offering  prizes  to  the  children 
for  written  collections  docs  not  seem  to  have  occurred  to  the 
compilers. 


8         Results  which  are  hoped  for 

it  should  not  attain  the  dignity  of  a  separate  publi- 
cation, the  editor  of  the  nearest  newspaper  will 
gladly  preserve  in  print.  You  will  also  be  leading 
the  boys  and  girls  themselves  to  take  an  interest  in 
subjects  of  importance  which  are  not  included  in 
their  school-learning.  And  you  will  be  getting 
them  to  teach  themselves  what  South  British  schools 
and  universities  at  any  rate  rarely  attempt  to  teach 
them — the  art  of  research.  Why  is  the  annual 
literary  output  of  Germany  so  much  more  valuable 
than  that  of  the  British  isles  ?  Mainly,  I  believe, 
because  every  German  university  -  student  has 
to  undertake,  and  publish  the  results  of,  some 
approved  investigation  before  a  degree  is  granted 
him.  He  has  learnt  to  seek  for  himself  and  to 
draw  conclusions  for  himself^  and  to  love  doing 
these  things.  But,  as  far  as  the  training  he  has 
had  from  his  school  and  his  University  goes,  the 
ordinary  English  B.A.,  who  has  not  passed  through 
a  natural  science  course,  is  almost  always  in  the 
position  of  Rudyard  Kipling's  Tomlinson,  the  weak 
dependent  soul  whom  Peter  drove  from  the  gate 
of  Heaven  and  whom  the  Devil  scorned  to  let 
into  Hell — 

'  This  I  have  read  in  a  book,'  he  said,  '  and  that  was  told 
to  me, 
And  this  I  have  thought  that  another  man  thought  of  a 
Prince  in  Muscovy.' 

If  the  following  pages  do  anything  to  stimulate 
in  these  ways  the  collection  of  folklore,  they  will 


from  this  book  9 

not  have  been  written  in  vain.  Nor  will  the}^  if, 
by  giving  to  any  of  the  young  folk  of  Golspie  itself 
some  idea  of  the  wealth  of  their  own  neighbourhood 
in  what  is  ancient  and  curious,  they  lead  any  such 
boy  or  girl  to  study  its  folklore,  its  antiquarian 
remains  and  history  as  an  inhabited  place,  or  its 
geolog}' — and  to  put  the  results  of  that  study  some 
day  on  record,  for  the  interest  and  instruction  of 
their  fellow-countrymen,  in  a  volume  much  more 
adequate  than  this. 

For  my  chapter  on  '  The  Place  and  its  Peopling ' 
has  as  little  pretension  to  be  a  history  of  Golspie 
as  the  earlier  part  of  the  book  has  to  be  a  com- 
plete collection  of  its  folklore.  But  some  account 
was  needed  of  the '  folk '  among  w^hom  the  '  lore  ' 
is  current,  and  of  their  antecedents.  How  much 
that  account  owes  to  Dr.  Joass  I  can  hardly  esti- 
mate. It  was  he  who  first  described  to  me,  and 
who  personally  showed  me,  the  weem,  the  hut- 
circle,  the  earth-house,  and  the  broch.  And — 
although  I  have  everywhere  read  and  thought  for 
myself,  and  am  alone  answerable  for  any  error  of 
fact  or  judgement  w^hich  can  be  discovered — I  have 
received  from  him  in  other  parts  of  that  chapter  so 
much  correction  or  assistance,  beyond  what  is  there 
acknowledged,  as  to  leave  me  greatly  his  debtor 
for  whatever  value  I  have  succeeded  in  giving 
to  it. 


STORIES 


Paucity  of  stories  13 


STORIES 


The  number  of  stories  contributed  has  been 
below  my  expectations.  I  cannot  suppose  that 
on  the  N.E.  coast  it  would  be  easy  to  make  a 
collection  which  should  rival  that  of  Campbell's 
celebrated  '  Popular  tales  of  the  Western  High- 
lands,' but  at  the  same  time  I  can  hardly  doubt 
that  among  the  Gaelic- speaking  population  of 
Golspie  (particularly,  perhaps,  the  fishermen)  more 
of  such  tales  are  yet  preserved. 

In  1837  a  Mr.  Hugh  JMacleod  presented  to  the 
Duchess-Countess  of  Sutherland  a  manuscript 
collection,  written  by  himself,  of  '  Traditions  and 
Superstitions  &c.  of  the  Reay  Country ' — Reay 
being  on  the  N.  coast  of  the  county.  In  this  little 
volume,  which  I  have  been  allowed  to  see,  the 
writer,  who  says  that  he  '  cannot  look  back  for 
many  years,'  writes  as  follows  (pp.  10,  11): — 

'  He  remembers  the  time  when,  during  long 
winter  evenings,— the  snow  "  knee  deep  "  upon 
the  ground,  the  wind  howling  over  the  cottage, 
the  hail,  every  now  and  then,  rattling  against  the 
window   of  the  apartment,  and  the  family,  with 


14        Oral  tradition  and  its  decay 

some  from  the  neighbouring  families,  congregated 
around  a  blazing  fire, — among  other  amusements, 
the  aged  communicated  to  the  young  what  happened 
in  days  of  yore  ;  the  young  curiously  listened  and, 
in  their  turn,  repeated  to  others  what  afforded  so 
much  entertainment  to  themselves.  He  observed, 
however,  as  might  be  expected,  considering  the 
mode  of  communication,  many  inaccuracies  creep 
in.  He  observed  too,  several  editions  of  the  same 
story  current, — and  not  unfrequently  he  observed 
it  pass  through  so  many  changes  as  to  become 
almost  an  original.  He  observed  also  the  same 
tradition  told  of  very  different  individuals, — and 
traditions  which  related  to  one  district  made,  with 
little  or  no  variation,  apply  to  other  districts.' 

But  as  regards  '  oral  tradition  in  the  Reay 
Country'  in  times  nearer  to  1837  the  writer  says 
(p.  10)  'Of  late  years  it  lost  much  of  its  interest 
amongst  the  people,  —  which  may,  in  a  great 
measure,  be  ascribed  to  the  progress  of  written 
knowledge,  and  the  consequent  decline  of  super- 
stition. Old  habits  too  are  fast  dying  out,  and  with 
them  traditions  must  fall.' 

These  remarks  of  Mr,  Macleod's  will  not  only 
help  the  reader  to  understand  why  the  stories  he 
is  about  to  read  are  so  few,  but  will  show  him  that 
in  certain  features  to  be  presently  noticed  they  are 
not  peculiar. 


The  horse-fauy  15 


KELTIC   STORIES 

[The  horse-fairy] 

At  a  place  called  Dalnaguillin  there  is  a  bothy 
for  the  farm-servants.  IVhile  they  were  dancing 
one  night  to  the  strains  of  the  bagpipes,  a  zvoinan 
dressed  in  white  entered  and  joined  in  the  dance. 
While  she  was  dancing,  the  piper  noticed  that  it 
zuas  hoofs  she  had  instead  of  feet ;  so  he  thought 
that  the  sooner  he  was  out  of  there  the  better. 
He  accordingly  asked  them  to  excuse  him,  as  he 
zuas  going  to  the  door  for  a  minute.  The  woman, 
hozuevcr,  would  not  consent  unless  she  held  one 
end  of  his  plaid.  Having  reached  the  door  he 
threw  off^  his  plaid,  and  bolted.  The  woman  fol- 
lowed hiin,  but  as  he  zuas  a  good  rininer  he  soon 
outdistanced  her  and  so  got  rid  of  her  for  that 
night.  The  day,  however,  as  he  was  returrting 
from  work,  a  colt  suddenly  appeared  on  the  road 
and  went  07i  in  front  of  him,  always  keeping  the 
same  distance  from  him.  They  zuent  on  in  this 
way  until  they  came  to  the  mozith  of  a  cave  into 
which  the  colt  disappeared.  Immediately  after- 
wards it  emerged  as  the  woman  of  the  previous 
night,  and  she  began  to  dance  zuildly  about  for 


i6  The  horse-fairy 

a  few  mimites ;  then  she  disappeared  into  the 
cave  again.  The  piper  took  some  tnen  with 
him  next  day  but  cotild  find  no  trace  of  any- 
thing. [A.  C] 

Dalnaguillin  is  Dal  nan  Gillean,  colloquially 
Dalnagillan,  '  Meadow  of  the  3^oung  men,'  that  is, 
a  meadow  used  for  games.  It  lies  about  1 5  miles 
N.  W.  of  Golspie,  on  the  N.  side  of  Strath  na  Seilga 
('  Valley  of  the  chase ') :  see  Ordnance-maps,  6-inch 
sheet  ']6,  i-inch  sheet  109. 

The  idea  of  a  female  spirit  transforming  herself 
into  a  horse  will  also  be  found  in  the  next  story. 

'  In  Gaelic  tales,'  says  Campbell,  '  horses  are 
frequently  mentioned,  and  more  magic  properties 
are  attributed  to  them  than  elsewhere  in  popular 
lore. 

In  No.  I ,  horses  play  a  very  prominent  part ; 
and  in  some  versions  of  that  tale,  the  heroine  is 
a  lady  transformed  into  a  grey  mare.  .  . 

...  In  No.  14,  there  are  horses  ;  in  one  version 
there  is  a  magic  "  powney." 

.  .  .  In  51,  the  hero  assumes  the  form  of  a  horse. 
In  many  other  tales  which  I  have  in  manuscript, 
men  appear  as  horses,  and  reappear  as  men  .  .  .  and 
there  is  a  whole  series  of  tales  which  relate  to 
water-horses,  and  which  seem,  more  than  all  the 
rest,  to  show  the  horse  as  a  degraded  god,  and, 
as  it  would  seem,  a  water-god,  and  a  destroyer' 
('  Popular  tales  of  the  West  Highlands,'  i.  pp. 
Ixxxv-vi). 


The  water-wraith  of  Loch  Lindie      17 


[The  water-wraith  of  Loch  Lindie] 

An  interview  with   the  Benvr aggie  hermit — 
from  whom,  I  got  the  following  story,  or  more 
particularly  tales — as  they  are  many.     The  old 
man  thus  began:   'In  the  year  lySp  I  iv  as  page 
in  Dunrobin  Castle:   my  name  was  Willie  Day 
or  "lack  of  all  trades."     Getting  old  and  unfit 
to   work,    I  was   ordered  to    remove  from    the 
kitchen  to  the  vault  below.     Here  I  got  the  name 
of  Br2tnny  of  the  Castle.     I  saw  7io  one  for  many 
a  year  save  a  visit  now  and  then  from  ghosts, 
fairies,  witches,  kilpies,  etc.,  zvho  delight  to  fre- 
quent dark  cells  such  as  my  luck  was  to  occupy 
at  the  time.     Otherioise  I  have  seen   no  living 
person.      I  was  kept  alive    by  throwing   down 
crumbs  of  bread  and  other  scraps  which  I  was 
forced  by  hunger  to  devour  greedly.     Even  old 
shoes   would   be  gladly   received.      My   visitants 
took  pity  on  me  in  my  confinement  and  demanded 
my  release,  which   they  made  good,  and  settled 
my  abode  in  a  cave  on  the  top  of  Benvraggie, 
giving  me  the  name  of  the  Hermit  of  the  Hill. 
My  liberators  frequently  visited  me  in  my  new 
abode  and  introduced  a  legion  of  dark  spirits 
more  zvicked  than  themselves:  among  the  number 
was  Madge  the  water-wraith   of  Loch   Lindie, 
whose  poiver  was  to  transform  herself  into  dif 

c 

-3) 


1 8     The  ivater-wraith  of  Loch  Lindie 

ferent  shapes— from  a  woman  to  a  hare,  to  a 
cow,  to  a  horse,  and  sometimes  to  a  raven  or  to 
any  spirit  that  would  sink  terror  or  f7nghten  the 
simple  or  unlearned.'  The  story  of  Madge  is  the 
one  I  i7itend  giving  you,  word  for  word  as  the 
hermit  told  it  to  me.  '  Oit  a  fine  summer  Sunday 
evening  a  mtmber  of  boys  from  the  dozvn  end  of 
the  parish,  who  never  heard  of  Madge,  went 
a  strolling  to  see  Loch  Lindie.  On  cojning  near 
the  loch  they  all  admired  both  loch  and  surround- 
ings. Close  to  the  edge  of  the  water  was  grazing 
a  beautiful  piebald  pony.  One  of  the  boys  said 
to  the  others  '  Come  let  us  have  a  ride  with  the 

pony  round  the  loch.'  One  went  up,  a7id  another 
saw  plenty  of  room  for  more.  They  all  took 
their  seat  on  the  pony,  till  tzuclve  took  their  seat, 
never  taking  note  as  07ie  by  one  zvas  taking  his 
seat  that  the  pony  was  inch  by  inch  getting  longer. 
The  thirteenth  boy  (for  that  was  their  number), 
seeing  there  was  no  room  for  him,  thrust  his 

finger  into  the  side  of  the  pony,  and  there  it 
stuck;  a7id,  being  alarmed,  the  poor  boys  tried  to 

free  thejuselves,  but  impossible.  One  of  the  boys 
on  horseback  took  his  pocket-k^tife  and  cut  ofF his 
companion's  finger  to  give  the  alamt  of  the  sad 
end  of  the  others.  As  soon  as  their  parents 
heard  the  nezvs,  they  started  for  the  loch,  but  to 
their  horror  and  grief  they  found  nothiiig  and 
saw  nothing  but  torn  caps  and  the  bodies  of  the 
boys  floatijtg  like  biioys  on  the  surface  of  the  loch.' 
'  Lf  this  is  given  to  show  the  power  of  the  zvater- 


Beinn  a   BhraghaidJi.     The  'hermit^  19 

wraith  or  as  a  zvord  to  the  young  not  to  profajie 
the  Sabbath,  the  hermit  only  can  tell.'       [J.  S.J 

Benvraggie  (Ben  a'  Vraghey,  or  in  strict  Gaelic 
spelling  Beinn  a'  Bhraghaidh)  is  the  mountain 
(13 14  ft.  high)  behind  Golspie — the  same  on  which 
stands  Chantrey's  colossal  monument  to  the  memory 
of  the  first  Duke  of  Sutherland.  Its  name,  derived 
from  its  shape,  means  '  Mountain  of  the  neck-and- 
shoulders^.' 

There  is  a  cave  on  Ben  a'  Vraghey.  There  was 
also  a  person  named  Willie  Day  once  in  the  Suther- 
land service.  And  a  very  few  years  ago  there 
died  a  certain  Hugh  Sutherland  who  lived  a  very 
secluded  life  in  a  cottage  on  the  mountain.  But 
there  is  not,  and  was  not  when  this  story  was 
written,  any  '  Benvraggie  hermit '  at  all.  He  was 
simply  created  for  the  purpose  of  supplying  a 
framework  to  the  Loch  Lundie  story.  His  creator 
was  Mr.  William  Stuart,  railway-surfaceman,  the 
father  of  J.  S.  Mr.  Stuart  gave  the  heads  of  the 
narrative  to  his  little  daughter  and  her  brother 
Duncan,  a  ^^outh  of  16,  and  they  worked  it  up  from 
these  heads.  This  is  a  very  good  example  of  the 
error  into  which  an  incautious  collector  of  folktales 
may  fall  himself,  and  may  lead  his  readers  to  fall : 
it  is  an  equally  good  example  of  the  manner  in 
which  a  folktale  may  be  embellished  in  trans- 
mission. 

'  Bhraghaidh  (properly  pronounced  Vraghey)  is  genitive  (aspi- 
rated after  a')  of  braghadh,  which  is  not  to  be  confounded  with  the 
kindred  braighe,  brcighad. 

C  2 


20  Willie  Day 

Mr.  Stuart  says  that  ^  Britnny  (pronounced 
brooiiy)  is  a  Gaelic  term  for  an  evil  spirit  which 
goes  about.  Willie  Day,  he  says,  died  hundreds  of 
years  ago,  and  he  has  heard  a  story  about  his  being 
sent  on  a  message  from  the  Earl  of  Sutherland  to 
the  Earl  of  Caithness.  This  should  have  been 
a  two  days'  journey,  and  Willie  Day  should  have 
started  in  the  small  hours  of  the  morning,  but  he 
overslept  himself  until  about  midday :  despite  this 
he  returned  before  the  end  of  the  following  day. 
Mr.  Stuart  adds  that  a  hermit  used  to  live  on  the 
top  of  a  hill  at  Rogart,  a  few  miles  from  Golspie. 
And,  as  regards  the  Loch  ^  Lundie  story,  he  says 
that,  when  he  was  a  boy,  his  mother  used  to  frighten 
him  with  it. 

That,  indeed,  is  one  of  a  class  of  storj^  the 
Kelpie  story,  common  in  Gaelic  tradition.  The 
following  extract  from  Miss  Dempster  (p.  246) 
tells  the  very  same  tale  of  another  Sutherland  loch, 
and  affords  two  more  instances  of  the  kelpie  s  con- 
nexion with  the  county. 

1  No  doubt  the  'brownie'  of  the  Lowlands.  'The  Brownie  is 
believed  in  Berwickshire  to  be  the  ordained  helper  of  mankind  in 
the  drudgery  entailed  by  sin :  hence  he  is  forbidden  to  receive 
wages'  (Henderson,  p.  248).  The  title  selected  by  Mr.  Stuart 
for  his  imaginary  narrator  would  consequently  =  ' the  drudge  of 
the  Castle.' 

^  J.  S.  wrote  Lindie  ;  she  seemed  to  pronounce  something 
between  the  1  oilmen  and  the  u  of  Whitsiin.     See  p.  295. 


The  Lochan  a    Ghille  kelpie         21 
'The  Golden  Horse  of  LochnaGillie 

A  loch  on  this  estate,  now  small  and  muddy,  but 
once  much  larger,  at  the  time  when  it  received  its 
name  from  the  following  sad  event : — 

A  dozen  lads  were  playing  by  its  banks,  riding 
and  chasing  the  ponies  which  grazed  among  the 
reeds  and  rushes.  They  all  quarrelled  who  should 
mount  a  beautiful  horse  which  grazed  among  the 
others,  but  was  finer  than  any  they  had  ever  seen  ; 
its  sldn  was  smooth,  bay-coloured,  and  shining  like 
gold.  Two  boys  jumped  up.  "  There  is  room  for 
three,"  said  the  next,  and  got  on.  "  There  is  room 
for  four,"  said  the  fourth  lad,  and  so  there  was ;  for 
the  more  boys  mounted  him  the  more  the  golden 
horse  lengthened.  At  last  all  the  boys  sat  on  him, 
but  two  who  were  brothers.  "  Come  let  us  up," 
said  the  youngest,  touching  the  horse  with  his  fore- 
finger ;  but  lo  !  the  finger  stuck  there,  it  had  grown 
to  the  golden  skin.  "  Take  your  knife,  Ian,  and 
cut  it  off,"  he  cried.  His  brother  did  so,  and  the 
two  ran  home  together,  too  much  frightened  to 
look  behind  them  and  to  see  the  fate  of  the  rest. 
That  no  one  saw,  but  by  an  hour  after  the  hair  and 
entrails  of  the  boys  were  scattered  all  over  the 
water.  The  golden  horse  had  plunged  in  with  all 
his  victims,  and  the  loch  is  called  by  their  name  ^  to 
this  day.— (Widow  Calder.) 

^  LochnaGillie,  as  if  colloquial  for  Loch  nan  Gillc,  '  the  loch 
of  the  lads.'  And  the  i-inch  Ordnance-map  of  1878  has  Loch 
nan  Gillcan,  which  has  this  meaning.  But  the  6-inch  one  pub- 
lished in  1879  has  Lochan  a'  Ghille,  '  the  little  loch  of  the  lad. 


22  Other  kelpies 

[Loch  Laggan,  also  on  this  property,  boasts  of 
a  water- horse,  and  at  night  a  bright  light  is  seen 
to  swim  up  and  down  the  middle  of  the  lake. 
Then  they  say,  "  The  water-horse  moves." — (W.  M., 
sheriff's  officer.) 

A  golden  horse  was  once  seen,  born  of  the  waters 
of  the  Fleet.  It  tempted  a  woman  to  follow  it  and 
try  to  drive  it,  but  she  was  warned  in  time,  and  so  it 
was  foiled  of  its  aim  to  lure  her  to  a  watery  grave. 

The  Grahams  of  Morphie,  in  the  Mearns,  are 
said  to  have  caught  and  bridled  the  water- horse, 
and  made  him  draw  stones  for  their  new  castle. 
This  unwilling  workman's  curse  lay  on  the  family 
for  ever,  and  caused  their  ruin. 

Apropos  of  manes,  a  family  of  Munro,  having 
many  generations  ago  intermarried  with  the 
Vaugha  of  Ben-na-Caulting,  were  said  to  have 
manes  and  tails  till  within  the  last  four  generations.]' 

So  Miss  Dempster.  Her  LochnaGillie  (Lochan 
a'  Ghille)  is  nearly  4  miles  S.E.  of  Lairg  station, 
her  Loch  Laggan  (or  Loch  an  Lagain, '  Lake  of  the 
hollow  ')  over  4  miles  E.  of  Invershin  station. 

The  Fleet  is  a  river  running  into  the  sea  some 

and  the  large  map  of  Sutherland  executed  in  1853,  revised  in  1868, 
and  based  on  the  trigonometrical  survey  of  1831-2,  has  Lochan-a- 
Ghille.  I  cannot  help  thinking  that  this  is  the  correct  title,  as  the 
loch  is  very  small,  and  that  the  story  of  the  Golden  Horse  may 
have  been  transferred  to  it  from  some  other  loch  as  a  consequence 
of  its  proper  name  having  been  corrupted  or  misunderstood.  But 
it  is  quite  possible  that  the  original  name  was  given  to  it  because 
a  lad  had  been  drowned  in  it,  and  that  this  lad's  death  was 
attributed  to  a  kelpie. 


Miraculous  adhesions  23 

3  miles  S.W,  of  Golspie,  and  its  broad  estuary  is 
called  Loch  Fleet. 

The  sticking  of  the  boy  s  finger  to  the  horse's  side 
is  a  kind  of  incident  not  peculiar  to  this  group  of 
Gaelic  stories.  For  instance,  take  the  following  ex- 
tract from  one  translated  by  Campbell  (i,  p.  36) : — 

'  She  asked  the  lad  for  a  drink  of  water  from 
a  tumbler  that  was  on  the  board  on  the  further 
side  of  the  chamber.  He  went;  but  out  of  that 
he  could  not  come,  as  he  held  the  vessel  of  water 
the  length  of  the  night.  "  Thou  lad,"  said  she, 
"why  wilt  thou  not  lie  down?"  but  out  of  that 
he  could  not  drag  till  the  bright  morrow's  day 
was.  .  .  .  This  wooer  went  and  betook  himself 
to  his  home,  but  he  did  not  tell  the  other  two 
how  it  happened  to  him.  Next  came  the  second 
chap,  and  in  the  same  way,  when  she  had  gone 
to  rest — "  Look,"  she  said,  "  if  the  latch  is  on  the 
door."  The  latch  laid  hold  of  his  hands,  and  out 
of  that  he  could  not  come  the  length  of  the  night, 
and  out  of  that  he  did  not  come  till  the  morrow's 
day  was  bright.  He  went,  under  shame  and  dis- 
grace. No  matter,  he  did  not  tell  the  other  chap 
how  it  had  happened,  and  on  the  third  night  he 
came.  As  it  happened  to  the  two  others,  so  it 
happened  to  him.  One  foot  stuck  to  the  floor; 
he  could  neither  come  nor  go,  but  so  he  was  the 
length  of  the  night.' 

Was  the  idea  of  this  kind  of  magical  power  derived 
from  the  Gael's  first  acquaintance  with  the  magnet  ? 

The  '  kelpie  '  or  '  kilpie '  (as  J.  S.  writes)  is  simply 


24  The  Glenogle  kelpie 

the  personification  of  ke/p  or  kilp(e)^  i.  e.  water- 
weed  which,  as  it  streams  on  the  surface,  looks 
like  horses'  manes  :  see  p.  332, 

I  am  tempted  to  add  a  South -Highland  variant  of 
the  story  of  the  boys.  It  is  connected  with  a  lake 
not  far  from  Loch  Earn,  and  the  book  from  which 
it  is  taken  (composed  by  a  Gael  with  the  help  of 
an  English  dictionary)  is  one  of  the  most  astonish- 
ing works  ever  written  in  '  English ' — I  hope  before 
long  to  bring  out  a  new  annotated  edition  of  it : — 

'  Another  elegant  lake  in  Glenogle,  adjacent  to 
the  top  of  the  hills  passage  there,  famous  for  fishing 
.  .  .  Anent  certain  predication  of  the  ensuing 
narration  of  Glenogle,  which  aflSrms,  that  ten 
children,  on  certain  day,  doing  something  fanciful 
or  in  frolic  merriments,  close  to  the  lake  above 
narrated,  they  were  -^  taken  unawares  to  see  a  horse 
from  the  lake ;  his  appearance  so  avariciously,  that 
they  were  inordinately  desirous  to  mount  him. 
One  of  them  got  up  on  his  back ;  the  rest  acted 
with  the  same  levity,  till  the  ten  furnished  with 
room  there.  No  sooner  than  they  were  admitted 
to  that  dismally  seat,  than  the  horse  entered  the 
lake  concomitantly  with  the  crew ;  only  the  hind- 
most fell  over,  who  brought  home  the  tiding  of 
the  fatal  event '  (Angus  M^Diarmid,  '  Striking  and 
picturesque  delineations  of  the  grand,  beautiful, 
wonderful,  and  interesting  scenery  around  Loch- 
Earn,'  1 815,  p.  14). 

'  I.  e.  surprised. 


A   Satanic  story  25 


[A  SATANIC   STORY] 

/  had  the  pleasure  of  a  conversation  with  my 
old  friend  the  hermit  on  Tttesday  last.  A^o  sooner 
onr  meeting  took  place  than  I  caught  courage  to 
speak  plainly  with  my  old  friend,  and  asked 
him.  if  he  won  Id  give  nie  the  history  of  a  ghost - 
story  of  any  kind,  which  occnred  in  our  locality 
during  the  age  of  his  long  life-time.  '  Yes,'  was 
his  answer.  '  The  07ie  I  am  to  give  yon,  is  a 
ghost-tale  given  to  me  by  tradition,  from  age  to 
age,  as  dates  or  writings  zvere  not  known  in  those 
days,  so,  my  good  girl,  you  must  take  it  for  good 
or  dad,  to  the  best  of  tity  remembrance  as  brought 
down  to  me  from  my  forefathers.'  Thus  the 
her7}tit  begins  :  '  Golspie  village  was  situated  on 
a  high  hill— say,  about  a  full  mile  above  the 
present  Golspie.  The  former  village  was  built 
of  turf  of  rude  form,  overlaid  with  sticks,  turf, 
and  fir-branches  for  roofing.  Near  the  miserable 
village  stood  a  very  high  toiuer  or  castle,  built  by 
the  old  or  ancient  Picts,  from  ivhich  the  village 
got  its  name,  and  retains  it  to  this  day,  as 
Golspie  Tower.  Peterioli  de  Roma,  a  good  Roman 
Catholic  {for  this  was  the  religion  in  those  days) 
to  whom,  charge  was  given  to  look  over  the  castle 
or  tower  and  keep  it  clean,  during  the  absence  of 
the  owners,  luho  started  on  a  visit  to  Italy.  The 
ship  ofi  which  they  sailed  was  either  wrecked  or 
lost ;  for  no  trace  of  the  family   ever  came  to 


26  A  Satanic  story 

Peterioli's  ears  :  so  the  good  man  had  sole  check 
over  the  old  castle,  and  ever  since  the  Tower 
becajue  the  haunts  of  ghosts.  A  great  many 
pilgrims  lost  their  lives  sheltering  within  its 
roof,  to  the  great  grief  of  decent  Peterioli  de  Roma. 
At  this  season  of  the  year,  the  ChiHstmas-time, 
it  was  a  common  custome  of  the  monks  of  the 
different  monasteries  to  visit  each  other.  So  the 
father-monk  of  the  diocese  of  Forttrose  was  in- 
vited by  his  brother  monk  oj  the  diocese  of 
Thurso  and  the  Orkney  Isles  to  come  and  see 
him.  He  accepted  the  invitation  and  prepared 
for  the  journey.  Early  on  the  Christmas  week, 
going  ro2ind  the  longest  roiite  to  shim  rivers,  as 
bridges  were  far  and  few  on  the  journey ,  at  last 
he  arrived  at  Golspie,  where  otir  story  begins. 
As  he  zvas  winding  his  way  up  the  steep  foot- 
path, he  saw  a  glimmering  light,  feebly,  through 
the  snozv-drift  of  this  dismal  night.  At  ten 
o'clock  the  mo7ik  stood  at  Peterioli' s  door  knocking 
for  admittance.  No  sooner  than  De  Roma  heard 
the  knock  at  the  door  than  he  opened  it,  and  to 
his  sui^prise  saw  a  man  clad  in  white,  for  so  he 
was,  oiving  to  the  heavy  shozver  of  snow  that  fell 
at  the  montent.  '  Oh,  what  storm  I '  exclaimed 
de  Roma.  '  Come  in,  sir,  come  in;  take  of  the 
best  hospitality  my  humble  cottage  can  afford  to 
strangers  '  (believing  the  monk  to  be  a  man  of 
distinction,  owing  to  his  garments).  'Sit  down 
by  the  fire,  sir ;  make  yourself  as  comfortable  as 
you  can,  friend.'     Titrning  to  Lydia,  who  zvas 


A  Satanic  story  27 

only  to  bed,  saying  'Rise,  dear,  rise;  prepare 
food  for  the  stranger,  for  he  is  both  htmgry  and 
tired,  while  I  go  and  put  his  horse  into  safe 
keeping  and  give  the  poor  animal  food  for  the 
night.'  By  this  time  good  Lydia  was  also  ready 
with  the  supper,  so  that  the  stranger  zvas  made 
as  comfortable  as  possible  with  such  means  as 
they  had.  Snpper  over,  Peterioli said  'lam  very 
sorj'-y,  sir,  that  onr  house  is  ^  on  one  bed;  but, 
zf  you,  accept  of  ottrs,  Lydia  and  I  will  sit  by  the 
fire  till  you  take  a  resf^.'  'No,  no— I  am  thank- 
ful of  the  shelter  of  your  roof  on  such  a  stormy 
flight.'  '  Well,  my  dear  sir,  arc  you  a  timid  man 
or  a  man  of  fortitude  and  courage)  I  should 
like  to  know  if  you  are  a  brave  man  zvith  a  bold 
heart^,  not  given  to  superstition.  I  could  give 
you  the  best  bed  in  the  castle  for  a  flight's  rest.' 
'  Thank  yoic,  friend,  and  it 's  me  that  will  accept 
of  it,  taking  chance  of  all  your  spirits  that  yoti 
say  haiint  the  castle.'  '  Well,  sir,  let  us  proceed, 
as  the  night  is  far  spent  and  you  in  need  of  rest 
after  so  long  a  Journey.'  Both  men  started  to 
the  castle  through  an  old  nan^ow  foot-path 
overhanging  with  honey-suckle,  black  thorn,  and 
^rodin-trees,  on  the  botighs  of  which  sat  perchi7ig 

1  A  Gaelic  idiom  =  ' with  one  bed,'  'one-bedded.' 

*  Scottish  for  '  till  you  have  taken'  (Dr.  Joass). 

^  This  and  the  next  sentence  are  unfortunately  not  consistent  with 
the  statement  that '  a  great  many  pilgrims  lost  their  lives  sheltering 
within  its  roof,  to  the  great  grief  of  decent  Peterioli  de  Roma.' 

*  Another  name  for  the  rowan-tree  or  mountain-ash.  The 
bunches  of  red  berries  are  '  rodins,'  the  trees  '  rodin-trccs.' 


28  A  Satanic  story 

the  screech-owl,  the  whoop-owl,  and  such  like 
creatures  of  the  dark  as  fnay  roaiit  in  the  night- 
time, lifting  their  nocturnal  scream  and  howl  to 
the  terror  of  the  monk.  As  soon  as  they  came 
to  the  door,  it  was  instantly  opened  zvith  an  old 
rusty  key.  Peterioli  said  to  the  stranger  '  Please 
come  in,  sir,  until  I  seczire  the  door  behind  so 
thai  no  human  being  can  disturb  you  du.ri7ig  the 
night's  rest.'  The  large  hall,  the  kitchen,  and 
closets  being  properly  examined,  they  proceeded 
to  the  upper  flat.  All  the  rooms  being  found 
quite  safe,  the  brave  mo7ik  felt  qiiite  at  home  for 
the  night.  'Now,  dear  sir,  if  Lydia  and  nie  are 
zvell  in  the  morning,  I  will  call  on  you  at  nine 
o'clock  for  breakfast.  And  now  come  down  zuith 
me  until  you  see  the  ottter  door  secitrely  locked.' 
While  doing  so,  Peterioli  said  in  a  lozu  whisper 
'  Good  night.'  The  mojtk,  retracing  his  steps  to 
his  bed-room,  felt  the  first  symptoms  of  fear  when 
he  perceived  his  lo7iely  position.  He  placed  a 
lighted  candle  on  each  end  of  the  table,  took  his 
sword  and  laid  it  between  them,  secured  the  door 
of  his  i^oom,  sat  in  his  chair,  bible  before  him, 
putting  up  prayers  to  the  Almighty  for  his  pro- 
tection, azvaiting  the  azvful  hour  of  twelve  when 
ghosts  begirt  their  carnival.  Five  minutes  past 
the  hour  of  midnight  a  rtimbling  sou7id  like 
distant  thunder  fell  on  the  mojik's  ear ;  his  heart 
failing  him,  he  rose,  barricaded  the  door  of  his 
room,  as  well  as  he  cozdd  for  safety.  In  a  few 
minutes  more,  the  outer  door  of  the  castle  was 


A  Satanic  story  29 

flung  open,  and  in  came  a  legion  of  evil  spirits 
and  ghosts,  hoivling  like  demons,  making  a  great 
noise  zuith  pots,  pans,  and  dishes,  as  if  preparing 
for  a  great  feast.  In  a  few  mintttes  there  was 
a  hiish,  and  the  poor  monk  thought  allzoas  over  ; 
bjtf,  to  his  horror,  he  heard  foot-steps  ascending 
the  stairs,  and  afterzvards  a  knock  at  his  door. 
The  monk  calls  '  Who  is  there  ?  '  '  'Tis  I;  '  said 
a  rough  voice,  'the  master  zvants  you  dowji  to 
supper.'  'Thank  you,  sir:  I  have  taken  my 
supper.'  The  bearer  descended  with  the  answer 
to  his  master,  but  again  returjied  (his  steps  being 
7nMch  heavier  than  before,  causing  the  tower  to 
shake  from  top  to  bottom)  with  the  same  invita- 
tion, '  The  master  wants  yott  down  to  s tipper.' 
The  third  time  the  same  was  done,  and  the 
monk,  seeing  that  no  refusal  would  do,  took  the 
candle  in  his  hand,  opened  the  door,  where  stood 
before  him  the  skeleton  of  an  old  grey-haired 
mail  who  gave  him  a  sign  to  follow  him  down 
the  stairs  and  through  a  long  dark  passage  to 
the  hall-door,  where  sat  a  great  many  rotnid 
a  well  furnished  table.  'Come  in,  sir,  come  in  ; 
we  have  beeti  waiting  on  you  for  so  long ;  come  tip 
to  the  head  of  the  table,  your  place. '  The  mo7ik 
humbly  obeyed  from  fear,  and  sat  dozvn.  The 
good  monk  put  his  hand  to  his  brozv,  shtit  his 
eyes,  and  prayed  thtts—'  Oh,  father,  thozi  hast 
always  supported  me  with  thy  providence  until 
now;  at  this  titne  permit  me  not  to  feast  with 
devils. '     On  the  good  man  opening  his  eyes  there 


30  Its  origin 

ivas  nothing  to  be  seen  but  his  candle.  The 
ghosts  made  their  exit.  The  good  man  i'etnr7ied 
to  his  room,  zuent  to  bed,  partook  of  a  sound 
sleep,  till  Peterioli  awakened  him,  saying  '  Rise, 
sir;  Lydia  is  ready  with  breakfast;  fist  nine 
o'clock.'  [f-  S.] 

This  story,  like  the  last,  owes  its  present  form 
to  the  narrative  talent  of  J.  S.'s  father,  and  was 
worked  up  in  the  same  manner :  it  had  to  be  done 
twice,  Mr.  vStuart  told  me,  because  the  first  time  it 
did  not  altogether  agree  with  the  heads  which  he 
dictated.  There  was  no  such  person  as  Peterioli 
de  Roma  (though  Petrioli  is  a  real  Italian  sur- 
name), and  no  such  legend  about  Golspie  Tower. 
But  a  similar  story  zvas  told  in  Golspie,  and  this 
is  it : — 

A  young  minister  in  British  North  America  was 
riding  on  a  bad  snowy  night  to  a  place  where 
there  were  a  number  of  Highlanders.  He  saw 
a  hght,  and  found  it  came  from  a  cottage;  so, 
'  clapping'  at  the  door  with  his  stick,  he  asked  for 
lodging  for  himself  and  his  horse.  The  cottager 
and  his  wife  said  that  there  was  no  diflficulty  about 
putting  up  his  horse,  but  that  they  had  no  room 
for  him,  as  they  had  only  their  own  bed.  There 
was.  Indeed,  accommodation  In  an  empty  old  castle 
hard  by  (which  they  were  keeping  for  some  noble- 
man or  other  great  person) ;  but  no  one  who  slept 
there  ever  came  out  alive.  The  minister,  after 
supping  with  the  man  and  his  wife,  said  he  would 


A  'British  North  American'  story    31 

run  the  risk.  He  took  his  sword  and  Bible,  and 
they  led  him  to  a  splendid  room  at  the  top  of  the 
castle,  where  they  made  him  a  good  fire.  They 
had  locked  every  door  after  them,  so  that  no  one 
else  might  enter ;  and,  when  they  left  the  minister, 
he  let  them  out  and  locked  every  door  after  him 
as  he  went  back.  He  sat  up,  with  two  candles 
and  his  Bible  and  sword,  and  heard  no  sound  till 
midnight.  Then  a  fearful  and  unearthly  noise 
shook  the  castle  under  him,  a  heavy  foot  came 
on  to  the  stair  and  to  the  door :  there  was  a  tap 
at  the  door,  and  a  voice  cried  '  The  master  Avants 
you  down  to  supper.'  The  minister  replied  that 
he  had  already  supped.  Again  the  same  thing 
happened,  the  noise  this  time  being  still  greater, 
and  the  unseen  visitor's  step  heavier.  A  third 
time  the  noise  was  heard,  and  this  time  more 
terrible  than  ever :  a  third  time  the  step  came, 
and  this  time  so  heaAy  that  at  every  footfall  the 
castle  seemed  about  to  come  down.  The  door 
opened,  and  an  evil  spirit  in  the  shape  of  a  skeleton 
stood  in  it  and  repeated  the  summons.  The  minister 
took  his  sword  and  Bible,  and  followed  his  sum- 
moner  to  the  basement  of  the  castle,  where  he 
found  a  table  laid,  and  round  it  a  number  of  devils 
grinning  at  him.  He  was  invited  to  sup  with 
them,  and  said  he  would.  He  then  shut  his  eyes, 
and  said  '  O  Lord,  wilt  thou  permit  me  to  eat  with 
devils  ? ' — opened  his  eyes  again,  and  found  all 
gone.  He  went  upstairs  again,  thanked  God,  went 
to  bed,  and  slept  all  night.     In  the  morning  the 


32  Golspie  Tower 

cottager  and  his  wife  came,  thinking  to  find  him 
dead,  but  found  him  'jolly  and  laughing.'  They 
gave  him  further  entertainment,  and  indeed  there 
was  nothing  they  were  not  anxious  to  do  for  him. 

That  is  the  original  story,  put  in  my  own  words 
except  where  quotation-marks  are  used,  but  faithful 
in  all  details  to  the  notes  which  I  made  while 
Mr.  Stuart  told  it  to  me.  And,  taking  it  as  it  was 
told,  I  venture  to  suggest  that  the  minister's  fears, 
assisted  perhaps  by  an  indigestible  supper,  gave 
him  a  very  bad  dream.  As  he  was  a  '  minister,' 
we  are  of  course  sure  that  none  of  the  incidents 
were  due  to  his  own  invention  ! 

British  North  America,  however,  is  not  the  most 
likely  part  of  the  world  in  which  to  meet  old 
castles,  and,  even  if  for  '  old  castle '  we  substitute 
'  haunted  house,'  the  kernel  of  the  story  seems 
decidedly  mediaeval :  I  fully  expect  to  find  some 
day  that  it  is  at  least  four  centuries  old. 

The  statement  about  the  site  of  the  original 
Golspie  is  very  curious.  There  are  two  hamlets 
of  Golspie  Tower.  The  very  scanty  remnants  of 
the  tower  itself  (see  p.  285)  are  in  the  lower  of 
these  two,  but  A.  C.,  B.  C.,  J.  S.,  and  M.  S.  (the 
only  young  people  I  asked)  had  never  seen  them 
and  did  not  know  where  the  tower  was;  while 
A.  C.  told  me  that  Golspie  Tower  is  'just  the 
name  of  a  village,'  and  pointed,  not  to  the  lower 
hamlet  (close  to  which  she  was  standing),  but  to 


Stories  of  haiintings  33 

the  upper  hamlet  nearly  half  a  mile  away.  It  is 
clearly  this  upper  hamlet  which  is  referred  to  as 
the  original  Golspie. 

The  ground  on  which  it  stands  was  certainly 
raised  above  the  sea  while  the  site  of  the  present 
Golspie  was  still  under  the  waves,  but  we  have  no 
reason  to  suppose  that  the  district  was  inhabited 
until  after  that  site  had  become  dry  land.  Still, 
settlements  made  during  the  times  of  Saxon  and 
Norse  piracy  might  very  well  be  placed  high  up, 
for  safety. 

Golspie  Tower  was  a  mediaeval  castellated  house. 
It  may  have  been  built  where  an  old  '  Pictish 
tower '  once  stood,  but  there  are  no  records  or 
evidences  to  this  effect. 


STORIES   OF   HAUNTINGS 

There  is  a  place  in  the  middle  of  a  wood  ^  here 
where  they  used  to  hang  people  long  ago.  No 
one  would  go  to  this  wood  after  dark,  as  strange 
sounds  were  heard  and  the  spirits  of  the  people 
that  were  hung  haunted  the  place.     [H.  f.  M.] 


There   is   another  place   which   is   called  the 
Devil's  Gate  ^  where  it  was  said  a  lady  robed  in 

'   In  tlie  grounds  of  Dunrobin. 

'^  On  the  Dunrobin   estate,  over   the  burn.     It  led  to  the  old 
nursery,  and  the  railway  now  runs  over  its  site. 

D 


34         Dangers  of  ghost-shamming 

white  was  seen  to  wander  every  night  to  the  fear 
of  the  cottntry-people.  [H.  f.  MJ 


STORIES  OF  GHOSTS  THAT  WERE 
NO  GHOSTS 

From  several  of  these  stories  it  seems  as  if  ghost- 
shamming-  has  been  a  favourite  practice  in  and 
about  Golspie,  I  myself,  when  a  boy,  have  wrapped 
up  in  a  sheet  on  a  bright  moonlight  night,  floured 
my  face,  and  come  suddenly  round  the  corner  when 
a  friend  was  about  to  turn  it  from  the  other  side. 
I  did  not  do  that  twice — I  was  too  much  frightened 
at  my  friend's  fright.  Sudden  alarms  of  this  kind 
have  sometimes  caused  people  to  lose  their  reason, 
and  probably  any  one  suffering  from  certain  forms 
of  heart-disease  might  quite  easily  be  killed  on  the 
spot.  So,  young  folk  of  Golspie,  forbear,  and,  if 
you  will  not  take  my  caution,  take  that  of  Burns — 

'  For  monie  a  ane  has  gotten  a  fright — 
An'  liv'd  an  di'd  deleeret — 

On  sic  a  night.' 

I7t  a  neat  little  cottage  about  three  miles  from 
the  village  of  Golspie  there  lives  a  man  who  once 
had  recotcrse  to  act  the  part  of  a  ghost  for 
reasons  zvhich  zvill  afterwards  be  told.  Every 
night  his  zuife  dressed  herself  and,  leaving  him 
in  charge  of  the  bairns,  started  for  the  village. 


Stories  of  ghost- shamming  35 

Thinking  that  she  ivas  getting  tired  of  him,  and 
that  her  purpose  for  going  so  often  to  the  village 
was  to  meet  some  other  man,  he  determined  to 
give  her  a  fright.  After  putting  the  bairns  to 
bed,  he  covered  himself  with  a  white  sheet,  and, 
taking  a  candle  in  his  hand,  he  stationed  himself 
near  a  house  in  which  a  man  died  a  week  before 
who  resembled  this  man  very  much.  About  ten 
o'clock  (she  always  caine  home  a  little  after  ten) 
he  took  off  his  boots  and  lighted  the  caitdle.  He 
walked  rou7id  and  round  this  house  waiting  for 
her  arrival.  Needless  to  say  that  his  plan  met 
with  success  after  repeat i)ig  it  several  times ;  for 
it  not  only  cured  her  but  many  others.  She  would 
never  go  to  the  village  afteriuards  without  her 
htisband  being  zuith  her.  He  found  out  a  short 
time  after  that  he  was  suppixsed  to  be  the  ghost  of 
the  man  who  had  died.  [A.  C.J 


A  boy  zuho  lived  in  one  of  the  coimtry -places 
which  surround  Golspie,  and  zuho  spent  all  his 
money  in  strong  drink  and  smo king-materials, 
was  made  to  abandon  his  evil  habits  in  the  follow- 
ing way.  The  boys  of  the  village,  sorry  to  see 
such  a  young  boy  indzilging  in  su.ch  evil  habits, 
made  an  agreement  that  two  of  them  would  put 
a  white  sheet  and  chains  07i  themselves  and 
frighten  the  boy  on  his  way  home.  As  they 
heard  the  footsteps  of  the  boy,  they  crept  out  of 
their  hiding-place  and  stood  on  the  road,  at  the 
same  time  rattling  their  chains  so  as  to  attract 
u  2 


36  Stories  of  ghost-shamming 

the  attention  of  the  boy.  When  the  boy  sazv  the 
lads  dressed  in  white  he  thought  they  were  ghosts. 
He  prayed  to  God  for  protection,  a7id  then  begged 
the  ghosts  not  to  touch  him — in  rettirn  for  which 
he  promised  to  abandon  his  evil  habits.  The 
'ghosts '  went  away,  promising  to  come  again 
if  he  ivould  not  fulfil  his  promise.  Then  they 
went  to  their  companions  and  told  them  all  about 
their  interview  with  the  boy.  They  were  pleased 
to  see  how  their  plan  succeeded,  Jor  the  boy  never 
indulged  in  his  evil  habits  again.  [B.  C] 


Before  I  begin  to  relate  my  stories,  let  me  tell 
you  that  I  do  not  believe  in  ghosts,  and  7ione  of 
the  stories  of  which  I  am  going  to  tell  you  proves 
contrary  to  my  statement.  You  may  then  say  (if 
you  believe  in  ghosts,  as  some  people  do)  that 
they  are  7iot  ghost-stories,  but  all  the  same  I  shall 
tell  them  to  you.  [W.   W.  M.] 

A  friend  of  mine  (in  fact,  a  relatio7tJ  was 
rettiming  hoi7te,  from  being  on  some  business, 
at  a  very  late,  or  I  should  say  a  very  early  hour, 
as  it  was  about  one  o'clock  in  the  morning.  On 
his  way  hoine  he  had  to  pass  over  a  bridge  which 
was  said  to  be  haunted  by  ghosts,  and  when 
crossing  this  at  full  gallop  (for  he  ivas  on  horse- 
back) lie  tho7(ght  he  saw  something  very  like 
a  shadow  passing  hitn.  He  rode  on  past  the 
bridge,  but,  like  myself,  not  believing  in  ghosts, 
returned  to  find  out  what  it  was.     After  riding 


Stories  of  ghost-shamming  37 

back  several  miles,  he  overtook  a  man  who  went 
about  selling  tea,  and  who  was  riding  on  a  Shet- 
land pony  ivhich  had  no  shoes  on.  My  friend 
had  not  heard  the  pony  passing  him,  the  night 
being  very  ivindy,  ajid  he  did  not  recognise  the 
man,  the  night  being  very  dark.     [IV.  IV.  M.] 


A  fnan  ivas  one  night  passing  onr  churchyard 
at  a  very  late  hour.  He  saw  some  object  movi^ig 
among  the  tombstones,  and,  being  very  supersti- 
tious, he  thought  this  was  a  ghost.  He  ran  away, 
but,  meeting  some  neighbours,  he  told  them  zvhat 
he  had  seen,  and  returned  with  them  to  discover 
what  it  was.  It  titrned  out  to  be  the  horse  of  the 
village  carter,  zvhich  he  had  put  into  the  church- 
yard to  feed  on  the  hcxuriant  grass,  thinking 
that  nobody  wotild  notice  it,  and  which,  being 
white,  the  man  had  mistaken  for  a  ghost. 

[W.   W.  M.] 

The  fishers  being  of  a  very  superstitious  nattire, 
a  young  man  who  zuas  very  fond  of  a  lark  deter- 
mined to  take  advantage  of  this  superstition.  He 
dressed  himself  up  i7Z  the  us7tal  dress  which  a 
ghost  is  supposed  to  wear,  and,  having  proczired 
some  cJiainsfrom  a  cart,  he  personi/ied  the  ghost 
for  several  nights  with  great  success.  But  the 
fishers  at  length  found  out  that  it  was  a  trick 
which  7uas  being  played  on  them,  and  so  they  set 
a  watch  for  the  ghost  one  night.  When  the  ghost 
cam,e  to  his  ustial  place  of  operation,  which  was 


38  Stories  of  ghost-shamming 

an  ash-pit  near  the  gas-works,  from  which  he 
threw  2tp  clozids  of  ashes,  the  fishers  gave  chase. 
Of  cotp^se  the  ghost  ran  azvay,  and  they  followed. 
The  ghost  jumped  over  a  ^  dike  at  the  alms- 
cottages,  and  the  fishers,  not  being  very  sure 
btit  that  it  was  a  ghost  after  all,  thought  that 
the  grottnd  had  swallotved  it,  and  so  gave  up  the 
chase.  [W.  W.  M.J 

Once  there  was  an  old  woman  who  was  afraid 
of  nothing.  She  was  asked  one  day  if  she  would 
go  to  the  old  ruins  of  a'^  church  at  twelve  o'clock 
at  night.  Inside  the  chtirch  were  old  skulls  and 
bones,  and  she  had  to  take  otit  two  skulls.  And 
if  she  did  this  she  ivas  going  to  be  rewarded  with 
a  sum  of  money.  One  man  went  to  the  church 
before  twelve  o'clock  and  dressed  himself  in  a 
large  white  sheet.  When  the  old  woman  catne, 
she  went  in,  and  she  saw  the  ivhite  object  stand- 
ing in  the  centre  of  the  chtirch.  The  old  wom,an 
never  said  one  ivord,  btit  began  looking  for  two 
skulls.  She  liftet  one  skzill  and  she  looked  at  it. 
The  white  object  said  in  a  trembulos  and  shaking 
voice  '  That's  my  skull.'  The  old  woman  never 
stirred,  but  began  looking  for  another  skzill.  She 
found  a  skull.  The  zvhiie  object  repeated  the 
same  words  over  again.  And  when  the  old 
woman  was  going  otit  she  said  'Be  gtiiet  with 
you,  ye  haven't  two  skulls.'  [A.  G.J 

^  In  Scotland  '  dike '  =  bank,  or  wall. 
^  A.  G.  says  it  was  in  Caithness. 


Stoj^ies  of  ghost-shamming  39 

Oi2ce  an  old  vian  used  to  zvatch  his  bees  all 
night  beside  the  chnrch-yard,  because  the  boys 
used  to  come  and  steal  them.  The  boys  one  7iight 
fnade  zip  their  minds  to  give  the  old  man  a 
fright.  So  tzvo  of  the  boys  dressed  themselves 
one  i7i  a  white  sheet  and  the  other  in  a  black 
shieet.  They  were  hiding  behind  a  grave-stojie, 
and,  when  they  thozight  everything  was  quiet 
and  still,  the  white  deil  began  running  through 
the  church-yard  and  the  black  deil  chasing  him. 
They  were  running  about  like  this  for  a  while, 
and  the  man  called  out  '  The  black  deil  can  chase 
the  white  deil,  but  Til  watch  my  bees. '    [A .  G.J 


Once  a  man  was  coming  home  a  very  dark 
road  one  night.  A  nd  as  he  was  walking  on  he 
saw  a  white  thing  on  the  road  a  little  bit  in  front 
of  him.  He  stopped  and  heard  the  white  thing 
snaking  a  noise.  He  was  not  going  to  stop  for 
this,  and  so  he  went  on,  and  as  he  came  near  he 
found  that  it  was  a  goat  caught  in  a  fence  by  the 
horns.  [A.  G.J 

It  was  generally  believed  in  the  Highlands  that 
there  were  ghosts,  and  indeed  some  people  believe 
in  them  still.  To  pass  a  churchyard  alone  at 
night  was  thought  to  be  the  height  of  cotirage. 
Indeed  our  school  was  at  one  time  siLpposed  to 
be  haunted  by  ghosts,  and  I  have  been  told  that 
for  a  time  the  scholars  would  not  go  ?tear  it  in 
the  7norning  till  the  teacher  would  come.     The 


40  Morvich  House 

ghosts  in  this  instance  ivere  given  to  rattling 
chains  and  pulling  the  desks  about  zvith  a  great 
noise.  ^  Morrvich  House,  in  the  vicinity,  was 
also  supposed  to  be  haunted,  and  the  tenant, 
a  retired  soldier,  sat  up  for  nights  in  one  of  the 
rooms  with  loaded  guns  watching  for  the  ghosts 
— ivhich,  however,  it  is  said,  never  came.  There 
are  several  places  in  the  district  where,  it  is 
said,  ghosts  tvere  seen,  but  most  frequently  on 
the  road  betweejt  the  -  Pointer  Lodge  and  Dun- 
robin  "^  Mains.  [M.  S.J 

Mr.  Andrew  Lang,  to  whom  I  mentioned  the 
story  about  Morvich,  has  written  me  a  letter  which 
I  venture  to  quote.  '  Morvich,'  he  says,  '  is  our 
staimnschloss,  in  a  way.  None  of  us,  I  think,  in 
3  generations,  ever  heard  of  a  ghost  there,  certainly 
/  never  did,  but  I  could  make  inquiries.  I  have 
stayed  in  it  at  divers  times,  and  never  saw  a  spook, 
through  40  years,  nor  heard  of  one.  ...  A  shoot- 
ing party  in  the  strath  was  lately  evicted  by  a  ghost, 
but  not  from  Morvich.'  Morvich  House  was  built 
at  some  time  after  1784  and  before  1819.  If  the 
ghost -story  belongs  to  it  at  all,  it  may  have  been 
nothing  but  a  hoax  on  the  old  soldier. 

'   Morvich  is  close  to  the  Hne,  about  5  miles  W.  of  Golspie. 

*  Southrons  would  have  expected  Porter's,  but  there  is  no 
mistake. 

'  Mains  are  farm-lands,  farm-buildings,  &c.,  attached  to  a 
mansion. 


The  Sutherland  crest  41 

HISTORICAL  AND   GEOGRAPHICAL 
TRADITIONS 

There  is  a  tradition  that  hundreds  of  years 
ago  a  vessel  landed  at  a  place  called  the  Little 
Ferry,  three  miles  from  Golspie.  It  is  said  that 
the  captain  landed  and  was  attached  by  a  pack  of 
zvild  cats,  and  succeeded  in  killing  theiJi  all,  after 
being  dangerously  wounded.  It  is  said  that  the 
Earls  of  Stit her  land  get  their  coat  of  arms  from 
this.  [H.  f  MJ 

The  Little  Ferry,  otherwise  Unes,  is  to  the  S.E. 
of  Golspie.  ^  VkWA  cats  still  exist  in  the  neigh- 
bourhood of  Golspie.  The  tradition  is  given  as 
follows  by  Sir  Robert  Gordon  on  pp.  14,  15  of 
his  '  Genealogical  history"  of  the  earldom  of  Suther- 
land,' written  in  1639  and  published  in  1813  :  — 

'  In  the  ralgne  of  Corbred  the  second,  surnamed 
Gald,  that  famous  King  of  Scotland  (whom  Tacitus 
calleth  Galgacus),  sone  to  Corbred  the  first,  the  yeir 
of  Christ  fourscore  and  elevin,  Domitian  being  em- 
perour  of  Rome,  ther  aryved  in  the  river  of  Tay 
a  great  company  of  Germanes,  named  Catti  and 
Vsipii,  a  valiant  people,  of  mightie  bodies,  w4io  were 
banished  out  of  their  owne  native  land  for  killing 
of  a  Roman  generall,  w^ith  his  legione,  Domitian 
having  befor  triumphed  over  their  nation  .  .  . 

1  Mostly,  perhaps,  half-breeds ;  but  the  true  breed  is  occasion- 
ally seen. 


42       The  Catti  and  zvild-cat  myths 

At  their  first  arrjr^ale  In  the  river  of  Vnes  (a 
commodious  and  saffe  haven  In  that  cuntrey),  ther 
captane  went  to  the  shore  for  to  recreatt  himself, 
and  to  spy  the  land ;  wher  he  wes  suddentlie  In- 
vaded by  a  company  of  monstrous  big-  wild  catts, 
that  much  Indomaged  and  molested  the  countrey. 
The  feght  betueen  them  was  cruell,  and  continued 
long,  yet  In  end  (being  grivouslle  wounded  In 
severall  places  of  his  bodle)  he  killed  them  all, 
with  great  danger  of  his  lyff.  From  hence  the 
thalnes  and  erles  of  Cattey  or  Sutherland  evin 
vnto  this  day,  doe  carle  in  their  crest  or  bage, 
abowe  ther  armes,  a  cat  sitting  with  one  of  his 
feett  vpward,  readle  to  catch  his  prey ;  some  doe 
think  that  from  this  dangerous  adventure  this 
countrey  wes  first  called  Cattey:  for  Catt,  in  old 
Scottish  (or  Irish  language)  signifieth  a  catt.' 

You  will  see  that  this  account  really  combines 
two  different  explanations  of  the  ancient  name  of 
the  country — one  that  It  is  called  from  German 
immlg-rants  named  CattI,  the  other  that  It  Is  called 
from  Its  wild  cats. 

The  wild  cat  derivation  would  be  more  likely  if 
we  knew  that  wild  cats  were  uncommon  In  other 
parts  of  the  country:  but  I  have  no  reason  to 
suppose  that  they  were. 

As  to  the  Catti,  the  story  about  them  is  without 
historical  foundation  and  to  the  last  degree  im- 
probable. There  was  a  tribe  of  CattI  who  lived 
near  the  Severn  In  Caesar's  time,  and  there  might 


Clann  CattacJi  and  Catii"  43 

have  been  other  tribes  of  the  same  name  in  our 
isle.  These  Catti  were  of  course  Kelts,  as  were 
the  inhabitants  of  Sutherland. 

There  is,  however,  no  doubt  that  the  Earls  (now 
Dukes)  of  Sutherland  have  a  cat  for  their  crest ; 
that  the  Gaelic  name  of  their  clan  is  Clann  Cattach 
(=:Clan  '  Cattish  ') ;  that  the  original  '  Sutherland  ' 
(the  E.  coast  region — see  p.  280)  is  still  called  Catu'^ 
('  Cats  'j,  and  was  formerly  also  called  Cat  ('  Cat '). 
Some  of  these  facts  have  been  explained  by  others 
before  me.  The  clan  were  called  Cats  ;  the  country 
was  called  Cats  after  the  clan,  according  to  a  prac- 
tice prevalent  in  Old  GaeHc;  and  the  Sutherland 
crest  is  also  adopted  from  the  name  of  the  clan. 
But  why  was  the  countr^^  called  not  only  '  Cats  '  but 
also  '  Cat ' }  And  how  did  the  '  Cats  '  themselves 
get  their  name }  These  are  questions  to  which 
I  hope  to  give  a  satisfactory  answer. 

The  proper  names  of  ancient  Keltic  chiefs  were 
often  derived  from  the  names  of  animals.  Gene- 
rally the  animal  was  the  dog.  The  ancient  Kelt's 
idea  of  a  dog  was — not  a  Skye  terrier,  but — a  stag- 
hound,  boar-hound,  or  wolf-hound,  an  animal  swift, 
strong,  and  brave,  so  that  in  Old  Irish  Gaelic  cu 
'dog'  was  used  metaphorically  to  signify  a  cham- 
pion or  warrior.  Hence  among  the  Britons  King 
Cunobelinus's  name  meant  '  bright- coloured  dog,' 
King  ^  Cuneglasus's  '  tawny  dog ' ;    while  that   of 

*  His  contemporary  Gildas  says  that  Cuneglase  means  cams 
fitlve,  which   has  been  corrupted  in  the   MSS.    into  hiiiio  fulve 


44  'Dog'  and  'CaV  in  Keltic  proper  names 

St.  Kentigern  (Conthigirnus)— the  son  of  a  prin- 
cess— meant  '  dog-chief  or  '  king  of  dogs,'  Simi- 
larly the  great  Irish  hero  Cuchulainn  had  a  name 
into  which  the  word  cii  '  dog '  enters ;  indeed  he  is 
sometimes  called  simply  Cu.  And  among  the  Picts 
we  find  from  inscriptions  that  in  Conningsburgh  in 
Shetland  there  was  a  man  (apparently  a  chief) 
named  Cu  Morr  ('  Big  Dog')\  and  that  at  Kilma- 
dock  in  Perthshire  there  was  a  man  named  U  Culiaen 
('  Descendant  of  Whelp  ')  ^ 

But  sometimes  it  was  another  animal.  Some- 
times, for  instance,  the  bear,  art^  arth^  as  in  Artur, 
Arthur  ",  '  Bear-man  '  or  '  Bear-male.'  Sometimes 
the  cat,  catt  or  cat,  as  in  the  name  of  St.  Catan 
('  Little  Cat ').  In  those  days  the  idea  conveyed 
by  such  a  name  was  quite  different  from  what  it 
would  be  now.  The  domestic  cat,  which  is  not 
a  native  of  these  isles,  was  almost  totally  unknown 
in  them :  if  it  existed  here  at  all,  it  was  only  as 
a  curious  animal  brought  over  from  the  continent 
by  some  Roman  family,  some  military  officer  who 
wanted  to  keep  the  mice  from  his  stores,  or  in 
later  times  some  priest  or  other  pilgrim  who  had 
been  to  Rome  or  Gaul.  But  the  wild  cat— which 
*  '  attains  a  length  of  3  feet  including  the  tail ' — '  was 

through  confusion  of  the  ancient  C  x)  and  L  :  see  my  letter  in 
The  Academy  of  Oct.  12,  1895. 

1  Nicholson,  pp.  4,  9,  App.  21,  35-6. 

°  See  a  letter  by  me  in  The  Academy  of  May  23,  1896. 

5  See  my  letter  of  Oct.  12,  1895,  above-mentioned. 

*  This  and  the  following  quotations  are  from  the  article  '  Cat ' 
in  the  Encyclopaedia  Britannica. 


Cat  the  son  of  Cruithne 


40 


formerly  abundant  throughout  the  wooded  districts 
of  Britain.'  '  The  fierceness  of  its  disposition,  its 
strength,  and  its  agility  are  well  known ;  and 
although  it  does  not  seek  to  attack  man,  yet  when 
disturbed  in  its  lair,  or  when  hemmed  in,  it  will 
spring  with  tiger-like  ferocity  on  its  opponent, 
every  hair  on  its  body  bristling  with  rage.  "  I 
never  saw  an  animal  fight  so  desperately,"  says 
Mr.  Charles  St  John  {JVild  Sports  of  the  High- 
lands)^ "  or  one  which  was  so  difficult  to  kill."  ' 

Consequently  Cat(t)  was  a  good  name  to  give 
a  young  chief  in  a  fighting  age,  and  the  Irish 
translation  (made  not  later  than  the  12th  century) 
of  the  Welsh  chronicler  Nennius  tells  us  (Irish 
p.  50,  Eng.  trans,  p.  51)  that  'Cruithne  .  .  .  seized 
the  northern  part  of  the  island  of  Britain,  and  his 
seven  sons  divided  his  territory  into  seven  divisions, 
and  each  of  them  gave  his  name  to  his  own  portion. 
The  seven  sons  of  Cruithne  are  Fib,  Fidach,  Fot- 
laid,  Fortrean,  Cat,  Ce,  Cirig,    As  Columbkille  said, 

Seven  of  the  children  of  Cruithne 

Divided  Alban  into  seven  portions ; 

Cait,  Ce,  Cireach  of  the  hundred  children. 

Fib,  Fidach,  Fotla,  Foirtreann. 
And  Aenbeagan,  son  of  Cat,  son  of  Cruithne,  took 
the  sovereignty  of  the  seven  divisions  ^' 

Now  Cruithne  is  the  Old  Irish  name  for  '  Pict,' 

*  For  references  to  and  instances  of  the  name  and  its  deriva- 
tives I  am  indebted  to  an  article  by  Stokes  '  On  the  linguistic 
value  of  the  Irish  annals'  in  Bezzcnhcrger's  Beif rage sur Kunde 
der  indogernianischcn  Sprachen^  xviii.  p.  92. 


46  Cat  a  real  chief 

and  this  stor>'  of  Cruithne  and  his  seven  sons  is 
just  the  sort  of  stor>'  which  is  imagined  all  over 
the  world   by  uncivilized  or   half-civilized   people 
in  order  to  account  for  their  own  names  and  those 
of  the  countries  they  inhabit.     But,  putting  it  aside 
altogether,  there  is  no  reason  why  there  should  not 
have  been  a  Pictish  chief  named  Cat(t).     And,  if  so, 
it  was  natural  that  the  territory  he  ruled  should  be 
called  Cat(t)  after  him.     For  in  the  Pictish  inscrip- 
tions homesteads  commonly  bear  the  name  of  the 
past  or  present  occupiers — and  that  not  in  the  geni- 
tive case,  as  we  might  speak  of  Mr.  Cameron's  farm 
as  'Cameron's'  but  in  the  locative  case,  as  if  we 
spoke  of  it  as  '  Cameron  \'    Thus  at  St.  Vigean's 
near  Arbroath  the  homestead  of  Forcus  w^as  called 
Ett  F'orcus  (Ait-Fhorcus),  at  St.  Ninian's  isle  in 
Orkney  the  ground  belonging  to  the  priest  Mo- 
bhaist  was   itself  called   Mowest ;    while   another 
property  at  St.  Vigean's,  two  at  Greenloaning  in 
Perthshire,  probably  two  more  near  Doune  in  the 
same  county,  two  (at  Aboyne  and  Garden  Moor) 
in  Aberdeenshire,  one  at  Burrian  in  North  Ronalds- 
hay  (Orkney),  two  others  (at  Conningsburgh  and 
Lunasting)  in  Shetland,  were  all  named  after  the 
families   who    then    or    formerly   occupied   them. 
And,  when  we  get  so  large  a  number  of  instances 
as  these  out  of  only  some  22  Pictish  inscriptions 
yet  discovered,  we  see  that  it  was  natural  that  Cat(t)'s 
territory  should  itself  be  called  Cat.     This  is  the 

'  Nicholson,  pp.  3  &c. 


from  ivJioui  the  Clan  zcas  naiued    47 

name  the  country^  bears  in  another  passage  of  the 
same  Irish  chronicle  (p.  148). 

Anotlier  very  strong  reason  for  believing  that 
the  clan  get  their  name  from  a  man  is  that  all 
Highland  clan-names  are  taken  from  persons  who 
existed  or  were  supposed  to  have  existed.  If  ever 
a  clan  seems  to  be  named  from  a  territory,  such  as 
Clan  Ross,  and  Clan  Sutherland  itself,  it  is  only 
because  the  name  of  the  territory  had  previously 
become  the  name  of  a  person  :  thus  Clan  Suther- 
land means  the  Clan  of  the  Earl  of  Sutherland. 
For  the  ordinary  meaning  of  claim  in  Gaelic  is 
*  progeny,  children.' 

Not  only  is  there  a  Clann  Cattach  or  'cattish,' 
but  a  Clann  Catanach  or  '  kittenish,'  an"d  the  latter 
name  is  certainly  of  personal  origin.  I  have  men- 
tioned the  Irish  saint  named  Catan,  '  Little  Cat.' 
It  was  common  to  give  children  names  expressing 
dedication  to  some  saint.  For  instance  Malcolum 
meant  '  Bald  one  [monk]  of  St.  Columba,'  Gilli- 
colaim  '  Lad  of  St.  Columba '  -  names  afterwards 
shortened  into  Calum.  In  the  same  way  Gillacatain 
meant  '  Lad  of  St.  Catan '  and  from  a  certain 
Gillacatan  was  named  Clann  Gillacatan  \  otherwise 
Clann  Chattan  or  Clann  Catanach. 

Granting,  then,  a  chief  named  Cat(t),  his  '  clann  ' 

'  My  instances  and  forms  are  from  Macbain's  Etymological 
dictionary  of  the  Gaelic  language,  pp.  358,  &c.  If  it  be  said  that 
Malcoh<m  and  Gillacatan  are  not  correct  genitives,  the  reply  is 
that  in  ancient  Highland  Gaelic  the  vowel  of  the  nominative  is 
not  always  modified  in  writing  :  thus  we  have  vor  for  modern 
nihoir  (Nicholson,  p.  76). 


48  '  Cats ' 

or  '  children '  (whether  really  such  or  only  those 
who  were  in  his  service  or  put  themselves  under 
his  protection)  would  each  call  themselves  Cat(t), 
and  the  clan  would  be  called  Cait(t),  'Cats,'  or  Clann 
Cattach,  '  Cattish,'  just  as  every  follower  of  a  De 
Comines  or  Gunni  is  a  Cuimein  (Cumming)  or 
Gulnne  (Gunn)  and  the  clan  is  called  Clann  Cui- 
meanach  or  Gunnach^  And,  as  in  Old  Gaelic  it 
was  common  to  call  a  country  from  its  inhabitants, 
so  Sutherland  and  Caithness  {Old  Norse  Katanes) 
would  be  called  in  Pictish  in  the  locative  case 
Catev  or  Catov  ('  Cats ').  In  mediaeval  Irish  they 
are  called  Cataib  ('Cats,'  pronounced  Catev  or 
Cataiv) ;  in  Sutherland  Gaelic  of  to-day  the  name 
is  Catu",  a  mere  variety  of  the  same  case.  The 
original  chief,  or  his  successor,  might  be  known  as 
the  Cat(t)  Mor,  the  Big  or  Great  Cat,  just  as  the 
Duke  of  Argyll  is  Mac  Cailein  Mor  {or  Mhoir)  and 
the  head  of  the  M'^Kenzies  of  Kintail  is  Mac  Coin- 
nich  Mor  (6'/' Mhoir)  Chinntailel  Probably  this  ^<?/' 

'  See  note,  p.  47. 

^  The  latter  instance  I  owe  (through  the  Rev.  D.  Maclnnes  of 
Oban)  to  the  Rev.  James  MacDougall  of  Duror  by  BalHchuHsh. 
He  says  that  in  both  cases  mor  has  been  corrupted  into  mhoir. 
Mor  (nominative)  would  give  the  epithet  to  the  present  chief, 
Mhoir  (genitive)  to  his  ancestor.  There  is  a  Cailean  Mor  in  the 
Argyll  pedigree,  and  Dr.  Joass  believes  that  in  this  case  Mhoir  is 
right.  On  the  authority  of  the  late  Dr.  John  Maclntyre,  a  tutor 
in  the  family  of  Glengarry,  he  compares  Glengarry's  title,  Mac  'ic 
Alasdair  Mhoir,  borne  by  him  as  descendant  of  Alasdair  Mor. 
Mr.  Maclnnes,  on  the  other  hand,  says  that  Glengarry's  title  is 
Mac  'Ic  Alastair.  Scott,  who  writes  Mac  Galium  More,  might 
excusably  mistake  Cailein  (sometimes  pronounced  Callen)  for 
Galium  :  but  '  More '  shows  that  he  heard  Mor,  and  not  Voir  or 


'  Great  man  of  Cats  "*  49 

was  once  a  mere  epithet  of  size,  denoting-  the  '  big ' 
father  of  a  family  as  contrasted  with  his  children, 
the  '  big '  brother  as  contrasted  with  the  little 
brothers^.  I  do  not  know  whether  the  head  of 
Clann  Cattach  has  ever  been  called  Cat(t)  Mor,  but 
he  is  called  Morf  hear  Chatt,  '  Great  man  of  Cats.' 
For  on  Golspie  bridge  is  an  obelisk  bearing 
the  following  inscription,  '  MORFHEAR  CHATT  do 
Cheann  na  Droichaite  big  GAIRM  Chlanii  CHAT- 
TICH  7iam  BtLadh^  i.  e.  '  GREAT  MAX  OF  CATS  to 
Head  of  the  "-  little  Bridge  (in  ?)  calll\g  of  Clann 

Woir.  His  '  Rob  Roy,'  in  which  the  st3'le  occurs,  was  pubHshed 
in  1818. 

In  Capt.  Simon  Fraser's  collection  of  Highland  music  (first  pub- 
lished in  1816)  I  find  the  Lord  Lovat  of  1745  called  Mac  Sliiini 
mor  in  the  title  of  no.  59,  and  MacDonald  of  the  Isles  called 
Mac  Dhonaill  Mor  nan  Eillan  in  that  of  no.  217.  He  also  gives 
Glengarry's  title  as  Mac  mine  Alasiair  (no.  29),  not  Mac  nihic 
Alastair  Mlioir. 

1  Nicholson,  p.  55, 

2  The  '  little  Bridge '  was  close  to  the  mouth  of  the  burn,  on  the 
site  of  the  present  wooden  bridge  (substantially  rebuilt  in  1895). 
It  was  to  the  head  of  this  bridge  that  the  chief  of  the  Suther- 
lands  called  the  clan,  by  messengers  who  carried  a  wooden  cross 
with  its  tips  burnt  and  dipped  in  blood,  and  who  may  have 
recited  this  form  ;  and  the  war-cry  of  the  clan  was  '  To  the  head 
of  the  little  bridge.'  The  '  head'  was  probably  on  the  Dunrobin 
side,  where  there  is  a  long  and  wide  pasture  ('the  Dairy  Park  ') 
through  which  ran  the  old  Caithness  road,  still  easily  traceable. 
The  road  was  diverted  to  its  present  course  in  181 1,  when  the 
stone  bridge  was  probably  erected.  But  the  obelisk  is  some- 
what older,  and  was  moved  from  an  earlier  site — doubtless  at  the 
'  head  of  the  httle  bridge.'  The  '  little'  bridge  may  have  been  so 
called  in  contradistinction  to  the  high  stone  bridge  at  Brora. 
There  was  a  bridge  at  Brora  at  least  as  early  as  1610  {Origines 
parochiales  Scotm,  ii.  pt.  ii,  p.  723'). 

E 


50      Tradition  of  a  cave  at  Backies 

Caitach  of  the  Victories.''     Above  this  is  an  earl's 
coronet,  surmounted  by  a  cat's  head. 

[A  Cave  at  Backies] 

Another  is  that,  when  an  old  woman  was 
herding  cattle  near  a  cave  at  Backies,  one  of 
the  animals  stiddenly  disappeared  into  the  cave, 
and  she  zvas  fust  in  time  to  lay  hold  of  it  by  the 
tail,  and  held  on  till  she  ca7ne  out  at  a  place  fve 
miles  distant.  [H.  f.  M.] 

The  cave  is  known  as  Uamh  (Uaigh)  Thorcuil  or 
'  Torquil's  cave.'  Torquil  is  the  Gaehc  represen- 
tative of  the  Norse  Thorkill,  so  that  the  name 
may  be  taken  either  from  a  Highlander  or  from 
a  Norseman.  It  lies  about  900  ft.  above  the  sea, 
a  good  bit  higher  than  the  Pictish  tower,  and  is 
simply  part  of  a  rift  on  the  mountain-side  which 
can  be  traced  some  distance.  I  have  been  in  it, 
but  consideration  for  my  light-coloured  clothes  pre- 
vented me  from  squeezing  myself  through  a  very 
dripping  aperture  where  the  cave  takes  a  sudden 
turn.  I  have,  however,  been  assured  by  Dr.  Joass, 
and  by  the  late  Mr.  Thomas  MacDonald  (one  of  the 
oldest  members  of  the  Dunrobin  estate  staff),  that 
the  tradition  is  an  impossible  one. 

The  supposed  exit  was  '  4  Scotch  miles '  away, 
S.  of  the  River  Fleet  (Keith,  writing  in  1799  in  the 
Statistical  account  of  Scotland^  xxi,  p.  225).  And 
Dr.  Joass  tells  me  that  numberless  caves  in  various 
parts  of  the  kingdom  are  supposed  to  have  distant 
outlets. 


SUPERSTITIONS 


E  2 


IVt'de  spread  of  superstition        53 


SUPERSTITIONS 


If  this  book  is  read  by  any  large  number  of 
people,  it  will  almost  certainly  be  read  by  a  number 
of  superstitious  people.  Superstition  is  not  con- 
fined to  Golspie,  or  to  Sutherland,  or  to  Scotland, 
nor  is  it  confined  to  fishermen  and  crofters — many 
a  well  educated  person  in  London  or  Oxford, 
who  would  laugh  at  the  idea  of  its  being  unlucky 
to  see  the  first  lamb  of  the  season  with  its  tail 
turned  towards  him,  would  think  it  unlucky  to  sit 
down  to  dinner  13  in  number^,  and  would  bring 
a  child  in  to  make  14,  lest  one  of  the  party  should 
die  within  the  following  twelvemonth !  Let  me, 
then,  explain  what  I  mean  by  superstition. 

So  far  as  we  know,  everything  has  a  cause. 
When  anything  happens  and  a  person  does  not 
attribute  it  to  any  cause  in  the  universe  known  to 
our  sensations,  or  to  any  action  which  can  ration- 
ally be  accotmtedfor  on  the  part  of  invisible  beings 

^  This  superstition  I  have  heard,  read,  or  imagined  to  arise 
from  its  being  the  number  of  those  who  sat  down  to  the  Last 
Supper. 


54  What  ^superstition^  is 

— but  does  attribute  it  to  apparently  Irrational  and 
motiveless  action  on  their  part,  or  else  to  some- 
thing- which  he  calls  '  luck '  or  '  ill-luck '  (which 
is  not  a  being-  of  any  kind,  nor  a  part  of  the  known 
universe) — then  I  call  that  person's  belief  on  the 
subject  a  superstition. 

Perhaps  he  will  say  that  he  has  known  the 
superstition  'come  true.'  He  has  known  13  sit 
down  to  dinner  and  one  of  them  die  in  the  next 
twelvemonth.  Perhaps  he  has.  But  has  he  ever 
counted  the  number  of  times  when  13  sat  down  to 
dinner  and  one  did  not  die  in  the  next  twelve- 
month? Or  has  he  ever  counted  the  number  of 
times  that  12  or  14  sat  down  to  dinner,  and  one 
died  in  the  next  twelvemonth  ?  And  has  he  ever 
considered  that  a  man  must  die  within  a  year  of 
eating  some  dinner,  however  few  or  however  many 
people  sit  down  with  him  from  day  to  day  } 

It  may  be  suggested  on  behalf  of  the  superstitious 
that  perhaps  they  do  not  regard  '  omens '  as  causes 
of  good  or  ill  fortune,  but  only  as  signs  from  in- 
visible beings  that  good  or  ill  fortune  is  being- 
]:)repared  for  them.  Any  such  suggestion  is  entirely 
inconsistent  with  the  nature  of  a  large  class  of 
omens,  of  which  various  examples  will  be  found 
in  the  following  pages — I  refer  to  those  omens 
which  become  omens  or  not  as  we  ourselves  choose. 
If,  for  instance,  I  meet  any  one  on  the  stairs  and 
pass  him,  it  is  unlucky.  If,  knowing  that  fact, 
I  turn  back,  I  avoid  the  ill-luck ! 

I  have  no  doubt  that  many  more  superstitions 


Dread  of  the  hare  55 

might  be  collected  in  this  neighbourhood.  In  my 
notes  I  have  alluded  to  several  which  have  come  to 
my  ears. 


SUPERSTITIONS   ABOUT   FISHING 

Dread  of  the  hare. 

If  a  fisherman,  when  going  to  sea,  sees  a  hare 
cross  his  path,  he  takes  that  as  a  sign  of  -mis- 
fort  tine,  [f.  SJ 

A /so,  if  they  find  a  hare' s  foot  on  the  bottom  of 
their  boat,  they  ivill  not  go  to  sea  that  day. 

[H.  f  MJ 

So  on  the  other  side  of  the  Moray  Firth  '  To  say 
to  a  fisherwoman  that  there  was  a  hare's  foot  in  her 
creel,  or  to  say  to  a  fisherman  that  there  was  a  hare 
in  his  boat,  aroused  great  ire,  and  called  forth 
strong  words.  The  word  "  hare  "  was  not  pro- 
nounced at  sea. 

To  have  thrown  a  hare,  or  any  part  of  a  hare, 
into  a  boat  would  have  stopped  many  a  fisherman 
in  by-gone  days  from  going  to  sea ;  and  if  any 
misfortune  had  happened,  however  long  afterwards, 
it  was  traced  up  to  the  hare'  (Gregor,  p.  128). 
Mr.  Gregor  adds  '  A  hare  crossing  the  path  por- 
tended mishap  on  the  journey.' 

See  also  pp.  76,  334,  'Witches  as  hares.' 


56  Superstitions  about  fishing 

Consulting  a  vs^itch. 

Another  instance  of  belief  in  witchcraft  is,  that 
certai7i  of  the  fishers  consult  a  supposed  witch  in 
the  parish  of  Clyne  before  they  go  to  the  herring- 
fishing,  to  find  out  whether  or  not  they  will  be 
lucky  that  season.  [M.  S.J 

Clyne  is  the  next  parish  northward  along  the 
coast. 

The  praying  over  the  boats. 

Before  starting  for  the  her  ring  fishing  they 
get  some  good  old  77tan  to  pray  over  their  boats  : 
this  is  thoztght  to  bring  the7n  a  goodfishi7ig. 

[H.  f  M.J 

Note  that  it  is  7iot '  the  minister '  (the  reason  will 
be  found  presently).  That  is  why  I  class  the  behef 
among  superstitions. 

Boats  not  to  be  counted. 

If  you  cou7it  boats  zvhe7i  they  are  goi77g  otit  for 
fish,  o7ie  of  the7n  is  sure  to  be  lost.         [A.   C.J 

'  On  no  account  must  the  boats  be  counted  when 
at  sea,  neither  must  any  gathering  of  men  or 
women  or  children  be  numbered.  Nothing  aroused 
the  indignation  of  a  company  of  fishwomen  trudg- 
ing along  the  road  to  sell  their  fish  more  than  to 
point  towards  them  with  the  finger,  and  begin  to 
number  them  aloud  : — 


Unluckiness  of  ^ the  minister''       57 

•  "  Ane,  twa,  three, 
Faht  a  fishers  I  see 
Gyaln  our  the  brig-g-  o'  Dee, 
Deel  pick  their  muckle  greethy  ee." ' 
(Gregor,  p.  200). 

Compare  the  story  of  the  numbering  of  the 
people  in  ii  Sam.  24  and  i  Chr.  21.  Has  this 
frightened  the  fisherfolk  ?  or  are  men  in  an  early 
stage  of  civilization  afraid  of  calling  the  attention 
of  some  unseen  being,  and  exciting  either  his  anger 
at  their  pride  or  his  malice  at  their  good  fortune  ? 
Dr.  A.  Neubauer,  the  eminent  Hebraist,  tells  me 
that  even  now  there  i  s  a  Jewish  uperstition 
against  counting-  persons  S:c.  except  by  letters  of 
the  Hebrew  alphabet  or  other  indirect  means :  if 
they  were  counted  by  numbers,  it  is  supposed  that 
there  would  be  mortality ! 

Unluckiness  of  *the  minister,'  &c. 

If  a  mil  lister  come  on  board,  ii  is  a  sign  of  bad 
Ittck.  [H.  /.  MJ 

So  on  the  other  side  of  the  Moray  Firth 
'  A\lien  at  sea,  the  words  "  minister,"  "  kirk," 
"  swine,"  "  salmon,"  "  trout,"  "  dog,"  and  certain 
family  names,  were  never  pronounced  by  the 
inhabitants  of  some  of  the  villages,  each  village 
having-  an  aversion  to  one  or  more  of  the  words  ' . 

'  Dr.  Buchan,  the  distinguished  meteorologist,  tells  me  that  in 
Shetland  the  minister  is  in  such  a  case  called  the  'upstander,' 
and  the  kirk  and  kirkyard  the  'banyhoose,'  i.  e.  the  bony-house. 
To  these  substitutes  he  thinks  no  objection  exists. 


58     J4^hy  is  ^ the  minister^  unlucky? 

When  the  word  "kirk"  had  to  be  used,  from 
several  of  the  churches  being  used  as  landmarks, 
the  word  "  bell-hoose  "  or  "  bell-'oose  "  was  sub- 
stituted. The  minister  was  called  "the  man  wi' 
the  black  quyte."  A  minister  in  a  boat  at  sea  was 
looked  upon  with  much  misgiving^.  He  might  be 
another  Jonah  '  (Gregor,  p.  199). 

Mr.  A.  Poison,  Dunbeath,  in  a  paper  on  '  Some 
Highland  fishermen's  fancies '  printed  in  the  Trans- 
actions of  the  Gaelic  Society  of  Inverness,  vol, 
xviii,  pp.  42-7,  says  '  One  of  their  most  pecuHar 
fancies  is,  that  it  is  unlucky  to  meet  a  minister  on 
their  way  to  sea ;  and  if  they  see  one,  they  take 
some  trouble  to  get  out  of  his  way.  They  also 
have  the  strongest  aversion  to  take  ministers  aboard 
or  to  give  them  a  passage  from  one  port  to  the 
other.  On  inquiry,  it  has  been  found  that  some 
Caithness  sailors  of  long  ago,  took  a  number  of 
ministers  to  Leith  to  attend  a  General  Assembly, 
and  that  the  passage  was  exceedingly  stormy. 
But  when  Leith  was  reached,  and  as  soon  as  the 
ministers  were  landed,  the  wind  ceased.  The 
sailors,  from  this  circumstance,  formed  the  belief 
that  the  prince  of  the  power  of  the  air  thought 
that  while  they  were  on  the  waters  he  might,  by 
exercising  his  power,  get  these  men,  who  were  the 
enemies  of  his  kingdom,  out  of  the  way.  Similarly, 
a  fisherman  who  gets  a  minister's  blessing  on  going 
to  sea  will  have  the  prince  of  the  power  of  the  air 

^  Choice  Notes,  p.  60. 


and  Sunday  lucky?  59 

as  his  enemy,  and  it  is  therefore  questionable  if 
ever  he  may  come  ashore  again.' 

The  following  \&ry  different  explanation  had 
occurred  to  me,  and  I  am  not  at  all  sure  that  it  is 
wrong.  At  Preston  Pans  on  the  Firth  of  Forth 
Sunday  is  (or  quite  lately  was)  the  lucky  day  on 
which  to  start  for  the  fishing^.  Until  the  Reforma- 
tion, there  would  have  been  no  objection  to  this 
on  the  part  of  the  clergy;  but  the  Puritan  doctrine 
that  the  Christian  First  Day  was  under  the  religious 
law  of  the  Jewish  Seventh  Day  was  of  course 
hostile  to  the  practice.  Hence,  if  a  boat  was 
starting,  or  had  started,  on  Sunday,  any  reminder 
of  the  clerical  prohibition  would  have  seemed  to 
put  the  boat  under  a  ban. 

Why  was  Sunday  the  lucky  day  on  which  to 
start  ?  Perhaps  because  of  its  special  sanctity. 
But  perhaps  for  some  purely  pagan  reason,  as 
being  the  day  of  the  sun.  It  was  not  only  lucky 
to  start  on  a  voyage  on  Sunday,  but  also  to  sail 
the  way  of  the  sun.  In  the  West  of  Scotland 
'  One  very  ancient  and  persistent  superstition  had 
regard  to  the  direction  of  movement  either  of 
persons  or  things.  This  direction  should  always 
be  with  the  course  of  the  sun  -.     To  move  against 

o 

'  '  It  is  a  favourite  custom  to  set  sail  on  tiie  Sunday  for  the 
fishing  grounds.  A  clergyman  of  the  town  is  said  to  pray  against 
their  sabbath-breaking  ;  and  to  prevent  any  injury  accruing  from 
his  prayers,  the  fishermen  make  a  small  image  of  rags,  and  burn 
it  on  the  top  of  their  chimnej's'  {Choice  Notes,  p.  271 — signed  U.). 

^  The  Ogam  inscription  on  the  Garden  Moor  stone  (at  Logic 
Elphinstone  in  Aberdeenshire)  is  written  on  a  circular  line,  so 


6o       Dead  body  unlucky  in  a  boat 

the  sun  was  improper  and  productive  of  evil  con- 
sequences, and  the  name  given  to  this  direction  of 
movement  was  wit  her  shins'  (Napier,  p.  133). 

So  on  the  other  side  of  the  Moray  Firth,  when 
a  boat  was  pushed  into  the  water,  '  The  prow  was 
always  turned  seaward  in  the  direction  of  the  sun's 
course'  (Gregor,  p.  199). 

And  Miss  Joass  tells  me  that  in  Golspie  many 
things  are  done  the  way  of  the  sun,  and  that  some- 
times a  funeral  will  go  some  distance  round  in  order 
to  travel  with  the  sun.  Dr.  Joass  adds  that  when 
you  go  out  first  in  the  morning  it  is  '  lucky '  to 
turn  first  to  the  right — which  is  the  way  of  the  sun 
— and  '  unlucky  '  to  turn  to  the  left. 

Not  taking  a  dead  body  into  the  boat. 

If  they  [the  fishermen  of  this  '^2i(x\Jind  a  dead 
body  at  sea,  they  zvill  not  take  it  into  the  boat,  but 
tow  it;  for  if  they  put  it  in  their  boat  they  are 
afraid  that  it  zvill  bring  bad  luck  to  them. 

[H.  f  MJ 

Probably  this  superstition  arises  from  the  idea 
that  good  luck  and  bad  luck  attend  particular 
persons  and  things,  and  that  the  same  bad  luck 
which  killed  the  man  will  cling  to  his  body  and 
affect  the  place  in  which  it  lies. 

that  it  presents  an  imitation  of  the  sun.  The  stone  is  a  boundary- 
stone  of  a  homestead ;  the  inscription  gives  its  name,  which  was 
the  name  of  the  family  living  in  it  (Ovobhv=Omhaibh)  ;  and  the 
mode  of  writing  it  was  evidently  meant  to  bring  luck  or  ward 
off  ill-luck.  It  is  probably  as  old  as  the  7th  century.  See 
Nicholson,  pp.  3,  19,  App.  37-40,  78-9. 


Black  snails.    Cockcrowing  at  night    6i 

Burt  in  his  '  Letters  from  a  gentleman  in  the 
North  of  Scotland'  (1754  ed.,  ii,  p.  215)  says  he 
has  heard  that  English  seamen  '  don't  care  for  a 
Voyage  with  a  Corps  on  Board,  as  tho'  it  would 
be  the  Occasion  of  tempestuous  Weather.' 


SUPERSTITIONS   RELATING   TO 
ANIMALS 

Black  snails  as  money-bringers. 

If  y OIL  catch  a  black  snail  by  the  horns  and 
throw  it  over  yo?tr  head,  you  will  Jind  some 
money  shortly  after.  [A.  C.J 

The  following  parallel  to  this  cruel  superstition 
is  from  Lancashire  : — '  If  black  snails  are  seized  by 
the  horn  and  tossed  over  the  left  shoulder,  the 
process  will  insure  good  luck  to  the  person  who 
performs  it'  (T.  T.  Wilkinson,  Burnley,  in  Choice 
Notes,  p.  187). 

Cockcrowing  at  night. 

A  cock  crowing  at  night  was  a  bad  sign. 

[B.  C.J 

If  you  hear  a  cock  crow  at  an  nnuszcal  hour 
of  the  night,  it  is  a  sign  of  someone's  death. 

[f  S.J 

So  in  the  Border  counties  of  Scotland  and  Eng- 
land '  Another  death-omen  is  the  crowing  of  a  cock 
at  dead  of  night '  (Henderson,  p.  49). 


62      Cuckooes  cry.     Peacock's  feather 

Cuckoo's  cry  before  a  door  a  death-omen. 

If  the  coocoo  comes  and  calls  before  any  door, 
it  is  believed  that  there  zvill  be  a  death  in  the 
house.  [J.  S.J 

Compare  a  belief  of  the  Borders,  '  The  flying  or 
hovering  of  birds  around  a  house,  and  their  resting 
on  the  window-sill,  or  tapping  against  the  pane, 
portends  death '  (ib.). 

Much  folklore  attaches  to  the  cuckoo,  and  par- 
ticularly to  the  first  hearing  of  it.  In  Golspie  to 
hear  it  when  you  are  fasting  is  unlucky :  see  First 
sight  of  beasts,  p.  64. 

Peacock's  feather  unlucky. 

A  peacock's  feather,  it  is  said,  means  '  I II- hick.' 

[M.  S.J 

I  am  told  that  if  such  feathers  are  put  over  the 
pictures  in  any  house  it  is  believed  that  the  husband 
and  wife  will  quarrel, 

A  superstitious  fear  of  peacocks'  feathers  is 
believed  to  exist  in  '  some  parts  of  Ireland '  and 
is  '  common  in  the  eastern  counties  of  England ' 
(F.  C.  H.  in  Azotes  and  Queries,  3rd  S.  ix,  pp. 
305-6),  has  been  heard  in  Cheshire  (J.  L.  Warren, 
ib.^  5th  S.  vii,  p.  508),  and  is  '  general  in  Derbyshire 
and  the  surrounding  counties '  (Llewellyn  Jewitt, 
/($.,  3rd  S.  ix,  p.  187).  On  the  other  hand, '  A  group 
of  these  feathers,  stuck  behind  a  picture-frame  or 
a  looking-glass,  is  a  very  common  cottage  or  farm- 
house ornament  in  the  north  of  England '  (P.  P., 


First  sight  of  beasts  63 

id.,  p.  109).  And  when  I  called  on  a  married 
farmer,  with  a  good  Gaelic  name,  in  Golspie  parish, 
I  saw  peacock-feathers  on  his  mantelpiece :  his 
ideall}^  cheerful  countenance  would  be  enough  of 
itself  to  discredit  the  local  superstition. 

As  to  the  origin  of  the  dread,  Mr.  James  Tod 
asks  '  May  not  the  Evil  Eye  have  something  to  do 
with  it  ? '  [lb.,  3rd  S.  viii,  p.  529).  I  have  no  doubt 
that  he  is  right,  that  it  is  the  eyes  in  the  feathers 
which  first  made  them  feared. 

Kares. 

See  p.  55,  *  Dread  of  the  hare,*  and  pp.  76-9, 
334-9, '  Witches  as  hares.' 

First  sight  of  beasts. 

If  the  head  of  a  beast  is  turned  toward  you  the 
first  time  you  see  it,  you  wilt  be  lucky ;  if  it  is 
the  tail,  you  will  be  tmlucky.  [A .  C.J 

That,  the  first  time  in  a  year  you,  saiu  a  young 
beast,  if  the  face  zuas  turned  to  you  you  wotild  be 
fortunate ;   if  the  back  was  tttrned  to  you,  you 
would  '  e  ttnforitcnate.  [B.  C] 

So  on  the  other  side  of  the  Moray  Firth  '  Omens 
of  good  or  bad  luck  were  drawn  from  the  lamb  or 
foal  first  seen  during  the  season.  If  the  animal's 
head  was  towards  the  observer,  the  year  would 
bring  prosperity,  but,  if  the  animal  was  standing 
in  the  opposite  position,  misfortune  would  crown 
the  year'  (Gregor,  p.  130). 

So  too  on  the  Borders  '  When  you  see  the  first 


64  First  sight  of  beasts 

lamb  in  the  spring,  note  whether  its  head  or  tail 
is  turned  towards  you.  If  the  former,  you  will 
have  plenty  of  meat  to  eat  during-  the  year  ;  if  the 
latter,  look  for  nothing-  beyond  milk  and  vegetables. 
As  far  south  as  Lancashire  it  is  thought  lucky  to 
see  the  first  lamb's  head,  and  unlucky  to  see  its  tail ' 
(Henderson,  p.  120). 

And  Miss  Dempster  has  noted  that  in  Sutherland 
it  is  an  unlucky  omen  '  To  see  the  first  lamb  of  the 
year  with  its  tail  towards  you  '  (p.  233). 

Dr.  Joass  writes  (May  18,  1896)  'There  is  still 
real  distress  here  over  hearing  the  iS*  Cuckoo 
fasting  or  before  breakfast,  as  well  as  at  seeing  the 
first  lamb,  or  a  calf  of  your  own  for  the  first  time, 
'  tail  on,'  &  3^ou  should  make  a  noise  to  attract 
its  attention  and  bring  its  head  round  before  you 
enter  the  ^  byre.'  And  he  refers  me  to  the  following 
passage  in  Nicolson's  '  Gaelic  Proverbs  '  (p.  144)  :— 

'  Chuala  mi  'chubhag  gun  bhiadh  'am  bhroinn, 
Chunnaic  mi  'n  searrach  's  a  chulaobh  rium, 

'S    dh'aithnlch  mi   nach  rachadh  a'  bhhadhn' 
ud  leam.' 

which  is  literally  : — 

I  heard  the  cuckoo  without  food  in  my  belly, 
I  saw  the  foal  and  its  rump  to  me, 

And  I  knew   that   that   year  would   not   go 
with  me. 

^  Cow-house. 


Horse-shoes  lucky  65 

Horse-shoes. 

If  the  first  shoe  that  was  ever  on  an  entire 
horse  be  hting  on  the  byre  door,  no  harm  will 
happen  to  the  coiv  while  in  your  possession. 

[A.  C] 

In  the  case  of  two  neighbours  qjtarrelling,  if 
a  horse-shoe  is  placed  betzveen  their  houses,  no 
harm  can  happen  one  by  the  other's  wish. 

[A.  C] 

That  a  horse-shoe  could  keep  away  witchcraft. 

[B.  C] 

1/  a  horse-shoe  is  hung  above  a  door,  it  is 
believed  that  it  will  Ikeep  away  both  the  witches 
and  evil  spirits.  [f.  S.J 

A  horse-shoe,  it  is  said,  means  ' Lttck.' 

[M.  S.J 

The  belief  in  the  luckiness  of  horse -shoes  is  so 
wide-spread  through  Great  Britain  that  it  is  not 
worth  while  to  give  more  than  one  or  two  quota- 
tions. Miss  Dempster  has  noted  that  in  Sutherland 
it  is  lucky  '  To  find  and  pick  up  a  horseshoe ' 
(p.  233).  And  the  Rev.  Walter  Gregor  says  that 
at  Achterneed  in  Ross  '  It  is  almost  the  universal 
custom  to  keep  one  or  more  old  horse-shoes  in  the 
house,  or  affixed  to  some  part  outside  '  [Folk-lore 
Journal,  vi,  p.  264).  The  belief  is  no  doubt  con- 
nected with  the  idea  that  horses  and  fairies  are 
associated  with  each  other — see  p.  16. 

F 


66  Cutting  nails  on  Sunday 

SUPERSTITIONS   ABOUT   PARTICULAR 
TIMES 

Cutting  nails  on  Sunday  \ 

He  who  on  Stmday  pares  his  horn 
Twere  better  for  hint  he  had  ne'er  been  born. 

[A.  G.J 

So  on  the  Scottish  and  English  Borders  ; 
'  Better  a  child  had  ne  er  been  born 
Than  cut  his  nails  on  a  Sunday  morn  ! 

Another  variation  of  the  verse  runs  thus — 
Friday  hair,  Sunday  horn, 
Better  that  child  had  ne'er  been  born  ! ' 

(Henderson,  p.  1 7.) 
And  again  {ib.^  p.  18) : 
'  Cut  them  on  Monday,  cut  them  for  health. 
Cut  them  on  Tuesday,  cut  them  for  wealth  ; 
Cut  them  on  Wednesday,  cut  them  for  news. 
Cut  them  on  Thursday,  a  pair  of  new  shoes  ; 
Cut  them  on  Friday,  cut  them  for  sorrow, 
Cut  them  on  Saturday,  a  present  to-morrow ; 
But  he  that  on  Sunday  cuts  his  horn. 
Better  that  he  had  never  been  born  ! 

In  Sussex  they  simply  say  "  Cut  your  nails  on 
Sunday  morning,  and  you'll  come  to  grief  before 
Saturday  night."  ' 

'  '  In  Lancashire  &  Cheshire,  it  is  a  superstition  that  he  who 
cuts  his  nails  on  Sunday  will  all  thro'  the  week  be  ruled  by  the 
devil'  (^The  Rev.  John  Cort,  Sale,  through  Dr.  Joass).  And  see 
Northall,  p.  172. 


Monday  unlucky.    Nezv  Moon       67 

Monday  unlucky. 

Anything  begun  on  Monday  would  have  an 
nnsiiccessfnl  end,  [B.  C] 

Miss  Dempster  has  noted  that  in  Sutherland 
'  Friday  and  Monday  are  unlucky  days,'  and  that 
'  A  servant-maid  will  not  go  to  a  new  situation  on 
Monday '  (p.  234). 

And  so  on  the  other  side  of  the  Moray  Firth 
'  Monda)^  was  accounted  an  unlucky  day  on  which 
to  begin  a  piece  of  work.  There  were  parents  who 
would  not  enter  their  children  at  school  on  this 
day'  (Gregor,  p,  149). 

A  behef  in  the  unluckiness  of  Friday  is  of  course 
very  common,  I  suppose  from  the  Crucifixion 
having  taken  place  on  that  day.  As  for  Monday, 
with  the  Highlander,  as  with  the  '  Saxon,'  that  is 
Moon-day,  Di-luain  or  Di-luan.  Now  from  luan 
'  moon  '  is  formed  an  adjective  luaineach  '  change- 
able, inconstant,  fleeting,  fickle,  uncertain,'  so  that 
the  idea  seems  to  be  that  anything  begun  on  the 
day  connected  with  the  moon  would  not  be  stead- 
fastly carried  out,  and  that  a  serv^ant  going  to  a  new 
place  on  that  day  would  soon  have  to  '  change.' 

New  moon. 

If  you  had  anything  in  yottr  hand  that  signi- 
fied comfort  when  the  new  moon  appeared,  you 
would  be  happy  until  the  next  moon  appeared. 

[B.  C] 

F  2 


68      Hallowe^ens  night.     The  evil  eye 

So  on  the  other  side  of  the  Moray  Firth  '  To 
have  something  in  the  hand  on  the  first  sight  of 
the  new  moon  was  lucky,  and  indicated  a  present 
before  the  moon  had  waned  '  (Gregor,  p.  151}. 

Hallowe'en's  night. 

If  on  Halloweens  night  yozi,  go  i^oitnd  a  hay- 
stack backwards  nine  times,  yon.  ivill  either  see 
your  lover  caichiiig yoti  i7i  his  arms  or  a  ghost. 

[J.  S.J 

You  may  make  yourself  so  giddy  that  you  can 
see  anything! 

SUPERSTITIONS   ABOUT  'THE 
EVIL  EYE' 

//  was  also  believed  that  certain  individuals 

had  what  was  called  an   evil  eye,   which   they 

fastened  on  any  person  who  had  offended  them, 

and  the  person  thus  looked  upon  was  supposed 

to  sjffer  some  injury  to  person  or  property. 

[H.  f  M.J 
It  is  believed  that  if  a  witch  looks  on  you.  with 
an  evil  eye  it  means  misfortune.  [f.  S.J 

Miss  Dempster  says  (p.  245) :  '  The  evil  eye  is 
very  common.  Children,  cattle  (milch  cows),  and 
poultry,  suffer  most  from  it.  But  the  evil  wishes, 
it  is  remarked,  often  fall  back  on  the  utterer, 
because  to  the  "mischief"  it  is  a  matter  of  indif- 
ference on  which  of  the  two  the  spell  or  the  wish 
falls. 


The  evil  eye  69 

[A  Turkish  nurse  objects  just  as  a  Sutherland 
woman  does  to  your  looking  at  the  baby.  A 
pasha  s  daughter  explained  to  a  friend  of  mine  that 
this  was  because  of  the  evil  eye.]  ' 

And  so  on  the  other  side  of  the  Moray  Firth 
'  The  power  of  the  "  evil  eye  "  was  possessed  by 
some.  It  was  supposed  to  be  inherent  in  some 
families,  and  was  handed  down  from  generation  to 
generation  to  one  or  more  members  of  the  families. 
The  power  was  called  into  use  at  the  will  of  the 
possessors,  and  was  exercised  against  those  who 
had  incurred  their  displeasure,  or  on  behalf  of 
those  who  wished  to  be  avenged  on  their  enemies, 
and  paid  for  its  exercise  *  '  (Gregor,  p.  34). 

There  is  a  special  book  on  this  superstition — '  The 
evil  eye,'  by  Frederick  Thomas  Elworthy,  1895. 

Feared  in  churning. 

Many  people  zuhile  churning  would  not  allow 
any  other  people  see  them,   becattse  they  might 
[have]  an  evil  eye  and  if  zvottld  keep  the  bzittcr 
from  coming.  [A.   G.J 

Counteracted  by  a  red  thread. 

People  often  tie  a  red  thread  roitnd  their  arms 
to  keep  ojf  evil  eyes,  because  there  is  a  chartn  in 
red.  [A.  G.] 

Mr,  Napier  says  (p.  36) :  '  The  Romans  used  to 
hang  red  coral  round  the  necks  of  their  children 
to  save  them  from  falling-sickness,  sorcery,  charms, 

'  *  Cf.  Henderson,  pp.  187,  188.' 


70  Charms  against  it 

and  poison.  In  this  country  coral  beads  were  hung 
round  the  necks  of  babies,  and  are  still  used  in 
country  districts  to  protect  them  from  an  evil  eye. 
Coral  bells  are  used  at  present.' 

And  on  page  80, '  Mr.  Train  describes  the  action 
of  a  careful  farmer's  wife  or  dairymaid  thus : — 

"  Lest  witches  should  obtain  the  power 
Of  Hawkie's  milk  in  evil  hour, 
She  winds  a  red  thread  round  her  horn. 
And  milks  thro'  row'n  tree  night  and  morn; 
Against  the  blink  of  evil  eye 
She  knows  each  antidote  to  ply."  ' 

In  these  verses  Hawkie  is  a  cow,  and  the  virtue 
of  rowan-tree  is  that  its  berries  are  red. 

And  by  a  live  coal. 

Some  people  throw  a  coal  of  fire  after  people 
who  go  02it  of  their  house,  in  case  they  anight  cast 
an  evil  eye  on  anything.  [A.  G.J 

Doubtless  because  the  coal  is  red. 

And  by  water,  &c.,  in  which  a  silver  coin 
has  been  put. 

Another  belief  zvas  that  the  effect  of  the  evil  eye 
could  be  ctired  by  placing  a  piece  of  silver  in  the 
water  which  was  to  be  drzmk  by  the  person  or 
animal  affected.  [H.  f.  M.J 

I  have  been  told  by  a  person  who  witnessed  it 
that  a   crooked  sixpence  was  pzit  into  a  pig's 


Gold  and  silver  water  71 

trough  to  cure  what  was  thought  to  be  the  effects 
of  the  evil  eye.  [H.J.  M.] 

Compare  the  following :  '  In  the  north-west  of 
Scotland,  according  to  Dr.  Mitchell,  the  "  gold  and 
silver  water"  is  the  accredited  cure  for  a  child 
suffering  from  an  evil  eye.  A  shilling  and  a  sove- 
reign are  put  into  water,  which  is  then  sprinkled 
over  the  patient  in  the  name  of  the  Trinity '  (Hen- 
derson,  p.  188). 

So  at  Achterneed  in  Ross  the  following  '  Cure 
for  the  Evil  Eye '  is  used  :— 

'  The  father  of  the  patient  takes  the  marriage 
ring,  a  penny,  a  six-pence  a  shilling,  and  a  florin, 
puts  them  into  a  wooden  ladle — the  one  in  use  in 
the  household — and  goes  with  the  mother  and  the 
patient  to  the  nearest  stream,  fills  the  ladle  with 
water,  and  with  that  water  sprinkles  the  sufferer. 
This  goes  by  the  name  of  "  silver  water"'  (The 
Rev.  Walter  Gregor  in  The  Folk-lore  Journal,  vi, 
p.  264). 

And  the  following  antidote  to  '  the  111  Ee '  is  or 
was  in  use  on  the  other  side  of  the  Moray  Firth : — 

'  Go  to  a  ford,  where  the  dead  and  the  living 
cross,  draw  water  from  it,  pour  it  into  a  "  cog " 
with  three  "  girds  "  over  a  "  crosst  shilling,"  and 
then  sprinkle  the  water  over  the  victim  of  the 
"ill  ee"  in  the  name  of  the  Father,  the  Son,  and 
the  Holy  Ghost  f '  (Gregor,  p.  42). 

The  stipulation  that  the  ford  must  be  one  over 
which  funerals  pass  is  paralleled  by  a  fact  men- 

'  f  Cf.  Henderson,  p.  i88.' 


72  Child's  first  airing 

tioned  in  '  The  Inverness  Courier '  of  March  20,  1892. 
In  a  certain  superstitious  process  used  somewhere 
in  Sutherland  for  discovering  the  seat  of  a  disease, 
three  stones  (representing  the  head,  the  heart,  and 
the  rest  of  the  body)  '  are  selected  from  the  burn 
beneath  a  bridge,  where  Life  and  Death  have 
passed.' 


SUPERSTITIONS   ABOUT   BIRTH, 
MARRIAGE,  AND    DEATH,  &c. 

Child's  first  airing  at  Christening. 

That  a  child  shotild  not  be  taken  ottt  tintil  it 
was  christened.  [B.   C] 

'  In  the  southern  counties  of  Scotland  children 
are  considered  before  baptism  at  the  mercy  of  the 
fairies,  who  may  carry  them  off  at  pleasure  or 
inflict  injury  on  them.  Hence,  of  course,  it  is 
unlucky  to  take  unbaptized  children  on  a  journey — 
a  belief  which  prevails  throughout  Northumberland, 
and  indeed  in  many  other  parts  of  the  country ' 
(Henderson,  p.  14). 

See  also  p.  y^, '  Woman's  first  airing.' 

Child-curing  with  gold-and-silver  water. 

1/  a  child  who  is  not  christened  is  out  and  is 
taken  ill,  a  zm'tch  is  blamed.  The  child  is  bathed 
in  water  taken  from  a  stream  where  very  /ezv 
go  for  water.  The  zvater  must  be  fetched  by 
a  zvoinan  who  does  7iot  belong  to  the  child.     Gold 


Writing  a  marriage-contract        73 

oTid  silver  intist  also  be  put  into  the  wafer  before 
the  spell  is  broken.  [A .   CJ 

That,  if  a  child  loas  taken  sziddenly  ill,  a  witch 
had  cast  an  evil  eye  7ipon  it,  and  that  it  could 
be  cured  in  the  following  way.  Some  one,  not 
belonging  to  the  child,  went  for  water  to  a  btirn 
not  near  a  public  road.  They  put  some  gold  or 
silver  ornaments  into  the  water  and  washed  the 
sick  child  in  it,  thinking  that  in  this  way  the 
poiuer  of  the  witch  wotild  be  destroyed.    [B.  C] 

When  some  people's  children  are  ill,  they  put 
i7tto  a  bath  of  water  gold  and  silver  ornaments  ; 
and  they  believe  that  ptitting  gold  and  silver 
orname7its  into  a  bath  of  zuater  cjires  the  chil- 
dren, [f.  S.J 

Miss  Dempster  (p.  235)  says  that  in  Sutherland 
'  A  new-born  infant  must  be  washed  with  a  piece 
of  silver  in  the  water :  the  larger  the  sum  the  better 
the  luck.  The  midwife's  fee  of  five  shillings  is 
generally  put  in  the  bath ;  but  to  make  matters 
safe,  in  poor  houses,  where  there  is  no  fee,  the 
midwife  wears  a  silver  ring. 

[In  Russia  children  are  generally  baptized  in  a 
silver  font.  A  rich  Greek  merchant  will  make 
a  point  of  this  for  luck,  and  even  a  Presbyterian 
minister  will  use  a  silver  basin  at  a  christening.]' 

Marriage-contract  by  whom  written. 

Before  marriage  a  co7ttract  is  ahuays  zuritten 
out :   this  must  be   done  by  a  person   ivho  has 


74  Losing  the  wedding-ring 

heard  nothing  of  the  intended  jnarriage,  and  he 
nmst  be  taken  out  of  bed  after  midnight. 

[H.  /.  MJ 
Perhaps  it  is  desired  to  avoid  choosing  any 
person  who  may  have  wished  ill  to  the  marriage. 
The  fetching  out  of  bed  after  midnight  is  probably 
a  precaution  against  the  possibility  of  the  writer 
having  incurred  ill-luck  for  the  day.  Had  he  gone 
out  of  doors  when  people  were  about,  the  first 
person  he  met  might  have  been  a  red-haired 
woman !  Had  he  only  gone  downstairs  when  the 
house  was  astir,  he  might  have  passed  someone 
on  the  stairs !  Had  he  only  dressed  himself  by 
daylight,  he  might  have  seen  through  the  window 
the  first  lamb  of  the  year  with  its  tail  turned 
towards  him ! 

Brass  candlesticks  to  be  used  at  marriage 
and  death. 

Another  superstition  is  that  nothijig  bnt  long 
brass  candlesticks  should  be  used  at  a  death  or 
i7iarriage.  [H.  f.  MJ 

Losing  the  wedding-ring  omen  of  husband's 
death. 

If  you  would  lose  your  wedding-ring,  yottr 
husband  would  die.  [B.  C.J 

On  the  Borders  of  Scotland  and  England  '  the 
wife  who  loses  her  wedding  ring  incurs  the  loss  of 
her  husband's  affection.  The  breaking  of  the  ring 
forebodes  death  '  (Henderson,  p.  42). 


Mother  s  first  airing  75 

Woman's  first  airing  after  childbirth  to  be 
at  churching. 

The  Jirst  place  a  luoman  should  go  after  giving 
birth  to  a  child  was  to  church.  [B.   C.J 

So  on  the  other  side  of  the  Moray  Firth  '  Strict 
watch  was  kept  over  both  mother  and  child  till  the 
mother  was  churched  and  the  child  was  baptised, 
and  in  the  doing  of  both  all  convenient  speed  was 
used.  For,  besides  exposure  to  the  danger  of 
being  carried  oif  by  the  fairies,  the  mother  was 
under  great  restrictions  till  churched.  She  was  not 
allowed  to  do  any  kind  of  work,  at  least  any  kind 
of  work  more  than  the  most  simple  and  necessary. 
Neither  was  she  permitted  to  enter  a  neighbour  s 
house,  and,  had  she  attempted  to  do  so,  some  would 
have  gone  the  length  of  offering  a  stout  resistance, 
and  for  the  reason  that,  if  there  chanced  to  be  in 
the  house  a  woman  great  with  child,  travail  would 
prove  difficult  with  her  '  (Gregor,  p.  5). 

And  so  on  the  borders  of  Scotland  and  England  : 
'As  to  the  mother's  churching,  it  is  very  "  uncannie  " 
for  her  to  enter  any  other  house  before  she  goes 
to  church ;  to  do  so  would  be  to  carry  ill-luck  with 
her.  It  is  believed  also  that  if  she  appears  out-of- 
doors  under  these  circumstances,  and  receives  any 
insults  or  blows  from  her  neighbours,  she  has  no 
remedy  at  law.  I  am  informed  that  old  custom 
enjoins  Irish  women  to  stay  at  home  till  after  their 
churching  as  rigidly  as  their  English  sisters.  They 
have,  however,  their  own  way  of  evading  it.  They 
will  pull  a  little  thatch  from  their  roof,  or  take  a 


76  IVitches  as  hares 

splinter  of  slate  or  tile  off  it,  fasten  this  at  the  top 
of  the  bonnet,  and  go  where  they  please,  stoutly 
averring  afterwards  to  the  priest,  or  anyone  else, 
that  they  have  not  gone  from  under  their  own 
roof  (Henderson,  p.  16). 


SUPERSTITIONS   ABOUT  WITCHES,  &c. 

Witches  as  barest 

Not  very  long  ago  in  this  part  of  the  High- 
lands witchcraft  was  believed  in  by  a  good  many 
people,  and  it  was  thought  that  those  professing 
to  have  the  power  of  witchcraft  had  the  pozuer  of 
transfori7ting  themselves  into  various  animals, 
especially  the  hare.  A  few  years  ago,  within 
a  few  miles  of  this  village,  a  man  while  return- 
ing from  his  walk  had  to  pass  through  afield 
where  there  was  ploughing  going  on.  The 
ploughman  had  startled  a  hare:  he  instajitly 
threw  a  stone  at  it,  and,  as  he  thought,  killed  it. 
The  man  zvho  zvitnessed  the  affair  asked  for 
the  hare,  remarkijig  at  the  same  time  that,  as  the 
ploughman  was  a  single  man,  he  could  not  get 
it  properly  cooked.  His  request  was  readily 
granted;  so  he  ptit  the  hare  u.nder  his  coat  to 
conceal  it.  When  he  got  near  the  village,  he 
considered  it  zvozild  be  safer  to  pttt  it  in  his 

•  See  also  p.  334. 


Witches  as  hares  77 

pocket-handkerchief.  He  accordingly  laid  it  on 
the  groicnd,  and  spreading  his  handkerchief 
turned  rotind  to  lift  the  hare;  ivhe7i,  to  his  coji- 
sternation,  he  saiv  it  making  for  the  village  at 
full  speed.  After  heaving  a  deep  sigh  over  his 
loss,  he  came  to  the  conclnsion  that  it  was  a  zvell 
kiiown  old  woman  zvho  enjoyed  the  reputation  of 
being  a  witch.  [H.  f.  M.J 

A  witch  when  on  the  luay  to  do  evil  is  never 
seen  except  as  a  hare.  [A .  C.J 

That  a  witch  exercised  her  powers  not  in  her 
7iaturalformb2ttintheformof  a  hare.  [B.  C.J 

So  on  the  other  side  of  the  Moray  Firth  '  Great 
aversion  was  shown  towards  the  hare  both  by  the 
fishing  population  and  by  the  agricukural,  except 
in  one  instance.  It  was  into  a  hare  the  witch 
turned  herself  when  she  was  going  forth  to  perform 
any  of  her  evil  deeds,  such  as  to  steal  the  milk 
from  a  neighbours  cow'  (Gregor,  p.  128). 

Miss  Dempster  (p.  234)  notes  that  in  Sutherland 
it  is  unlucky  '  To  meet  a  hare  or  an  old  woman.' 


Which  are  to  be  shot  only  with  silver. 

When  a  witch  is  in  the  form  of  a  hare.,  the 
hare  can?iot  be  shot  with  ^ grain,  bzit  with  silver 
coins.  [A.  C.J 

•  I.  e.  grain-shot. 


78         To  he  shot  only  with  silver 

That  a  witch,  while  in  the  form  of  a  hare, 
could  not  be  shot  by  grain,  but  by  a  silver  coin. 

[B.  CJ 

So  on  the  other  side  of  the  Moray  Firth 
'  Against  such  a  hare,  when  running  about  a  farm- 
steading,  or  making  her  way  from  the  cow-house 
after  accompHshing  her  deed  of  taking  the  cow's 
milk  to  herself,  a  leaden  bullet  from  a  gun  had 
no  effect.  She  could  be  hit  by  nothing  but  by  a 
crooked  sixpence.  If  such  a  hare  crossed  a  sports- 
man's path,  all  his  skill  was  baffled  in  pursuit  of 
her,  and  the  swiftest  of  his  dogs  were  soon  left  far 
behind  *. 

The  hare  was  aware  of  her  power,  and  w^ould 
do  what  she  could  to  annoy  the  sportsman.  She 
would  disappear  for  a  time,  and  again  suddenly 
start  up  beside  him,  and  then  off  like  the  wind  in 
a  moment  out  of  his  reach.  For  hours  would  she 
play  in  this  way  with  man  and  dogs.  She  has 
been  known,  however,  to  have  been  hit  by  the 
crooked  sixpence  in  an  unwary  moment.  Then  she 
made  to  her  dwelhng  with  all  the  speed  she  could, 
and  well  for  her  if  she  reached  it  before  the  dogs 
came  upon  her.  When  the  sportsman  entered 
the  hut  he  saw  the  hare  enter,  instead  of  finding  the 
hare  that  had  cost  him  so  many  hours'  toil,  he  found 
an  old  woman  lying  panting  and  bleeding  on  the  bed, 
and  it  was  with  difficulty  he  could  prevent  the  dogs 
from  tearing  her  to  pieces  '  (Gregor,  p.  128). 

'  *  Cf.  Henderson,  pp.  202-204,  and  Choice  Notes,  p.  27.' 


Shooting  a  untch-hare  79 

So  too  in  Yorkshire :  '  Ttirough  the  Dales  of 
Yorkshire  we  find  hares  still  in  the  same  mys- 
terious relationship  with  witches.  The  Rev.  J.  C. 
Atkinson  informs  me,  that,  a  new  plantation 
having  been  made  near  Eskdale,  great  havoc  was 
committed  among  the  freshly  -  planted  trees  by 
hares.  Many  of  these  depredators  were  shot,  but 
one  hare  seemed  to  bid  defiance  to  shot  and  snare 
alike,  and  returned  to  the  charge  night  after  night. 
By  the  advice  of  a  Wise-man  (I  believe  of  the 
Wise-man  of  Stokesley,  of  whom  more  will  be  said 
bye-and-bye),  recourse  was  had  to  silver  shot, 
which  was  obtained  by  cutting  up  some  small  silver 
coin.  The  hare  came  again  as  usual,  and  was  shot 
with  the  silver  charge.  At  that  moment  an  old 
lady  who  lived  at  some  distance,  but  had  always 
been  considered  somewhat  uncannie,  was  busy 
tamming,  i.  e.  roughly  carding  wool  for  her  spin- 
ning. She  suddenly  flung  up  both  hands,  gave  a 
wild  shriek,  and  crying  out,  "  They  have  shot  my 
famihar  spirit,"  fell  down  and  died'  (Henderson, 
p.  202). 

And  In  Shropshire  '  It  was  thought  that  a  witch 
could  only  be  wounded  by  a  silver  bullet '  (Jackson 
and  Burne,  p.  165). 

Dr.  Joass  has  a  sixpence  (obtained  from  Mr. 
Munro,  gamekeeper  at  Innis-an-damh  at  the  S.end 
of  Loch  Assynt)  which  he  suspects  to  have  been 
shot  at  a  hare.  It  was  found  on  the  moor,  and 
is  indented  by  pellets. 


8o  Cow-witching 

Cow- witching,  and  charms  against  it. 

A  zvonian  who  lived  in  ^  B near  Golspie 

was  alzvays  telling  her  neighbours  that  a  woman 
whom  they  all  believed  to  be  a  witch  had  cast  an 
evil  eye  upon  the  cozv  and  herself.  'Her  milk 
a7id  btiiter  were  spoiled, '  she  said;  and  she  also 
told  them  that  in  a  dream  she  saw  the  witch  in 
the  shape  of  a  hare  come  into  her  niilkhouse  and 
drink  the  milk.  One  day,  when  she  was  in  the 
wood  for  sticks,  her  neighbours  went  into  her  byre, 
and,  seeing  a  petticoat  ojt  a  nail,  citt  a  number 
of  crosses  on  it  a7id put  it  in  the  cow 's  stall.  Then 
they  tied  nine  rusty  nails  to  a  cord  with  nine  knots 
on  it.  This  cord  they  tied  to  the  chaiii  on  the 
cow's  neck,  and  then  they  went  aivay.  Shortly 
after  the  woman  came  home  she  went  into  the  byre, 
and,  seeing  the  petticoat,  nails,  etc.,  ran  ozit  to  her 
neighbours  screaming,  and  calling  to  them  to  go 
and  see  what  the  witch  had  do7ie  on  her.  To  make 
them  sure  that  it  was  the  witch's  work  she  showed 
them  the  unequal  number  of  nails  &^  knots.  Then 
she  took  every  thing  that  she  thought  the  witch 
had  handled,  and  made  a  fire  of  them,  saying 
that  she  could  no  longer  harm  any  person,  because 
her  power  was  destroyed  with  the  fire.  [B.  C.J 

If  a  cozv  was  not  giving  milk  and  a  witch 
suspected  of  beijig  the  cause  of  it,  a  man's  drawers 
would  be  placed  over  the  cow's  head,  and  the  cow 
led  out  of  the  byre.  The  cow  would  wander  about 
and  at  last  stand  at  the  witches  door.   [A.  C] 

'  Backies? 


Charms  against  cozv-wttching       8t 

In  the  parish  of  Golspie  a  farmer  who  had 
a  7tumber  of  cows  iuiagnied  thai  the  witches  were 
taking  the  milkjroin  them.  One  morning  before 
sunrise  he  put  off  his  drawers  and  put  them  on 
one  of  the  cows'  horns  (as  this  was  the  method  of 
finditig  out  the  witches),  and  then  he  let  out  the 
cow.  The  cow  ran  for  three  miles,  followed  by 
the  m,an,  until  it  came  to  a  certain  house,  and 
there  it  stood  at  the  byre- door  and  began  to  low. 
The  occupant  of  the  house  was  an  old  woman, 
and  she  was  believed  to  be  the  witch,  and  was 
demanded  by  the  man  to  come  and  give  the  cows 
back  the  milk.  [f  S.J 

There  is  '^presently  living  in  the  district  a 
farmer  who  believes  that  the  wife  of  a  neigh- 
bouring farmer  is  a  witch,  and  that  she  has  the 
power  of  taking  the  milk  from  his  cows.  So, 
after  consulting  another  supposed  witch,  he  zvas 
advised  to  ^  stick  silver  coins  in  the  tails  of  his 
cows,  and  then  the  other  witch  would  have  no 
more  power  over  them,  and  they  would  give  their 
milk  as  tisual.  This  he  did,  but  the  boy  employed 
by  him  in  attendiitg  to  the  cows,  noticijtg  the  coins, 
took  them  out  as  often  as  they  ivere  pzit  in,  whe7t 
the  farmer  was  not  at  hand,  and  thus  for  a  long 
time  kept  himself  in  tobacco.  [M.  S.J 

'  This  is  the  old  sense  of  '  presently ' :  the  Imperial  Dictionary 
quotes  from  Sidney  '  The  towns  and  forts  you  presently  have.' 

^  The  same  kind  of  charm  is  used  to  prevent  fairies  from  milk- 
ing cows  :  see  p.  87. 

G 


82  Image-killing 

'  According  to  Mr.  Kelly,  the  proper  antidote 
for  witchcraft  in  the  dairy  is  a  twig  of  rowan-tree, 
bound  with  scarlet  thread,  or  a  stalk  of  clover  with 
four  leaves,  laid  in  the  byre.  To  discover  the 
witch  the  gudeman's  breeks  must  be  put  upon  the 
horns  of  the  cow,  one  leg  upon  each  horn,  when 
she,  being  let  loose,  will  for  certain  run  straight  to 
the  door  of  the  guilty  person^.  He  also  mentions 
a  Scottish  witch  having  been  seen  milking  the 
cows  in  the  shape  of  a  hare '  (Henderson,  p.  201), 

Image -killing. 

As  an  instance  of  the  power  which  a  witch 
was  sjtpposed  to  possess,  a  person  who  wished 
to  be  revenged  npon  another  applied  to  the  witch, 
who  made  a  figtire  of  clay  in  which  she  stuck 
pins,  generally  aboiLt  the  heart— which  was  sup- 
posed to  cause  him  great  S2tffering — and  then 
laid  the  figure  in  a  running  stream-,  and,  as  the 
zvater  wore  away  the  clay  figure,  the  person  on 
whom  he  wished  to  be  revenged  was  thought  to 
be  decaying.  I  have  been  told  that  such  a  figure 
was  fottnd  in  a  bur7i  not  many  miles  front  this 
locality  about  five  or  six  years  ago.   [H.  f.  M.] 

A  few  years  ago  there  was  a  quarrel  between 
the  fam^ilies  of  the  fishing  population  of  the  vil- 
lage, and,  as  one  of  the  families  was  unlucky  at 
the  herring -fishiftg,  they  ascribed  their  ill-luck 
to  the  evil  wishes  of  the  other  family.  The  tin- 
liicky  family  called  upon  an  old  woman  in  the 

^  See  also  p.  339,  '  How  to  discover  a  cow-witch.' 


Image-killing  83 

village,  zvho  was  siipposcd  to  be  well  up  to  all  the 
ways  of  witches,  and,  after  telling  their  story  to 
her  and  as  a  matter  of  course  paying  her  a  sum 
of  money  in  silver,  she  advised  them  to  meet  in 
front  of  their  house  at  midnight  to   '  burn  the 
witch,'  and  she  would  be   with   them  to   see  it 
done.     When  that  night  came  round,  a  fire  was 
lit  before  the  house,  and  all  the  members  of  the 
tinlucky  family  and  their  relations  stood  in  a 
circle  about  it,  zuith  their  hands  joined  ,'ogether. 
Meantime   the   old  woman,   who   had  prepared 
a  rag  model  of  an  old  hag  with  a  great  number 
of  pins  stuck  in  it,   advanced  to  the  f  re,  and, 
after  muttering  a  few  zmintelligible  words,  threw 
the  model  into  it,  and  while  it  burned  away  they 
all  danced  round,  shouting  and  screaming  at  the 
pitch  of  their  voices  till  it  was  completely  con- 
sumed.    Then  the  old  woman  told  the  unlucky 
family   that  their   enemy  would  have  no  more 
pozver  over  them,  and  they  believed  it.    [M.  S.J 

The  practice  of  imag-e-killing  (which  is  some- 
times also  effected  by  melting-  before  a  fire)  is  so 
ancient  and  has  been  so  widely  spread  that  in- 
stances of  it  seem  superfluous  ^  I  have  not  the  least 
doubt  that  it  is  still  frequently  carried  on  in  one 
part  or  another  of  the  kingdom.  The  idea  at  the 
bottom  of  it  is  that  a  man  and  his  likeness  are 
connected  with  each  other  in  such  a  way  that  any 
harm  done  to  the  latter  will  affect  the  former. 

'  For  one,  sec  p.  59,  note  i. 
G  2 


84  Sham  wizardry 

Various  charms  against  witchcraft. 

//  t's  believed  that,  if^  nine  knots  of  bird- cherry 
wood  '^is  sewn  into  a  cow's  tailor  a  man's  drawers 
or  a  woman's  petticoat,  or  if  a  four-penny  piece 
be  tised  in  the  same  way,  that  it  shall  keep  the 
witches  front  harming  them.  [f.  S.J 

See  also  above,  p.  ^2, '  Child- curing.' 

Sham-wizardry. 

At  a  market  held  not  far  from  this  village 
a  wizard  was  present  who  wished  to  buy  a  cow. 
Seeing  an  old  woiitan  sta7iding  7iear  him  who 
had  a  cow  to  sell,  he  went  and  asked  the  price  of 
it.  The  price  being  told  him,  he  asked  if  the  cow 
had  any  fatilts.  No,  she  could  find  no  faults 
with  it.  The  wizard  theii  gave  her  the  money, 
and  asked  again,  if  the  cow  had  a7iy  faults,  not  to 
hesitate  to  tell  them,  as  she  had  the  money.  The 
woman  said  the  only  faults  it  had  '^was  that  it 
would  eat  clothes  and  money.  '  Oh, '  said  the  mail, 
'  I  will  soon  cttre  her  of  that :  fust  tie  you  the 
money  in  your  handkerchief  and  give  it  to  me.' 
The  woman  gave  it  to  him,  aiid  he  began  whirling 
it  round  the  cow's  head,  mutteri72g  some  words. 
The7i  he  pocketed  the  money  and  went  away,  after 
saying  to  her  '  You  caii  keep  your  cow  and  her 
faults  with  her .'  [A.   C] 

1  Compare  the  nine  rusty  nails  tied  to  a  cord  with  nine  knots  on 
it,  p.  80. 

*  See  p.  97,  note  i,  and  p.  169,  note  i. 


Lost  teeth.     Breaking  a  looking-glass  85 


MISCELLANEOUS   SUPERSTITIONS 

Teeth  falling  out — lucky  if  not  found. 

If  a  tooth  fall  out  of yoit  and  y  011  cannot  find 
it,  you  will  be  sure  to  find  something  of  value 
during  the  iveek.  [A.   C] 

Breaking  a  looking-glass  unlucky. 

To  break  a  looking-glass,  it  is  said,  means 
'Ill-luck:  [M.  SJ 

Mr.  Henderson  (p.  50)  mentions  among  Sussex 
death -omens  'the  breaking  of  a  looking-glass, 
which  they  say  in  Denmark  is  a  sign  of  utter  ruin 
to  the  family  in  which  it  takes  place.' 

The  reason  is  obviously  the  idea  that  misfortune 
w^hich  has  happened  to  one's  image  will  affect 
oneself:  if  a  man  breaks  a  looking-glass,  his  own 
image  is  probably  upon  it  at  the  time,  or  at  any 
rate  has  been  on  it.  The  ground  of  the  wider  belief 
prevalent  in  Denmark  is  perhaps  that  the  looking- 
glass  has  received  the  image  of  every  member  of 
the  household. 


86    Crossing  on  stairs.    Picking  up  pins 

Crossing  on  stairs  unlucky. 

//  is  not  considered  lucky  to  7neet  and  pass 
anyone  on  the  stairs.  [A.  CJ 

So  in  Shropshire  '  To  pass  a  person  on  the 
stairs  is  very  unlucky.  Many  North  Shropshire 
people  will  rather  turn  back  than  do  so ;  they  con- 
sider it  a  sign  of  a  parting '  (Jackson  and  Burne, 
p.  283). 

The  idea  at  the  root  of  the  Golspie  superstition 
may  be  that  one's  luck,  or  at  any  rate  the  purpose 
with  which  one  was  going  downstairs,  would  be 
'  crossed.'  I  am  told  that,  when  a  fishing-boat  is 
drawn  up  on  the  beach,  its  owners  think  it  most 
unlucky  if  anyone  steps  across  the  ropes  which 
fasten  it,  and  that  if  I  did  so  all  the  ill-luck  which 
attended  them  in  the  next  week  would  be  put 
down  to  me ! 

Picking  up  a  pin  lucky. 

If  you  bend  your  back  to  pick  tip  a  pin,  you'll 

bend yotir  back  to  pick  7ip  a  bigger  thing. 

[A.  G.J 
[Probably  this  once  ran 

If  you  bend  your  back  to  pick  up  a  pin, 
You'll  bend  it  to  pick  up  a  bigger  thing.] 

Miss  Dempster  (p.  233)  notes  that  in  Sutherland 
it  is  lucky  '  To  find  and  pick  up  a  pin.' 

In  Jackson  and  Burne,  pp.  279-80,  we  read : 
'  Pins  are  held  as  unlucky  as  knives  in  the  North 


Fairies  milking  cows  87 

of  England^,  and  Salopians  too  say, '  Pick  up  pins, 
pick  up  sorrow.'  But  side  by  side  with  this  we 
have  the  thrifty  maxim — 

'  See  a  pin  and  let  it  ]  ,. 

--     ,,,  .     f  another  day. 

You  II  want  a  pm  \  .    ^  i- 

'  beiore  you  die. 

See  a  pin  and  pick  it  up, 

All  the  day  you'll  have  gook  luck.' ' 


Perhaps  the  pin  owes  its  unluckiness  in  the  one 
case  to  its  power  of  wounding,  and  its  luckiness  in 
the  other  to  its  likeness  to  silver. 

Money  in  w^ater  lucky. 

To  ptit  tnoney  in  water ^  it  is  said,  means 
'Luck:  [M.  SJ 

See  p.  "^2,  'Child-curing.'  Miss  Dempster 
(p.  233)  notes  that  in  Sutherland  it  is  lucky  *  To 
wash  a  baby  with  a  piece  of  gold  in  its  hand.' 

Fairies  milking  cows. 

People  often  tie  a  threepenny  piece  on  their 
cow's  tail  to  keep  the  fairies  from  taking  the  m,ilk 
away.  [A.  G.J 

The  same  kind  of  charm  is  used  to  prevent 
witches  from  taking  milk  from  cows :  see  p.  8 1 . 

"  Henderson,  Folk-Lore  of  the  Northern  Counties,  pp.  117,  230.' 


CUSTOMS 
ATTACHING  TO  DAYS 


Halloween  91 


CUSTOMS  ATTACHING  TO  DAYS 


Disappearance  of  old  customs. 

/  am  iiiformed  that  customs  formerly  in  use 
have  fallen  almost,  if  not  completely,  mto  disuse, 
the  customs  changing  with  the  times.    [M.  SJ 

Hallowe'en:  outdoor  amusements. 

Turnip-lanterns. 

The  boys  go  about  the  village  zvith  turnip- 
lanterns,  which  they  make  themselves,  doing  all 
kinds  of  mischief  [B.  CJ 

On  Halloween's  night  the  boys  form  them- 
selves into  companies  atid  go  marching  about 
imth  turnip -lanterns.  These  lanterns  are  made 
of  the  largest  turnips  they  can  find,  with  the 
inside  cut  out,  and  holes  made  all  round  it  so  as 
to  give  forth  light.  The  top  part  is  cut  off  so 
as  to  form  a  lid,  then  apiece  of  candle  is  placed 
in  it,  and  thus  it  is  completed.  [f.  S.J 

Blocking  up  and  bombardment  of  doors. 

Blocking  up  doors  with  carts.  [A .  C.J 


92  Hallowe'en  : 

Attacking  the  doors  of  houses  with  turnips. 

[A.  CJ 

They  go  to  a  turnip-field  and  take  away  as 
many  turnips  as  possible.  These  turnips  they 
use  for  bombarding  and  blocking  doors.  [B.  C] 

Blowing  smoke  through  keyholes. 

Filling  the  stalks  of  cabbage-stocks  with  tow. 
Set  the  tow  on  fire  at  one  end,  and,  having 
applied  the  lighted  end  to  the  keyhole  of  a  door, 
blow  into  the  other  end.  The  effect  of  this  is  that 
the  house  will  soon  be  full  of  smoke.      [A.  C] 

Getting  stalks  of  cabbage-stocks  a7td  making 
the7}t  hollow.  They  fill  the  hollow  with  tow  and 
set  fire  to  the  tow.  Then  they  run  to  the  nearest 
door  and  put  the  stalk  against  the  keyhole.  The 
sinoke  coming  from  the  toiv  goes  through  the 
keyhole,  and  in  a  short  time  fills  the  hotise  with 
smoke.  [B.  C] 

Stopping  chimneys. 

Stopping  the  chimneys  of  loiv  houses  zmth  turf, 
and  thus  turning  back  the  smoke  to  the  interior 
of  the  house.  [A.  C] 

When  they  are  tired  of  this  work  ^  they  get 
turf,  zvith  which  they  close  the  ^cans  of  chimneys, 

*  Bombarding  and  blocking  doors  with  turnips. 

'  Altered  from  '  mouths  ' :  Dr.  Murray  in  the  New  English 
Dictionary  quotes  ^  Act  j  &  4  Will.  IV,  xlvi.  §  loj  Chimney  cans 
or  pots.' 


practical  jokes  93 

so  that  the  smoke  coviivg  up  the  chiviney  is 
forced  doiuii  again  and  i7i  this  way  fills  the 
hoitse.  [B.  CJ 

A  nother  of  their  ^  inischevious  tricks  is  to  go 
about  as  much  disguised  as  possible  and  climb 
zip  o7i  the  tops  of  houses  and  stop  the  chimney 
zuith  sods.  [f-  SJ 

Window-tapping. 

Take  tzoo  pieces  of  string,  one  long  and  the 
other  short.  Tie  one  end  of  the  long  one  to 
a  pin,  and  tie  I  he  short  one  to  the  long  one,  abo2it 
an  ifichfrom  where  it  is  tied  to  the  pin.  Tie  the 
other  end  of  the  short  one  to  a  small  stone  or 
button.  Fix  the  pin  in  the  zvood  on  the  outside 
of  a  window,  and,  with  the  other  end  of  the 
string  in  your  hand,  take  tip  a  position  some 
distance  from  the  window.  Pull  the  string  gently 
toward  you  and  then  slacken  it.  Every  time  the 
string  is  slackened  the  stone  or  button  strikes 
the  wiftdow.  Those  inside,  hearing  the  beating 
on  the  zvindow,  come  out  to  find  out  the  cause 
of  it.  Then  pull  the  string  hard,  so  that  the  pin 
comes  out  of  the  window.  Repeat  the  perform- 
ance whenever  they  go  in,  and  thus  keep  on 
annoyii7g  them.  [A.   C.J 

[A  most  business-like  receipt !] 

'  J.  S  ,  on  being  asked  to  read  the  line,  pronounced  '  mis- 
chievous,' but,  when  asked  whether  she  did  not  sometimes  pro- 
nounce '  mischevious,'  said  that  she  did ;  in  EngHsh  folli-spcech 
'mischcvious'  is  of  course  common. 


94         Hallozve^en  :  practical  jokes 

"The  btttton."  A  long  cord  stretching  from 
0716  side  of  the  road  to  the  other  is  used.  A  pin 
is  tied  at  the  end  of  this  cord,  and  sfnck  in  the 
wood  that  surrounds  a  window.  A  short  cord 
is  tied  near  the  pin,  and  a  button  is  tied  to  the 
end  of  it.  A  doy^  has  the  other  end  of  the  cord, 
and  ivhen  he  slackens  it  the  button  strikes  the 
window.  If  he  hears  anybody  coming,  he  ptills 
the  cord  and  the  pi7i  comes  out  of  the  wood. 

[B.  C] 

Sham  Avindow-smashing. 

Two  people  go  to  a  windozu.  One  of  them 
strikes  the  window  with  his  hand,  immediately 
after  which  the  other,  who  carries  a  bottle, 
smashes  it  on  the  wall.  The  result  is  a  hurry 
to  the  window  by  those  inside  who  are  of  the 
opinion  that  the  window  has  been  smashed. 

[A.  C] 

Carrying  away  ploughs,  &c. 

They^  go  about  doing  all  the  mischief  they  pos- 
sibly can.,  such  as  carrying  all  the  ploughs^  carts, 
gates,  etc.,  and  throw  them  into  the  nearest  ditch 
or  pond.  [f.  S.J 

Leading  horses  astray. 

Leading  horses  away  from  their  stables  and 
leaving  thein  in  fields  a  few  miles  away. 

[A.  C] 

'  Never  a  girl  ?  ^  '  The  boys,'  of  course. 


Hallowe'en :    marriage-divination    95 

Hallowe'en:  indoor  amusements. 

^  Marriage-divination : 
by  cabbage-stocks ; 

A  gild  goes  out  to  the  garden  blmdfolded,  and 
ptills  tip  a  cabbage-stock  by  the  root.  Then  she 
enters  the  house,  and  the  bandage  is  removed 
from  her  eyes.  If  the  stalk  of  the  cabbage  is 
crooked,  she  will  get  a  deformed  htisband:  if  it 
is  straight,  he  will  be  ^  tall  and  handsome. 

[A.  C.J 
Compare  Burns's  '  Halloween,'  stanzas  4  and  5. 

by  nuts; 

Put  tivo  common  nuts  in  the  fire,  in  the  name 
of  a  girl  and  a  boy.  If  both  burn  together,  they 
love  each  other  :  if  one  separates  from  the  other, 
they  do  not  love  each  other.  [A .   C.J 

Putting  two  nuts  in  the  fire  and  watching  them 
burn.  The  nuts  stand  for  a  boy  and  a  girl.  If 
they  stop  beside  each  other  until  they  burn,  the 
boy  a7id  girl  will  marry.  If  one  nut  jumps 
away,  they  will  quarrel.  [B.   C.J 

Compare  Burns's  '  Halloween,'  stanzas  7-10. 

The  same  form  of  divination  was  practised  on 
the  other  side  of  the  Moray  Firth : — 

'  A  live  coal  was  taken,  and  two  peas  (nuts  were 

'  See  also  p.  68,  HaUowe'en's  night. 

'  Is  there  nothing  in  Golspie  between  these  extremes? 


96  Hallowe^en : 

not  always  to  be  had)  were  placed  upon  It,  the  one 
to  represent  the  lad  and  the  other  the  lass.  If 
the  two  rested  on  the  coal  and  burned  together,  the 
young  man  and  young  woman  (represented  by  the 
two  peas)  would  become  man  and  wife ;  and  from 
the  length  of  time  the  peas  burned  and  the  bright- 
ness of  the  flame  the  length  and  happiness  of  the 
married  hfe  were  augured.  If  one  of  the  peas 
started  off  from  the  other,  there  would  be  no 
marriage,  and  through  the  fault  of  the  one  whom 
the  pea,  that  started  off,  represented'  (Gregor, 
P-  85). 

by  a  ring; 

The  house  is  lighted  tip  with  turnip-lanterns. 
A  7nixtt{,re  of  meal  and  cream  is  made,  and 
a  ring  put  in  it.  The  company  attack  it  with 
spoons,  and  the  one  who  gets  the  rifig  will  be 
married frst.  [B.   C] 

by  saucers. 

Take  three  saucers,  one  with  clean  water,  one 
with  dirty  water,  and  the  third  leave  empty.  Let 
one  oj  the  party  be  blindfolded  and  led  to  the  other 
end  of  the  room.  From  there  he  or  she  will  have 
to  find  their  way  alone  to  the  table  on  which  the 
saucers  are  arranged.  She  touches  a  saucer 
with  her  hand.  If  it  is  the  clean-water  saucer, 
she  will  get  a  gentleman  for  a  husband.  If  it  is 
the  dirty  water,  her  husbaiid  will  be  poor.  And 
if  it  is  the  empty  one  she  will  be  an  'old  maid.' 


marriage-divination  97 

If  it  is  a  boy  who  is  playmig,  he  will  get  a  lady, 
a  poor  wife,  or  he  zvill  be  a  bachelor.     [A .   CJ 

Three  saucers,  one  with  clean  water,  another 
with  dirty  water,  and  a  third  empty,  h's  put  on 
a  table.  The  company  is  blindfolded  and  each 
selects  a  dish.  If  the  dish  selected  is  the  clean 
rvater,  yotc  will  get  an  -  indnstriotcs  hitsband  or 
wife.  If  it  is  the  dirty  water,  yo2C  will  get  a  ^lazy 
husband  or  wife.  If  it  is  empty,  you  will  remain 
unm.arried.  [B.   C] 

Compare  Burns  s  '  Halloween,'  stanza  2^. 

The  same  form  of  divination  was  also  practised 
on  the  other  side  of  the  Moray  Firth  : — 

'  By  Three  Caps  or  Woodeji  Basins. — Three 
wooden  basins  were  placed  in  a  line  on  the  hearth ; 
one  was  filled  with  pure,  another  with  dirty,  water, 
and  the  third  was  left  empty.  The  performer  was 
blindfolded,  and  a  wand  or  stick  was  put  into  her 
hand.     She   was   led  up   to   the   caps,  w^hen  she 

'  B.  C.  may  have  been  thinking  of  'a  third'  instead  of  'three 
saucers '  when  she  wrote  '  is.'  But  Dr.  Murray  in  the  New 
Enghsh  Dictionary  says  that  in  the  northern  dialect  (both  of 
Middle  English  and  of  Modern  English)  plural  nouns  take  'is.' 
Of  modern  Scottish  and  northern  English  he  gives  as  specimens 
'  All  my  hopes  is  lost'  and  '  Is  your  friends  coming?',  and  quotes 
instances  from  the  first  folio  edition  of  Shakspere  (1623),  where 
the  same  usage  '  is  exceedingly  frequent.' 

An  exactly  similar  doubt  arises  in  a  passage  by  J.  S.  on  p.  84, 
but  later  on  that  page  is  a  clear  instance  in  a  passage  by  A.  C,  and 
on  pp.  123,  169  (where  see  notes)  others  by  J.  S.  herself. 

'  Far  better  than  a  mere  '  gentleman'  or  '  lady.' 

'  Far  worse  than  a  '  poor'  one. 
H 


98  Bob-apple 

pointed  towards  one  of  them.  This  was  done  three 
times,  the  position  of  the  caps  being  changed  each 
time.  "  The  best  of  three  "  decided  her  fate  ;  that 
is,  choosing  the  same  cap  twice.  The  choice  of  the 
cap  with  the  pure  water  indicated  an  honourable 
marriage ;  the  choice  of  that  with  the  dirty  water 
betokened  marriage,  but  in  dishonour.  If  the 
choice  fell  on  the  empty  cap,  a  single  life  was  to 
be  the  lot '  (Gregor,  p.  85). 

Bob-apple,  &c. 

A  large  tub  of  ivater  in  zvhich  is  placed  a 
number  of  apples.  The  amttsenient  of  this  lies 
in  piUiing  your  head  beneath  the  water  and  try- 
ing to  take  an  apple  -up  zviih  yo7cr  teeth.  The 
same  trick  is  also  played  zuith  small  pieces  of 
money,  such  as  a  threepenny  piece.         [f.  S.J 

'  Throughout  Ross  and  Cromarty  Hallowe'en 
pastimes,  such  as  ducking  for  apples  and  pulling 
kail  stalks,  were  much  in  vogue '  (Mr.  J.  M.  Mac 
Kinlay  in  The  Glasgow  Herald,  Aug.  i,  1891). 

Get  an  apple,  tie  it  to  apiece  of  cord,  and  then 
fasten  the  cord  to  '^  the  top  of  the  hotise.  As  the 
apple  swings  to  and  fro,  each  one  tidies  to  get 
a  bite  out  of  it.  A  nyone  is  not  allowed  to  totcch 
it  with  their  hands.  Some  sweet  bread  zvill  do 
instead  of  an  apple.  [A.   C.] 

Another   amusement   is  to   cut  a  number  of 
cakes  and  to  -fill  them  with  treacle,  then  suspend 

1  I.  e.  the  rafters  insic'e  the  roof. 
=>  At  first  written  y«//. 


Christmas :  giiising  99 

ihent  frovi  the  ceiling  zvith  a  string — this  trick 
being  tojtiinp  and  catch  the  cake  with  yonr  teeth 
— not  only  to  catch  it  zuith  your  teeth  bnt  to  take 
the  zuhole  cake  off  the  string  withoiit  taking 
a  piece  off  with  your  teeth.  [J.  S.J 


CHRISTMAS 
'  Guising. 

At  Christmas  the  young  people  of  the  village 
go  about  'guising.'  The  girls  dress  themselves 
in  long  wide  garments,  caps  belonging  to  their 
grandmothers,  and  a  thick  covering  of  black 
muslin,  cut  iji  the  shape  of  the  face,  to  hide  the 
face.  The  boys  dress  themselves  in  long  over- 
coats, large  hats  pulled  over  their  forehead,  and 
false  ivhiskers.  They  also  colour  their  faces  with 
charcoal,  flour,  etc.  In  this  dress  they  go  from 
door  to  door  singing  comic  songs  and  dancing 
for  a  penny.  [A-   C.] 

The  boy  guisers  are  dressed  in  long  overcoats, 
and  big  hats  which  they  pull  over  their  faces 
when  they  enter  houses.  Sometimes  they  wear 
false  faces  and  long  white  beards.  The  girls 
have  white  gowns  thrown  over  their  clothes  and 
decorated  with  bright  ribbons.     In  this  disguise 

'  A  common  term  for  this  amusement  in  the  Northern  counties 
of  England.  It  means  'putting  on  a  guise'  or  dress.  The  verb 
'  to  guise'  (cf.  '  disguise')  and  the  substantive  'guiser'  (=  masker) 
arc  found  in  Htcrary  Enghsh, 

H  2 


loo  Giiising 

they  visit  houses  singing  and  dancing,  sometimes 
for  7itoney,  sometimes  for  spoilt.  [B.  CJ 

So  on  the  other  side  of  the  Moray  Firth  '  On 
Christmas  Eve  a  few  of  the  more  sportive  of  the 
youth  in  the  villages  went  along-  the  streets,  and 
besmeared  doors  and  windows  with  sones.  Others 
disguised  themselves,  and  went  in  companies  of 
three  and  four,  singing,  shouting,  and  rapping  at 
doors  and  windows.  The  houses  whose  inmates 
were  known  to  them  they  entered  with  dancing, 
antic  gestures,  and  all  kinds  of  daffing.  They  were 
called  "  gysers."  *  '  (Gregor,  p.  158.) 


iHOG(0)MANAY 

The  night  before  New  Year's  day  the  boys 
ramble  about  the  street  (waiting  for  the  New 
Year  to  come  in),  doing  mischief.  Every  door, 
gate,  barrow,  and  cart,  or  anything  that  is 
moveable,  is  carried  away  and  hid  sometimes, 
but  more  often  put  against  some  door  at  the 
other  end  of  the  village.  Shutters  are  carried 
azvay  and  tied  to  the  tails  of  horses.  The  younger 
boys  of  the  village  content  themselves  with  dis- 

'*  Cf.  Henderson,  p.  66.' 

^  '  Hogmanay  is  the  universal  popular  name  in  Scotland  for  the 
last  day  of  the  year,'  says  Chambers  {Popular  rhymes  of  Scotland, 
p.  164).  He  describes  the  customs  connected  with  it,  which  are 
not  in  the  least  like  those  mentioned  as  in  use  at  Golspie — where 
the  proceedings  are  partly  a  repetition  of  those  in  vogue  at 
Hallowe'en.  Begging  for  oaten  bread  by  the  poorer  children 
used  to  be  a  feature  of  the  day,  according  to  Chambers. 


Hog(o)nianay  loi 

ttirbing people  by  drtiinming  on  pails  or  anyihmg 
that  zui'll  make  a  noise.  Beiiueen  izvelve  and  one 
o'clock  the  band  inarches  throjigh  the  street, 
playiitg  ' Atild  Lang  Syne.'  [A.  C] 

A.  C.  gives  the  name  as  Hogmanay,  B.  C,  as 
Hogomanay :  none  of  the  others  has  written  it. 
The  Southron  name  is  simply  New  Year's  Eve. 

I  shall  discuss  the  origin  of  the  Scottish  name  at 
the  end  of  this  chapter.  It  will  there  be  shown 
that  it  comes  from  a  continental  original  of  4  sylla- 
bles, not  3  ;  and  B.  C.'s  spelling,  and  her  evidence 
given  to  me  personally,  are  of  great  interest  as 
showing  the  existence  of  a  4 -syllable  form  in 
Scotland  also. 

The  yonng  men  spend  the  last  night  of  the 
year  in  dancing  and  singing.  The  boys  do  all 
the  mischief.  They  block  up  doors  with  carts, 
barroius,  gates,  etc.  They  tie  the  shutters  of 
shop-windows  to  horses'  tails.  The  band  goes 
through  the  village  betzueen  twelve  and  orie  o'clock 
in  the  morning  to  ivelcome  the  New  Year  and 
bid  farewell  to  the  Old.  Then  there  is  shaking 
of  hands  and  drinkiiig  to  the  health  of  friends. 
Then  the  people  go  home  and  zu ait  for  the  first 
visitor,  as  the  luck  of  the  coming  year  depends 
upon  him  or  her.  [B.   C] 

Miss  Dempster  (p.  233)  mentions  that  in  Suther- 
land it  is  lucky  '  To  see  a  person  of  the  opposite 


I02  New  Years  luck 

sex  first  on  New  Year's  Day,'  and  unlucky  '  To  see 
a  woman  the  first  thing  on  New  Year's  Day ' 
{lb.  p.  234) :  but,  if  the  former  of  these  omens  be 
everywhere  current,  it  should  have  been  lucky  for 
a  man  to  see  a  woman  first  on  that  day. 

So  on  the  Borders  '  On  New  Year's  Day  much 
importance    is    attached    to    the    first   foot  which 
crosses  the  threshold.    That  of  a  fair  man  is  luckier 
than  of  a  dark  one,  but  (alas  for  the  chivalry  of  the 
North!)  should  it  be  a  woman's,  some  misfortune 
may  certainly  be  looked  for.     The  servant  girls  are 
desirous  that  their  "first  foot"  should  be  a  lover, 
and  sometimes  they  insure  it  by  admitting  him  as 
soon  as  the  New  Year  is  rung  in.     They  arrange, 
too,  that  he  should  bring  something  with  him  into 
the  house,  for,  as  the  Lincolnshire  rhyme  runs : — 
Take  out,  and  then  take  in, 
Bad  luck  will  begin ; 
Take  in,  then  take  out, 
Good  luck  comes  about. 
A  friend  tells  me,  that  in  the  western  part  of  the 
county  of  Durham   he  has   known  a  man  to  be 
specially  retained  as  "  first-foot,"  or  "  Lucky-bird," 
as  they  call  him  in  Yorkshire ;  his  guerdon  being 
a  glass  of  spirits ;  but  it  was  not  necessary  that  he 
should  be  a  bachelor.     The  man  took  care  to  be 
at  the  house  by  5  o'clock  in  the  morning,  which 
insured  his  being  the  earliest  visitor.     This  custom 
prevails  through  all  our  northern  counties '  (Hen- 
derson, p.  73). 


Nezv   Year  practical  jokes         103 

On  ^  New  Year's  night  the  boys  make  a  great 
deal  of  damage  to  anything  they  can  lay  their 
hands  on,  especially  on  ploughs,  gates,  and  carts, 
etc.  They  go  in  small  numbers  in  all  directions, 
so  as  not  to  be  so  easily  caught  when  doing 
mischief.  They  get  a  cart  and f II  itzvith  tnrnips, 
and  block  up  the  first  door  they  come  to,  and  they 
take  ploughs  and  put  them  against  doors  also. 
They  sometimes  put  ploughs  dozun  the  chimney. 
They  carry  gates  away  with  them  and  hide  them. 
Windows hutters  are  changed  from  one  shop  to 
another.  Any  shopkeeper  who  is  disliked  by  the 
boys  gets  very  often  things  zuritten  on  zuith  paint 
or  tar  on  the  shtiiters  or  door  of  the  shop. 
-  People  who  got  trouble  with  things  carried 
away  from  them  have  all  their  carts  aiid  things 
safe  from  the  boys.  People  who  have?i't  their 
things  in  safety  get  far  more  trouble  than  they 
who  have,  because  they  have  to  seek  for  their 
thijigs.  [f  S.J 

On  ^  Nezv  Year's  Day  it  is  the  custom  of  the 
boys  to  take  all  the  portable  property  which  is 

'  The  three  writers  agree  that  they  mean  the  night  on  which 
the  New  Year  begins,  W.  W.  M.  adding  that  it  is  usually  after 
midnight  when  the  mischief  is  done. 

*  I.  e.  People  who  have  had  trouble  owing  to  things  having 
been  carried  away  from  them  keep  all  their  carts  and  things  safe 
from  the  boys.  This  use  of  'got'  when  a  Southron  would  say 
'  have  got'  was  paralleled  by  B.  C.  who,  when  asked  by  me  what 
books  she  had  had  for  a  prize  which  she  had  lately  gained,  replied 
'  I  did  not  get  them  yet.' 


104  Hog(o)manay : 

found  lyiitg  about  any  house — sttch  as  carts, 
barrozvs,  ploughs,  window-shutters  which  are 
not  lucky  enotigh  to  have  fastenings,  and  such- 
like— and  place  them  at  the  doors  of  the  houses, 
or  carry  them  to  a  distance  and  leave  them  there 
to  be  brought  back  when  found  by  the  owners. 
The  older  people  go  about  with  the  whisky -bottle 
and  treat  their  neighbours.  [IV.   IV.  M.] 

At  ^  New  Year  the  boys  indulged  in  a  great 
deal  of  horse-play,  such  as  blocking  up  doors  and 
windows  of  houses  with  boxes,  carts,  ploughs, 
and  even  boats — injact  anything  that  came  handy 
— carrying  on  the  sport,  as  they  called  it,  even 
till  daylight.  But  nozv,  with  the  exception  of 
the  instrumental  band  taking  a  turn  through  the 
village  at  midnight,  the  rough  play  has  dis- 
appeared. [M.  S.J 

Many  impossible  explanations  of  the  name 
Hog(o)manay  have  been  given.  There  is,  I  be- 
lieve, no  doubt  whatever  that  in  England  it  is 
known  only  in  the  extreme  north,  and  that  in 
Scotland  the  Highlands  have  adopted  it  from  the 
Lowlands,  and  not  vice  versa.  And  John  Hill 
Burton  (whether  he  originated  the  explanation  or 
not)  was  certainly  right  in  regarding  it  as  the 
corruption  of  a  French  popular  cry,  which  I  should 
suppose  to  have  been  introduced  by  the  French 
retinue  of  Queen  Mary. 

The  oldest  known  reference  to  the  cry  on  this 
*  See  note  i,  p.  103, 


French  connexion  of  the  name     105 

side  of  the  Channel  seems  to  be  in  '  Scotch  Presby- 
terian Eloquence,'  which,  says  Burton  in  '  The  Scot 
abroad,'  '  will  not  carr>^  us  further  back  than  the 
middle  of  the  seventeenth  century'  (i,  p.  300): 
indeed,  unless  I  am  mistaken  as  to  the  book  meant, 
it  was  not  published  before  1692.  The  passage,  as 
quoted  by  Burton  (without  exact  reference)  runs 
thus : — "  It  is  ordinary  among  some  plebeians  in  the 
south  of  Scotland  to  go  about  from  door  to  door, 
on  New  Year's  eve,  cr^'ing  '  Hogmana ! ' .  .  ." 

Northall  (pp.  180-1)  gives  the  following  forms 
from  the  N.  of  England  : — HogJiiina  (Cumberland), 
Hagmena  (Northumberland),  and  kag-man  ha  / 
(Yorkshire).  Hagmanay  is  also  known,  and  (York- 
shire) Hagvtan  Heigh  f  (Gent.  Mag.  Ix,  p.  352). 

The  subjoined  definition  and  early  instances  from 
Godefroy's  '  Dictionnaire  de  I'ancienne  langue 
fran9aise '  will  establish  the  common  origin  of  the 
Scottish  and  French  custom  and  cry : — 

'Aguilanneuf,(7^?/?//«;^;/^?^  ang.^  aguillenneuf^ 
aguillenneit,  agmlloneti-,  agtiillanleiif,  agtiillenletc^ 
agtiilanleu,  egtiilaiileti^  gznliannezi/,  hagttirenlen, 
haguilennef,  s.m.,  jour  de  I'an,  etrennes,  fete  du 
jour  de  I'an,  ou  les  etrennes  se  donnaient  et  se 
demandaient  au  cri  de  agiiillaiineuf  : 

Item  le  jour  de  X augitilanletc  onze  sols  de 
fresainges  .  .  .  (i353>  Aveu  de  la  seignetirie 
d'Epied,  ap.  Le  Clerc  de  Douy,  t.  II,  f°6^°,  Arch. 
Loiret.) 

Demanda  pour  son  aguilanleu  une  poule.  ( 1 409, 
Enq.,  Arch.  Sarthe,  E  3,  f°  26.) 


io6       Hog(o)manay  :   French  and 

A  certains  petiz  enffans  qui  demandoient  agiiil- 
lenleii,  le  jour  de  Fan  dernier  passe.  (1470,  D.  de 
Bourg.,  n°  7072,  ap.  Laborde,  Emaux.) 

Le  jeudi  vigille  de  la  Circon[ci]sion  plusieurs 
compaignons  faisans  grant  chere  pour  Thonneur 
de  la  feste  que  Ten  appelle  coramunement  aguil- 
loneti.     (1472,  Arch.  JJ  197,  piece  302.) 

Le  suppliant  oyt  des  chalumeaulx  ou  menes- 
triers,  .  .  .  et  trouva  des  varletz  ou  jeunes  com- 
paignons .  .  .  qui  alloient  par  illecques  querant 
agznllenneu  le  dernier  jour  de  decembre.  (1473, 
Arch.  JJ  195,  piece  977.)' 

In  the  last  edition  of  La  Curne  de  Sainte- 
Palaye's  '  Dictionnaire  historique  de  I'ancien  Ian- 
gage  fran9ois'  one  also  finds  under  '  Haguilenne' 
an  instance  of  Hagtii  men  lo  in  1408,  as  well  as 
of  three  other  forms  beginning  with  h  and  dated 

1399^  H09'  H74- 

Other  French  forms  worth   mentioning  are: — 

Hoqtiinano  and  Hogumane  in  Normandy  [ib.),  and 
Oguinane  in  Guernsey  (Moisy,  '  Dictionnaire  de 
patois  normand,'  p.  16). 

The  origin  of  the  French  word  has  not  been 
discovered.  The  Druids  used  to  cut  mistletoe  at 
the  beginning  of  the  year  (Pliny,  Hist,  nat.,  xvi  at 
end).  Accordingly  the  late  form  agtn7lanneu/h2iS 
been  explained  as  A  gui !  L  an  neuf !  '  To  mistletoe ! 
The  New  Year  ! '  In  support  of  this  explanation 
the  line  '  Ad  viscum  Druidae,  Druidae  cantare  sole- 
bant  '  ('  "  To  the  mistletoe  Druids  !  "  the  Druids  used 
to  chant')  was  quoted  as  Ovids  in  1605  by  Paulus 


Spanish  comiexion  of  the  name    107 

Merula,  but  is  not  to  be  found  in  Ovid  (Menage, 
Diet,  etym.,  ed.  1694,  p.  12).  It  was  also  quoted 
by  De  Chiniac  (with  the  omission  of  the  first 
'  Druidse  ')  from  Phny  s  Natural  history,  xvi.  44 
(see  L' Intermediaire  xvii,  464),  but  it  is  not  there 
either!  And  it  is  obvious  that  if  -lanneti{f), 
which  gives  a  simple  meaning  and  is  easy  to  pro- 
nounce, had  been  the  original  form,  it  would  hardly 
have  been  corrupted  into  -lanleii,  which  gives  no 
sense  and  is  more  difficult  to  pronounce. 

Moreover,  there  are  Spanish  forms  to  be  taken 
into  account.  A  correspondent  of  the  French 
antiquarian  journal  L' Intermediaire  points  out 
that  at  Madrid  the  New  Year's  Day  mass  is  called 
the  Aguinaldo  mass,  and  says  that  the  Marquis  of 
Santillana,  a  15th  cent.  Spanish  poet,  asks  his  lady 
to  set  him  free  from  his  irons  '  pour  angtiilando' 

A  Spanish  dictionar\^  will  show  that  aguinaldo 
is   regular  Spanish  for   a  New  Year's  gift\     As 
regards  Santillana,  I  find  in  the  1852  edition  of  his 
works  a  poem  (p.  437)  headed  '  El  aguilando,' '  The 
ag2iila7ido^  in  the  first  verse  of  which,  after  asking 
his  lady  to  free  him  from  chains,  he  says 
Estas  sean  mis  estrenas, 
Esto  solo  vos  demando, 
Este  seu  mi  aguilando ; 
i.  e.  '  These   be   my  New  Year's  gifts,  this    alone 
I  ask  of  you,  this  be  my  aguilando' 

•  As  Senor  Don  Fernando  de  Arteaga  y  Pcreira  informs  mc,  it 
also  means  a  Christmas  gift. 


io8      Probable  origin  and  meaning 

Now  anyone  would  naturally  suppose  that  agtit- 
la7ido  was  the  gerund  of  a  verb  agztilar.  And 
I  suggest  that  it  points  to  a  popular  corrupted 
form  of  the  verb  alquilar  '  to  hire  or  let  oneself 
out  for  hire,'  so  that  it  would  have  meant  in  the 
first  instance  '  For  hiring,'  '  Hiring-money,'  or 
'  Handsel.'  And,  on  referring  to  this  last  word  in 
the  Imperial  Dictionary,  I  find  '  Handsel-Monday 
.  ,  .  The  first  Monday  of  the  new  year,  when  it  was 
formerly  usual  in  Scotland  for  servants,  children, 
and  others  to  ask  or  receive  presents  or  handsel' 
And  Dr.  Joass  tells  me  that  this  practice  still  sur- 
vives, and  is  accompanied  by  those  of  waiting  for 
the  first  foot  and  whisky-treating.  So  that  Hog(o)- 
manay  was  apparently  a  mere  anticipation,  under 
1 6th  century  French  influence,  of  the  customs 
which  attached  to  Handsel-Monday  ^. 

Let  me  add  that,  since  the  foregoing  pages  were 
put  into  type.  Dr.  Murray,  the  editor  of  the  New 
English  Dictionary,  himself  a  Roxburghshire  man, 
tells  me  that  '  Hogmanay '  in  Scotland  properly 
means  the  gift  and  not  the  day,  '  Hogmanay '  as 
applied  to  the  day  really  standing  for  '  Hogmanay - 
day.' 

1  Of  course  I  regard  the  French  forms  as  corrupted  from  an 
eariier  Spanish  one  :  the  earliest  French  form  yet  found  begins 
with  an-,  which  suggests  an  original  o.l-. 

The  Spanish  verb  itself  is  derived  from  the  substantive  alquiU, 
which  is  borrowed  from  the  Arabic  al  quere  '  the  hire  '  accord- 
ing to  Eguilaz  y  Yanguas  Glosario,  p.  250,  and  Prof.  Margoliouth 
tells  me  that  al  kira  '  the  hire '  would  be  pronounced  in  most 
dialects  al  kire. 


Gowking-day  109 

GOWKING-DAY   (APRIL   FOOLS'    DAY) 

On  the  /»*  of  April  people  send  those  who  do 
not  remember  that  that  is  the  gowking-day 
agowking.  [IV.   IV.  M.J 

W.  \Y.  AL  has  also  given  the  following  rime, 

Never  laugh,  never  smile ; 
Send  the  gowk  another  mile. 

'  Gowk '  ordinarily  means  '  fool,'  and  this  is 
pretty  certainly  the  meaning  in  the  minds  of  the 
people  who  use  this  rime  and  who  speak  of 
sending  others  agowking  on  gowking-day. 

But '  gowk '  also  means  '  cuckoo.'  And  Mr.  Hen- 
derson (p.  92)  refers  to  White's  Selborne  as 
evidence  that  the  bird  first  utters  its  note  between 
the  7th  and  26th  of  April,  and  points  out  that 
under  the  Old  Style  the  ist  of  April  would  have 
been  what  is  now  the  12th.  And  Jamieson  in  his 
Dictionary  has  suggested  that  the  phrase  '  hunt 
the  gowk '  arose  from  young  people  vainly  trying 
to  catch  sight  of  the  cuckoo,  which  flew  further  off 
whenever  they  got  near  it. 

If  this  were  so,  the  application  of  the  term  to 
the  person  befooled  instead  of  to  the  bird  which 
befooled  him  can  only  have  arisen  through  the 
meaning  of  the  phrase  '  hunt  the  gowk '  having 
been  entirely  misunderstood.  As  the  cuckoo  is 
still  called  gowk  in  North  Britain,  this  seems  very 
unlikely :  it  would  be  in  South  Britain,  where  the 


no  Whence  its  name? 

bird  is  no  longer  so  called,  that  one  would  expect 
such  a  misunderstanding  to  have  arisen — but  in 
South  Britain  April '  gowks  '  are  unknown,  they  are 
April  '  fools.'  And  the  phrase  in  Dr.  Murray's 
part  of  Scotland  was  not  '  hunt  the  gowk,'  but 
'  hund  the  gowk,'  i.  e.  hound  him. 

As  regards  the  practice  on  the  Borders,  Mr.  Hen- 
derson says  (p.  92)  '  We  learn  from  the  Wilkie  MS. 
that  the  second  of  April  shares  on  the  Borders  the 
character  which  the  first  bears  all  England  over. 
There  are  two  April-fool  days  there,  or,  as  they 
call  them,  "  gowk  days."  Unsuspecting  people  are 
then  sent  on  bootless  errands,  and  ridiculed  for 
their  pains. 

But  "  hunting  the  gowk  "  is  more  fully  carried 
out  by  sending  the  victim  from  place  to  place  with  a 
letter,  in  which  the  following  couplet  was  written  : 

The  first  and  second  of  Aprile, 
Hound  the  gowk  another  mile.' 

The  double  meaning  '  cuckoo  '  and  '  fool '  is 
found  very  early  for  this  word  in  the  Germanic 
languages.  It  may  be  asked  whether  we  are  not 
possibly  dealing  with  two  distinct  words  which 
have  acquired  a  common  sound ;  but  in  all  prob- 
ability that  is  not  the  case.  Apparently  some 
popular  belief  about  the  bird,  perhaps  some  legend, 
about  it,  gave  it  a  reputation  for  folly,  and  so  fools 
came  to  be  called  cuckoos.  And  perhaps  also  the 
time  when  the  cuckoo's  note  is  first  heard  was 
seized  on  as  an  occasion  for  deluding  the  foolish  and 


Washing  in  May-day  dezv        in 

ciiaffing  them  with  their  likeness  to  the  cuckoo. 
Vov  the  origin  of  April-fooHng-  does  not  seem  to 
have  been  discovered,  if  this  is  not  it. 


MAY-DAY 


On  the  /«*  of  May  the  persons  who  zvish  to 
preserve  their  beauty  rise  very  early  in  the 
inorning  and  wash  their  faces  in  the  deiu,  zvhich 
they  say  will  keep  them  from  being  stuibjirnt. 

[W.   W.  MJ 

'  On  May  Day  morning  in  Edinburgh,  not  many 
years  ago,  ever^^one  went  up  to  the  top  of  Arthur's 
Seat  before  sunrise  to  "meet  the  dew."  In  Perth 
they  cHmbed  Kinnoul  Hill  for  the  same  purpose, 
with  a  lingering  belief  in  the  old  saying — that  those 
who  wash  their  faces  in  May  dew  will  be  beautiful 
all  the  year '  (Henderson,  p.  85). 

The  following  relates  to  Shropshire  : — 
'  Washing  in  May- Dew  was  (and  no  doubt  still 
is)  supposed  in  Edgmond  to  strengthen  the  joints 
and  muscles  as  well  as  to  beautify  the  complexion. 
I  knew  a  little  idiot  boy  whose  mother  (fancying  it 
was  weakness  of  the  spine  which  prevented  him 
from  walking)  took  him  into  the  fields  "  nine  morn- 
ings running  "  to  rub  his  back  with  May-dew.  She 
explained  that  the  dew  had  in  it  all  the  "  nature  " 
of  the  spring  herbs  and  grasses,  and  that  it  was 
only  to  be  expected  that  it  should  be  wonderfully 
strengthening'  (Jackson  and  Burne,  p.  190). 


GAMES  WITHOUT  RIMES 


Games  known  elsewhere 


115 


GAMES  WITHOUT  RIMES 


Nearly  all  the  rimeless  games  described  to  mc 
were  games  already  well  known  in  England,  Some- 
times, however,  the  names  vary  more  or  less  from 
those  by  which  I  knew  them  or  by  which  they  are 
described  in  CasseU's  Complete  Book  of  Sports 
and  Pastimes.  I  will  give  CasseU's  name  for  each 
of  these  (with  a  reference  to  the  page),  and  then 
the  Golspie  name. 


Name  in  CasseU's  book. 
Postman's  knock  (p.  782^. 
Buck,  buck,  how  many  fingers  j 
do  I  hold  up?  (p.  252).  \ 

Bull  in  the  ring  (p.  252,^ 

Follow  my  leader  (p.  256). 
Foot  and  a  half,  Foot  it,  or  Fly  / 
the  garter  (p.  255).  \ 

Hare  and  hounds  (p.  258). 
Hop  scotch  (p.  259). 
'Oranges  and  lemons  (p.  780). 


Name  in  Golspie. 
American  post.       [M.  S.] 
Ride  the  donkey.    [W.  W.  M., 

A.  G.] 
*  Bull  in  the  barn.  [W.  W.  M., 

A.  G.,  H.  J.  M.] 
Follow  the  leader.  [W.W.  M.J 

Foot  and  one  half.     [A.  G.  ] 

Hounds  and  hares.  [W.W.  M.] 
'Pot.     [A.  C,  B.  C] 
Putting  out  the  ashes.    [A.  C] 


'  So  called  in  Shropshire  (Jackson  and  Burne,  p.  519). 

'  I   have   heard    this    name    in    England    (at   Liverpool?),   and 
believe  it  to  be  common  there. 

^  Called  by  Chambers  (p.  127)  '  Scots  and  English.'     '  French 
and  English'  (Cassell,  p.  257)  or  'tug  of  war'  (Cassell,  p.  273)  is 
virtually  only  the  latter  part  of  the  same  game,  but  the  game 
called  '  French  and  English '  in  Golspie  is  quite  diflercnt. 
I  2 


Ti6  Games  known  elsewhere 

Name  in  Cassell's  book.  Name  in  Golspie. 

Puss  in  the  corner  (p.  267).         Pussy    in    the    corner.      [A.  C, 

B.  C] 
Rounders  (p.  225).  '  Housie  meetie.  [A.  C,  B.  C,  J.  S. 

('housy  meetie'),  W.W.M.] 
'Spanish  fly  (p.  269).  Leap  frog  with  bonnets.  [A.  G.] 

Walk,  moon,  walk!  (p.  2731.      ^  Spague.  [A.  G.] 

The  following  games  are  played  under  names 
known  in  England : — Cricket,  Football,  Golf,  Hide 
and  seek  (M.  S.),  Quoits  (W.  W.  M.— sometimes 
played  with  a  flat  stone  instead  of  an  iron  ring), 
and  Shinty  (W.  W.  M.).  The  last  is  more  com- 
monly called  Clubs,  the  ball  is  termed  a  '  shiney,' 
and  the  goals  and  goal-posts  '  hiles '  and  '  hile- 
posts  '  (W.  W.  M.). 

W.  W.  M.  merely  mentions,  and  has  now  for- 
gotten, Bull  in  the  path.  We  suspect  it  to  be 
merely  another  name  of  '  Bull  in  the  barn,'  which 
Mrs.  Gomme  (i,  p.  50)  calls  '  Bull  in  the  Park.' 

On  the  manner  in  which  such  games  are  spread 
some  remarks  will  be  found  upon  p.  127. 

The  following  games  played  in  Golspie  I  do  not 
find  in  Cassell. 

'  Pronounced  '  Hoozy  meety.'  But  H.  J.  M.  wrote  Housie  tnettie. 

^  '  Leap  frog  with  bonnets '  is  only  a  part  of '  Spanish  fl}'.'  The 
late  Mr.  A.  W.  L.  Whitbread  told  me  that  it  is  part  of  a  game 
known  in  Oxford  as  '  Ships  a-sailing.' 

'  Boys  throw  their  bonnets  between  the  straddling  legs  of 
a  blindfolded  boy,  and  then  '  ieli  the  boy  to  spague  this,  meaning  to 
go  and  look  for  the  bonnets'  [A.  G.].  In  Jamieson's  Dictionary 
I  find  that  '  Spaig  is  expl.  by  Mactaggart,  "A  person  with  long 
ill-shaped  legs."  ' 


Bonnets,  Biillie  Horn  117 

^  Bonnets. 

In  Bonnets  all  the  bonnets  of  the  players  are 
placed  in  a  row,  and  one  player  tries  to  put  a  ball 
into  one  of  the  bonnets.  He  into  zvhose  bonnet  it 
is  put  tries  to  strike  one  of  the  players  with  the 
ball.  He  who  is  struck  thrice  has  to  stand  three 
hits  from  the  other  players  with  the  ball. 

[W.   W.  M.] 

In  Mrs.  Gomme's  book  (i,  p.  14)  a  variety  of  this 
is  described  from  Nairn  by  the  Rev.  W.  Gregor, 
The  title  given  is '  Ball  and  Bonnets.'  Mrs.  Gomme 
adds  '  See  "  Eggatt  "  ' ;  but  there  is  no  article 
"  ■E§'g''itt  "  in  the  volume.  Her  '  Ball  in  the  Decker,' 
reported  from  Dublin,  has  points  in  common. 

The  late  Mr.  A.  W.  L.  Whitbread  told  me  that 
the  game  is  nearly  the  same  as  one  known  in 
Oxford  as  '  Rats  in  holes.' 

Bullie  Horn. 

This  is  a  variety  of  the  game  called  '  Warning ' 
in  Cassell's  book  (p.  274).  It  was  mentioned,  but 
not  described,  by  A.  G.,  from  whom  I  ascertain 
that  it  is  played  as  follows. 

One  boy  puts  his  hands  in  his  '  wallet '  and  tries 
to  'tip'  (=  touch)  another  boy  with  it,  without 
taking  his  hands  out.  The  boy  thus  '  tipped  '  is 
obliged  to  carry  the  tipper  on  his  back  to  the 
'stand'  (—bounds).  He  then  puts  his  own  hands 
inside  his  wallet,  and  he  and  the  tipper  unite  in 

*  I.e.  Caps.  In  Scotland  still,  as  once  in  England,  'bonnet' 
is  in  common  use  for  a  man's  or  boy's  cap. 


ii8  Buttons,   Cabbage-stock 

trying  to  tip  other  boys,  the  game  going  on  as 
at  first  until  every  boy  has  been  tipped  and  has 
carried  his  tipper. 

Buttons  (W.  W.  M.)  or  Buttony  (A.  G.). 

Buttons  a7^e  played  by  a  stick  being  set  tip  at 
which  each  boy  throzvs  a  bjitton.  He  whose 
button  lands  nearest  to  the  stick  lifts  all  the 
buttons,  and  throws  them  all  up  in  the  air,  calling 
head  or  tail  All  the  bttttons  which  lajid  the 
way  that  he  calls  out  he  gets,  and  the  others  are 
passed  on  to  the  next  boy,  zvho  does  the  same, 
and  so  on  until  the  last  boy.  [W.   W.  MJ 

Mr.  E.  Gass  informs  me  that  this  is  nearly  the 
same  as  '  Pitch  and  toss.'  It  is  perhaps  the  Forfar- 
shire '  buttony,'  but  not  the  Perthshire  one  as 
described  in  the  English  Dialect  Dictionary :  Prof. 
Wright  tells  me  there  is  a  Yorkshire  '  buttony.' 

Cabbage -stock. 

Cabbage  stock.  Lots  are  cast  and,  whoever  the 
lot  falls  on,  that  person  has  to  kiieel  down,  and 
another  stand  above  him  and  covers  his  eyes. 
Then  he  asks  him  to  appoint  a  place  for  each 
to  stand  at  without  letting  him  knozv  their  names. 
When  this  is  done  he  calls  'Play  on,  cabbage- 
stock,'  at  which  they  all  ru7i  from  their  appoijited 
places  and  begin  beating  him,  that  is  kneeling  on 
his  back,  and  he  that  is  last  in  has  to  go  tinder 
the  sam^e  proceedings.  [f.  S.J 

This  game  is  also  mentioned  by  A.  G. 


French  and  English,  King  and  queen    119 

French  and  English. 

French  &^  English  is  played  by  equal  sides 
being  made,  one  of  which  is  called  the  French 
a7id  the  other  the  English.  The  bonnets  of  each 
side  are  thett  piled  tip  in  two  seperate  heaps, 
and  the  side  which  obtains  the  most  bonnets  are 
the  winners.  f^J"-   J^-  ^^^J 

I  find  that  the  two  sides  occupy  different '  stands  ' 
and  that  the  bonnets  are  piled  at  a  point  between 
the  two.  One  boy  runs  to  snatch  a  bonnet  before 
he  can  be  touched,  another  from  the  opposite  stand 
tries  to  touch  him  first ;  whichever  of  the  two  is 
successful  carries  away  the  top  bonnet. 

This  is  only  one  of  the  many  varieties  of  Touch,' 
and  is  quite  different  from  the  game  called  '  French 
and  Enghsh'  in  Cassell  (p.  257).  Mrs.  Gomme 
describes  a  similar  game  under  the  Golspie  title, 
but  says  that  it '  is  known  as  "  Scotch  and  English  " 
in  the  north'  (i,  p.  145). 

King  and  queen. 

This  game  was  mentioned  but  not  described  by 
M.  S.  I  ascertain  from  her  that  it  is  played  as 
follows. 

Two  chairs  arc  placed  facing  each  other,  with 
a  certain  space  between.  Across  this  space,  and 
over  the  backs  of  the  chairs,  a  blanket  is  stretched. 
The  king  then  sits  on  one  chair  and  the  queen  on 
the  other.  A  third  player  is  then  asked  to  sit  on 
the  blanket   between  them.      As  he  or  she  does 


I20  Skeby 

so,  the  king  and  queen  rise,  and  the  blanket  and 
third  player  fall  to  the  ground.  The  procedure  is 
repeated  till  all  the  rest  have  sat  on  the  blanket. 

The  game  is  played  in  the  United  States  under 
the  same  name  (Newell,  p.  120),  and  Mr.  Newell 
quotes  Strutt  s  '  Sports  and  pastimes '  (p.  294)  to 
show  that  early  in  this  century  it  was  played  as 
a  trick  on  new  girls  in  large  English  boarding- 
schools  ;  the  new  girl,  after  having  a  very  flattering 
speech  addressed  to  her,  was  suddenly  let  fall  into 
a  tub  of  water.  Mr.  Newell  describes  a  similar 
Austrian  game  called  '  conferring  knighthood.' 

'  Skeby  or  Tit  for  tat. 

Skeby,  or  tit  for  tat.  Two  stands  are  needed 
to  play  skeby.  There  is  also  a  number  of  girls 
who  call '  No  skeby. '  The  girl  who  calls  the  last 
has  to  go  skeby.  She  has  to  go  between  the  two 
stands.  There  is  a  number  of  girls  in  each 
stand.  The  girl  who  is  skebby  is  watching  till 
she  sees  any  of  the  other  girls  coming  out  of  their 
stands.  When  she  sees  them  out  of  their  stands, 
she  pounces  on  them  and  tries  to  give  thetn 
^  skeby.  If  she  gives  them,  skeby,  then  they  are 
skeby,  and  she  goes  into  one  of  the  stands. 

[f  S.J 

^  This  is  only  a  variety  of  '  Touch '  (Cassell,  p.  273),  or  Tick. 
The  pronunciation  of  the  name  is  midway  between  skibby  and 
skeeby.  It  is  (Dr.  Joass  tells  me)  the  Gaelic  sgiobag  (pronounced 
skeepak),  'a  slap  given  in  play.' 

'  I  ask  J.  S.  what  skeby  is,  and  she  tells  me  '  touch.' 


Smuggle  the  giggie  121 

^  Smuggle  the  giggie. 

T/ie  company  is  divided  info  two  equal  sides 
(first  &-^  secondj.  A  large  ring  called  the 
'stand'  is  draivn  on  the  ground.  The  second 
side  gives  some  article— as  a  ring,  pencil,  etc?— 
to  the  first  side,  who,  after  getting  it  go  to  some 
corner  ivhich  the  second  side  cannot  see.  One 
of  the  first  side  takes  the  ring  from  the  girl  zv  ho 
got  it  from  the  second  side.  Then  they  all  call 
'Giggie'  and  rzin  towards  the  'stand.'  The 
second  side  tries  to  catch  them,  as  they  mn.  If 
the  girl  zuho  has  the  ring  gets  iitto  the  'stand' 
without  a7iy  of  the  second  side  catching  her,  she 
calls  '  Giggie  is  free  '  and  the  first  side  gets  the 
ring  again ;  but,  if  the  second  side  catches  her, 
they  get  the  ring.  [B.   C] 

This  game  is  also  described  by  A.  C,  J,  S., 
W.  W.  M.,  and  H.  J.  M.,  while  A.  G.  mentions  it. 
I  think  I  played  it  about  1859  at  Liverpool  College 
(Middle  School).  It  is  described  as  a  Glasgow 
game  in  Jamieson's  Dictionary,  where  it  is  called 
'  Smuggle  the  ^^g.'  It  is  obviously  an  imitation  of 
smuggling,  and,  since  W.  W.  M,  explains  '  giggie  ' 
to  me  as  '  keg,'  'geg'  and  'giggie'  may  just  pos- 

'  So  called  by  A.  C.  B.  C.  calls  it  '  Giggie,'  J.  S.  '  Giggie  or 
Smuggle  the  gig,'  W.W.  M.  '  Smuggle  the  gauge,'  A.  G.  '  Smuggle," 
and  H.  J.  M.  '  Giggies  Free'  (  =  Giggie's  free). 

''  J.  S.  thrice  mentions  a  '  thumble  ' — never  '  thimble.'  Dr.  Joass 
tells  me  that  thmntnle  is  a  local  pronunciation,  and  the  new  edition 
of  Jamieson  gives  thumble  and  i/tummil  as  Scottish. 


122 


Stand  hiitit) 


sibly  =  '  keg  '  and  '  keggle  '  with  k  assimilated 
to  following  g.  But  Dr.  Joass  tells  me  that 
'  giggie '  is  a  name  for  a  spinning-top  (diminu- 
tive of  Shakspere's  'gig'  with  the  same  mean- 
ing), and  originally  a  top  may  have  been  used  in 
the  game — perhaps  because  its  material  and  shape, 
and  the  rings  round  It,  resembled  those  of  a  cask. 

Stand  but(t). 

This  is  played  (H.  J.  M.)  by  boys  as  well  as 
girls.  It  is  described  by  A.  C,  B.  C,  J.  S.,  and 
H.  J.  M.     I  shall  give  It  as  played  by  girls. 

One  girl  throws  up  a  ball,  calling  another  girl's 
name.  The  girl  so  named  tries  to  catch  It,  and, 
if  successful,  takes  the  place  of  thrower-up.  Any 
girl  who  fails  to  catch  it  throws  it  at  the  rest,  who 
are  running  away.  A  girl  thus  hit  is  called  '  one 
of  It '  (A.  C.)  or  '  one '  (J.  S.),  and  has  in  turn  to 
take  the  place  of  thrower-up.  A  girl  who  has 
been  hit  three  times  Is  called  'three  of  it'  (A.  C.) 
or  '  three  '  (J.  S.). 

Such  a  girl,  A.  C.  says,  '  has  to  undergo  some 
punishment.'  B.  C.  says  that  she  '  holds  her  hand 
against  the  wall  while  each  girl  hits  her  hand  three 
times  with  the  ball.  This  curious  punishment  is 
called  1  "  paps."  '  J.  S.  says  that  '  she  is  In  for  her 
baps.     That  Is  to  say  she  has  to  hold  her  hand 

'  Jamieson's  Dictionary  gives  pap  or  pawp  as  Aberdeenshire 
for  '  blow,'  but  a  hap  is  a  small  roll  or  loaf  of  bread  (New  Eng. 
Diet.). 


Stand  biiHf)  123 

against  a  wall  and  the  other  girl's  '  gives  her  so 
many  hits  on  the  hand.'  H.  J.  M.  says  that  a 
boy  who  is  so  punished  '  has  to  put  his  hand  to 
the  wall ;  then  they  all  try^  to  strike  it  with  the 
ball.' 

The  game  is  called  Stand  bit  by  A.  C.  and  J.  S., 
Standbit  by  B.  C,  and  Stan  But  by  H.  J.  M. 
The  11  in  but,  btitt,  and  i  in  bit  are  so  frequently 
interchanged,  or  replaced  by  the  same  almost 
neutral  sound,  that  I  cannot  attach  much  import- 
ance to  either  way  of  spelling  the  second  syllable. 
I  suspect  the  right  form  to  be  '  Stand  butt,'  i.  e. 
'  Stand  as  a  target,  stand  to  be  shot  at '.' 

The  game  is  said  by  Mr.  Newell  (p.  181)  to  be 
well  known  in  Austria :  a  somewhat  similar  game, 
he  says,  was  played  by  New  England  schoolboys 
and  was  known  as  Call- Ball,  Callie-ball,  or  Ballie- 
callie.  He  considers  that  it  is  alluded  to  in  the 
1 6th  century  by  Herrick,  in  the  lines 
'  I  call,  I  call ;    who  doe  ye  call  ? 

The  maids  to  catch  this  cowslip  ball.' 

And  Mr.  E.  Gass  informs  me  of  a  variety  of  it 
known  in  Oxford  as  '  Iddy-iddy-all,'  which  I  de- 
scribe on  p.  339. 

'  '  Girl's '  should  have  been  '  girls,'  but  '  gives '  is  good  old 
Scots  English  — see  p.  169,  note  i. 

'  Dr.  Joass  says  boys  say  '  out '  as  often  as  '  but'  in  this  game. 
'  But '  in  Scots  English  - '  the  outer  room,'  or  '  to  the  outer  room,' 
and  I  suspect  thai  '  out '  arises  from  a  mistaken  interpretation  of 
'  butt.' 


RIME-GAMES 


Importation  of  rime-games        127 


RIME-GAMES 

I  have  divided  the  rime-games  into  3  classes^  — 
those  played  in  a  line,  those  played  in  a  ring,  and 
'  Mrs.  Brown.'  I  have  taken  the  completest  or 
otherwise  best  version  received  of  each  rime,  and 
have  printed  it  without  any  verbal  correction  or 
addition.  But  it  often  happens  that  the  version  of 
some  other  contributor  is  nearer  in  some  points  to 
what  must  have  been  the  original  form  of  the  rime, 
so  that  the  variations  given  In  the  notes  should  also 
be  read. 

It  will  be  seen  that  in  some  of  the  games  a 
number  of  quite  distinct  rimes  have  been  strung 
together  :  this,  or  at  least  the  borrowing  by  one 
rime  of  part  of  another  rime.  Is  a  common  feature 
In  British  rime-games. 

It  w411  also  be  seen  that  a  considerable  number 
of  the  rimes  are  known  in  Shropshire,  Dorset,  and 
Surrey,  and  (so  far  as  we  can  judge  by  their 
present  forms,  and  In  some  cases  by  the  tunes  to 
which  they  are  sung)  have  been  imported  from 
England  Into  Scotland.  Wherever  a  family  of 
children  go,  it  Is  natural  that  they  should  play  their 
own  or-ames  and  teach  them  to  the  children  of  their 

o 

'  '  See  the  robbers  passing  by '  forms  a  4th  class  by  itself.  It 
was  merely  mentioned  by  A.  C.  in  her  paper,  and  I  did  not  know 
it  to  be  a  rime-game.  It  will  be  found  at  p.  340,  in  'Additional 
notes  to  the  contributions.' 


128  Games  in  a  line 

new  neighbourhood,  and  nowadays  the  railroad 
and  the  steamship  can  thus  extend  the  knowledge 
of  a  game  hundreds  or  thousands  of  miles  in  a  few 
hours  or  days. 

There  remain  a  number  of  rimes  which  ap- 
parently took  their  origin  north  of  the  Tweed  or  in 
the  Border  counties  of  England,  and  of  which  I  have 
seen  no  other  versions.  But  even  in  those  rimes 
to  which  I  shall  print  parallels  from  elsewhere 
the  Golspie  version  often  yields  some  interesting 
variation.  Take  for  instance  '  My  delight's  in 
tansies,'  which  exhibits  in  a  much  less  incorrect 
form  a  rime  which  in  the  one  version  (from  York- 
shire) which  I  have  yet  seen  in  print  had  been 
corrupted  into  arrant  nonsense  ;  while  a  comparison 
of  the  Golspie  and  Yorkshire  versions  enables  us 
to  conjecture  pretty  closely  what  was  the  original 
text  of  the  rime. 

The  game-rimes  are  almost  all  sung,  not  spoken. 
None  of  the  tunes  were  sent  in  by  the  contributors  ; 
but  tunes  will  be  found  at  pp.  197-207,  together 
with  the  necessary  explanation  and  such  notes  as 
it  occurs  to  me  to  make  upon  them. 

I.  Games  in  a  line. 

Gwrnes  with  rhymes  are  divided  into  tzvo  sets, 
namely  those  which  are  played  in  a  line  and 
those  played  in  a  ring.  In  the  following  games 
the  company  stands  in  a  line.  One  of  them 
stands  in  front  of  the  others.  When  they  begin 
to  sing,  the  girl  goes  backward  and  forward  in 


Father  and  mother,  may  I  go  ?  129 

front  of  them.  At  a  certain  part  of  the  rhyme 
the  girl  who  is  otit  takes  some  other  girl  ont  by 
the  hand  and  stands  in  herself,  after  finishing 
the  rhyme.  [^-   ^J 

.  .  .  [When  the  singer  takes  the  other  girl  out] 

they  both  sing  the  remaining  part  of  the  rhyme. 

Then  the  girl  who  sang  the  last  rhyme  takes  her 

place  in  the  line,   and  the  other  girl  sings  the 

rhym,e  over  again,  or  sings  another  rhyme. 

IB.  C] 

[Father  and  mother,  may  I  go?] 
'  ^  Father  and  mother,  may  I  go. 
May  I  go,  may  I  go. 
Father  and  another  m.ay  I  go 

A  cross  the  banks  of  ^  roses  ?  ' 
'  Yes,  my  darling,  yon.  may  go. 
You  may  go,  you  may  go. 
Yes,  my  darling,  yon  may  go 
Across  the  banks  of  roses.' 

1  M.  S.  writes  'Father,  mother,'— here  and  in  1.  3.    Mr.  Loudon 
tells  me  that  he  has  heard  this  as  follows  : — 
Please,  mamma,  will  I  get  leave, 
Will  I  get  leave,  will  I  get  leave, 
Please  mamma,  will  I  get  leave 
To  cross  the  banks  of  roses? 
Yes,  my  dear,  you  will  get  leave. 
You  will  get  leave,  you  will  get  leave, 
Yes,  my  dear,  you  will  get  leave 
To  cross  the  banks  of  roses. 
"  Probably  rosa  rubella  (pale  pink  or  cream),  growing  on  sandy 
coasts,  or  rosa  arvensis,  a  trailing  white  hedge-bank  rose. 

K 


130    As  I  zvent  down  yon  bank,  oh! 

Clap  your  ^  tails  and  away  yoi^  go, 
Away  you  go,  away  you  go, 
Clap  yotir  tails  and  away  you,  go 
Across  the  banks  of  roses. 

[As  I  -went  down  yon  bank,  oh !] 

As  I  zvent  down  yon  dank,  ok  / 
Yon  bank,  oh  /  yon  bank,  oh  / 
As  I  went  down  yon  bank,  oh  f 
Who  did  I  meet  but  a  lad 
With  a  tartan  "plaid? 

[My  delight's  m  tansies] 

And  my  delight's  in  ^tansies ; 
My  delight's  in  pajtsies ; 
My  delight's  in  a  red  red  rose, 
The  colour  of  my  Maggie,  oh  / 

Heigh  oh  /  my  Maggie,  oh  f 
My  very  bonnie  21  aggie,  oh  / 
All  the  world  I  ivould  not  give 
For  a  kiss  from  Maggie,  oh  / 

In  the  third  verse  you  should  '  clap  your  tails  ' 
till  the  end  of  the  verse.  Take  some  one  out  at 
'  The  colour  of  my  Maggie,  oh  /  '  [A.  C] 

1   Skirts. 

-  Note  the  pronunciation  'plad,'  whicli  is  rare  in  Golspie. 

'  A  common  tall  wild  plant  with  bunches  of  radiate  yellow 
flowers.  Its  ordinary  Golspie  name  is  '  Stinkin'  Willie,'  and 
'  tansy'  is  probably  almost  unknown  to  natives. 


My  deligJifs  in  tansies  131 

The  two  stanzas  beginning  '  And  my  delight  s 
in  tansies  '  are  specially  interesting  because  they 
suppl}'  a  less  corrupted  form  of  a  Yorkshire  rime 
given  by  Northall  (p.  386}.  'A  number  of  girls/ 
he  says,  '  range  themselves  against  a  wall,  whilst 
one  stands  out,  stepping  backwards  and  forwards 
to  the  tune — 

"  Sunday  night  an'  Nanc}^  oh ! 
My  delight  an'  fancy  oh  ! 
All  the  world  that  I  should  keep, 
If  I  had  a  Katey  oh !  " 

Then  she  rushes  to  pick  out  one,  taking  her  by 
the  hand,  and  standing  face  to  face  with  her,  the 
hands  of  the  two  being  joined,  sings — 

"  He  oh,  my  Kate)"  oh  ! 
My  bonny,  bonny  Katey  oh  ! 
All  the  world  that  I  should  keep, 
If  I  had,  etc." 

Then  the  two  advance,  and  take  another  girl,  etc' 

'  Keep  '  suggests  that  not  '  give  '  but  '  gi'e  '  is 
the  original  word.  And  '  Sunday  night '  suggests 
'  Some  delight  ^.'     The  original  may  have  been 

Some  delight  in  a  tansy,  oh ! 
Some  delight  in  a  pansy,  oh ! 
My  delight's  in  a  red,  red  rose, 
The  colour  of  my  Nancy,  oh ! 

'  So  Prof.   H.  H.  Turner  of  Oxford  ;    it   is  better  than   '  One 
delights,'  which  I  had  written. 

K  2 


132         My  name  is  Queen  Mary 

Heigh,  oh !    my  Nancy,  oh ! 

My  bonnie  bonnie  Nancy,  oh ! 

All  the  wor(u)ld  I  wad  gi'e 

For  ae  kiss  from  my  Nancy,  oh ! 
The  pronunciation  of  world  as  two  syllables  is 
quite  correct :  in  old  English  it  was  weorold  [-ti/d], 
worold  {-tdd).  In  Barnes's  '  Poems  in  the  Dorset 
Dialect '  it  is  regularly  spelt  worold.  This  pronun- 
ciation is  also  heard  in  N.  England  and  Scotland, 
and  '  ae  '  points  to  the  latter  as  the  birth-country  of 
the  rime.  In  singing  the  last  line  (see  p.  198)  a  is 
accented,  and  tny  sung  before  Maggie. 

[My  name  is  Queen  Mary] 
^  My  name  is  Queen  Mary, 
My  age  is  sixteen; 
My  father  's  a  farmer 
^  In  yonder  green. 
He  has  plenty  of  money 
2  To  dress  me  in  silk, 
'^  But  no  bon7tie  laddie 

Will  ^  take  me  awa. 

'  B.  C.  gives  the  first  two  lines  as 

'  Queen  Mary  Queen  Mary  my  heart  is  with  thee.' 

^  This  suggests  a  much  more  southern  origin.  B.  C.  and  M,  S. 
confirm  '  In,'  but  J.  S.  has  '  On,'  which  is  almost  certainly  right. 

^  J.  S.  has  'To  keep  me  in  silks.' 

*  B.  C.  has  '  Though,'  which  is  worse.  J.  S.  has  'And  some,' 
which  is  also  less  likely. 

»  B.  C.  and  J.  S.  have  '  tak,'  which  is  better.  J.  S.  has  '  away,'" 
which  is  worse. 

B.  C.  continues  with  the  four  lines  beginning  '  May  be  I'll  get 
married '  followed  by  the  four  beginning  '  I  can  chew  tobacco/ 
For  these  see  later. 


Roses  in  and  roses  out  133 

One  morning  I  rose 

^  And  I  looked  in  the  glass: 

Says  I  to  myself 

'  JVhal  a  handsome  young  lass  /  ' 

- Aly  hands  by  my  st'de^. 

And  I  laughed  '^  a  ha  ha  / 

For  some  bonnie  laddie 

Will  °  take  me  awa. 

[(ni)  take  her  by  the  lily  white  hand] 

^  I'll  take  her  by  the  lily  zvhite  hand, 
I'll  lead  her  o'er  the  water  "^ , 
I'll  give  her  kisses  ®  one  two  three. 
For  she's  a  lady's  daughter'^. 

[Roses  in  and  roses  out] 

Roses  in  and  roses  out, 

^°  Roses  in  the  garden  : 

^^/  would  not  give  a  bunch  of  flowers 

For  twopence  halfpenny  ^-farthiiig. 

Take  some  one  out  at  ^  I 'II  take  her  by  the  etc' 

'  J.  S.  omits  '  And.'  ^      '       '^ 

^  Perhaps  in  the  original 

With  my  hands  by  my  side  I  laughed  '  Ha  ha  ha  !  '    {or 
^ahaha!').  '  J.  S.  'sides.'  *  J.  S.  omits  'a.' 

'  J.  S.  has  'tak'  (better),  and  'away'  (worse  . 

«  J.  S.  'We'll'  in  all  three  lines.  Both  Fli  and  We'll  are 
probably  insertions :  see  pp.  139-40,  144.  '  J.  S.  'waters.' 

*  A.  C.  writes  '  One  two  three '  as  a  separate  line. 

'  J.  S.  '  is  the  ladies  daughter.'  '"  J.  S.  prefixes  'And.' 

"  J.  S.  substitutes  for  these  two  lines  the  last  two  of  the  previous 
stanza — '  We'll  give  her  kisses  one  two  three  for  she  is  the  ladies 
daughter.' 

"  In  the  original  rime  no  doubt  '  fardcn,'  which  was  common  in 
English  folk-speech. 


134  ^^^^  (I  l(id  at  Golspie 

J.  S.  says  that  there  are  two  varieties  of  this  set 
of  rimes.  In  the  first,  the  stanza  beginning  '  My 
name  is  Queen  Mar^^'  is  followed  by  the  3rd  stanza, 
'  We'll  take  her  by  the  lily  white  hand,'  and  that 
by  '  Roses  in  and  roses  out.' 

In  the  second,  after  the  stanza  beginning  '  My 
name  is  Queen  Mary  '  comes  the  following  : — 

[I've  a  lad  at  Golspie] 

I've  a  lad  at  Golspie; 

I've  a  lad  at  sea; 
I've  a  lad  at  Golspie^ 

A  lid  his  ^  number  is  twenty -three. 

[I  can  -wash  a  sailor's  shirt] 

/  can  wash  a  sailor's  shirt.^ 
-Ajtd  I  cajt  wash  it  clean; 

I  can  wash  a  sailor's  shirt, 
A7id  bleach  it  on  the  green. 

[I  can  chew  tobacco] 

/  can  chew  tobacco., 

I  can  smoke  a  pipe., 
I  can  kiss  a  bonny  lad 

At  ten  o'clock  at  night.         [J.  S.J 

'  Perhaps  this  rime  originated  in  some  place  consisting  of 
one  long  street  or  row  with  the  houses  numbered.  The  houses 
in  Golspie  are  not  numbered.  But  Dr.  Joass  suggests  that  the 
number  of  a  naval  reserve  man  in  a  training-ship  may  be  meant. 

*  A.  C,  B.  C,  and  M.  S.  sing  the  line  without  'And.' 


May  be  FIl  get  married  135 

After  which  comes   the   stanza  '  One  morning  I 
rose  &c.' 

According  to  B.C.  the  'Queen  Mary'  stanza  is 
followed  by 

[May  be  I'll  get  married] 

May  be  I'll  get  manned ; 

May  be  I'll  get  free  ; 
May  be  I'll  get  married 

To  the  ^  laddie  's  on  the  sea. 


[I  can  chew  tobacco] 

/  cait  chew  tobacco, 

I  ca7i  smoke  a  pipe, 
I  can  kiss  a  bonny  lass 

At  ten  o'clock  at  night.        [B.  C] 

In  the  last  stanza  B.  C.'s  '  lass  '  is  correct,  against 
J.  S.'s  '  lad.'  And  the  '  I  can  '  's  seem  to  have  been 
originally  either  '  He  can  '  or,  more  probably  still, 
'  He  canna.'  For  the  stanza  appears  to  be  a  mere 
fragment  of  a  long  piece  which  will  be  found  at 
p.  146. 

The  '  Queen  Mary '  stanza  is  closely  connected 

'  B.  C.  writes  '  laddies,'  but  '  laddie  's,'  i.e.  laddie  tliatis,  must  be 
meant  in  the  original.  Compare  '  I  have  a  brother  is  condemned 
to  die'  {Meas.  for  Meas.  ii.  2.  33)  and  other  instances  in  Abbott's 
'  Shakespearian  grammar'  (1870  ed.,  p.  164). 


136  The  '  Queen  Mary '  rime 

with  the  English  children's  rime  '  Green  gravel.' 
Life  is  too  short,  for  me  at  least,  to  resolve  each  of 
these  rimes  into  their  original  elements,  but  the 
following  points  of  similarity  will  bear  out  my 
contention. 

(i)  On  p.  199  I  print  the  two  tunes  to  which 
'  Queen  Mary '  is  sung  at  Golspie,  and  show  that 
one  of  them  is  practically  the  same  to  which  '  Green 
gravel '  is  sung  at  Madeley  in  Shropshire,  Sporle 
in  Norfolk,  and  in  Lancashire. 

(2)  The  following  are  the  first  verses  of  the 
Madeley,  Sporle,  and  Lancashire  versions  (taken 
from  Mrs.  Gomme's  book,  i,  pp.  172-4). 

Green  gravel,  green  gravel,  the  grass  is  so  green, 
The  flowers  are  all  faded  and  none  to  be  seen, 
O  [Dolly],  O  [Dolly],  your  sweetheart  is  dead, 
He  's  sent  you  a  letter  to  turn  back  your  head. 
— Madeley,  Shropshire  (Miss  Burne). 

Green  meadows,  green  meadows,  your  grass  is  so 

green. 
The  fairest  young  damsel  that  ever  was  seen ; 
O  Mary,  O  Mary,  your  sweetheart  is  dead  ; 
We've  sent  you  a  letter  to  turn  back  your  head. 

Or,   Green  gravel,  green   gravel,  the  grass  is  so 
green, 

and  following  on  as  above, 

—Sporle,  Norfolk  (Miss  Matthews). 


and  the  '  Green  gravel '  rime      137 

Green  gravel,  green  gravel,  the  grass  is  so  green, 
The  fairest  young  lady  [damsel]  that  ever  was  seen. 

O ,  O  ,  your  true  love  is  dead ; 

He's  sent  you  a  letter  to  turn  round  your  head. 
— Redhill,  Surrey  (Miss  G.  Hope) ; 
Lancashire  (Mrs.  Harley). 

It  is  clear  from  these  and  many  other  English 
versions  given  by  Mrs.  Gomme  that  the  oldest 
ascertained  beginning  of  the  English  rime  is  '  Green 
gravel.'  As  there  is  a  sand  known  as  'greensand,' 
there  may  be  some  gravel  which  is  green  ;  but  it 
is  not  Hkely  to  be  so  common  as  to  have  been 
introduced  into  popular  poetry,  and  one  of  the 
Sporle  versions  akers  it  to  '  Green  meadows,'  while 
an  Isle  of  Wis^ht  version  alters  it  to  '  Yellow 
gravel ' ! 

Now  '  Mar>- '  was  once  pronounced  '  Marry  ' ; 
indeed  the  exclamation  Mai^ry  /  so  common  in 
Shakspere,  was  originally  an  invocation  of  the 
Virgin  Mary.  And  when  we  compare  the  accented 
syllables  in  the  first  line  of  '  Green  gravel ' 

Green  gravel,  green  gravel,  the  grass  is  so  green 

and  in  the  first  line  of  B.  C.'s  version 

Queen  Mar>%  Queen  Mary,  my  heart  is  with  thee 

we  see  that  their  vowel-sounds  are  identical,  if  we 
only  pronounce  Mary  as  Marry  \ 

'  And  might  not  a  young  child  pronounce  '  Queen  '  as  '  Crecn  '  • 
— whence  the  transition  to  '  Green '  would  be  very  easy. 


138  '  Queen  Mary '  and  '  Green  gravel ' 

Again,  if  we  take  the  ordinary  version, 

My  name  is  Queen  Mary,  my  age  is  sixteen 

and  give  the  vowels  old  values,  sounding  the  a  in 
name  and  age  as  in  the  adjective  bad,  and  my  as 
me,  we  get  nearly  the  same  result ;  and  I  believe  that 
'  Green  gravel,  green  gravel,  the  grass  is  so  green,' 
was  gradually  corrupted  from  this  through  imper- 
fect hearing.  When  '  We  are  all  young  maidens  ' 
gets  turned  into  '  We  all  shall  have  the  measles  ' 
(see  p.  175),  and  'We  are  three  dukes  a-roving ' 
into  'Forty  ducks  are  riding'  (see  p.  151),  any 
such  things  are  possible. 

With  this  may  have  been  mixed  up  another  rime 
beginning  '  O  Mary,  O  Mary,  your  sweetheart  is 
dead.' 

(3)  It  will  be  noticed  that  the  6th  and  8th  lines, 
which  ought  to  rime,  do  not.  This  is  a  pretty  sure 
sign  that  they  are  borrowed  from  different  songs. 
With  '  To  dress  me  in  silk '  or  '  To  keep  me  in 
silks  '  compare  the  following  (from  Mrs.  Gomme's 
book)  in  the  '  Green  gravel '  song : — 

We  washed  her,  we  dried  her,  we  rolled  her  in 
silk  (Belfast) 

I'll  wash  you  in  milk, 

And  I'll  clothe  you  with  silk  (Berrington,  Os- 
westry) 

Wash  them  in  milk,  and  clothe  them  in  silk 
(Derbyshire  and  Worcestershire  ;  also  Shef- 
field) 


[77/]  take  her  by  the  lily  white  hand  139 

I'll  wash  you  in  butter-milk,  111  dress  you  in  silk 
(Isle  of  Man) 

Washed  in  milk  and  dressed  in  silk  (Forest  of 
Dean,  Gloucestershire) 

They  wash  'em  in  milk 

And  dress  'em  in  silk  (Wakefield) 

As  regards  the  rime  '  [I'll]  take  her  by  the  ^  lily 
white  hand,'  it  is  apparently  only  the  end  of 
a  stanza,  and  '  o'er  the  water '  should  probably 
be  '  to  the  altar '  [altar  was  also  written  azvter 
in  old  times).  Compare  the  ^  two  following 
parallels : — 

(i)  From  Surrey  (AUen,  p.  84), 

'  V.    Lemon  or  Pear. 

Rosy  apple,  lemon  or  pear, 
Bunch  of  roses  she  shall  wear. 
Gold  and  silver  by  his  side  ; 
I  know  who  will  be  the  bride. 
Take  her  by  her  lily  white  hand, 
Lead  her  to  the  altar, 
Give  her  kisses  one,  two,  three, 
Mrs.  (child's  name)  daughter.' 

'  I  print  'lily  white'  as  it  was  written,  and  not  'lil^^ -white/ 
because  in  a  child's  rime  '  lily  '  may  =  '  lilly,'  i.  e.  '  little.' 

■^  A  wide  variant  from  Hartford  in  Connecticut  has  '  o'er  the 
water  '    Newell,  p.  72}. 


140  Illustrations  of 

(2)  From  Dorset  (Udal,  p.  210), 

'(IV.)   Rosy  Apple,  Lemon,  and  Pear. 
The  children  form  a  ring,  and  one  of  them  is 
chosen  to  stand  in  the  middle,  as  in  the  last  game, 
whilst  the  rest  circle  round  and  sing : 

"  Rosy  apple,  lemon,  and  pear, 
A  bunch  of  roses  she  shall  wear ; 
Gold  and  silver  by  her  side. 
Choose  the  one  shall  be  her  bride. 

"  Take  her  by  her  lily-white  hand, 

{Here  the  one  in  the  centre  chooses  one  from  the  ring  to  stand  by  her.) 

Lead  her  to  the  altar ; 

Give  her  kisses,  one,  two,  three, 

To  old  mother's  runaway  daughter." 

On  these  last  words  being  uttered,  the  one  who 
was  first  standing  in  the  middle  must  run  away  and 
take  a  place  in  the  ring  as  soon  as  she  can.  The 
second  one  remains  in  the  centre,  and  the  game  is 
repeated  over  and  over  again  until  all  have  been 
chosen.     (Symondsbury.)' 

I  had  the  last  5  pages  in  type  before  I  received  a 
proof  of  the  article  '  Queen  Mary  '  in  Mrs.  Gomme's 
2nd  vol.    The  following  are  the  versions  she  has : — 

I.    Queen  Mary,  Queen  Mary,  my  age  is  sixteen, 
My  father's  a  farmer  on  yonder  green  ; 
He  has  plenty  of  money  to  dress  me  in  silk — 
Come  away,  my  sweet   laddie,  and  take  me 
a  walk. 


the  '  Queen  Mary '  set  of  rimes    141 

One  morning  I  rose  and  I  looked  in  the  glass, 
I  thought  to  myself  what  a  handsome  young 

lass; 
My  hands  by  my  side,  and  a  gentle  ha,  ha, 
Come   away,  my  sweet   lassie,  and   take   me 

a  walk. 

Father,  mother,  may  I  go,  may  I    go,   may 

Igfo; 
Father,  mother,   may  I  go,  to  buy  a  bunch 

of  roses  ? 
Oh  yes,  you  may  go,  you  may  go,  you  may 

go; 

Oh  yes,  you  may  go,  to  buy  a  bunch  of  roses! 

Pick  up  her  tail  and  away  she  goes,  away 

she  goes,  away  she  goes ; 
Pick  up  her  tail  and  away  she  goes,  to  buy 

a  bunch  of  roses. 

— The  children  of  Hexham  Workhouse 
(Miss  J.  Barker.) 

II.   Queen  Mary,  Queen  Mar>%  my  age  is  sixteen, 
My  father's  a  farmer  on  yonder  green ; 
He  has  plenty  of  money  to  keep  me  sae  braw, 
Yet  nae  bonnie  laddie  will  tak'  me  awa'. 

The  morning  so  early  I  looked  in  the  glass, 
And  I  said  to  myself  what  a  handsome  young 

lass ; 
My  hands  by  my  side,  and  I  gave  a  ha,  ha, 
Come  awa',  bonnie  laddie,  and  tak'  me  awa'. 
—Berwickshire,  A.  M.  Bell,  Antiquary^yiy^s..  17. 


142  Illustrations  of 

III,  My  name  is  Queen  Mary, 
My  age  is  sixteen, 

My  father's  a  farmer  in  Old  Aberdeen  ; 

He  has  plenty  of  money  to  dress  me  in  black  - 

There's  nae  [no]  bonnie  laddie  'ill  tack  me 

awa'. 
Next  mornin'  I  wakened  and  looked  in  the 

glass, 
I  said  to  myself,  what  a  handsome  young  lass ; 
Put  your  hands  to  your  haunches  and  give 

a  ha,  ha, 
For  there's  nae  bonnie  laddie  will  tack  ye  awa'. 
— N.  E.  Scotland  (Rev.  W.  Gregor). 

IV.  My  name  is  Queen  Mary, 
My  age  is  sixteen, 

My  father's  a  farmer  in  yonder  green ; 

He's  plenty  of  money  to  dress  me  in  silk  [fu' 

braw']. 
For  there's  nae  bonnie  laddie  can   tack  me 

awa'. 
One  morning  I  rose  and  I  looked  in  the  glass, 
Says  I  to  myself,  I'm  a  handsome  young  lass  ; 
My  hands  by  my  ^  edges,  and  I  give  a  ha,  ha. 
For  there's  nae  bonnie  laddie  t'  tack  me  awa'. 
— CuUen  (Rev.  W.  Gregor.) 

Mrs.  Gomme  says  '  The  Scottish  game  is  played 
by  girls.  The  players  join  hands,  form  a  circle 
with  one  in  the  centre,  and  dance  round  singing. 

^  I.e.  'anches  =  haunches  ! 


the  '  Queen  Mary  '  set  of  rimes    143 

At  the  words  "  'ill  tack  me  awa',"  the  centre  player 
chooses  another  one,  and  die  two  wheel  round. 
Then  the  singing-  proceeds.  At  the  exclamation 
"  ha !  ha  !  "  the  players  suit  the  action  to  the  words 
of  the  line.  In  the  Cullen  game  the  girls  stand  in 
a  row  with  one  in  front,  who  sings  the  verses  and 
chooses  another  player  from  the  hne.  The  two 
then  join  hands  and  go  round  and  round,  singing 
the  remaining  verses.' 

JMrs.  Gomme  gives  two  tunes.  Her  first  two 
versions  are  sung  with  hardly  a  note's  variation 
to  the  first  of  the  two  Golspie  tunes  which  I  print 
on  p.  199:  that  is  what  I  call  the  '  Green  gravel' 
tune.  Her  last  three  versions  are  sung  to  '  Sheriff- 
muir,'  which  I  print  on  p.  198. 

I  need  not  add  much  to  my  previous  notes. 
'  Sae  braw  '  for  '  in  silk  '  occurred  to  me  years  ago, 
and  I  suggested  it  on  p.  199.  But  we  find  '  in  silk  ' 
in  the  Green  gravel  rime,  and  '  sae  braw '  may  be 
an  alteration  to  get  a  rime  to  '  awa'.'  On  the 
other  hand  the  original  ought  to  have  rimed,  and 
'  in  silk  '  may  have  been  an  alteration  made  in 
some  place  where  '  sae  braw  '  was  not  understood. 
But  we  may  be  dealing  with  lines  borrowed  from 
different  games,  and  I  prefer  to  suspend  judgement. 

The  lines  beginning  '  Father  and  mother '  in 
version  I.  have  a  Golspie  parallel  which  will  be 
found  on  p.  129. 

Mrs.  Gomme 's  2nd  vol.  (article  '  Rosy  Apple, 
Lemon  and  Pear ')  gives  5  versions  of  '  Roses  in 
and  roses  out.'     Two  I  quote  in  full. 


144  Illustrations  of 

Maggie  Littlejohn,  fresh  and  fair, 

A  bunch  of  roses  in  her  hair ; 

Gold  and  silver  by  her  side 

I  know  who  is  her  bride. 

Take  her  by  the  lily-white  hand, 

Lead  her  over  the  water; 

Give  her  kisses, — one,  two,  three, — 

For  she's  a  lady's  daughter. 

Roses  up,  and  roses  down. 

And  roses  in  the  garden ; 

I  widna  give  a  bunch  of  roses 

For  twopence  ha'penny  farthing, 

— Rev.  W.  Gregor, 

Roses  up,  and  roses  down, 

And  roses  in  the  garden ; 

I  widna  gie  a  bunch  o'  roses 

For  tippence  ha'penny  farden. 

So  and  so,  fresh  and  fair, 

A  bunch  o'  roses  she  shall  wear ; 

Gold  and  silver  by  her  side. 

Crying  out,  "  ^  Cheese  and  bride," 

Take  her  by  the  lily-white  hand. 

Lead  her  on  the  water ; 

Give  her  kisses, — one,  two,  three, — 

For  she's  her  mother's  daughter. 

— Fraserburgh  (Rev.  W.  Gregor.) 
The  other  three  are  from  Berwickshire,  Cullen 
(Rev,  W,  Gregor),  and  Nairn  (Rev.  W.   Gregor), 
Only  Nairn  agrees  with  Golspie  in  having  '  in  '  and 
'  out,'  not  '  up  '  and  '  down,' 

1  I.  e.  "  She's  the  bride  "  ! !  ! 


the  '  Queen  Mary '  set  of  rimes    145 

Mrs.  Gomme  adds  '  In  the  Scotch  versions  the 
players  all  stand  in  a  line,  with  one  in  front,  and 
sing-.  At  the  end  of  the  fourth  line  the  one  in 
front  chooses  one  from  the  line,  and  all  again  sing, 
mentioning  the  name  of  the  one  chosen  (Fraser- 
burgh). At  CuUen,  one  child  stands  out  of  the 
line  and  goes  backwards  and  forwards  singing, 
then  chooses  her  partner,  and  the  two  go  round 
the  line  singinef.' 

The  game  is  obviously  a  marriage -game,  and 
*  Rosy  apple,  lemon,  and  pear  '  are  a  corruption 
of  something  like  '  Rosy,  ^  happy,  merry,  and  fair  ' 
{or  '  maiden  fair  ').  '  Give  her  kisses,  one,  two, 
three '  is  doubtless  an  allusion  to  the  custom  (in 
England  at  any  rate)  of  kissing  the  bride  in  the 
vestry  after  the  marriage.  In  '  Additional  notes  to 
the  contributions  '  (p.  343)  I  have  proposed  a  com- 
plete restoration  of  this  rime. 

So  far  as  our  game  is  concerned,  it  is  only  in 
the  5  Scottish  versions  of  it  that  I  find  the  stanza 
'Roses — farden.'  But  it  also  occurs  in  strange 
guise  in  2  of  the  48  versions  of  '  Sally  Water ' 
which  will  be  found  in  Mrs.  Gomme's  2nd  vol. 

A  bogie  in,  a  bogie  out, 
A  bogie  in  the  garden, 
I  wouldn't  part  with  my  young  man 
For  fourpence  halfpenny  farthing. 
—Long  Eaton,  Nottingham  (Miss  Youngman). 

1  A    child    might    confuse   "appy  =  happy   with    appy  =  child's 
language  for  app/e. 

L 


146  Illustrations  of 

A  beau  in  front  and  a  beau  behind, 
And  a  bogie  in  the  garden  oh ! 
I  wouldn't  part  with  my  sweetheart 
For  tuppence  (two)  ha'penn}'^  farthing. 

— London  (Mrs,  Merck.) 

The  stanzas  beginning  '  I  can  wash  a  sailor's 
shirt '  and  '  I  can  chew  tobacco  '  are  paralleled  in 
a  long  set  of  verses  from  Rosehearty,  on  the  other 
side  of  the  Moray  Firth,  communicated  by  the 
Rev.  W.  Gregor  to  Mrs.  Gomme's  2nd  vol.  (article 
'  Sailor  Lad  ').     They  run  thus : 

A  sailor  lad  and  a  tailor  lad, 

And  they  were  baith  for  me ; 
I  wid  raither  tack  the  sailor  lad, 

And  lat  the  tailor  be. 
What  can  a  tailor  laddie  dee 

Bit  sit  and  sew  a  cloot. 
When  the  bonnie  sailor  laddie 

Can  turn  the  ship  aboot. 

He  can  turn  her  east,  ^and  he  can  turn  her 
west. 

He  can  turn  her  far  awa' ; 
He  aye  tells  me  t'  keep  up  my  hairt 

For  the  time  that  he's  awa', 

I  saw  'im  lower  his  anchor, 

I  saw  'im  as  he  sailed ; 
I  saw  'im  cast  his  jacket 

To  try  and  catch  a  whale, 

*   'And' spoils  the  metre. 


the  '  Queen  Mary  ^  set  of  rimes     147 

He  skips  upon  the  planestanes, 

He  sails  upon  the  sea ; 
A  fancy  man  \vi'  a  curly  pow 

Is  aye  the  boy  for  me, 

Is  aye  the  boy  for  me ; 
A  fancy  man  wi'  a  curly  pow 

Is  aye  the  boy  for  me. 


He  daurna  brack  a  biscuit, 
He  daurna  smoke  a  pipe ; 

He  daurna  kiss  a  bonny  lass 
At  ten  o'clock  at  nig^ht. 


I  can  wash  a  sailor's  shirt, 

And  I  can  wash  it  clean  ; 
I  can  wash  a  sailor's  shirt. 
And  bleach  it  on  the  green. 

Come  a-rinkle-tinkle,  fal-a-la,  fal-a-la, 
Aboun  a  man  o'  war. 


It  is  clear  that  the  stanza  beginning  '  He  daurna ' 
is  ifieani  for  the  tailor,  and  Dr.  Joass  suggests  that 
'  He '  is  emphatic.  Otherwise  we  must  suppose 
that  lines  referring  to  the  tailor  have  been  lost,  or 
else  included  in  a  corrupt  form  in  the  previous 
stanza.  In  its  original  form  it  may  have  mentioned 
the  sailor  as  the  one  who  '  is  aye  the  boy  for  me ' 
and  the  tailor  as  the  one  who  '  is  no  the  boy 
for  me.' 

L  2 


148  Johnie  Johnson 

[Johnie  Johnson  took  a  notion] 

Johnie  Johnson  took  a  notion 

For  to  go  and  sail  on  sea  : 

There  he  left  his  ozvn  dear  ^  AI aggie 

Weeping  at  a  willoiv  tree. 

' Hold  yottr  peace,  my  ozvn  dear  Maggie; 
Hold  yonr  baby  on  yonr  knee  ; 
Drink  the  health  of  a  Jolly  '^ Jolly  sailor 
— I'll  come  back  and  mai^ry  '-^thee. 

'I  zuill  buy  yo7t  beads  and  ^  earings, 
I  zvill  buy  you  diamond  stoiies, 
I  zvill  buy  you  a  horse  to  ride  on 

Wheit  your  true  love's''  dead  and  gone.' 

'  What  care  I  for  beads  and  earings  ? 
What  care  I  for  diamond  stones  ? 
What  care  I  for  a  horse  to  ride  on 
When  my  true  love  's'^  dead  and  gone  ?  ' 

Take  some  one  out  at  '  Hold  yotir  peace,  my 
own  dear  Maggie.'  [A .   C.J 

Dr.  Joass  sug-gests  that  these  verses  have  been 
learnt  by  grown-up  fisher-girls  from  others  of  their 

^  B.  C.  has  '  Mary  '  here  and  below. 

^  B.  C.  omits  the  second  'jolly  '  (not  so  well). 

*  In  B.  C.'s  version  'you'  (wrong). 

*  So  A.  C.  and  B.  C,  here  and  below.      It  probably  represents 
actual  pronunciation.   And  how  many  South-British  say  ear-rings  ? 

^  B.  C.  has  '  is '  (not  so  well). 


>     Johnie  Johnson  149 

sex,  at  places  like  Fraserburgh  and  Peterhead 
(whither  Golspie  fishermen  take  their  families  for 
the  herring-fishery),  and  have  been  overheard  by 
their  younger  sisters. 

According  to  Scottish  law  children  are  legiti- 
mated by  the  subsequent  marriage  of  their  parents. 
'  Johnie  Johnson  '  contains  no  words  which  imply 
that  the  singer  is  a  woman,  but  the  Northumbrian 
song  '  Bonny  Bobby  Shaftoe '  does,  and  they  refer 
to  a  belated  marriage  as  if  it  had  been  considered 
no  discredit  at  the  time  and  place,  and  in  the  rank 
of  life,  to  which  the  singer  belonged.  The  tune  and 
the  words  to  it  will  be  found  in  Bruce  and  Stokoes 
Norihziinbria7i  Minstrelsy,  p.  115. 

The  last  two  verses  remind  one  of  the  last  two 
of  '  There  she  stands  a  lovely  creature '  (Newell, 
p.  55).  '  It  is  an  old  English  song,'  says  Mr. 
Newell,  '  which  has  been  fitted  for  a  ring-game  by 
the  composition  of  an  additional  verse,  to  allow  the 
selection  of  a  partner.' 

'  Madam,  I  have  gold  and  silver. 

Lady,  I  have  houses  and  lands, 
Lady,  I  have  ships  on  the  ocean. 

All  I  have  is  at  thy  command.' 

'  ^  What  care  I  for  your  gold  and  silver, 
What  care  I  for  your  houses  and  lands, 
What  care  I  for  your  ships  on  the  ocean — 
^  All  I  want  is  a  nice  young  man.' 

'  These  two  lines  appear  in  perverted  form  in  '  Lady  on  the 
mountain'  (Mrs.  Gomme,  i,  pp.  330-22). 


150       Here  comes  geiitle[s]  roving 

[Here  comes  gentle(s)  roving] 

Here  comes  ^  gentle  ^  Rover, 
^ Rover,  Rover; 
Here  comes  gentle  "^  Rover 
* — Sugar,  cake,  8f  wine. 

'Ladies  will y oil  taste  them, 
Taste  them,  taste  them, 
Ladies  will  you  taste  them. 
Before  you  go  away  ? 

We'll  first  go  round  the  kitchen, 
Kitchen,  kitchen  ; 
We'll  first  go  round  the  kitchen, 
And  then  go  round  the  hall. 

We'll  take  azvay  the  fairest. 
Fairest,  fairest ; 
We'll  take  away  the  fairest, 
The  fairest  of  them  all. 

Pretty  girls  yoti  must  come  in. 
Must  come  in,  must  come  in; 
Pretty  girls  you  must  come  in, 
And  help  us  with  our  dancing.' 

[B.  C.J 

B.  C.  tells  me  that  at  the  4th  stanza  the  speaker 
takes    a   girl   out   of   the  line,   and   that   the  two, 

1  This  should  certainly  be  'gentles,'  i.  e.  gentlemen. 

"■  M.  S.  'roving'  (rightly). 

^  M.  S.  '  ro-ro-roving  '  instead  of  this  line. 

*  M.S.  '  with  sugar-cake  and  wine  '  (much  better''. 


Here  comes  gentle'J\  roving        151 

joining  all  four  hands,  dance  round  before  the  rest, 
reciting  the  last  stanza.  They  then  begin  again 
together,  taking  a  3rd  girl  out  at  the  4th  stanza — 
and  so  on  till  every  girl  has  been  taken  out. 

There  are  certain  resemblances  between  this  and 
A  dis,  a  dis,  a  green  grass  (Chambers,  p.  139). 
The  latter  contains  the  following  lines : — 

Come  all  ye  pretty,  fair  maids, 
And  dance  along  with  us. 

For  we  are  going  a-roving, 

A-roving  in  this  land ; 
Well  take  this  pretty  fair  maid. 

We'll  take  her  by  the  hand. 

The  rime  goes  on 

Ye  shall  get  a  duke  my  dear. 
And  ye  shall  get  a  drake  ; 

— the  point  of  which  is  that  in  some  dialects  '  duke' 
idook)  is  very  like  either  dtike  or  duck.  And  there 
is  a  Shropshire  version  of  the  rime  in  which  'duck' 
is  given  (Jackson  and  Burne,  p.  511). 

There  is  a  children's  rime  '  common  through  the 
Middle  States '  (Newell,  p.  49)  which  begins 

We  are  three  dticks  a-roving  (thrice). 

Of  this  there  is  a  New  York  variant  {ib^  which 

begins 

Forty  ducks  are  riding  (!  !  !) 


152        Here  comes  gentl^s\  roving 

— while  from  Concord,  Massachusetts,  we  get  the 
rime  [id.  p.  48) 

'  Here  comes  a  duke  a- roving-, 

Roving,  roving, 
Here  comes  a  duke  a-roving, 

With  the  ransy,  tansy,  tea ! 
With  the  ransy,  tansy,  tario  ! 

With  the  ransy,  tansy,  tea ! 
^  Pretty  fair  maid,  will  you  come  out. 
Will  you  come  out,  will  you  come  out, 

To  join  us  in  our  dancing  ? ' 

Another  variant  is  known  in  Dorset  (Udal,  p.  222) 
— the  following  are  extracts  from  it : 

'  Here  comes  the  Duke  of  Rideo — 
Of  Rideo— of  Rideo— 
Here  comes  the  Duke  of  Rideo, 
Of  a  cold  and  frosty  morning.' 

•5f  -^^  * 

'  I'll  walk  the  kitchen  and  the  hall. 
And  take  the  fairest  of  them  all ; 
The  fairest  one  that  I  can  see 

Is  Miss  [naming  her) 

So  Miss  ■ ■  come  to  me.' 

■J?-  -^  ->5- 

*  Now  we've  got  this  pretty  girl — 
This  pretty  girl — this  pretty  girl — 
Now  we've  got  this  pretty  girl, 
Of  a  cold  and  frosty  morning.' 
*  *  -x- 

(Symondsbury.) 

'   =  Prithee? 


Here  comes  gentle\s\  roving        153 

Apparently  this  is  the  same  as  a  rime  which,  as 
given  at  Chirbury  in  Shropshire  (Northall,  p.  384), 
began 

'  Here  comes  three  Dukes  a-riding-.' 

The  gentle  .       V  clearly  rep  resents  a  variation 

which  began  '  Here  comes  [three]  gentles  roving. ' 

In  a  Lancashire  version  of  1820-30  the  first  line 
seems  to  have  been  followed  by  a  burden  which 
'  evidently  represented  a  flourish  of  trumpets  ' 
(Northall,  p.  3 84) 

With  a  rancy  tancy,  terr}'  boy's  horn, 
With  a  rancy  tancy  tee 

— which  we  find  in  an  American  version,  quoted 
above,  as 

With  the  ransy,  tansy,  tario  ! 
With  the  ransy,  tansy,  tea! 

As  'tansy  tea'  was  a  favourite  drink  of  our 
ancestors,  these  last  words  seem  to  have  been  taken 
to  represent  it,  and  when  '  tansy  tea '  went  out  of 
use  (or  from  a  desire  to  substitute  something  more 
luscious)  '  sugar-cake  and  wine  '  took  its  place ! 

If  this  conjecture  is  correct,  the  second  stanza  i  n 
the  Golspie  version  would  be  of  a  later  origin.  It 
may  have  originally  had  taste  it  for  taste  them. 
The  last  line,  '  Before  you  go  away,'  would  then 
have  rimed  with  the  last  line  of  the  previous  stanza 
'  With  the  ransy,  tansy  tea  ' — for  '  tea,'  as  we  know, 
was  formerly  pronounced  nearly  as  '  tay.' 


154        Here  comes  gentle^s^  roving 

There  is  also  in  Mrs.  Gomme's  book  (i,  p.  293) 
a  Derbyshire  game-rime,  reported  by  Mrs,  Harley, 
beginning 

Here  comes  one  jolly  rover,  jolly  rover,  jolly 
rover, 

and  containing  the  lines  ^ 

So  through  the  kitchen  and  through  the  hall, 
I  choose  the  fairest  of  them  all. 

As  regards  the  last  stanza  in  the  Golspie  rime, 
three  of  the  versions  of  A  dis,  a  di's,  a  green  grass 
given  by  Mrs,  Gomme'^  contain  something  corre- 
sponding to  it,  for  instance  the  following  heard  by 
her  in  London  (i,  p,  160) : 

Will  you  come  ? 
No!  ^ 

Naughty  miss,  she  won't  come  out, 
Won't  come  out,  won't  come  out, 

Naughty  miss,  she  won't  come  out, 
To  help  us  with  our  dancing. 

Will  you  come  ? 
Yes!  ^ 

Now  we've  got  our  bonny  lass, 

Bonny  lass,  bonny  lass, 
Now  we've  got  our  bonny  lass, 

To  help  us  with  our  dancing. 

Here  '  bonny  lass '  suggests  a  North -country 
descent  for  the  lines.     The  two  similar  versions  are 

'   See  also  (at  end    '  Pretty  little  girl  of  mine '  in  her  2nd  vol. 
*  See  also  '  Pray,  Pretty  Miss  '  in  her  and  vol. 


Mother,  the  nine  o'clock  bells      155 

from  Middlesex  and  from  Liphook  in  Hants,  but 
each  gives  the  same  suggestion  of  origin,  the 
former  in  '  bonny  lad,'  the  latter  in  '  bonny  lass.' 

[Mother,  the  nine  o'clock  bells  are 
ringing] 

'Mother,  the  nine  o'clock  bells  are  ringing ; 
Mother,  let  me  otit ; 
For  my  sweetheart  is  waiting; 
He  's  going  to  take  me  out. 

He  's  going  to  give  me  apples. 
He  's  going  to  give  me  pears, 
He  's  going  to  give  me  a  sixpence 
To  kiss  him  on  the  stairs.' 

I  wonld  not  have  his  apples: 
I  woztld  not  have  his  pears  : 
I  wojild  not  have  his  sixpence 
To  kiss  him  on  the  stairs. 

And  then  I  took  his  apples, 

And  then  I  took  his  pears, 

And  then  I  took  his  sixpence. 

And  kissed  him  on  the  stairs.      [B.   C] 

At  once  mercenary  and  hypocritical ! 

On  '  going  to  take  me  out '  Dr.  Joass  remarks 
'  Not  local,'  and  there  is  no  peal  of  bells  in  Golspie. 
'  On  the  stairs '  suggests  some  place  up  on  a  cliff, 
with  steps  down  to  the  sea. 

For  a  very  funny  Cheshire  variant  (or  parody  ?) 
see  'Additional  notes  to  the  contributions,'  p.  344. 


156    Green  grass.     E.  I.  O.     Hop,  Hop 

[Green  grass  set  a  pass] 

Green  grass  set  a  pass, 

A  bunch  of  '^ yeliozv  roses, 
A  red  rose  oiU  upon  my  breast. 

And  a  gold  ring  on  my  Jinger. 

[E.  I.  0.1 

E.  I.  O.  ^  ^ 

My  very  bonnie  Bella,  oh  / 

I  kissed  her  once,  I  kissed  her  twice, 

I  kissed  her  three  times  over. 

[Hop,  Hop,  the  butcher's  shop] 

Hop,  Hop, 
The  butcher's  shop 
— /  cannot  stay  no  longer ; 
For,  if  I  stay. 
Mamma  will  say 

I  zvas  playing  with  the  boys  dozvn  yonder. 

[f  S.J 

J.  S.  tells  me  that  the  speaker  takes  another  girl 
out  of  the  line  when  delivering  the  2nd  stanza,  and 
hops  at  the  beginning  of  the  3rd. 

With  '  I  kissed  her  once,'  &c.,  compare  the  fol- 

'  M.  S.,  who  gives  this  ist  stanza  only,  has  '  loving  silver,'  which 
is  much  more  likely,  first  as  giving  a  partial  rime  to  '  finger,'  and 
secondly  as  presenting  a  difficulty  to  the  understanding — which 
difficulty  was  got  over  by  substituting  'yellow  roses.'  LovtMg- 
5«7w/' doubtless  =  the  plant  st'lver-Hiantage,  otherwise  penny-brtdal 
or  penny-wedding.  The  English  '  penny  '  was  always  a  silver  coin 
before  the  reign  of  George  III. 


Green  peas.     I  love  Bella  157 

lowing  from  a  boys'  game  called  'Johnny  Rover' 
(Mrs.  Gomme,  i,  p.  286) : — 

A  [I]  warn  ye  ance,  A  warn  you  twice  ; 
A  warn  ye  three  times  over. 
This  also  is  North- Scottish,  being  reported  from 
Keith  by  the  Rev.  \\.  Gregor. 

Compare,  too,  the  following  (in  Mrs.  Gomme's 
2nd  vol.)  from  a  variety  of  the  game  of  '  Queen 
Anne,'  as  played  at  Bocking  in  Essex : — 

I  grant  you  once,  I  grant  you  twice, 
I  grant  you  three  times  over. 
There  is  likewise  a  Dorset  children's  rime  (Udal, 

P-  ^52\ 

'  I  owed  your  mother 

A  pound  of  butter  ; 

I  paid  her  once — - 

I  paid  her  twice — 

I  paid  her  three  times  over.' 

'  Hop  '  perhaps  originally  meant  Hob,  the  name 
of  the  butcher  (diminutive  '  Hopkin '). 

[Green  peas,  mutton  pies] 

Green  peas,  tmiiton  pies, 
Tell  me  zv/iere  my  Bella  lies. 

[I  love  Bella,  she  loves  me] 

/  love  Bella,  she  loves  me, 

And  that's  the  lass  that  I'll  go  ivee"^. 

[J.  S.J 


158  Here 's  a  poor  widow 

These  are  written,  and  doubtless  played,  as  a 
single  set.  But  the  first  couplet  reads  as  if  Bella 
were  supposed  to  be  dead,  and  I  suspect  that 
Green  peas^  umlton  pies  is  a  mere  variation  on 
Green  grass  set  [or  pni  ?)  a  pass  (see  above,  p.  1 56 1, 
which  \ra^\.possibly  — '  Green  grass,  set  (put)  apart," 
i.  e.  '  Green  grass,  which  I  part  with  my  hands.' 

[Here's  a  poor  widow  from  Babylon] 

Here  's  a  poor  zvi'dozu  from  Babylon 
— Six  poor  children  all  alone  : 
One  can  bake,  and  one  can  brew, 
And  one  can  do  the  lily  gollo. 

^  Please  take  one  out. 

This  poor  Bella,  she  is  gone, 
Without  a  father — ^  on  her  hand 
Nothing  bnt  a  g?iinea  gold  ring : 
Good  bye,  Bella,  good  bye.  [f.  S.J 

J.  S.  tells  me  that  this  is  played  as  follows.  A 
girl  acts  the  widow,  and  behind  her  are  other  girls 
(number  immaterial)  acting  the  children.  She 
advances,  repeating  the  rime  up  to  '  Please  take 
one  out.'  After  these  last  words  have  been  spoken, 
one  of  the  line  of  girls  in  front  takes  one  of  the 
widow's  children  and  says  '  This  poor  Bella  fi-^c.,' 

'  These  words  are  sung  twice. 

^  J.  S.  has  no  stop.  One  version  from  Belfast  and  another  from 
the  Isle  of  Man  (see  pp.  163-4)  have  'Without  a  farthing  in  her 
hand,'  which  may  be  right. 


from  Babylon  159 

after  which  the  widow's  child  goes  into  the  line, 
and  the  grirl  who  took  her  out  becomes  one  of  the 
widow's  children — the  orame  besfinnino-  arain. 

Halliwell  (p.  72)  gives  the  following  as  part 
of  '  a  game  called  "  The  Lady  of  the  Land,"  a 
complete  version  of  which  has  not  fallen  in  my 
way : ' — 

Here  comes  a  poor  woman  from  baby-land, 
With  three  small  children  in  her  hand: 
One  can  brew,  the  other  can  bake, 
The  other  can  make  a  pretty  round  cake. 
One  can  sit  in  the  garden  and  spin, 
Another  can  make  a  fine  bed  for  the  king ; 
Pray,  ma'am,  will  you  take  one  in  ? 

Elsewhere  (p.  229)  he  tells  us  that  '  One  child 
stands  in  the  middle  of  a  ring  formed  by  the  other 
children  joining  hands  round  her.     They  sing — 

Here  comes  a  poor  woman  from  Babylon, 
With  three  small  children  all  alone : 
One  can  brew,  and  one  can  bake. 
The  other  can  make  a  pretty  round  cake. 

One  can  sit  in  the  arbour  and  spin. 
Another  can  make  a  fine  bed  for  the  king. 
Choose  the  one  and  leave  the  rest, 
And  take  the  one  you  love  the  best. 

The  child  in  the  middle  having  chosen  one  in  the 
ring  of  the  opposite  sex,  the  rest  say, — 


i6o  Here  's  a  poor  widow 

Now  you're  married  we  wish  you  joy; 
Father  and  modier  you  must  obey: 
Love  one  another  Hke  sister  and  brother, 
And  now,  good  people,  kiss  each  other !  ' 

Halliwell  gives  another  version  of  this  marriage- 
game  into  the  variations  of  which  I  need  not  enter. 

Chambers  (p.  136)  says  'The  girls  in  the  ring 
sing  as  follows : 

Here  's  a  poor  widow  from  Babylon, 

With  six  poor  children  all  alone  ; 

One  can  bake,  and  one  can  brew, 

One  can  shape,  and  one  can  sew, 

One  can  sit  at  the  fire  and  spin. 

One  can  bake  a  cake  for  the  king ; 

Come  choose  you  east,  come  choose  you  west, 

Come  choose  the  one  that  you  love  best. 

The  girl  in  the  middle  chooses  a  girl  from  the 
ring,  naming  her,  and  singing  : 

I  choose  the  fairest  that  I  do  see, 
[Jeanie  Hamilton],  ye '11  come  to  me. 

The  girl  chosen  enters  the  ring,  and  imparts  her 
sweetheart's  name,  when  those  in  the  ring  sing  : 

Now  they're  married,  I  wish  them  joy. 
Every  year  a  girl  or  boy  ; 
Loving  each  other  like  sister  and  brother  ; 
I  pray  this  couple  may  kiss  together. 

Here  the  two  girls  within  the  ring  kiss  each 
other.     The  girl  who  first  occupied  the  circle  then 


from  Babylon  i6i 

joins  the  ring-,  while  the  girl  who  came  in  last 
enacts  the  part  of  mistress  ;  and  so  on,  till  all  ha\e 
had  their  turn.' 

A  version  known  in  Philadelphia  is  given  by 
Newell  (p.  56),  of  which  the  first  line  is 

'  There  comes  a  poor  widow  from  Barbary-land  ' 

with  variations  '  from  Sunderland,'  '  from  Cumber- 
land.' 

There  are  two  very  amusing-  Dorset  versions 
given  by  Mr.  Udal  (pp.  227-8),  in  which  the  game 
becomes  one  of  ser^'-ant- hiring.  The  first  of  these 
begins 

'  Here  comes  the  lady  of  the  land. 
With  sons  and  daughters  in  her  hand  ; 
Pray,  do  you  want  a  servant  to-day  ? ' 

while  the  second  begins 

'  There  earned  a  lady  from  other  land. 
With  all  her  children  in  her  hand — 
Please,  do  you  want  a  sarvant,  marm  ? ' 

The  variations  in  the  ending  of  the  first  line  are 
perplexing,  and  versions  given  by  Mrs.  Gomme 
(i,  pp.  315-6)  also  supply  Sandy  Row  (Belfast), 
Sandalam  (Forest  of  Dean),  and  Sandy  land  or 
Sandiland  (Ballynascaw  School,  co.  Down).  I  be- 
lieve '  Barbary-land'  to  be  the  originaP.     In  such 

'  There  is  also  a  New  England  cliildrcn's  dialogue  beginning 
'  How  many  miles  to  Barbary-cross  ? '  (Newell,  p.  154),  but  there 
Barbary-cross  must  surely  be  a  corruption  of  Bcmbuyy-(:roh%.     And 

M 


i62  Babylon  =  Barhary-land  ? 

words  as  barb  the  a  was  often  pronounced  as  in 
hat  or  carry.  From  '  Barbary-land  '  would  come 
'  babby-land  '  (Halliwell, '  baby-land  ')  and  Babylon. 
A  nurse  might  explain  Barbary-land  as  '  Sandy- 
land,'  and  from  the  latter  might  arise  '  Sandalam,' 
'  Sandy  Row,'  '  Sunderland,'  '  Cumberland,'  '  other 
land; 

There  is  one  striking  peculiarity  in  the  Golspie 
version.  What  is  '  the  lily  gollo  '  ?  I  propose  this 
solution.  The  French  galop  is  under  all  circum- 
stances pronounced  as  if  it  had  no^,  and  the  accent 
is  on  the  last— ^^/(9.  Now  '  le  grand  galop  ' 
(  =  gallop)  and  '  le  petit  galop  '  (  =  canter)  are  com- 
mon terms  in  French,  indeed  '  les  granz  galoz '  is 
found  as  early  as  the  12th  cent.  (Littre).  And  I 
suggest  that  petit  galop  was  introduced  as  a  riding- 
term  in  the  i6th  century  and  became  (first  perhaps 
'  petty  galo'p),'  and  then)  in  child's  language  '  lilly 
galo  '  ('  lilly  '  = '  little  '}.  So  that '  do  the  lily  gollo  ' 
would  mean  '  do  the  canter.' 

Of  the  versions  given  by  Mrs.  Gomme  three 
show  traces  of '  lilly  galo.'     ^  They  are 

One  can  make  the  winder  go — Belfast  (W.  H. 
Patterson) 

the  game  of  '  Barley  break  '  (  —  Barley  brig  ?)  sometimes  begins 
'How  many  miles  to  Barley-bridge?'  (Halliwell,  p.  217%  while 
sometimes  Banbury  or  Babylon  is  the  place  named  (Newell, 
pp.  396-7). 

'  The  first  two,  like  '  lily  gollo,'  point  to  the  pronunciation  of 
'  brew '  at  the  end  of  the  previous  line  as  '  brow  '  (an  ancient  form 
of  it)  ;  the  third  is  a  variety  which  arose  in  some  place  where 
'  brew  '  was  pronounced  broo- 


The  lily  gollo  163 

One  can  make  a  lily-white  bow — Ballynascaw 
School,  CO.  Down  (Miss  C.  N,  Patterson) 

The  other  can  make  a  lily-white  shoe — Forest 
of  Dean,  Gloucester  (Miss  Matthews) 

In  those  versions  in  which  the  previous  line  ends 
with  dake  instead  of  brew,  '  bow^ '  and  '  shoe  '  ha\  e 
been  changed  to  '  cake,'  and  so  we  get 

And  one  can  make  a  lily-white  cake — Isle  of 
Man  (A.  W.  Moore) 

And  one  can  bake  a  lily-white   cake — Tong, 
Shropshire  (Miss  R.  Harley) 

from  which  such  further  variations  as  '  The  other 
can  make  a  ^  pretty  round  cake  '  naturally  arise. 

As  regards  the  last  stanza  in  the  Golspie  version, 
we  have  -  the  following  parallels  in  Mrs.  Gomme's 
book  (i,  p.  315) 

Now  poor  Nellie  she  is  gone 
Without  a  farthing  in  her  hand, 
Nothing  but  a  guinea  gold  ring. 
Good-bye,  Nellie,  good-bye! 

—Belfast  (W.  H.  Patterson). 

'  'Pretty'  (and  in  another  version  'wedding')  suggests  an 
original  'petty  galo.' 

^  There  is  also  a  similar  stanza  in  a  Sheffield  version  of  '  Green 
gravel'  (i,  p.  175)  :  it  is  obviously  borrowed  from  the  '  Poor  widow  ' 
game,  for  the  next  stanza  begins  '  Now  this  poor  widow  is  left 
alone.' 

M  2 


164  When  I  zvas  a  lady 

^  Now  poor  she  is  gone 

Without  a  farthing  in  her  hand, 
Nothing  but  a  gay  gold  ring. 
Good-bye!  Good-bye! 
Good-bye,  mother,  good-bye ! 

—Isle  of  Man  (A.  W.  Moore). 

[When  I  was  a  lady] 

When  I  was  a  lady, 

A  lady,  a  lady — 

When  I  zvas  a  lady. 

Oh  /  then,  oh  f  then,  oh  /  then, 

It  was  hey  oh  /  this  way. 

This  way,  this  way ; 

It  was  hey  oh  /  this  way, 

Oh  /  then,  oh  /  then,  oh  /  then. 

When  I  got  married, 

Got  married,  got  married — 

When  I  got  married. 

Oh  /  then,  oh  /  then,  oh  /  then, 

It  was  hey  &^c. 

When  I  got  a  baby, 

A  baby,  a  baby — 

When  I  got  a  baby. 

Oh  /  then,  oh  /  then,  oh  /  then. 

It  zvas  hey  &^. 

'  Apparently  the  first  4  lines  are  spoken  by  the  mother,  the  last 
by  the  daughter. 


When  I  was  a  lady  165 

When  my  baby  cried. 

Cried,  cried — 

When  my  baby  cried, 

Oh  I  then,  oh  /  iheti,  oh  /  then. 

It  was  hey  &^. 

When  my  baby  died, 

Died,  died — 

When  my  baby  died. 

Oh  /  then,  oh  /  then,  oh  /  then, 

It  was  hey  &2f' 

When  I  had  a  bustle, 

A  bustle,  a  bustle — 

When  I  had  a  bustle. 

Oh  /  then,  oh  I  then,  oh  /  theit. 

It  was  hey  &y. 

When  my  bustle  /ell, 

Fell,  fell — 

When  my  btistle  fell. 

Oh  /  then,  oh  I  then,  oh  /  then. 

It  was  hey  £s~c.  [f.  SJ 

J.  S.'s  transcript  of  this  was  not  sufficiently  full : 
the  above  is  given  partly  from  that  and  partly  from 
her  recitation.  She  tells  me  that  at  '  hey  oh  !  this 
way  '  the  girls  introduce  some  action  (e.  g.  rocking 
a  baby)  suggested  by  the  earlier  part  of  the  stanza. 

In  Jackson  and   Burne's  '  Shropshire  folk-lore  ' 


i66  When  I  ivas  a  lady 

are  the  following  parallels  (p.  514)  together  with 
another  less  interesting  : — 

'  Girls  stand  in  a  circle,  not  taking  hands,  but 
acting  and  singing  as  they  move  round. 

''  When  I  was   a   naughty  girl,   a   naughty  girl, 
a  naughty  girl, 
When    I    was    a    naughty   girl,    a-this    a-way 
went  I ! 
And  a-this  a-way,  and  a-that  a-way, 
And  a-this  a-way,  and  a-that  a-way, 
And  a-this  a-way,  and  a-that  a-way, 
And  a-this  a-way  went  I !  " 

The  series  differs  in  different  places. 

''  When    I    was    a   good   girl,   etc.    a-this   a-way 
went  I  (walks  demurely). 
When  I  was  a  naughty  girl  fputs  finger  on  lip). 
When  I  went  courting  (walk  two  and  two,  arm 
in  arm). 

When  I  got  married  (holds  out  her  dress). 

When  I  had  a  baby  (pretends  to  hush  it). 

When  the  baby  cried  (whips  it\ 

When  the  baby  died  (cries)."         Berrington. 

"  When  I  was  a  naughty  girl  (pretends  to  tear 

her  clothes). 
When   I   went  to  school   (pretends  to  carry  a 

book-bag). 
When  I  went  a  courting  (walks  in  pairs,  side 

by  side). 


When  I  zvas  a  lady  167 

When  I  got  married  (the  same,  arm  in  arm). 
When  I  had  a  baby  (hushes  it^. 
When  the  baby  fell  sick  ^pats  it  on  the  back). 
When  my  baby  did  die  (covers  her  face  with 

a  handkerchief,  see  p.  301). 
When  my  husband  fell  sick  (pats  her  chest}. 
When  my  husband  did  die  (cries  and  '  makes 

dreadful  work '). 
When  I  was  a  widow  (puts  on  a  handkerchief 

for  a  widow's  veil). 
Then  I  took  in  washing  (imitates  a  laundress\ 
Then    my  age   was    a  hundred  and    four,  and 

a-this   a-way  went    I,  etc.    (hobbles   along 

and  finall}^  falls  down)." 

Market  Draytox.' 

In  Miss  M.  H.  Mason  s  '  Nursery  Rhymes  and 
Country  Songs  '  is  the  following  version  (p.  42), 
It  may  be  the  original  of  all,  or  it  may  have  been 
altered  from  one  of  the  others.  But  in  any  case  it 
suggests  that  '  lady '  in  the  Golspie  version  is 
a  corruption  of  '  maiden  \' 

I.  When  I  was  a  maiden,  O,  then,  and  O,  then, 
When  I  was  a  maiden,  O,  then ! 
Lovers  many  had  I  as  the  stars  in  the  sky; 
And  the  world,  it  went  very  well  then,  and 
O,  then! 
The  world,  it  went  very  well  then. 

'  For  a  much  more  comical  '^SIiropshire_  corruption  of  maidens  • 
see  p.  175. 


1 68  When  I  zvas  a  lady 

2.  I  got  me  a  husband,  O,  then,  and  O,  then  ! 

I  got  me  a  husband,  O,  then  ! 
He  was  peevish  and  cross,  as  I  found  to  my 
loss, 
And  the  world  it  went  very  ill  then. 

3.  My  husband  fell  sick,  O,  then,  and  O,  then  ! 

My  husband  fell  sick,  O,  then  ! 
My    husband    fell    sick,    and    would    take    no 
physic, 
And  the  world  it  went  very  ill  then, 

4.  My  husband  did  die,  O,  then,  and  O,  then  ! 

My  husband  did  die,  O,  then  ! 
My  husband  did  die,  and  rejoiced  was  I ! 
And  the  world  it  went  very  well  then. 

5.  I  got  me  another,  O,  then,  and  O,  then ! 

I  got  me  another,  O,  then  ! 
I  got  me  another,  but  worse  than  the  other. 
And  the  world  it  went  very  ill  then. 

6.  He  too  did  die,  O,  then,  and  O,  then  ! 

He  too  did  die,  O,  then  ! 
He  too  did  die,  and  the  mischief  take  I, 
If  ever  I  marry  again  ! 

In  '  The  Thistle '  (p.  xxix)  Mr.  Colin  Brown 
says  '  Who  has  not  admired  the  graceful  move- 
ments of  rows  of  little  girls  marching  and  counter- 
marching to  the  sweet  melody  .  .  .  When  I  am 
a  lady,  a  lady,  a  lady,  When  I  am  a  lady,  a  lady 


Here 's  three  sweeps  169 

am  I.'  Mr.  Brown  being-  a  lecturer  in  Anderson's 
College,  Glasgow,  I  presume  these  words  to  have 
been  the  beginning  of  another  Scottish  version  of 
the  Golspie  rime. 

[Here's  three  sweeps,  three  by  three] 

Here's  three  sweeps  three  by  three.  First  of 
all  there  is  a  number  of  girls  that  stands  in  a 
row.  There  ai'e  other  three  girls  in  front  of 
them.  There  is  another  girl  at  the  back  of  the 
row  of  girls.     The  three  girls  sings  ^  .  .  . 

[f  S.J 

Here  's  three  sweeps,  three  by  three, 
And  '^ on  by  the  door  they  bend  their  knee : 
'  Oh  /  shall  we  ^  have  lodgings  here  O  /  here  oh  / 
Shall  we  ^  have  lodgings  here  ?'     ^  '  No. ' 

*  Here  's  three  bakers,  three  by  three,  etc.  '  No. ' 
"*  Here  's  three  Kings,  three  by  three,  etc.  '  No. ' 
Here  's  three  Queens,  three  by  three,  etc.  ^ '  Yes. ' 

'  This  is  good  old  English  grammar,  although  not  grammar 
which  is  now  in  fashion.  In  South  England  the  plural  of  verbs 
was  made  in  -eth  [we  singeth),  in  Middle  England  in  -en  {westngen), 
in  North  England  and  Scotland  in  -cs,  -is,  and  later  in  -s  {we  si'figes, 
singis.  or  sings).  Thus  '  the  kye  comes  hame  '  should  never  be 
altered  to  'the  kye  come  hame.'  Even  Shakspere  says  'those 
springs  on  chaliced  flowers  that  lies  '  !^ where  '  lies  '  is  proved  by 
the  rimej.      See  also  p   97,  note  i. 

'■'  Corrupted  from  '  And  down  '  ? 

-  J.  S.  '  get.'  *  J.  S.  omits. 


170     Take  your  daughter  safe  and  sound 

^[Take  your  daughter  safe  and  sound] 

Take  your  datighier  safe  and  sound, 
And  in  her  pocket  no  thousand  pound, 
A7td  on  her  finger  no  '^ gnmea-gotd  ring, 
And  she  's  not  fit  to  zvalk  zuith  a  Queen. 

^  Here  's  your  datighter  safe  and  soimd, 
A  nd  in  her  pocket  a  thousand  poicnd. 
And  on  her  finger  a  guinea-gold  ring, 
^  A  nd  she  is  fit  to  walk  zuith  a  Queen. 

[M.  S.J 

J.  S.  tells  me  that  the  answers  '  No  '  and  '  Yes  ' 
are  given  by  the  girl  standing  behind  the  three 
speakers.  At  the  last  stanza  but  one  they  take 
a  girl  out  of  the  line  and,  when  the  rime  is  finished, 
this  girl  becomes  one  of  the  three  speakers,  the 
Queen  who  took  her  out  fdling  her  vacant  place 
in  the  general  line.  The  rime  is  then  recom- 
menced. 

The  only  parallel  which  I  have  seen  to  this  rime 
in  its  entirety  comes  from  Charlestown  in  West 
\''irginia,  and  is  printed  by  Newell  (p.  46) : 

'  On  one  side  of  the  room  a  mother  with  her 
daughters.  On  the  other  three  wooers,  who  ad- 
vance. 

'  These  lines  are  part  of  the  same  game. 

2  Here  and  in  the  next  stanza  tlie  hyphens  are  M.  S."s.     J.  S. 
does  not  give  this  stanza,  but  writes  '  guinea  gold '  in  the  next. 
2   J.  S.  '  Take.'  *  J.  S.  '  She  is  fit  to  be  a  Queen.' 


Parallel  to  '  Here  's  three  szveeps  '    171 

"  Here  come  three  soldiers  three  by  three, 
To  court  your  daughter  merrily ; 
Can  we  have  a  lodging-,  can  we  have  a  lodging, 
Can  we  have  a  lodging  here  to-night  ?  " 

Sleep,  my  daughter,  do  not  wake — 

Here    come    three    soldiers,    and    they    sha'n't 

take; 
They  sha'n't  have  a  lodging,  they  sha'n't  have 

a  lodging. 
They  sha'nt  have  a  lodging  here  to-night," 

Three  sailors  and  three  tinkers  follow,  with  like 
result.  Then  come  three  kings,  and  the  case  is 
altered : 

"  Wake,  my  daughter,  do  not  sleep — 
Here  come  three  kings,  and  they  shall  take  ; 
They  shall  have  a   lodging,  they  shall  have  a 

lodging, 
They  shall  have  a  lodging  here  to-night." 

'  (To  the  kings) — 

"  Here  is  my  daughter  safe  and  sound, 
And  in  her  pocket  five  hundred  pound. 
And  on  her  finger  a  plain  gold  ring. 
And  she  is  fit  to  walk  with  the  king." 

(The  daughter  goes  with  the  kings  ;  but  they 
are  villains  in  disguise :  they  rob  her,  push  her 
back  to  her  mother,  and  sing) — 


172  Parallels  to 

"  Here  is  your  daughter  noi  safe  and  sound, 
And  in  her  pocket  not  five  hundred  pound, 
And  on  her  finger  no  plain  gold  ring, 
And  she's  not  fit  to  walk  with  the  king." 

(The  mother  pursues  the  kings,  and  tries  to  catch 
and  beat  them).' 

Mr.  Newell  (p.  233}  refers  to  a  Faroese  game 
'  in  which  the  suitors,  after  rejection  as  thralls, 
smiths,  etc.,  are  finally  accepted  as  princes,  with 
the  expression  "  take  vid  "  (literally,  "  take  with  "), 
be  welcome,  which  may  explain  the  peculiar  use 
of  the  word  "  take  "  in  our  rhyme.' 

But  the  two  final  stanzas  may  be  borrowed  from 
some  other  game.  The  last  of  them  is  found  in 
the  English  hiring- game  referred  to  on  p.  161. 
In  one  Dorset  version  (Udal,  p.  22'j)  the  mother, 
after  letting  her  child  as  a  servant,  says 

I  leave  my  daughter  safe  and  sound, 
And  in  her  pocket  a  thousand  pound, 
And  on  her  finger  a  gay  ring. 
And  I  hope  to  find  her  so  again. 

In  another  (p.  228)  she  says 

I  leaves  my  daughter  zafe  and  zound. 
And  in  her  pocket  a  thousan  pound. 
And  on  her  finger  a  goulden  ring, 
And  in  her  busum  a  silver  pin. 

As  the  mistress  in  the  hiring-game  ill-treated 
her  servant,  very  possibly  the  last  stanza  in  the 


'Take your  daughter  safe  and  sound'  173 

American  rime  (the  last  but  one  in  the  Golspie 
one)  was  borrowed  from  a  version  in  which  the 
mistress  made  this  reply  to  the  mother  when  the 
latter  returned  to  see  her  daughter.  But  young 
women  with  a  thousand  pound  in  their  pocket 
do  not  often  go  out  to  service,  and  the  stanzas 
were  probably  borrowed  into  the  hiring-game. 
I  also  find  in  '  We  are  three  brethren  come  from 
Spain  '  as  given  by  Chambers  (p.  143'!  the  lines 

Are  all  your  daughters  safe  and  sound  ? 

*  *  * 

In  every  pocket  a  thousand  pounds 

*  *  * 
On  every  finger  a  gay  gold  ring 

while  in  the  same  rime  as  given  in  Gammer  Gur- 
ton's  Garlaiid  {\']'^'T^),  quoted  by  Northall  (p.  383), 
we  have 

Here  comes  your  daughter  safe  and  sound, 
Every  pocket  with  a  thousand  pound, 
Every  finger  with  a  gay  gold  ring, 
Please  to  take  your  daughter  in. 

As  regards  the  descriptions  of  the  ring,  it  seems 
to  me  that  'guinea-gold  ring'  is  probably  right. 
I  take  this  to  mean  not  a  gold  ring  costing  a 
guinea,  but  either  a  ring  of  gold  of  the  quality  of 
a  guinea,  or  (still  better)  a  ring  made  of  Guinea 
gold.  The  guinea  itself,  when  first  coined  in  1664, 
was  so  called  from  being  made  of  gold  brought 
from  Guinea. 


174  Water,  zvater,  zvallflowers 

2.   Games  in  a  ring. 

/;/  the  folloruing  games  yoti  skip  round  hand 
in  hand  to  air  of  rhyme.  [A.   CJ 

[Water,  water,  wallflowers] 

Water,  zoater,  wallfloivers, 
Growing  2ip  so  high  : 
We  are  all  young  maidens. 
And  we  shall  all  die 

— Excepting  Maggie  Stuart. 

She  's  the  yozingest  of  us  all : 

She  can  dance,  and  she  can  sing, 

And  she  can  ^  knock  tis  all/ 

Fie  /  fie  /  for  shame  agai^i  / 

She'll  turn  her  back  to  the  wall  again. 

When  they  mention  the  na7ne  of  the  girl,  it  is 
supposed  that  she  is  the  youngest,  and  she  has  to 
turn  her  back  to  the  wall.  [A .   C] 

This  is  a  very  widely-known  game,  and  the 
variations  of  the  first  line  are  very  many.  It  has 
been  confused  with  a  rime  addressed  to  '  Sally, 
Sally  Water(s) '  {or  '  Walker ') — for  which  see 
Northall  (pp.  375-8)  and  Mrs.  Gomme's  2nd  vol. 
Mr.  Newell  (pp.  67-8)  says  that  in  New  York  it  is 
'  Water,  water,  wild-flowers,'  in  Philadelphia  '  Lily, 

'  I.  e.  thrash. 


Water,  ivater,  wallfloivers         175 

lily,  white -flower.'  Either  'Wall-flowers,  wall- 
flowers '  (Shropshire)  ^  or  '\\^ally,  wally  wallflower  ' 
(Dorset-  and  Surrey ")  may  be  the  original. 

In  Berrington,  Shropshire,  the  3rd  and  4th  lines 
run  '  ^\'^e  aU  shall  have  the  measles,  and  never, 
never  die !  '  This  is  partly  due  to  maidens  having 
been  mistaken  for  maz[e)lz  (the  old  pronunciation 
of  measles). 

The  following  is  a  Shropshire  form  of  the  game 
(Jackson  and  Burne,  p.  513): — 

'  The  players  form  a  ring  and  move  round. 

Chorus.    '  Wall-flow^ers,  wall-flowers,  growing  up 

so  high! 
We  shall  all  be  "^maidens,  [and  so]  we  shall  all 

die! 
Excepting  Alice  Gitiins.,  she   is   the   youngest 

flower, 
She  can  hop,  and   she   can   skip,  and  she   can 

play  the  hour ! 
Three  and  four,  and  four  and  five, 
Turn  your  back  to  the  waU-side!' 

Or— 

'  She  can  dance  and  she  can  sing, 
She  can  play  on  the  tambourine  ! 
Fie,  fie !  fie,  for  shame ! 
Turn  your  back  upon  the  game  ! ' 

Alice  Gittins  turns  her  back  to  the  inside  of  the 

'  Jackson  and  Burne,  p.  512.  ''■  Udal,  p.  215. 

^  Allen,  p.  84.  *  Miss  Burne  explains  this  as  'old  maids.* 


176  Hilli  ballu 

ring  and  continues  the  game  facing  outwards,  and 
they  repeat  the  dance  and  song,  naming  the  next 
youngest  girl,  and  so  on  till  all  the  party  have  their 
backs  to  the  middle,  when  they  go  through  them 
all  again,  till  every  girl  faces  inwards  again.' 

I  believe  that  this  really  is  a  game  of '  old  maid,' 
and  that  '  Alice  Gittins '  is  condemned  to  turn  her 
back  to  the  wall-side  as  an  indication  that  she  will 
be  a  'wallflower,'  i.e.  unable  to  find  a  partner. 
At  Symondsbury  in  Dorset  they  say  instead  '  Turn 
your  back  to  overshed ' — whatever  that  may  mean 
(Udal,  p.  222), 

[Hilli  ballu] 

^  Hilli -balhi  ballaif 
Hilli  '-'ballu  ballight f 
Hilli  ^  ballu  ballai  / 
Upon  a  Saturday  night. 


Pnt  all  your  right  feet  out, 
Put  all  your  left  feet  in, 
^  Turn  them  a  little,  a  little. 
And  ^  turn  yourselves  about. 

'^  Chu  /  Hilli  balhi  etc. 


'  J.  S.  always  writes  '  Hilly,'  not  '  Hilli.' 
»  B.  C.  'ballu  balla.'   J.  S.  'bill  lo  bill  la.' 
'  So  B.  C,  but  J.  S.  'bill  lo  bill  light.' 
«  B.  C.  '  ballu  balla.'     J.  S.  'bill  lo  bill  la.' 
*  B.  C,  J.  S.,  and  M.  S.  have  'shake.' 
«  So  J.  S.  and  M.  S.,  but  B.  C.  always  '  twirl.' 
^  After  '  Upon  a  Saturday  night '  M.  S.  says  '  You  cry  Chu  and 
turn  the  other  way  saying  the  same  verse.     ^2)  Hillibilubila,  etc. 


Hilli  ballii  177 

Put  all  your  right  hands  in, 
Put  all  your  left  feet  out, 
Shake  them  a  little,  a  little. 
And  tjirn  yourselves  about. 

Chu  /  Hilli  ballu  etc. 


^Put  all  your  noses  in. 
Put  all  your  noses  out. 
Shake  them  a  little,  a  little, 
Ai2d  turn  yottr selves  about. 

Chit  /  Hilli  ballti  etc. 


Put  all  yotir  right  ears  i7i. 
Put  all  your  left  ears  out, 
Shake  them  a  little,   a  little. 
And  turn  yourselves  abottt. 


Chu  /  Hilli  ballu  etc. 


^Put  all  yottr  neighbours  in. 
Put  all  yottr  neighbottrs  out. 
Shake  them  a  little,  a  little, 
And  tttrn  yourselves  about. 

Chtt  /    Hilli  ballu  etc. 


At  'Put  all  your  etc'  you  do  it.,  and  swing 
round  at  '  Turn  etc'    The  first  verse  is  repeated 

put  all  your  left  feet  in,  put  all  your  right  feet  out,  shake  them 
a  httle  a  little,  and  turn  yourselves  about.' 

'  Chu  '  is  pronounced  ishoo. 

'  J.  S.  omits  these  stanzas. 

N 


178  HUH  ballu 

after  every  other  verse.      At  '  Chu,'  instead  of 
skipping  round  to  the  right,  skip  to  left. 

[A.  C] 

The  directions  given  in  the  game  seem  to  vary 
at  the  pleasure  of  the  speaker.     For  B.  C.  gives  : — 

in  stanza  i    Put  all  your  right  hands  in, 
Put  all  your  left  hands  out, 

and  in  stanza  2    Put  all  your  right  feet  in, 
Put  all  your  left  feet  out, 

M.  S,  describes  the  above  game  thus  : — 

'  There  are  two  forms  of  the  following  game 

(i)  Hillibilubila ! 
Hillibilubilite ! 
Hillibilubila ! 
Upon  a  Saturday  night. 

You  cry  Chu  and  tjirn  the  other  way.,  saying 
the  same  verse. 

(2)  Hillibilubila!  etc. 

Put  all  your  left  feet  in, 
Put  all  your  right  feet  out, 
Shake  them  a  little,  a  little, 
And  turn  yourselves  about.' 

This  rime  Is   not  in  Chambers,  who,  however, 
gives   one   called  Hinkumbooby,  containing  very 


and  its  connexions  179 

similar  drill-orders,  and  played  in  much  the  same 
way. 

Halliwell  (p.  226)  calls  the  game  '  Dancing  looby  ' 
and  writes  the  first  stanza  as  follows : — 

Now  we  dance  looby,  loobj-,  looby. 
Now  w^e  dance  looby,  looby,  light, 
Shake  your  right  hand  a  little 
And  turn  you  round  about. 

'  Children,'  he  says,  '  dance  round  first,  then  stop 
and  shake  the  hand,  &c,,  then  turn  slowly  round, 
and  then  dance  in  a  ring  again,' 

In  '  The  Baby's  Bouquet '  Walter  Crane  gives 
music  (p.  54)  to  the  following  words  : — 

Now  we  dance  looby,  looby,  looby 
Now  we  dance  looby,  looby  light 
Now  we  dance  looby,  looby,  looby 
Now  w^e  dance  looby  as  yesternight 
Shake  3'our  right  hand  a  little 
Shake  your  left  hand  a  little 
Shake  your  head  a  little 
And  turn  you  round  about. 

Mrs,  Gomme  (i,  p.  353)  gives  a  number  of  ver- 
sions, but  none  except  Chambers's  '  Hinkumbooby ' 
from  Scotland,  The  following  are  quotations  from 
some  of  them. 

N  2 


i8o  Hilli  ballu 

I,        Here  we  dance  lubin,  lubin,  lubin. 
Here  we  dance  ^  lubin  light, 
Here  we  dance  lubin,  lubin,  lubin. 
On  a  Saturday  night, 

*  *  * 

— Oxford  and  Wakefield  (Miss  Fowler) 

IV,  5^  *  * 

Here  we  come  dancing  looby, 
Lewby,  lewby,  li. 

*  *  ^ 

— Eckington,  Derbyshire  (S.  O.  Addy) 


V,  How  do  you  luby  lue, 
How  do  you  luby  lue, 
How  do  you  luby  lue, 
O'er  the  Saturday  night  ? 

*  -H-  * 

— Lady  C,  Gurdon's  Suffolk  County  Folk-lore^ 
p.  64. 

VI.  Can  you  dance  looby,  looby. 
Can  you  dance  looby,  looby ,^ 
Can  you  dance  looby,  looby, 
All  on  a  Friday  night  ? 

*  *  * 

— Addy's  Sheffield  Glossary. 

^  A  version   containing   '  loobin    light '   was   once    current   ia 
Golspie,  but  seems  to  have  died  out :  see  p.  184. 


and  its  connexions  i8i 

VII.  Here  we  dance  luby,  luby, 
Here  we  dance  luby  light, 
Here  Ave  dance  luby,  luby, 
All  on  a  Wednesday  night. 

— Ordsall,  Nottinghamshire  (Miss  Matthews) 

VIII.  Here  we  go  lubin  loo, 
Here  we  go  lubin  li, 
Here  we  go  lubin  loo. 
Upon  a  Christmas  night. 

— Epworth,  Doncaster  (C.  C,  Bell) 

IX.  Here  we  go  looby  loo, 
Here  we  go  looby  li. 
Here  we  go  looby  loo, 
All  on  a  New-Year's  night. 

— Nottingham  (Miss  Winfield) 

X.  Here  we  come  looby,  looby, 
Here  we  come  looby  light. 
Here  we  come  looby,  looby, 
All  on  a  Saturday  night. 

—Belfast  (W.  H.  Patterson) 

XI.       Here  we   come  looping,   looping   [loup- 
ing  ?] 
Looping  all  the  night ; 
*  ^  * 

— Hexham  (Miss  J.  Barker) 

I  suspect  that  the  Golspie  version  reveals  the 
origin  of  all  these  variations. 

From  Chambers  (p.  13)  we  find  that  there  was 


t82  The  derivation  of 

a  cradle -song  known  in  Scotland  in  162 1  as  Baw 
lula  low  or  Bahdalow,  and  that  at  a  later  time  Ba- 
loo-loo  or  Bal-hi-loo  was  sung  to  crying  children  ^ 
Among  particular  words  sung  to  babies  we  also 
find  Hiishie-ba,  Bye,  Hush  and  baloo,  Hiish-a-ba^ 
And  hee  and  ba  [id.  pp.  14,  15).  Chambers  like- 
wise gives  He-ba-laliloo /  as  the  title  of  'the  simplest 
of  the  lullaby  ditties  of  the  north  '  (p.  12). 

In  reference  to  this  last  name  Chambers  says  '  It 
has  been  conjectured  by  the  Rev.  Mr.  Lamb,  in 
his  notes  to  the  old  poem  of  Floddeu  Field,  that 
this  is  from  the  French,  as  He  bas  I  la  le  loup  f 
(Hush  !  there's  the  wolf) ;  but  the  bugbear  character 
of  this  French  sentence  makes  the  conjecture,  in  my 
opinion,  extremely  improbable.'  Nevertheless  I  am 
convinced  that  the  Rev.  Robert  Lambe  was  so  far 
right  that  the  name  represents  a  French  phrase 
he,  bas  la  /  le  loup  /  or  something  very  near  to  it. 

For  some  time  before  the  Reformation  French 
influence  is  well  known  to  have  been  very  great  in 
Scotland.  It  is  also  well  known  that  wolf-hunting, 
which  flourishes  to  this  day  in  France,  survived  in 
Scotland  to  the  beginning  of  the  iSth  century. 
Now  "-  Littre  gives  '  ha,  la  bas  '  as  a  cry  used  at 

*  In  '  Bishop  Percy's  Folio  Manuscript,'  iii,  p.  516  a  song  is 
quoted  from  a  MS.  copy  of  1658  beginning  '  Baloo  my  boy  lye  still 
and  sleepe,'  and  with  this  refrain  to  the  ist  verse : — 

La  loo,  Ba  loo,  la  loo,  la  loo,  la  loo,  la  loo,  la  loo, 
Baloo,  baloo,  Baloo,  baloo  ;  Baloo  Baloo. 
A  tune  '  Baloo '  was  known  in  London  in  161  r  (Beaumont  and 
Fletcher,  Knight  of  the  Burning  Pestle,  Act  ii,  Sc.  viii). 

''  Under  La  he  writes  '  Terme  de  chasse.  La  haut,  la  bas  ! 
lorsqu'on  est  dans  un  fond,  et  que  les  chiens  montent  une  cote  on 


Hullabaloo  183 

certain  times  in  the  chase.  And  I  suggest  that 
hullabaloo  ^-  ha,  la  das  /  lojip  I  (which  was,  of 
course,  pronounced  halabalob  ^),  that  Batu  lula  low 
(or  Balulalow)  =  Bas  I  lonp,  la  f  loup  /  (pro- 
nounced baloolaloo),  and  that  He-ba-laliloo  —  ^He, 
bas  la  /  le  loiip  /  (pronounced  hcbalaliiloo).  I  sug- 
gest that  these  hunting- cries,  possibly  introduced 
into  songs,  and  at  any  rate  uttered  by  the  huntsmen 
to  definite  musical  notes,  were  adapted  as  lullabies 
because  of  their  resemblance  to  the  ^  luUing-cries  ba 
( =  bye)  and  hdli. 

And  I  would  point  out  how  much  this  theory 
accounts  for.  It  explains  i)  tlie  resemblances  and 
divergencies  of  the  forms  referred  to,  (2)  the  reason 
why  we  do  not  get  Bahilalow  and  He-ba-laliloo  in 
the  lullabies  of  South  Britain  (because  we  had  no 
wolf-hunting),  (3)  the  reason  why  a  children's  game 
should  begin  with  Hillibalu  (because  it  was  a  jovial 
cry),  and  (4)  the  reason  why  the  noun  hullabaloo 
comes  to  have  its  meaning. 

Jamieson's  Dictionary  gives  Hilliebaloio  as  the 
Roxburghshire  and  Hullie-btillow  as  the  Fife  form 

un  rocher,  on  dit,  en  leur  parlant  :  il  va  la  haut,  ha,  la  haut  !  et 
quand  on  est  sur  une  montagne  et  que  les  chiens  descendent,  on 
dit  :  il  va  la  bas,  ha,  la  bas  ! ' 

'  The/)  in  loup  is  silent  even  before  a  vowel,  and  had  become 
so  before  the  i6th  cent. 

''  '  He  .  .  .  sert  principalemcnt  aappeler.  He  !  venez  ici'  (Littre). 
^  Cf. '  lullaby,'  '  bye  I  baby/  '  go  to  bye-bye,'  and  the  following 
(quoted  in  '  The  Century  Dictionary  '): — 

Lully  lulla  thow  litell  tine  child  ; 

By,  by,   lully,  lullay,   thow  littcll  tyne  child. 

Coventry  Mysteries  (ed.  Halliwcll,  p.  4i4)- 


184  Hullabaloo 

of  this  last  word,  together  with  an  English  form 
Hillie-biilloo.  The  English  use  of  the  word  would 
of  course  have  been  derived  from  Scotland  if  my 
theory  is  correct,  and  the  first  three  letters  in  it 
would  have  been  originally  hal,  then  hul,  and  last 
hil:  I  point  out  elsewhere  (p.  123)  that  the  ti  of 
but  and  the  i  of  bit  are  interchangeable  in  Scots 
English. 

Hilliebaloo  and  Hullabaloo  have  perhaps  left 
traces  of  their  initial  syllables  in  the  '  Here  we ' 
and  '  How  '  of  the  English  versions  quoted. 

The  '  light '  at  the  end  of  the  2nd  line  seemingly 
arose  thus.  The  ist  line  once  ended  in  '  low ' 
(cf.  Baw  lula  low).  But  '  low  '  is  a  North-English 
word  meaning  ^  '  flame  ' :  so  that  it  suggested  the 
use  of  the  synonym  '  light '  when  the  cry  was 
repeated. 

The  above  version  seems  to  have  been  learnt  by 
the  Golspie  children  about  the  middle  of  189 1,  from 
young  folk  named  Munro  who  lived  in  Edinburgh 
but  sometimes  spent  their  holidays  in  Golspie. 

It  is  curious  that  the  four  writers  should  write  the 
last  syllable  of  the  first  line  as  la  (3)  or  lai  (i),  and 
that  six  months  later  they  should  all  pronounce  it 
to  me  as  lee.    Did  la  become  la-i.,  la-'ee.,  and  so  lee  ? 

*  And  liUylowe  ( =  lilly  or  little  lowe)  is  '  the  child's  expression 
for  fire  or  light'  (F.  K.  Robinson,  Whitby  glossary). 


Hull  many  an  aiild  man  185 

[Hull  many  an  auld  man] 

Hull  uiariy  an  aitld  utan. 
An  auld  man,  an  auld  man, 
Hull  many  an  auld  'ma7t, 
A  dip,  a  dip  a  day. 
The  auld  man  is  jumping  in  the  sky 
With   his   bonnie   ^  ci-ucie   zvife,    a   dip   a  dip 
a  day. 

This  is  the  one  I  choose,   Oh  / 

/  choose.   Oh  /  /  choose,   Oh  / 

This  is  the  one  I  choose, 

A  dip,  a  dip  a  day.  [J.  S.] 

This  singular  rime  must  anciently  have  run  thus: 

Holl  monie  an'  auld  mone, 
An'  auld  mone,  an'  auld  mone, 
Holl  monie  an'  auld  mone, 
At  dip,  at  dip,  o'  day. 
The  auld  mone  is  jumping  in  the  sky 
With  his  bonnie  crusie  wife 
At  dip,  at  dip,  o'  day. 
&c. 

Holl— ' hollow,' '  concave '  (Jamieson's  Dictionary). 
J/(9//(?=:'moon,'  which  was  so  spelt  at  least  as  late 
as  the  end  of  the  14th  cent,  and  rimed  with  words 
in  -one.     Mojiie—'-  vaoan-'i^^  its  diminutive. 

The  old  moon  and  his  wife  (the  little  concave 
moon)  are  '  the  new  moone  wi'  the  auld  moone  in 

J.  S.  thought  tliis  meant  'dear,'  and  said  it  was  not  a  Golspie 
word.     It  =  crusie,  i.  e.  '  lively.' 


1 86  A  song  about  the  moon 

hir  arme  '  (Ballad  of  Sir  Patrick  Spens,  F.  J,  Child's 
English  and  Scottish  Popular  Ballads^  iii,  p.  20). 
They  can  often  be  seen  clearly  a  little  after  sunset, 
i.e.  '  at  dip  o'  da}".' 

When  I  asked  J.  S.  what  the  rime  meant,  she 
said  '  The  moon.'  But  when  I  asked  her  how  she 
explained  the  man  and  his  tui/e,  she  was  only 
able  to  suggest  the  moon  and  the  stars,  which  was 
not  satisfactory. 

It  is  possible  that  the  lines  also  refer  to  a  curious 
optical  phenomenon,  of  which  a  recent  instance 
occurred  at  about  7.50  p.m.  on  Sept.  i,  1895,  and  is 
the  subject  of  descriptions  in  letters  to  The  Times 
of  Sept.  6  and  following  days.  The  moon  then 
appeared  to  various  persons  in  various  places  as 
'all  wobbly'  (Southampton),  'jumping  up  and 
down  '  (Mortlake),  '  skipping  about  in  the  sky  ' 
(Guernsey).  Dr.  Buchan  tells  me  that  this  would 
be  caused  by  wind  interposing  between  us  and  the 
moon  strata  of  air  differing  sharply  in  humidity  or 
temperature,  so  that  the  '  index  of  refraction  '  would 
be  changed,  and  the  image  of  the  moon,  or  parts 
of  it,  raised  or  depressed.  The  same  kind  of  effect 
can  be  produced  by  looking  at  objects  through  hot 
air  rising  from  a  stove  (letters  in  The  Times  of 
vSept.  10),  One  of  the  correspondents  {id.)  noticed 
the  same  thing  at  Croydon  on  the  evening  of  Sept.  6. 

J.  S,  tells  me  that  the  game  is  played  as  follows. 
Two  girls  go  out  of  the  ring  and  then  return  to 
the  middle  of  it,  and  dance,  while  the  others  walk 


Four  in  the  middle.    Mrs.  Brown    187 

round.  They  end  by  each  taking-  another  g-irl  out, 
and  the  girls  so  taken  out  repeat  the  performance  -- 
the  first  two  joining-  the  ring  in  their  stead. 

[Four  in  the  middle] 

Four  in  the  middle  of  the  soldicj''s^  Joy,  etc. 

[M.  SJ 

AI.  S.  tells  me  that  they  dance  in  a  ring-,  repeating 
these  words,  '  Four — joy,'  until  they  are  tired  of 
them,  when  the}-  change  to  another  rime,  Mr. 
A.  M.  Dixon,  the  postmaster  of  Golspie,  tells  me 
tiiat  '  the  soldiers  joy  '  is  the  name  of  a  country 
dance  in  which  there  are  four  in  the  middle,  who 
cross  hands  and  swing  round.  Sir  John  Stainer 
adds  that  this  is  the  Chain  in  the  old  '  Lancers.' 

3.   'Mrs.  Brown.' 

This  was  not  among  the  game-rimes  sent  in  to 
me,  but,  having  seen  the  game  played  in  Golspie, 
I  have  asked  A.  C.  to  write  the  lines  down  for  me, 
and  have  expanded  the  three  words  Mrs.,  pony, 
and  Meroonie  to  suit  the  way  in  which  they  are 
sung. 

The  game  is  played  in  this  way.  Two  girls 
stand  facing  each  other,  each  with  her  hands  raised 
and  linked  in  the  hands  of  the  girl  opposite,  in  this 
position  A .  They  then  begin  to  sing  the  verses, 
to  the  tune  of  the  last  two  lines  of  '  Not  for  Joe-'.' 

'  Or  soldiers  .    M.  S.  does  not  write  any  apostrophe. 
-  A  song  of  about  1867. 


1 88  Mrs.  Brown 

At  the  s^dlable  Mts-  the  players  bring-  their  hands 
smartly  on  to  the  leg  above  the  knee.  At  the  syllable 
-sis  they  clap  them  in  front  of  their  chests.  At 
Brown  they  link  them  as  at  first.  At  we7it  they 
bring  them  down  again  on  to  the  leg,  at  io  they 
clap  them  again,  and  so  on,  but  the  positions  are 
(or  should  be)  regulated  so  that  the  first  and  third 
always  coincide  with  accented  syllables. 

Any  number  of  couples  will  play  this  game  at  the 
same  time,  and  the  effect  is  exceedingly  amusing. 

I  have  indicated  by  the  three  signs  A  V  II  the 
positions  which,  I  think,  should  be  used  through- 
out, A  being  the  linking  of  the  hands,  v  the 
bringing  them  down,  |l  the  clapping.  When  a 
syllable  is  not  marked  it  is  included  in  the  previous 
sign. 

[Mrs.  Brown] 

Mis-si's  Brown 
A      V      II         A 
Went  to  town 

V  II      A 
Riding  oji  a  po-o-ny. 

V   II      A    II   A   II    A 
IVketi  she  came  back 

V  II        A 

With  a  '^  Dolly  Varden  hat, 

V  II  A 

They  called  her  Miss  "^  Meroo-oo-nie. 
V        II        A         II     A    II     A 

'  The  '  Dolly  Varden '  style  of  dress  came  in  about  1872. 
^  I  have  heard  this  sung  as  if  written  Malo-o-ney,  or  Molo-o-ny, 
which  seems  much  more  likely. 


JVhere haveyou  been?  Oh!  zvhat a  cold  189 


[Where  have  you  been?] 

'  Where  have  you 
V  II        A 

Been  all  the  iiuie  ?  ' 

V     II      A 
*■  ^  Down  in  the  valley 
V        II  A     II 

Cottrting  Sally.' 
A      II        A 


[Oh !  what  a  cold  you  have  got !] 

Oh  f  what  a  cold 

V  II  A 
You  have  got  : 

V  II       A 
Come  with  me 

V  II       A 

To  the  doctor's  shop"^. 
II  A      II         A 

■  Also  sung  '  Down  in  the  valley  a- 

V     II  All 

Courting  Sally. 

A   II     All 

— Down  in  the  valley  a- 

A    II         A  II 

Courting  me.' 

All      A 

But  '  me  '  should  probably  be '  she,'  which  I  believe  I  have  either 
heard  sung  or  seen  in  print. 

As  Dr.  J.  G.  Soutar  observes,  '  valley '  (not '  glen  '  or  '  dale  ') 
indicates  an  English  origin. 

*  A  term  obviously  referring  to  a  dispensary  in  a  big  town. 
There  is  no  '  doctor's  shop '  in  Golspie. 


igo   Oh  !  dear,  doctor.    There  zvas  a  man 

[Oh!  dear,  doctor,  shall  I  die?] 

'  OA  /  dear,  doctor,  shall  I  die  ?  ' 

V  II  A  V       II     A 
'Yes,   my  lady,  and  so  m^ust  I.' 

V  II        A        II      A       II      A 

[There  w^as  a  man] 

There  zvas  a  i7ian,  a  man  indeed ; 

V  II      A  V      II    A 
He  sowed  his  garden  full  of  seed. 

V         II      A    II       A     II      A 
When  the  seed  began  to  grow, 

V  II       A         V       II       A 

'  Twas  like  a  garden  fill  of  snow. 

V  II     A     II       A     II       A 
Whe7t  the  snow  began  to  vtelt, 

V  II        A  V        II      A 
'Twas  like  a  ship  withoitt  a  ^  belt. 

V  II      A         II     A     II       A 
When  the  ship  began  to  sail, 

V  II       A         V       II      A 
'Tzvas  like  a  bird  withont  a  tail. 

V  II     A         II     A     II     A 
When  the  bird  began  to  fly, 

V  II       A         V        II    A 
'Twas  like  an  eagle  in  the  sky. 

V  II     A   II    A     II       A 
When  the  sky  began  to  roar, 

V  II      A        V        II      A 
'Twas  like  a  lion  at  my  door. 

V  li  A  II     A     II        A 

'  ?  Central  ribs.  Prof.  Joseph  Wright  in  the  English  Dialect 
Dictionary  gives  it  as  Cheshire,  but  says  it  is  only  found  in  this 
verse,  and  queries  the  meaning  as  'rudder'  or  'rudder-lines.' 


Illustrations  191 

When  my  door  began  to  crack, 

V  II        A         V       II        A 
'Twas  like  a  stick  tipon  my  back. 

V     II      A      II  A      II        A 
When  my  back  began  to  bleed, 

V  II       A        V       II      A 
//  's  tijue  far  me  to  die  indeed. 

V       II      A     II     A     II    A 

WithO///  ivhat  a  cold yoit  have  got  /  compare 
the  following  from  the  Eng-lish  Midlands,  '  Said 
when  a  child  coughs  in  a  lackadaisical  manner ' 
(Northall,  p.  311): — 

"  O,  my  dear,  what  a  cold  you've  got, 
Come  with  me  to  the  brandy-shop  ; 
There  you  shall  have  something  hot 
To  cure  that  very  bad  cold  you've  got," 

With  Oh  f  dear,  doctor  compare  the  following 
'  Repeated  when  a  child  says  "Oh,  dear  "  as  a  sigh- 
ing phrase  '  (Northall,  ib.) : — 

"  '  O,  dear,  Doctor,  I  shall  die.' 
'  Yes,  pretty  maid,  and  so  shall  I.' " 
There  was  a  man  begins  with  an  old  saying 
given  In  another  form  by  W.  W.  M.  on  p.  239. 
Halliwell  (p.  141)  says  'The  earliest  copy  of  the 
saying,  "  A  man  of  words  and  not  of  deeds,"  I  have 
hitherto  met  with,  occurs  in  MS.  Harl.  1927,  of  the 
time  of  James  I.'  He  also  refers  to  James  Howell's 
Proverbs.,  1659,  where  we  have  (p.  20) 

A  man  in  words  and  not  in  deeds, 
Is  like  a  Garden  full  of  weeds. 


192  Illustrations 

Of  the  entire  set  of  lines  Halliwell  has  found 
a  version  'written  towards  the  close  of  the  seven- 
teenth century,  but  unfitted  for  publication, ...  on 
the  last  leaf  of  MS.  Harl.  6580.'  He  says  they 
were  '  converted  into  a  burlesque  song-  on  the 
battle  of  Culloden,'  which  he  quotes  thus : — 

Double  Dee  Double  Day, 
Set  a  garden  full  of  seeds  ; 
When  the  seeds  began  to  grow, 
It's  like  a  garden  full  of  snow. 
When  the  snow  began  to  melt, 
Like  a  ship  w^ithout  a  belt. 
When  the  ship  began  to  sail, 
Like  a  bird  without  a  tail. 
When  the  bird  began  to  fly, 
Like  an  eagle  in  the  sky. 
When  the  sky  began  to  roar, 
Like  a  lion  at  the  door. 
When  the  door  began   to  crack, 
Like  a  stick  laid  o'er  my  back. 
When  my  back  began  to  smart, 
Like  a  penknife  in  my  heart. 
When  my  heart  began  to  bleed, 
Like  a  needleful  of  thread. 
When  the  thread  began  to  rot. 
Like  a  turnip  in  the  pot. 
When  the  pot  began  to  boil. 
Like  a  bottle  full  of  oil. 
When  the  oil  began  to  settle, 
Like  our  Geordies  bloody  battle. 

On  p.  28  he  gives  an  ordinary  version  of  the 
lines,  beginning 

A  MAN  of  words  and  not  of  deeds 

Is  like  a  garden  full  of  weeds  ; 
and  ending- 

And  when  your  heart  begins  to  bleed, 

You're  dead,  and  dead,  and  dead  indeed. 


TUNES  OF  THE  GAME-RIMES 


o 


Hoiv  the  tunes  zvere  taken        195 
TUNES   OF  THE   GAME-RIMES 


No  tunes  were  sent  in ;  but  Mr.  A.  M.  Dixon, 
the  accomplished  postmaster  of  Golspie,  has  been 
so  extremely  kind  as  to  take  them  down  for  me. 
First  of  all  M.  S.  sang  them  to  him,  and  he  wrote 
down  the  notes.  These  I  copied  over  the  rimes 
themselves,  played  them,  and  jotted  down  certain 
queries.  Then  A.  C,  B.  C,  J.  S.,  and  M.  S.,  sang 
in  Mr.  Dixon's  presence  and  mine,  and  he  made 
any  necessary  alterations  or  additions  in  his  manu- 
script. Lastly,  Sir  John  Stainer  has  very  kindly 
read  them.  So  that  they  ought  to  be  pretty 
accurate.  But  of  course  slight  variations  are  to 
be  heard  from  different  singers.  Some  of  them  are 
due  to  the  fact  that  one  girl's  version  contains 
a  word  less  (in  which  case  a  repeated  note  is 
dropped)  or  one  word  more  (in  which  case  a  re- 
peated note  is  inserted). 

'  Scottish  '  tunes  may  be  broadly  divided  into 
^  four    classes:  —  (i)    those    of   the    native    Gaels 

(2)  those  seemingly  borrowed  from  the  Irish  Gaels 

(3)  those  of  the   Lowlanders   (4)  those  borrowed 
from  England  or  the  continent.     Of  the  first  class 

'  In  each  of  these  classes  there  may  be  a  combination  of  various 
ancient  strains.  For  instance,  the  native  Gaelic  might  include 
tunes  of  which  the  ultimate  origin  was  Pictish,  Dahiad  Scottish  (of 
Irish  settlers  in  the  West),  or  Norse  (in  Caithness,  Sutherland,  and 
the  Western  Isles).  And  the  Lowland  might  include  tunes  origi- 
nally derived  from  the  Galloway  Picts  or  the  Strathclyde  Welsh. 
O  2 


196  Four  families  of  '  Scottish  '  tunes 

I  may  perhaps  take  as  a  specimen  the  tune  '  ^  Bodhan 
aridh  m'  braigh  Rannoch,'  '  The  Shealing  in  the 
Braes  of  Rannoch '  (No,  54  in  Capt.  Simon  Eraser's 
collection) ;  of  the  second  '  Robin  Adair  '  (an 
inferior  variety  of  '  Eileen  Aroon '),  or  '  John 
Anderson,  my  jo '  (a  variety  of  the  '  Cruiskeen 
Lawn  '  theme  ^ ) ;  of  the  third  '  At  setting  day ' ; 
of  the  fourth  '  Jenny's  bawbee '  (altered  from 
'  Polly,  put  the  kettle  on  ').  If  I  may  judge  of  the 
native  Gaelic  tunes  from  some  played  to  me  by 
Dr.  Joass,  as  old  ones,  from  the  1 8 1 6  edition  of 
Capt.  Eraser's  collection  and  those  known  to  me 
in  the  later  edition'^  of  it,  they  have  a  distinct  (and 
attractive)  national  character,  though  Irish  tonality 
or  Lowland  rhythm  is  occasionally  met  with  in 
them.  The  Lowland  tunes  I  suspect  to  be,  in 
the  main,  of  one  family  wnth  the  old  tunes  of  the 

'  2nd  ed.,  '  Bothan  airidh  'm  braighe  Raineach.' 

^  As  is  the  Welsh  '  Yn  nyffryn  Clwyd,'  perhaps  older  than  either. 

■*  This  contains  232  airs,  many  of  which  are  very  late,  while  most 
are  so  florid  as  not  only  to  hinder  me  from  trying  to  play  them 
but  also  to  convince  me  that  (in  their  present  form  at  least)  they 
have  no  claim  to  antiquity.  And  when  I  took  the  simplest  and 
slowest  airs — and  charming  some  of  them  are — I  found  so  much 
resemblance  to  some  English  and  Welsh  tunes,  and  so  much  else 
in  rhythm  and  style  that  is  open  to  suspicion,  that  I  hardly  knew 
what  to  give  as  a  specimen  Gaelic  tune.  The  one  I  have  chosen 
above  was  played  to  me  by  Dr.  Joass.  The  extent  to  which 
Fraser  has  altered  some  of  his  airs  in  his  2nd  edition — and,  as  far 
as  I  have  seen,  always  simplified  them — suggests  to  me  that 
between  the  two  editions  he  had  received  older  and  simpler  copies 
or  had  struck  out  embellishments  of  his  own. 

The  articles — at  which  I  have  barely  glanced — on  '  Scotish 
music  '  in  Grove's  Dictionary  of  Music  should  be  read  by  any  one 
beginning  a  study  of  the  subject. 


Father  and  mother,  may  I  go?    197 

English  counties  nearest  the  Border :  but  Eraser 
enumerates  as  Hig-hland  25  airs  to  which  Burns 
and  others  have  set  Enghsh  words,  e.  g.  '  Coming 
through  the  Rye.' 

Among  the  tunes  to  which  these  game -rimes 
are  sung,  many  are  famihar  as  those  of  Lowland 
or  English  songs ;  but  there  are  others  to  which 
the  knowledge  of  a  good  many  hundred  old  airs 
supplies  me  with  no  parallel.  In  none  of  these  do 
I  find  anything  '  Scottish,'  except  perhaps  a  note 
here  or  there  which  may  be  a  modern  alteration, 
and  I  suspect  that,  like  so  many  of  the  rimes  them- 
selves, they  are  of  purely  English  origin.  I  hope 
that  all  collectors  of  children's  game-rimes  will 
for  the  future  try  to  collect  the  tunes  likewise — 
as  Mr.  Newell,  the  American  collector,  and  Mrs. 
Gomme  have  done.  They  will  thus  preserve  many 
interesting  old  melodies  which  in  course  of  time 
would  otherwise  have  been  lost,  and  will  doubtless 
throw  light  on  their  origin  and  migration. 

FATHER   AND    MOTHER,  MAY   I   GO? 


i 


s 


^"=,^^^^^^^^^Eg=jFj= 


:Si 


Fa-therand  mo-ther,  may  I   go,      May    I     go,      May    I     go, 


,^=^t=^-=^E^^^^^^^^^^^^^E^ 


Fa-ther  and  nio-tlier,  may    I     go      a -cross  the  banks  of     ro  -  ses? 

This  is  the  i8th  cent.  Enghsh  tune  'Nancy 
Dawson  \' 

^  I  had  written  '  Boys  and  girls  come  out  to  play,'  a  tune  which 
begins  in  the  same  style.  That  learned  musician  Mr.  G.  E.  P. 
Arkwright  has  pointed  out  the  slip  of  memory. 


198 


My  delight's  in  tansies 


The  words  are  also  sung  to  the  (less  pretty)  tune 
of  '  Sheriffmuir,'  like  the  remaining  rimes  in  the 
set,  As  I  zvent  down  yon  dank,  oh/  and  My 
delight's  in  tajisies.  I  give  the  alternative  air  as 
sung  to  these  last-mentioned  words  :  Englishmen 
of  my  own  age  will  remember  its  being  sung  about 
1865  to  a  comic  song  called  '  Kafoozalem.' 

MY    DELIGHT'S   IN   TANSIES 


And   my    de-light's  in       tan  -  sies  ;  My    de-light's  in        pan-sies; 
?  Some  de-light  ?  Some  de-light 


f- 


^^^ 


^-Jv- 


^-^£fe" 


My  de-light's  in   a     red  red  rose,  The     co-lour    of    my  Mag-gie,  oh ! 


^ 


^^ 


^=m- 


Heigh  oh!  my     Mag-gie,  oh!  My     ve  -  rj'    bon  -  ny     Mag-gie    oh! 

?  bon-ny 


i 


=S=^=i:r 


All  the  world  I  would  not  give  For     a  kiss  from  my   Mag-gie,  oh  ! 
?  wor-(u)ld      I    wad  gi'e  For     ae 

My  name  is  Qtteen  Mary  is  sung  to  two  tunes, 
A.  C,  and  J,  S.  sing  it  to  '  The  Campbells  are 
coming.'  The  second  air,  which  M.  S.  sings,  and 
which  has  a  likeness  to  the  modern  tune  called 
'  The  bonnets  of  Bonnie  Dundee '  in  the  first  few 
lines,  is  really  the  English  '  Green  gravel '  tune. 

The  '  Bonnie  Dundee '  tune  may  be,  in  part  at 
least,  of  the  same  origin.  '  It  was  known  in  Edin- 
burgh about  fifty  years  ago  as  "  The  band  at  a 
distance."  ,  .  .  Many  years  afterwards  a  celebrated 
contralto  of  our  time  being  in  Scotland,  heard  the 


My  name  is  Queen  Mary         199 

air,  and  adapted  it  to  Sir  Walter  Scott's  stirring 
words,  .  .  .  The  air  is  believed  to  be  of  Scottish 
parentage,  but  nothing  more  exact  is  known  con- 
cerning it '  ( The  pop2ilar  songs  of  Scotland,  ed. 
by  G.  F.  Graham  and  J,  Muir  Wood,  p.  373). 
There  is  a  certain  likeness  in  its  beginning  and 
that  of  the  German  song  '  Mein  Schatz  ist  ein 
Reiter.' 

MY   NAME   IS   QUEEN   MARY 


My    name  is  Queen    Ma  -  rj',    My    age      is     six  -  teen ;   My 


fa  -  ther's   a         far  -  mer    On         yon     -     der     green.    He    has 


plen  -  ty       of         mo  -  ney      to        dress    me       in        silk,      But 

?  sae     braw 


no  bon  -  nie    lad  -  die  Will   tak  me      a    -    \va. 


2nd  tune. 


W^^^S^in^R^^.=f:i^^==r^^^^ 


My    name  is  Queen    Ma  -  ry,   My    age      is      six  -  teen  ;    My 


^^^^^i^il 


"^^Jiz:^^ 


fa-ther's  a       far-mer   on     yon -der    green.  He  has  plen-ty     of 


f^     ^~P^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ 


mo -ney  to    dress  me     in      silk    But     no   bon  -  nie     lad -die   will 
?  sae  braw 


^ 


tak    me     a    -    wa. 


200      Similar  '■Green  graveV  tunes 

With  this  latter  tune  compare  the  following 
versions  of  the  '  Green  gravel '  tune,  given  by 
Mrs,  Gomme  (i,  pp.  170,  171).  To  the  Madeley 
version  there  is  a  long  second  part  which  I  omit. 


g^ES^EgE^s^^^^^^Js^^g^"-^-^ 


^¥Ei^=£=itr&r^=^2'  .<•  jS  ^^^^j^'^^^-f-.Ej: 


N-l— K 


Zju^jj^jS^ 


=F=i= 


=fc=tiC 


■^—wl- 


-Madeley,  Shropshire  (Miss  Burne). 


^^^=J=^^^^=^=^^^^^^^^^^ 


$ 


^^^ 


-Sporle,  Norfolk  (Miss  Matthews). 


^^^^^^9^=^^ 


fc#= 


^^- 


l^-^'-^rS^gi^^^S 


—  Lancashire  (Mrs.  Harley). 


flV/J  take  her  by  the  lily  white  hand,  Roses  in 
and  roses  otit,  and  I've  a  lad  at  Golspie  are  sung 
to  the  following. 


[77/]  take  her  by  the  lily  zvhite  hand  201 


[I'LL]  TAKE   HER   BY  THE    LILY   WHITE   HAND 


I'll    1  take  her    by   the      li-ly  white  hand.r   V\\    ;  lead  her  o'er  the 
LWe'lIJ  iWe'Il^ 


wa  -  ter,  ["  I'll  "i  give  her  kiss-es     one  two  three,  For  she's  a     la-  dy's 
LWe'llj 


daugh-ter. 
Or 


^^^ 


daugh-ter. 

Mr,  G.  E.  P.  Arkwrlght  tells  me  that  his  mother 
learnt  this  tune  from  a  servant,  she  thinks  at 
Richmond  in  Surrey,  as  part  of  the  following 
game-rime  \ 

Spoken. 

Q.  Who's  there  ? 

A .  Poor  Peg  full  of  sorrow  and  care. 

Q.  What  does  poor  Peg  want  ? 

A.  A  sheet  to  put  Tom  in. 

Q.  What  ?  is  Tom  dead  ? 

^.Yes. 

Q.  When  did  he  die  } 

'  For   a   1679-83  version,  and    a    conjectural    restoration,    see 
PP-  345-  6. 


202       /  can  wash  a  sailor  s  shirt 
Sung. 

Quick. 


^^^^^^^m 


=J: 


Oh     yes-ter-day     in  the  morn  ing  gay  Poor  Tit,  poor  Tom   & 


I,       I,       I,      We    heard      a    bird     sing        in         a    bush    Poor 


Tom    was  like      to       die,     Sing    right  and    do    no    wrong.     Poor 


Tom  was   a   right  hon-est    man,  man,  man,  i  So  we'll  take  this  cup  and 


drink    it      up    And    so    shall  ev  -  'ry        one  

/  can  zuash  a  sailor's  shirt,  I  caJt  chew  tobacco, 
and  May  be  I'll  get  married  are  sung  to  the 
following-. 

I   CAN   WASH   A   SAILOR'S   SHIRT 


I      can  wash    a       sai  -  lor's  shirt,     I     can   wash    it      clean ; 


I    can  wash    a       sai  -  lor's  shirt.  And  bleach  it     on      the   green. 

Johnie  Johnson  is  sung  to  the  following,  which 
is  suspiciously  hke  '  The  Grecian  bend,'  a  comic 
song  of  about  1867. 

1  From  here  to  the  end  is  part  of  the  Devonshire  song 'A  nutting 
we  will  go  '  which  is  the  original  of '  The  low-back'd  car '  (S.  Baring 
Gould's  Songs  of  the  IVesi,  p.  178). 


JoJinie  Johnson.    Here  comes  gentle{s)   203 

JOHNIE  JOHNSON 


^ 


:s:^ 


Si=»= 


^     m  — ^ 


^^^ 


-t^-y- 


n^— g^ 


i*=zSf 


John-ie  Jolin-son  took  a    no- tion    For  to  go  and    sail  on   sea: 


i 


S=5E 


E^^ 


3fc=^ 


^^ 


:*=ie 


> — K- 


There  he  left  his  own  dear  Mag-gie  Wee-ping  at     a       wil-low  tree. 


The  following  are  the  tunes  of  Here  comes 
gentle{s)  roving  and  Mother,  the  nine  o'clock  bells 
are  ringing.  Both  appear  to  me  to  be  either 
English  or  German, 

HERE  COMES  GENTLES)  ROVING 


P 


^^ 


^ 


"^ 


^ 


3^ 


Here  comes  gen-tle(s)  ro-ving,  Ro-ving,  ro-ving  ;  Here  comes  gen-tle(s) 
Rq  -  ro  • 


i 


EEi^^^ 


ro  -  ving,  With     su   -  gar-cake    and    wine. 


MOTHER,  THE  NINE  O'CLOCK  BELLS  ARE  RINGING 


f-t=^^L^^^^^^^E^=^^^^^_ 


Mo-ther,  the  nine  o'clock  bells  are  ring  -  ing  ;  Mo-ther,   let    me 


;^^ 


:i=Mi 


out;      For  my  sweet-heart  is  wai- ting;  He's  going  to  take  me  out. 

Green  grass  set  a  pass  seems  to  be  spoken,  not 
sung,  while  E.  I.  O. — Hop,  Hop — Green  peas, 
mutton  pies — and  I  love  Bella  are  recited  on  one 
note  (say  the  lower  F). 


204  Here's  a  poor  zvidozv.     When  1  was 

Here's  a  poor  widow  is  a  compound  of  '  Nancy 
Dawson  '  and  '  Sheriffmuir.' 


HERE'S   A   POOR   WIDOW 


Here's  a  poor    wi  ■  dow  from    Ba  ■  by  •  Ion    — Six   poor  children 


E^JE^iE^^ 


^^^ 


all     a  -  lone  :  One  can  bake,  and  one  can  brew,  And  one  can      do    the 
{^Repeat  these  2  bars.) 


:> — V 


^•E35=E^^ 


3^^^ 


li  -  ly    gol  -  lo. 


Please  take  one   out. 


This  poor  Bel  -  la, 


^^ 


--ft=^ 


Zj^=iZ 


^ 


she    is  gone,  With -out   a      fa-ther — on   her  hand     No-thing  but    a 


guinea-gold  ring:  Goodbye,  Bel-  la,  good  bje. 

When  I  luas  a  lady  is  sung  to  the  tune  of 'There  s 
nae  luck  about  the  house,'  the  air  being  repeated 
to  eke  out  each  verse.  The  tune  of  Miss  Mason's 
version  (see  p.  167)  is  quite  different.  So  is  that 
of  Mr.  Colin  Brown's  (see  p.  168). 

WHEN   I   WAS   A   LADY' 


^^^^^^^^^^^^ 


=5. fi- 

When      I      was    a      la  -    dy,      a         la  -  dy,     a      la  -  dy,  When 
(mai-den)  (mai-den)         (mai-den) 


1      was      a       la  -  dy.    Oh !  then,  oh  !  then,  oh  !  then, 
(mai-den) 


'  '  Lady '  is  a  mistake  for  '  maiden  '  :  see  p.  167. 


Here's  three  sweeps.     Water,  zvater  205 


Here's  three  sweeps,  three  by  three  and  Take 
your  daughter  safe  and  sound  are  sung  to  the 
following.  It  seems  to  me  related  to  the  French 
'  Tremp'  ton  pain,  Marie  '  (Weckerlin,  Chansons  de 
France  pour  les  petits  Frafigais,  p.  9). 

HERE'S   THREE   SWEEPS 


^ 


Here's  three  sweeps,  three  by    three,    And    on     by    the  door  they 

?  down 


i 


^^=^ 


bend  their  knee :  '  Oh  !  shall    we  have     lo-dgings  here  0(h) !  here  Oh ! 


^^^^ 


shall    we  have     lo-dgings  here  ? '       '  No.' 


Water,  zvater,   watt/lowers  is  sung  to  the  fol- 
lowing, which  sounds  rather  like  a  hymn-tune. 

WATER,  WATER,  WALL-FLOWERS 


Wa  -  ter,    wa-ter,      wall-flowers,  Grow-ing    up     so      high: 


We   are    all  young      mai   -   dens,  And   we  shall  all      die —         Ex  - 

?all    shall 


:!__'> ^ 


Sfirijif: 


^ 


^^^^E^BE 


i 


cepting  Mag-gie     Stu-art.    She's  the   young-est     of     us       all: 


3^^ 


^^^ 


^^^=3^ 


She  can  dance,  and    she   can  sing,  And   she   can  knock  us     all  ! 


^^^^^^p^^^g^^^ 


Fie !  fie !  for  shame  again !  She'll  turn  her  back  to  the  wall  a-  gain 


2o6 


Hilli  ballu 


HUH  ballu   has  the  following  air,  which  is  re- 
peated to  eke  out  each  stanza. 


HILLI    BALLU 


^^  n     >    s  ^ 


ii^ 


J— w— j- 


Hil  -  li    bal  -  lu    bal  ■  lai !  Hil  -  li    bal  -  lu     bal .  light ! 


i 


1^==>=S: 


'^=^=^^s—^-r~r 


-.;— J^-J: 


^tl 


:*=i±=i. 


3^ 


Hil  -  li    bal-lu    bal  -  la  !         Up  -  on     a     Sa- tur-day  night. 


This  is  practically  the  same  as  one  of  the  tunes 
given  by  Mrs.  Gomme  (i,  p.  352)  for  this  rime:  — 


-^^^s^^^^-^X^-^^^^^^^^^^^ 


'^^^^=^^^=^=^=^^^^^^^^E^=f^'=^^=^^E^^ 


— Doncaster  (Mr.  C.  Bell). 


Sir  John  Stainer  thinks  that  the  Doncaster  tune 
should  be  " 


and  so  on. 


H71II  many  an  a7ild  via^i  (Holl  mon-ie  an'  auld 
mone)  is  sung  to  the  same  tune  as  When  I  was 


Four  in  the  middle.     Mrs.  Brown    207 

a  lady  ('  There's  nae  luck  about  the  house  '),  and 
Four  in  the  middle  of  the  soldier's  joy  to  the 
following,  which  is  altered  from  '  Polly,  put  the 
kettle  on,' 


FOUR  IN  THE  MIDDLE  OF  THE  SOLDIER'S  JOY 
33= 


w 


Four  in    the  mid  -  die    of    the    sol-dier's  joy,  sol-dier's  joy 


Ig     *     '^     \    d      a)      J- 


>       >       Nr 


S=^ 


^^ 


sol-dier's  joy ;  Four   in  the  mid-die    of  the       sol-dier's  joy, 


i 


^^^ 


-*>      W  •— i£ 


sol-dier's  jo}-,    sol-dier's  joy. 


J/r^.  Brown  is  sung  to  the  air  of  the  last  two 
lines  of '  Not  for  Joe,' 


MRS.  BROWN 


Mis  -  sis  Brown  Went  to  town     Ri  •  ding    on      a        po-o-nv. 


P 


When    she  came  back  With    a         Dol   -  ly     Var  ■  den   hat,    They 


called  her  Miss   Me  -  roo-oo  -  nie. 


The  tune  oi  See  the  robbers  passing  by  is  given 
on  p,  342  :  it  is  only  '  Sheriffmuir  '  again. 


SONGS  ABOUT  GOLSPIE 


Songs  about   Golspie  211 


SONGS  ABOUT   GOLSPIE 


My  hope  of  getting  some  good  old  folk-songs 
and  the  tunes  of  them  was  not  fulfilled.  But  the 
following  particulars,  by  W,  \V.  M.,  of  songs  about 
the  place  are  worth  preserving  :  — 

There  are  only  three  songs  relating  to  Golspie 
and  its  inhabitants  zvhich  I  can  remember  at 
present.  They  are  'A  memory  of  Golspie,' 
'  The  Golspie  men  at  the  Dttnrobin  review, '  and 
'  Coming  doiun  Dttnrobin  Glen.' 

'  A  fneinory  of  Golspie  '  describes  a  walk  along 
the  Links  which  stretch  along  the  shore  towards 
the  western  side  of  the  village.  Then  the  writer 
m.entions  other  places,  i^ideed  I  may  say  all  the 
places  of  interest  abont  the  village,  such  as  Ciil- 
maily  Bjtrn,  the  Ferry  Wood,  the  Chnrchyard, 
Ben  Braggie,  and  Ben  Braggie  Wood  (or  the 
Big  Wood,  as  it  is  more  commonly  called).  Dun- 
robin  castle  and  gardens,  the  Aliiseum,  &^c. 

'  The  Golspie  men  at  the  Dunrobin  review  ' 
was  written  by  a  schoolmaster  who  once  lived  in 
Golspie.  He  speaks  of  the  strength  and  bravery 
P  2 


212  Songs  about  Golspie 

of  the  Golspie  men,  and  of  ^  how  they  were  once 
beaten  in  a  trial  of  strength  by  the  Rogart  7ne7i. 

'  Coming  down  Dttnrobin  Glen '  describes  the 
march  of  the  Rogart  men  down  Dttnrobin  Glen 
on  one  of  the  occasions  zvhen  they  visited  Golspie. 

I  shall  mention  the  first  two  verses  of  ^  '  A 
fnemory  of  Golspie '  to  show  what  it  is  like,  but 
it  is  too  long  to  tell  the  whole  of  it.  The  first 
two  verses  are 

(i)  Let  2is  wander  once  again 

O'er  the  links  along  the  shore  : 
Ha7td  in  hand  we'll  ivalk  as  then 
And  be  lovers  as  of  yore. 

(2)  On  the  sweetly  scented  braes 

Where  we  gathered  the  wild  thyme 
We'll  recall  the  happy  days 
When  our  love  was  in  its  prime. 

[W.  W.  M.J 

^  Was  this  schoolmaster  born  in  Rogart?  or  did  he  describe 
some  mere  trick  by  which  the  strength  and  bravery  of  Golspie 
were  for  once  deprived  of  victory  ? 

*  W.  W.  M.  says  that  he  has  seen  the  song  printed  in  a  news- 
paper. If  all  of  it  was  as  good  as  the  specimen,  I  am  sorry  not 
to  be  able  to  give  it  entire. 


NUMBER-RIMES 


'Counting-out^  rimes  215 


NUMBER-RIMES 


The  three  rimes  originally  contributed  were  all 
sent  by  A.  G.,  and  by  him  alone.  He  tells  me 
that  they  are  used  only  in  '  Hide  and  seek.'  The 
reciter  of  the  verses  points  to  a  different  player 
at  each  word,  and  the  player  pointed  to  at  the  last 
word  is  counted  out.  The  process  is  repeated  till 
only  one  player  is  left — who  has  to  go  and  look 
for  the  others,  who  have  meanwhile  been  hiding 
themselves. 

This  class  of  rimes  is  the  subject  of  a  consider- 
able work,  '  The  counting-out  rhymes  of  children — 
their  antiquity,  origin,  and  wide  distribution — a 
study  in  Folk-lore — by  Henry  Carrington  Bolton  ' 
(London,  EUiot  Stock,  1888).  Mr.  Bolton  has 
collected  (with  the  help  of  American  children)  no 
fewer  than  464  such  rimes  used  by  speakers  of 
English,  and  419  used  by  speakers  of  other  lan- 
guages. 

One,  two,  three,  four, 

Mary  at  the  cottage-door. 

Eating  cherries  off  a  plate ; 

Five,  six,  seven,  eight.  [A.  G.J 


2i6       Scinty,  tinty,  my  black  hen 

This  is  exactly  Mr.  Bolton's  no.  423,  which  he 
gives  as  a  girls'  rime  from  two  places  in  the  United 
States,  Newport  (Rhode  Island)  and  Philadelphia. 

Scinty,  tinty,  uiy  black  hen, 
She  lays  eggs  for  gentlemen  : 

Gentle7}ten  come  here  to-day 

To  see  what  my  black  hen  doth  lay. 

[A.  G.] 

A.  C.  has  since  given  me 

Zeenty,  teenty,  my  black  heji, 
She  lays  eggs  for  gentlemen. 

Sometimes  nine,  sometimes  ten 
— Zeenty,  teenty,  tny  black  hen. 

[A.  C] 

She  pronounces  '  zinty,  tinty  '  and  says  the  first 
word  is  sometimes  pronounced  '  sinty.' 

Halliwell  (p.  107)  has  a  rime  identical  with 
A.  C.'s  except  that  '  Higglepy  Piggleby '  take  the 
place  of  '  zeenty,  teenty.'  And  he  has  another 
(p.  102)  identical  with  A.  G.'s  except  that  the 
strange  words  are  '  Hickety,  pickety '  and  that 
'  every  day  '  takes  the  place  of '  here  to-day.' 

Mr.  Bolton  gives  the  following : — 
799.  Mitty  Matty  had  a  hen, 

She  lays  white  eg-gs  for  gentlemen. 

Gentlemen  come  every  day, 

Mitty  Matty  runs  away. 


and  illustrations  of  it  217 

HI !    ho  !   who  is  at  home  ? 
Father,  mother,  Jumping-  Joan. 
O-U-T  out, 
Take  off  the  latch  and  walk  out, 

Ireland. 

800.  JVIitty  Mattie  had  a  hen. 

She  laid  eggs  for  gentlemen, 
Sometimes  nine  and  sometimes  ten. 

Georgia. 

801.  Hickety,  pickety,  my  black  hen 
She  lays  eggs  for  gentlemen ; 
Gentlemen  come  every  day, 

To  see  what  my  black  hen  doth  lay. 
Some  days  five  and  some  days  ten, 
She  lays  eggs  for  gentlemen. 

Connecticut. 

We  shall  see  by  and  by  that  the  '  Scinty  tinty ' 
of  the  Golspie  version  means  '  One,  two ' — these 
doubtless  being-  the  number  of  eggs  laid.  The 
numbers  '  nine  '  and  '  ten,'  or  '  five  '  and  '  ten,'  in 
some  of  the  other  versions  are  possibly  due  to 
'  ten  '  being  suggested  as  a  rime  by  '  hen  '  and 
'gentlemen.' 

'  One,  two '  seems  also  to  be  the  original  mean- 
ing of  '  Higglepy,  Piggleby,'  '  Hickerty,  pickerty,' 
'  Hickety,  pickety,'  and  'Mitty  Matty'  (-ie).  These, 
together  with  '  Hickory,  dickor>^  '  (Bolton,  774) 
and  '  Zickety,  dickety'  (773),  are  relatives  of  '  Inky, 
pinky  '  (685),  '  Ink,  pink  '  (703),  '  Ink,  mink  '  (702), 


2i8         The  ^Anglo-Cymric'  score 

'  Inty,    minty  '   (567),    and    '  Hinty,    minty  '   (556). 
And  in  the  following  rime  (704) 

Hink,  Spink,  the  puddings  stink, 

The  fat  begins  to  fry ; 

Nobody  at  home  but  jumping  Joan, 

Father,  mother  and  I. 
we  get  '  Hink,  spink  '  in  connexion  with  '  home,' 
'  father,' '  mother,'  and  'jumping Joan '  where  another 
rime  has  given  us  '  Mitty  Matty.' 

Scinty  tinty  heathery  beathery  bank  fore  littei^y 
over  dover  dicky  dell  lamb  nell  san  tan  toosh. 

[A.  G.J 

This  is  one  of  a  very  large  number  of  rimes 
which  are  founded  on  the  names  of  the  numbers 
I  to  20  in  Welsh,  probably  the  extinct  Welsh  of 
the  old  kingdom  of  Strathclyde,  These  numbers 
are  in  some  cases  still  easily  distinguishable:  for 
instance  in  the  above  rime  '  beathery '  =  the  modern 
Welsh  'phedair  a '  =  '4  and,'  while  '  dicky '  =  the 
modern  Welsh  'deg'  =  'io.'  In  other  cases  the 
connexion  can  only  be  traced  by  the  help  of  inter- 
mediate forms :  thus  between  '  bank  fore '  and  the 
Welsh  '  phump  a  '  (pronounced  Jintp  «)  = '  5  and  ' 
we  get  the  Renfrewshire  form  '  bamf  a.'  And  the 
ordinary  causes  of  corruption  have  been  assisted 
by  the  desire  of  those  who  adopted  these  numbers 
to  give  them  rhythm  and  rime.  In  the  above 
specimen  we  get  no  fewer  than  four  couplets  : — 
Scinty  \  heathery  1  over  |  dicky  dell  \ 
tinty     /  beathery  J  dover  )  lamb  nell    i  ' 


Unpublished  Scottish  versions      219 

In  many  cases,  moreover,  the  Welsh  number 
has  been  lost  altogether,  and  either  a  gap  is  left 
or  else  the  gap  is  filled  with  some  other  word. 

Mr.  Bolton's  book  contains  few  of  the  varieties 
of  this  class  of  counting-out  rimes.  But  Mr,  A.  J. 
EUis  has  collected  and  discussed  a  great  many  in 
a  paper  of  his  entitled  '  The  Anglo-Cymric  Score,' 
published  in  the  Transactions  of  the  Philological 
Society  for  1877-9,  pp.  316-72.  Mr.  Ellis's  con- 
clusions w^ere  carried  a  good  deal  further  by 
Mr.  Henry  Bradley  in  a  review  of  that  paper. 
The  reader  who  desires  further  information  as  to 
Mr,  Ellis's  views,  Mr.  Bradley's,  and  my  own  will 
find  it  on  pp.  301-5. 

As  very  few  Scottish  versions  of  the  rime  have 
been  printed,  I  add  the  following  :— 

(i)  Zeeny,  meeny,  mitty,  mat, 
Dumma  dee,  dumma  dat, 
Anty,  panty,  peela,  roz  \ 
An,  van,  toosh. 

This  was  learnt  (I  should  suppose  as  early  as 
iSd.-)  at  Glasgow  (or  Hamilton  near  Glasgow)  by 
Miss  Margaret  Dick,  who  recited  it  to  me  in 
1893.  It  is  very  corrupt  and  I  cannot  spend  time 
over  it,  but  Mr.  Bolton's  no.  642,  which  comes  from 
Montreal,  is  very  like  it. 

(2)  Zinty,  tinty,  hethery,  mether>% 

Bankful,  eetry,  dickit  doc,  dan,  toosh. 
This  was  learnt  (I  should  suppose  as  early  as 

'  Pronounced  as  the  word  '  rose.' 


220  The  Golspie  version 

1850)  at  Inverness  by  Miss  Joass,  who  recited   it 
to  me  in  1892. 

(3)  Eenerty,  feenerty,  fickerty,  feg-, 
El,  del,  domun,  eg, 
Irky,  birky,  story,  roc, 
An,  tan,  toosh,  ]oc. 

This  was  learnt  about  1 863  at  Forfar  by  Mr.  G. 
Shepherd,  now  of  Edinburgh,  who  recited  it  to  me 
in  1896.  The  -y  in  the  first  three  words  is  more 
marked  (perhaps  owing  to  the  previous  /  being 
sounded  high  up)  than  in  the  third  line.  The  i 
in  irky^  birky ^  is  sounded  as  in  pin^  and  not  as  in 
South-English  irk^  dirk.  In  doniitn  the  o  is 
sounded  as  in  South-English  dome.,  and  in  story 
apparently  as  in  South-English  {  =  stawry). 

This  rime  differs  very  little  from  Bolton's  866. 

(4)  Sinkty    tinkty    hethery    bethery    banks    for 
littery 
Over  dover  dicky  del  lammy  nel  sang  tang 
toosh. 

This  was  learnt  (about  1871  ?)  at  Golspie  by 
Dr.  J.  G.  Soutar,  who  recited  it  to  me  in  1896.  It 
is  almost  the  same  as  A.  G.'s  rime  on  p.  218. 

In  these  two  Golspie  versions  Sciiify,  tiniy, 
heathery,  beathery,  bank  fore  and  Sinkty  tinkty 
hethery  bethery  banks  for  are  corrupted  from 
Welsh  (or  Cumbrian)  words  meaning  '  One  and, 
two  and,  three  and,  four  and,  five  and.'  '  Six  and  ' 
is    missing,  for   being    apparently    supposed    to 


French  endings  in  Scotland      22  e 

represent  6.  Litteiy,  over,  dover,  dicky  are  cor- 
rupted from  words  meaning  '  seven  and,  eight  and, 
nine  and,  ten.' 

Del{l),  lamb  {laniniy),  n£l{l)  I  have  never  seen 
except  in  these  two  Golspie  versions.  I  take  them 
to  be  corrupted  from  eleven,  twelve :  a  version  from 
Kirkpatrick- Durham  in  Kirkcudbrightshire  has 
'leveut  (Elhs,  p.  53),  and  tzvell  is  old  Scots  English 
for  twelve. 

San{g),  tan[g),  toosh  is  an  ending  paralleled  in 
almost  all  the  Scottish  rimes  of  this  kind,  but  in 
none  of  the  English.  Compare  those  just  quoted 
from  Miss  Dick,  Miss  Joass,  and  Mr.  Shepherd. 
Mr.  Ellis  (p.  42)  gives  I'ahn,  tahii,  toosh  from 
the  end  of  a  Roxburghshire  rime.  Mr.  Bolton's 
nos.  699  and  760,  both  from  Edinburgh,  have  Am, 
pam,  p2ish^  and  Ant,  tant,  tooch ;  his  866,  also 
Scottish,  has  An,  tan,  toosh.  And  Mr.  Gregor 
(p.  173)  gives  An  tan  toiist  from  the  S.  side  of 
the  Moray  Firth. 

I  have  not  the  least  doubt  that  these  words  are 
borrowed  from  some  French  counting-out  rime, 
perhaps  introduced  into  Scotland  as  early  as  the 
1 6th  cent.  They  probably  represent  the  words 
'  Vont-en  tous,'  i.  e.  '  All  go  away,'  pronounced 
(except  for  the  peculiar  sound  of  the  7is)  Vonig)- 
tanig)  tooss  K     For  the  French  counting-out  rimes 

^  Littre  :  '  au  pluriel,  I's  se  lie:  tou-z  animaux ;  tou-z  y  sont; 
quelques-uns  font  sentir  I's  du  pluriel  meme  devant  une  consonne  : 
tous'  viendront ;  ils  y  sont  tous'.'  Note  that  he  writes  not  iouz 
,in  these  last  cases  but  tons',  i.  e.  apparently  tooss. 


222    French  endings  in  the  United  States 

numbered  62,  68,  and  71  in  Mr.  Bolton's  book 
contain  the  direction  '  va  t  en  '  or  '  t'en  va  '  ('  go 
away  '),  while  69  ends  with  '  sen  va  '  ('  g-oes  away  ') 
and  79  with  '  vont '  ('  go  '). 

And  I  may  here  note  that  the  same  verb  '  s  en 
aller '  with  '  tons '  has  invaded  many  of  the 
American  counting-out  rimes,  having  doubtless 
been  learnt  from  the  French  either  of  Canada  or 
of  Louisiana.  Mr.  Bolton's  no.  689  (from  Con- 
necticut, 1835)  ends  '  High,  zon,  tuz  '  and  his  625 
(from  Pennsylvania)  has  '  I,  pon,  tus  ' :  these  are 
doubtless  the  French  '  Aillent  s'en  tous  '  ('  Let  all 
go  away '),  pronounced  very  much  as  if  written 
in  English  Ay  zan[g)  iodss. 


RIMING    INSCRIPTIONS 
IN   BOOKS 


If  I  by  chance.     Black  is  the  raven    225 


RIMING  INSCRIPTIONS  IN 
BOOKS 


If  I  by  chance  shotdd  lose  this  book, 
And  you  by  chance  should  Jind  if. 

Remember  Willie  is  my  name. 
And  Mnnro  comes  behind  if. 

[W.   W.  MJ 

Black  is  the  raven, 
Blacker  is  the  rook, 
But  blackest  is  the  '^person 
Who  steals  this  book. 

[W.  W.  M.J 

"With  this  latter  compare  the  following-, '  much  in 
vogue  at  Rugby  '  (Northall,  p.  103), 

Small  is  the  wren, 

Black  is  the  rook. 
Great  is  the  sinner 

That  steals  this  book. 

'  The  original  must  have  been  much  more  forcible — ?  '  craven.' 


Q 


MISCELLANEOUS  RIMES 


Q2 


Eel-e,  eel-e-ot  'z.^ic^ 


MISCELLANEOUS   RIMES 


[Eel-e,  eel-e-ot] 

Eel-e,  eel-e-ot. 

Make  a  sailor's  knot. 

And  I  will  let  you  to 

Your  water -pot.  [M.  SJ 

Chambers  (p.  200)  says  '  Boys,  finding  an  eel, 
will  say  to  it : 

Eelie,  eelie,  ator, 

Cast  a  knot  upon  your  tail, 

And  I'll  throw  you  in  the  water. 

So  in  Peeblesshire  ;  but  in  the  Mearns : 

Eelie,  eelie,  cast  your  knot, 

And  ye'll  get  back  to  your  water- pot. 

The  object,  after  all,  being  to  cause  the  animal 
to  wriggle  for  their  amusement.' 

M.  S.  knew  nothing  about  the  lines  except  that 
she  had  heard  them  from  her  father,  a  reporter. 


230       ^ People '-and-^ steeple'  rimes 

[Golspie  is  a  bonny  place] 

Golspie  is  a  bonny  place, 

A  bonny  set  of  people. 
White  stones  at  every  door, 

And  a  church  with  a  steeple. 

[W.   W.  MJ 

If  the  last  two  statements  were  ever  correct,  they 
are  not  so  now.  There  is  no  church  with  a  steeple, 
and  some  of  the  doorstones  are  not  artificially 
coloured  at  all,  while  many  others  are  blued. 

The  fact  is  that  '  people  '-and-'  steeple  '  rimes  are 
applied  to  a  great  number  of  places  and  are  ap- 
parently transferred  without  scruple  from  one  to 
another.  In  Northall's '  English  folk-rhymes  '  I  find 
that  Essex,  Lancashire,  Middlesex,  Northants,  Rut- 
land, Salop,  and  Westmorland  have  each  i  place 
which  is  thus  distinguished,  while  Herefordshire 
has  2,  Sussex  and  Yorkshire  3,  and  Lincolnshire  7. 
The  following  examples  will  suffice. 

Ugley  in  Essex  (p.  25) : 

Ugly  church,  ugly  steeple. 
Ugly  parson,  ugly  people. 

Cowarne  in  Herefordshire  (p.  28)  : 
Dirty  Cowarne,  wooden  steeple, 
Crack'd  bell,  wicked  people, 

Weobley  in  the  same  county  (p.  29^  ; 
Poor  Weobley,  proud  people, 
Low  church,  high  steeple. 


/,  when  I  think  of  what  I  are    231 

Ashton  in  Lancashire  (p.  33) : 

Proud  Ash'on,  poor  people ; 

Ten  bells,  un'  un  owd  crackt  steeple. 

Legsby  in  Lincolnshire  (p.  42) : 

A  thack  church  and  a  wooden  steeple, 
A  drunken  parson  and  wicked  people. 

Beswick  in  Yorkshire  (p.  83) : 

A  thatched  church,  a  wooden  steeple, 
A  drunken  parson,  and  wicked  people. 

Raskelfe  (pronounced  Rascall)  in  the  same  county 
(p.  90) : 

A  wooden  church,  a  wooden  steeple, 
Rascally  church,  rascally  people. 
It  is  also  a  common  assertion  that  the  '  people '  of 
a  place  sold  their  bells  to  build  (or  repair)  their 
'  steeple.' 

I  have  found  no  really  complimentary  rime  (such 
as  the  Golspie  one)  in  Mr,  Northall's  book. 


[I,  when  I  think  of  what  I  are] 

/,  when  I  iJmik  of  what  I  are  ^ 
A7id  what  I  used  to  was'^, 
I  Jind  I  fling  myself  awa"^ 
Withoii^t  sufficient  cause.  [M.  S.J 

'  '  I  are '  is  East  English,  but  apparently  not  Scots  English. 
2   '  Used  to  was,'  which  I  have  heard  as  jocular  English  from  my 
childhood,  is  perhaps  a  mere  comic  invention. 

^  Only  Scots  English.     The  rime  is  not  in  any  real  dialect. 


232  Napoleon  was  a  general 

[Napoleon  was  a  general] 

Napoleon  was  a  general; 

He  had  ten  thousand  men. 

He  inarched  them  up  to  the  top  of  a  hill, 

And  he  marched  them,  down  again. 

When  he  was  zip  he  was  up, 

And  when  he  was  down  he  was  down, 

And  when  he  was  half-way  tip 

He  was  neither  up  nor  down.  [M.  S.J 

Northall  gives  the  following  as  a  juvenile  rime  in 

Warwickshire,  adding  that  '  It  is  also  sung  as  a 

catch  '  (p.  99) : 

^     ,         .  1        King  of  France, 
O,  the  mighty  ^^  ,        r  ^r    ■, 
^    ^   Duke  of  York, 

With  his  twenty  thousand  men, 

He  marched  them  up  a  very  high  hill. 

And  he  marched  them  down  again  ; 

And  when  they  were  up,  they  were  up,  up,  up, 

And  when  they  were  down,  they  were  down. 

And  when  they  were  half  way  up,  I  say 

They  were  neither  up  nor  down. 

Halliwell  (p.  3)  gives  the  following : 
(i)  The  king  of  France  went  up  the  hill. 
With  forty  thousand  men  ; 
The  king  of  France  came  down  the  hill, 
And  ne'er  went  up  again. 

(2)  The  king  of  France  with  twenty  thousand  men. 
Went  up  the  hill  and  then  came  down  again  ; 


Rain,   rain,   rattle-stone{s^         233 

The   king   of  Spain,   with    twenty   thousand 

more, 
Climb'd  the  same  hill  the  French  had  climb'd 

before. 

(3)  The  king  of  France,  the  king  of  France,  with 
forty  thousand  men. 
Oh,  they  all  went  up  the  hill,  and  so — came 
back  again  ! 

The  first  of  these  versions  he  finds  in  print  in 
1 642  in  '  Pigges  Corantoe,  or  Newes  from  the  North,' 
where  it  is  called  '  Old  Tarlton's  Song ' — Tarlton 
being  identified  with  the  writer  of  that  name  who 
died  in  1588. 

The  version  I  learnt  as  a  child  (from  a  West- 
Midland  mother)  was  something  like  '  King  Pippin 
he  marched  up  the  hill  And  then  marched  down 
again,'  and  I  think  I  have  seen  King  P.  alluded  to 
in  books  as  the  hero  of  this  feat  of  arms. 

[Rain,  rain,  rattle-stone(s)] 

Rain,  rain,  rattle  stone ; 

Don't  rain  on  ine ; 
Rain  on  John  O' Groat's  House 

Far  out  at  sea.  [M.  S.J 

Chambers  (p.  184)  gives  this  as 
Rain,  rain,  rattle -stanes, 

Dinna  rain  on  me  ; 
But  rain  on  Johnnie  Groat's  house, 
Far  owre  the  sea. 


234      ^Johnnie  Groat's  house'  right 

He  adds  '  Sung-  during  a  hail-shower,'  This  ver- 
sion is  apparently  purer  than  the  Golspie  one  in 
every  single  particular  wherein  the  two  differ  except 
as  regards  '  But '  at  the  beginning  of  the  3rd  line, 
which  may  or  may  not  have  been  in  the  original  lines. 

'  Johnnie  Groat's  house  '  is  of  course  not  '  out  at 
sea  '  in  the  ordinary  sense,  but  if  the  rime  was  made 
by  people  living  on  the  Moray  coast  it  might  be  so 
described.  If  '  owre  the  sea  '  is  right,  they  must 
almost  certainly  have  been  the  makers  of  it. 

'Johnnie  Groat's'  is  right  and  not  'John  O'Groats.' 
The  name  of  the  family  was  Grot.  '  In  the  year 
1496  John  Grot  (according  to  local  tradition  one  of 
three  brothers  named  Malcohn,  Gavin,  and  John) 
had  from  William  earl  of  Caithness  a  grant  of  lands 
in  Dungsby '  i^Origines  Parochiales  Scotice^  ii.  pt.  ii, 
p.  814).  We  also  hear  of  John  Grot  in  Dongasby 
in  1525,  and  of  a  John  Grot  in  the  same  parts  in 
1547,  while  ^'A  writer  in  1726'  calls  the  house 
itself '  the  dwelling  house  of  Grott  of  Wares  '  {ibX 

Richard  Franck,  writing  in  1658  his  'Northern 
memoirs '  (which  he  did  not  publish  tiU  1 694),  says 
'  More  North  in  an  Angle  of  Cathness.,  \wesJok7i 
a  Groat^  upon  an  Isthmus  of  Land  that  faceth 
the  pleasant  Isles  of  Orkney'  (p.  177).  This  a 
may  be  an  attempt  to  translate  a  supposed  Latin 
de.  For  in  the  1793  Statistical  account  of  Scot- 
land, viii,  p.  167,  we  are  told  by  the  Rev.  John 
Morison,  D.D.,  that  '  In  the  reign  of  James  IV  of 
Scodand,   Malcolm,    Gavin   and  John   de  Groat 

*  Reference  is  made  to  '  Macfarlane's  Geog.  Collect.' 


'John  o'  Groat's  house'  wrong    235 

(supposed  to  have  been  brothers,  and  orig-inally 
from  Holland,)  arrived  in  Caithness,  from  the  south 
of  Scotland,  bringing  with  them  a  letter,  written 
in  Latin,  by  that  prince ' — after  which  comes  the 
ridiculous  stor>^  of  the  ^8-sided  meeting-room  with 
8  doors,  built  by  a  John  de  Groat  to  prevent  the 
8  Groat  families  from  squabbling  about  precedence 
at  their  annual  celebration  !  *  The  particulars  above 
mentioned  were  communicated  to  John  Sutherland, 
Esq.  of  Wester,  above  50  years  ago,  by  his  father, 
who  was  then  advanced  in  life,  and  who  had  seen 
the  letter  wrote  by  James  IV  in  the  possession  of 
George  Groat  of  Warse.'  But  Malcohn  and  Gavin 
are  not  the  names  one  expects  in  people 'originally 
from  Holland.' 

When  staying  at  the  modern  Johnnie  Groat's 
house  in  1894,  I  walked  over  to  the  kirkyard  of 
Canisbay,  w^hich  contains  many  names  of  the  family 
from  Grot's  of  1550  and  thereabouts  down  to 
Helen  Groat  in  1850,  and  I  saw  no  de  Groat,  no  a 
Groat,  and  no  o'  Groat.  But  the  force  of  tradition 
is  such  that,  when  I  mentioned  this  to  a  parishioner 
of  Canisbay  parish  who  enters  that  same  kirk- 
yard once  a  week,  he  told  me  where  I  should  find 
a  tombstone  of  Finlay  de  Groat.  I  walked  over 
again  to  Canisbay,  and  found  only  that  of  Findlay 
Grot  who  died  in  1601. 

'  A  room,  or  house,  in  that  situation  might  very  well  have  been 
built  8-sided  to  diminish  the  power  of  the  wind  to  blow  it  down. 
Dr.  Joass  tells  me  that  Highlanders  often  round  off  the  corners  of 
their  houses  and  of  their  roofs  with  this  object. 


236  A  Sunderland  variant 

In  1 760  Bp.  Pococke  writes  '  we  came  to  "  Johnny 
Grott's  House,"  which  is  in  ruins,  and  from  a 
quondam  inhabitant  of  that  name  gives  the  appel- 
lation to  this  angle  of  Scotland'  {Tour  through 
Szitherland  and  Caiih^iess^  ed.  by  D,  W.  Kemp, 
p.  26). 

And  Burns,  in  a  poem  printed  in  'The  Kelso 
Chronicle'  on  Sept,  4,  1789,  writes 

Hear,  Land  o'  Cakes,  and  brither  Scots, 
Frae  Maidenkirk  to  Johnnie  Groat's ! 

The  right  prormnciatio  of  Groat  might  be 
doubtful  from  Burns,  who  often  rimed  very 
loosely;  but  the  quotations  of  1726  and  1760 
show  that  it  is  properly  Grot,  not  Grote. 

Mr.  Henderson  gives  the  following  from  Sunder- 
land (p.  24) : 

'  Rain,  rain,  pour  down 
Not  a  drop  in  our  town, 
But  a  pint  and  a  gill 
AU  a-back  of  Building  Hill.' 


PROVERBS,  PHRASES,  SIMILES 


Proverbs'  239 


PROVERBS,  PHRASES,  SIMILES 


PROVERBS   IN   RIME 

A  inaji  of  words  and  not  of  deeds 

Is  like  a  garden  full  of  weeds. 

c  fW.  W.  MJ 

See  pp.  190-92.  ^  K*- .   I-/- .       J 

Birds  of  a  feather 

Flock  together.  [W.  W.  M.] 

Early  to  bed,  early  to  rise. 
Makes  a  man  healthy,  wealthy,  and  wise. 

[W.  W.  M.] 

PROVERBS   IN   PROSE 

Barking  dogs  seldom  bite.  [A.  GJ 

Be  sitre  your  sin  will  find  you  out. 

[IV.  W.  M.] 

Fools    and    bairns    should    never   see    '  have 
finished  work.  [A.  G.J 

Fools  make  feasts  and  wise  men  eat  them. 

[A.  GJ 

1   =half. 


240  Proverbs.     Phrases 

li  is  an  ill  wind  that  blaws  nobody  good. 

[M.  S.J 
Look  before  y 021  leap.  [W.   W.  M.J 

Small  fish  are  better  than  7ione.         [A .  G.J 

"^Sinall Jish  is  better  than  710  fish,'  means  that 
'Uje  should  cotitent  ourselves  with  any  kind  of  fish 
in  the  scarce  seasoji.  [M.  S.J 

—  There  is  7to  use  crying  over  spilt  milk. 

[J.  SJ 

It  is  no  good  crying  after  spilt  milk.    [M.  S.J 

There's  no  rest  for  the  wicked.   [W.  W.  M.J 

Two  heads  are  better  than  ojie,  although  it  be 
a  sheep's  head.  [A.  GJ 

This  seems  to  convey  a  compliment  to  sheep's 
heads  when  cooked. 

PHRASES 

These,  like  the  Similes,  were  written  in  answer 
to  a  request  for  '  sayings.'  Various  other  phrases 
were  given,  but  they  were  all  in  ordinary  South- 
British  use. 

Come  in  if  your  feet  are  clean. 

[f  S.,  M.  SJ 

M.  S.  adds  '  a  jocular  welcome  to  an  acquaint- 
ance.' It  doubtless  arises  out  of  the  common 
practice  among   Scottish   children   of  the  poorer 


Phrases.     Similes  241 

classes,  in  Golspie  and  elsewhere,  of  walking  about 
the  streets  barefoot. 

He  IS  early  up  that  ne'er  gangs  doon. 

[M.  SJ 

M.  S.  adds  '  that  the  speaker  has  not  been  in 
bed; 

It  is  like  to  be  wet.  [IV.   W.  M.] 

This  I  give,  of  course,  merely  as  an  example  of 
'  like  to  be,'  which  is  good  English  and  common  in 
folk-speech,  but  not  at  present  in  fashion. 

Stand  aside,  and  let  a  better  man  than  yourself 
pass.  [J.  S.J 

I  remember  something  like  this  as  a  jocular 
saying  among  boys  in  England :  cf  '  Make  way 
for  your  betters.' 

Thanks  no  pay.  [M.  S.J 

M.  S.  adds  '  means  Cash  is  preferable  to  thanks.' 

SIMILES 

When  I  asked  for  '  sayings,'  I  meant  proverbs 
and  the  like.  This  was  not  fully  understood,  and 
the  proverbs  which  have  come  in  are  few  in  com- 
parison with  the  similes :  indeed  the  first  two  prize- 
winners sent  in  no  proverbs  at  all,  but  a  large 
number  of  similes.  These,  however,  seem  to  me  of 
sufficient  interest  to  print,  and  at  the  end  of  the 
list  I  have  added  a  few  remarks  on  it. 

R 


242  Similes 

As  black  as  the  '  crook  [B.  CJ 

,,  night  [A.  G.J 

„  soot  [A.  CJ 

,,       ,,       ,,  a  sweep  [A.  CJ 

„       „       „  the  „        [B.  CJ 

„        „       „  tar  [W.  W.  MJ 

,,    busy    ,,  a  bee  [B.  CJ 

„    cold     „  ice  [A.  C,  B.  C,  W.  W.M.,  A.GJ 

,,  lead  [A.  C.,J.  SJ 

„    cute     ,,  the  ^  mischief  [B.  CJ 

„    dark    „  pitch  [B.  C,  W.  IV.  MJ 

„  tar  [A.  GJ 

,,   fast     ,,  a  hare  [A.  CJ 

,,   fat       ,,  a  ram  [B.  CJ 

,,    happy ,,  the  day  is  long  [B.  CJ 

„  a  king  [A.  C,  B.  CJ 

„    hard   „  iron  [B.  CJ 

,,    hot       ,,  fire  [B.  CJ 

„       „       „  the  fire  [W.  W.  MJ 

,,    light    ,,  day  [A.  GJ 

,,    light    ,,  a  feather  [B.  CJ 

,,    neat     ,,  a  pin  [A.  C.J 

„    old       „  the  hills  [IV.  W.  MJ 

,,    poor     ,,  a  church  rat  [f.  S.J 

,,    quiet    „  a  mouse  [A.  C,  W.  W.  MJ 

„    red      „  fire  [A.  C,  B.  CJ 

,,    rich      ,,  a  '^jett.  [B.  CJ 

,,    sharp  „  a  needle  [A.  C.J 

'  The  iron  rod  which  hangs  down  from  inside  a  chimney,  with 
a  hook  at  the  end,  on  which  a  cooking-pot  can  be  hung. 

2  I.  e.  Devil.  '  I.  e.  Jew. 


Similes  243 

As  soft      as  porridge  [A.  C,  B.  C] 
,,    strong ,,    a  horse  [W.  W.  M.J 
,,    swift  ,,    the  wind  [B.  CJ 
,,    warm.,,  fire  [A.  G.] 

„    a  pie  [A.  C,  B.  CJ 
,,    white  ,,    a  ghost  [A.  C,  B.  C,  A.  GJ 
„       „       ,,    snow  [A.  C,  B.  CJ 

Nearly  all  these  similes,  I  suppose,  will  be  familiar 
to  those  who,  like  myself,  have  been  brought  up 
almost  entirely  in  South  or  Middle  England,  and 
many  of  them  may  have  been  acquired  from  books. 

To  me  the  following  are  unfamiliar  : — '  As  black 
as  the  crook '  (which  the  New  English  Dictionary 
gives  as  Scottish),  '  As  black  as  the  sweep  '  (instead 
of  '  a  sweep  '),  '  As  black  as  tar  '  (I  should  say  '  as 
pitch  '),  'As  cold  as  lead,'  '  As  dark  as  tar  '  (I  should 
say  'as  pitch '),  'As  hot  as  the  fire  '  (I  should  say 
'  as  fire  '),  '  As  poor  as  a  church  rat  '  (I  should  say 
'church  mouse'),  'As  soft  as  porridge,'  'As  warm 
as  a  pie,' 

The  use  of  '  tar  '  as  well  as  '  pitch  '  as  a  symbol 
of  darkness  is  perhaps  due  to  Golspie  being  a  place 
of  many  fishing-boats.  The  omission  of  '  As  black 
as  a  coal '  might  be  explained  thus  :  coal  has  pro- 
bably been  little  used  in  Golspie  until  recent  times 
— its  place  having  been  held  by  peat.  The  omis- 
sion of  'As  heavy  as  lead '  and  'As  white  as  a  sheet ' 
is  also  noticeable.  But  I  find  that  all  three  of  these 
similes  are  used  in  Golspie. 


R  2 


BELIEFS  ABOUT  WEATHER 


Signs  of  rain  247 


BELIEFS  ABOUT  WEATHER 


If  the  hens  in  any  yard  were  seen  picking  their 
feathers,  it  is  a  sure  sign  of  rain.  [A.   C] 

So  on  the  other  side  of  the  Moray  Firth  '  If  hens 
and  ducks  preen  themselves  with  more  than  usual 
care,  foul  weather  is  regarded  as  certain  '  (Gregor, 
Folk-lore  of  N.-E.  of  Scotland,  p.  142). 

Dr.  Buchan  tells  me  that  the  increased  amount  of 
moisture  in  the  air  does  actually  occasion  certain 
uncomfortable  feelings  in  the  birds  which  cause 
them  to  act  in  this  way. 

That  birds  flying  low  was  a  sign  of  rain. 

[B.  C] 

This,  Dr.  Buchan  says,  is  correct  as  regards  some 
birds,  swallows  for  instance. 

Dr.  Joass  observes  that  at  such  times  insects  fly 
low  because  the  upper  air  is  too  rare,  and  that 
birds  which  feed  on  insects  pursue  them  at  this 
lower  level. 


THE  PLACE  AND  ITS  PEOPLING 


at  some  point  where  it  is  not  covered  with  veg-eta- 
tion  or  alluvium,  you  will  see  that  here  also  in 
most  places,  from  foot  to  summit,  the  soil  consists 


r 


The  lie  and  forming  of  the  land     251 


THE  PLACE  AND  ITS  PEOPLING 


The  lie  of  the  land.  The  village  of  Golspie 
lies  in  a  bay  on  the  E.  coast  of  Sutherland,  only- 
some  3  or  4  miles  south  of  the  S.  point  of  Norway. 
It  is  built  on  a  narrow  plain  which  is  continued 
both  to  the  N.  and  the  S.  At  the  back  of  diis 
plain  rises  a  very  low  terrace.  And  off  this  low 
terrace  (sometimes  almost  from  its  edge,  some- 
times a  little  more  inland)  springs  a  range  of  moun- 
tains. The  mountain  immediately  at  the  back  of 
the  village  is  called  Beinn  a'  Bhraghaidh  (see  p.  19 — 
commonly  pronounced  Ben  (a)  Vraggie). 

The  formmg  of  the  land.  Walking  along  this 
narrow  plain  you  may  observe  that  just  below  the 
grass  is  nothing  but  sand  and  pebbles  :  indeed, 
S.  of  the  village  you  will  find  sandy  hillocks 
between  which  lie  large  numbers  of  stones  obviously 
thrown  up  by  the  sea.  So  you  will  conclude  that 
at  one  time  the  sea  must  have  rolled  over  the  site 
of  Golspie. 

If  you  next  look  at  the  slope  of  the  low  terrace 
at  some  point  where  it  is  not  covered  with  vegeta- 
tion or  alluvium,  you  will  see  that  here  also  in 
most  places,  from  foot  to  summit,  the  soil  consists 


252  The  forming  of  the  land 

of  sand  and  pebbles.  And  you  will  conclude  that 
at  one  time  the  sea  must  have  rolled  not  only  over 
the  plain  below  but  over  all  the  ground  on  which 
this  low  ^  terrace  stands,  until  the  waves  washed 
against  the  now  buried  base  of  the  mountains 
beyond. 

If  you  have  spent  a  shilling  in  buying,  and  a  very 
few  hours  in  carefully  reading,  Geikie's  delightfully 
simple  ^  Primer  of  Geology,  you  will  know  why 
the  sea  does  not  still  do  so.  First  the  land  which 
now  forms  the  low  terrace  was  heaved  up  from 
under  the  sea  :  then  the  plain  on  which  Golspie 
stands  was  also  heaved  up,  and  the  sea  driven  back 
still  further,  to  its  present  limit,  I  am  told  by 
Dr.  Joass  that  these  upheavals  took  place  after 
the  separation  from  Norway  and  after  the  great 
Ice  Age. 

There  is  one  other  feature  of  the  landscape  to 
which  I  must  call  your  attention.  Dunrobin  Park 
and  the  hamlet  at  Backies  are  separated  from 
Golspie  and  the  hamlet  at  Golspie  Tower  by  a  glen 

^  This  terrace  is  in  fact  what  geologists  know  as  the  100  ft.  beach, 
and  the  plain  below  what  is  sometimes  called  the  20  ft.  beach. 
These  are  traceable  round  great  part  of  the  Scottish  coast,  but  are 
not  always  of  those  same  heights  :  see  Geikie's  Scenery  of  Scotland, 
pp.  380,  &c. 

^  One  of  Macmillan's  Science  Primers.  An  intelligent  reader 
of  that  little  book  (supposing  him  to  have  read  no  geology  before) 
will  find  his  understanding  and  appreciation  of  landscape  im- 
mensely increased.  And,  if  in  going  to  fresh  regions  he  will  take 
with  him  the  best  book  on  their  scenery  (for  instance,  Geikie's 
Scenery  of  Scotland),  he  will  find  himself  a  still  greater  gainer. 
I  speak  from  experience. 


THE    WATERFALL 


The  climate  and  the  soil  253 

called  Dunrobin  Glen,  down  which  runs  the  beauti- 
ful stream  known  as  Golspie  Burn.  For  miles  from 
its  beginning-  up  in  the  mountains  this  glen  is  a 
broad  upland  dale,  down  which  a  glacier  once 
rolled  into  the  sea  those  masses  of  puddingstone 
of  which  fragments  are  so  plentiful  on  Golspie 
beach.  As  the  age  of  snow  and  ice  passed  away, 
the  glacier  melted  into  a  wide  river,  which  at 
last  dwindled  away  into  Golspie  Burn.  Before 
shrinking  to  its  present  size,  however,  this  river 
cut  itself  a  ravine  through  the  terrace  which  had 
been  heaved  up  from  under  the  sea  ;  and  the  mouth 
of  this  ravine  was  widened  by  the  sea  running 
up  it,  until  the  upheaval  of  the  plain  on  which 
Golspie  stands  drove  the  sea  back.  So  it  is  that 
at  this  point  a  fairly  broad  delta  of  gendy  sloping 
ground  has  been  cut  for  several  hundred  yards  out 
of  the  heart  of  the  ancient  beach -terrace. 

Did  all  these  changes  happen  before  or  after  the 
district  was  first  inhabited  ?  Well,  an  immense 
number  of  implements,  and  flakes,  of  the  Later 
Stone  Age  have  been  found  on  Golspie  Links. 
Consequently,  the  lower  of  the  two  old  beaches 
must  already  have  been  deserted  by  the  sea  when 
these  implements  came  there. 

The  climate  and  the  soiL  The  climate  is,  for 
Scotland,  comparatively  dry  and  mild.  The  yearly 
rainfall  is  only  about  \  as  much  again  as  that  of 
London,  there  is  little  frost  near  the  sea,  and  the 
mountains  shield  you  from  the  N.  and  N.W.  winds. 

And,  although  the  natural  soil  is  little  more  than 


254       The  first  inhabitants.     Caves 

sand  mixed  with  decayed  vegetation  and  with  what- 
ever the  burns  bring  down  from  the  mountains, 
careful  tillage  has  made  it  highly  productive.  Walk 
along  the  roads,  and  look  at  the  ^  oats,  the  barley, 
the  kitchen-crops  around  you,  and  you  will  as- 
suredly never  dream  that  you  are  within  60  miles 
of  Johnnie  Groat's  house.  As  for  trees  and  flowers, 
they  flourish  right  royally,  and  you  will  seldom  see 
a  richer  garden  than  that  to  which  my  eyes  are 
lifted  as  I  write  2. 

The  first  inhabitants.  If  the  peopUng  of  the 
neighbourhood  began  in  man's  earliest  days,  no 
doubt  its  inhabitants  dwelt — some  of  them  at  least 
— in  caves  on  the  mountains  and  sea-shore.  There 
are  natural  caves  on  Beinn  a'  Bhraghaidh  (one)  and 
above  Backies  (two).  There  are  also  two  natural 
caves  in  the  old  cliff-side  at  Strathsteven,  with  the 
rock  worked  into  footholds  beneath  them  ;  and  the 
larger  of  the  two  is  obviously  used  as  a  temporary 
dwelling  even  at  the  present  day.  This  latter  cave 
has  had  ledges  cut  in  its  sides  and  basins  scooped 
in  these  ledges,  and  at  its  further  end  are  smaller 

*  On  Aug.  18,  1769,  Pennant  saw  at  Dunrobin  'a  very  fine  field 
of  wheat,  which  ■would  be  ripe  about  the  middle  of  next  month. 
This  was  the  last  wheat  which  had  been  sown  this  year  in  North 
Britain'  {Tour  in  Scotland,  ist  ed.,  p.  146).  It  is  still  grown 
sometimes  between  Golspie  and  the  Fleet — and  in  one  spot  in  the 
parish  of  Loth,  even  further  north. 

-  South-British  gardeners  may  perhaps  take  one  hint  at  least 
from  Golspie.  The  tall  crimson  loose-strife  {lythruni  roseum) 
which  grows  beside  many  of  their  streams  is  here  cultivated  as 
a  garden-flower,  and  at  Dunrobin  is  grown  in  large  beds  which 
produce  a  brilliant  effect. 


Weems.     Hut-circles  255 

openings  at  a  higher  level,  which  look  as  if  they 
had  been  contrived  as  sleeping-berths  :  but  whether 
these  adaptations  were  made  3000  years  ago  or  300 
I  cannot  tell. 

After  the  caves  would  probabh'  come  the  ^  weems. 
Weems  are  round  pits,  about  4  to  8  feet  across,  and 
they  were  doubtless  covered  with  boughs  of  trees. 
They  are  always  found  in  small  groups,  and  one 
such  group,  containing  charcoal  and  shells,  and 
with  flint  instruments  close  to  it,  has  been  found  as 
near  as  Kilmaly. 

After  the  weems  would  come  the  Imt-circles. 
A  low  circular  wall  was  built  of  two  parallel  rows 
of  boulders,  filled  in  with  smaller  stones  and  covered 
with  turf.  Against  the  inner  side  of  this  seem  to 
have  been  propped  trunks,  sloping  inward  so  that 
their  tops  met  in  the  centre.  These  of  course 
would  be  covered  with  branches  or  turf  to  keep 
out  wind  and  rain,  except  that  at  the  top  a  space 
may  have  been  left  unroofed  for  the  escape  of 
smoke.  The  inside  diameter  of  such  circular  walls 
is  about  30  ft.,  and  a  gap  is  left  in  them  facing  the 
morning  sun :  no  doubt  a  corresponding  gap  was 
left  in  the  circle  of  tree-trunks,  and  this  was  the 
way  the  hut  received  most  of  its  daylight.  Remains 
of  such  hut-circles  are  found  as  near  as  Beinn  a' 
Bhraghaidh  and  Kilmaly.  At  whatever  time  they 
were  first  invented,  they  were  in  use  as  late  as  the 

'  Weem  probably  represents  a  South-Lowland  form  of  wanie 
(belly,  'womb'),  used  metaphorically  (as  we  speak  of  the  belly 
of  the  earth). 


256  Earth-houses.     Brochs 

Iron  Age,  since  iron  implements  have  been  found 
among  them. 

Perhaps  the  ^  earth- houses  are  later  than  the 
hut-circles.  These,  like  the  pit-dwellings,  are  called 
'  weems  '  in  some  parts  of  Scotland,  and  no  doubt 
they  were  developed  from  the  pit-dwellings.  They 
consist  of  low  narrow  underground  galleries,  walled 
and  roofed  with  boulders.  One  was  found  on  the 
slope  of  the  100  ft.  beach,  in  making  the  new  grave- 
yard at  Golspie.  Another  still  exists  near  Kilmaly- 
craigton,  just  beyond  Kirkton,  and  its  shape,  that  of 
a  ^_  with  entrance  at  both  ends,  is  more  developed 
than  is  commonly  the  case.  Objects  as  late  as  the 
Roman  period  have  been  found  in  some  Scottish 
earth-houses. 

Later,  probably,  than  any  of  these  forms  of 
dwelHng  are  the  ^^  Duns,  Brochs,  '  Piciish  towers,' 
or  '- Picts'  houses.'  On  the  map  you  will  see  one 
(called  Carn  Liath,  '  Grey  Cairn ')  about  i  \  mile 
E.  N.  E.  of  Dunrobin  (on  the  edge  of  the  higher 
of  the  two  ancient  beaches),  a  second  about  a 
mile  N.W.  of  Dunrobin,  and  a  third  at  Backies 
about  I  mile  N.  W.  of  the  second.  No  doubt,  as 
Dr.  Joass  suggests,  this  was  intended  as  a  line  of 
towers  from  the  coast  to  the  upland  dale  of  Dun- 
robin Glen.  Apparently  there  was  a  fourth  such 
tower  on  the  site  of  Dunrobin  itself,  where  remains 

1  See  Anderson's  'Scotland  in  pagan  times— the  Iron  Age,' 
pp. 282-307. 

^  Dim  is  the  old  Sutherland  name  for  such  structures :  it 
signifies  in  Gaelic  a  mound  or  fort.  Broch  is  the  Gaelic  bnigh, 
a  large  house. 


Structure  of  a  brock  257 

similar  to  those  found  in  such  towers  have  been 
discovered  in  excavating, 

^  Brochs  are  circular  buildings  of  unhewn  and 
uncemented  stone,  narrowing  in  outside  diameter  as 
they  rise,  and  with  a  central  court  open  to  the  sky. 
The  only  perfect  specimen  of  them,  on  the  isle  of 
Mousey  (one  of  the  Shetlands),  is  45  ft,  high,  but  some 
seem  to  have  been  a  little  higher  than  this.  They 
have  very  thick  walls,  in  the  width  of  which  (about 
1 5  ft,)  are  contained  a  number  of  rooms  level  with 
the  ground,  while  above  them  are  galleries  reached 
by  a  spiral  staircase — which,  like  the  galleries 
themselves,  is  contained  within  the  thickness  of  the 
walls.  The  rooms  and  galleries  are  lit  by  openings 
through  the  inner  wall  into  the  central  court.  This 
court  was  normally  about  30  ft.  across,  and  in  it  we 
often  find  one  or  more  wells  or  walled  pits.  Entrance 
was  to  be  had  only  by  a  narrow  passage  containing 
a  barred  door,  or  pair  of  doors,  and  guardchamber. 

The  kindness  of  Dr.  Anderson  and  his  publisher 
Mr,  David  Douglas  allow^s  me  to  reproduce  here 
three  woodcuts  from  Dr,  Anderson's  '  Scotland  in 
pagan  times— the  Iron  Age,'  pp.  175,  178,  and 
187,  which  will  give  a  fair  idea  of  the  outside 
appearance,  interior  architecture,  and  outlying 
defenses  of  a  broch. 

*  On  the  subject  of  Brochs  see  papers  by  Petrie,  Joass  and 
Aitken,  Anderson,  and  Sir  H.  Dryden  in  Archaeologia  Scotica, 
vol.  V,  pt,  I  (1873)  — also  Anderson's  'Scotland  in  pagan  times — 
the  Iron  Age,'  pp.  174-259.  Dr.  Joass's  paper  contains  (.besides 
much  other  valuable  matter)  a  full  illustrated  description  of  Carn 
Liath  and  the  remains  found  there. 


258 


Interior  structure 


In  the  section  on  p.  259,  the  white  space  at  the  foot 
of  the  righthand  wall  represents  the  entrance- 
passage.  Fronting  us  are  the  doors  of  two  out  of 
three  rooms  built  in  the  thickness  of  the  wall  and 
entered  from  the  centre  court :  above  the  doors  are 
window-holes.  At  the  bottom  of  the  lefthand  wall 
is  the  section  of  a  fourth  room,  from  one  end  of  which 
rises  the  staircase.     Each  of  the  5  horizontal  dotted 


The  Broch  of  Mousey^  Shetland  (Anderson). 

lines  represents  the  roof  of  one  gallery  and  the 
floor  of  the  gallery  above  it.  '  These  galleries, 
situated  in  the  heart  of  the  wall,  are  six  in  number. 
Each  begins  about  3  feet  9  inches  in  front  of  the 
stair,  and  goes  round  the  whole  tower  till  it  comes 
against  the  back  of  the  stair,  which  closes  it  at  that 
end,  so  that  entrance  to  the  gallery  or  exit  from 
it   can  only  be  obtained  by  stepping  across  the 


of  brochs 


259 


space  inten'^ening  between  the  end  of  the  gallery- 
floor  and  the  steps  of  the  stair.  .  .  .  None  of  the 
galleries  exceed  5  feet  6  inches  in  height  or  3  feet 
2  inches  in  width  '  (Anderson,  p.  1 79).  The  narrow 
strips  with  5  bridges  across  them  in  the  centre 
of  the  right-  and  lefthand  walls  are  a  section  of 


'  Section  of  the  elevation  of  the  Brock  of  Mousey 
(Anderson,  from  Plan  by  Sir  H.  Drj'den). 

'  I  had  better  explain  this  term  to  those  who  have  no  knowledge 
of  building-terms.  The  '  elevation'  of  a  tower  is  that  part  which 
is  elevated  above  ground  :  it  does  not  include  the  foundations. 
'  Section  '  means  '  cutting,'  and  a  section  of  the  elevation  is  a  plan 
of  what  we  should  see  if  we  were  able  to  cut  the  tower  in  two 
from  the  top  to  the  ground,  and  to  look  at  one  of  the  two  pieces  from 
inside.  If  our  section  went  down  to  the  bottom  of  the  foundations, 
S  2 


26o  Their  origin  native 

these  galleries  with  their  floors.  The  17  little 
black  openings  which  run  up  the  inside  of  the 
court,  on  the  left  side,  looking  like  a  pile  of  black 
hats,  are  windows  lighting  the  galleries.  The  white 
openings  in  the  right-  and  lefthand  walls  are  sec- 
tions of  similar  tiers  of  windows,  but  the  lefthand 
tier  has  lost  some  of  its  lintels.  There  is  a  fourth 
tier  of  this  kind  which  lies  outside  the  section. 

No  broch  has  been  found  anywhere  out  of  Scot- 
land and  the  neighbouring  isles  \  The  round  towers 
of  Ireland,  besides  bearing  evidence  of  ecclesias- 
tical origin,  are  always  limebuilt  and  sometimes 
contain  hewn  stone.  But  the  idea  of  a  house 
with  chambers  inside  its  wall  is  found  in  Ireland, 
Wales,  and  Cornwall  as  well  as  in  Scotland. 

In  the  Balearic  isles,  the  Italian  isles  of  Sardinia 
and  Pantellaria,  and  in  the  '  heel '  of  Italy  are  more 
or  less  similar  structures  -,  all  of  them  in  districts 
which  were  once  exposed  to  the  possible  ravages 
of  Etruscan  or  Carthaginian  pirates.  And,  since 
about  the  year  369  the  Atecotti,  who  lived  be- 
tween the  Forth  and  the  Tyne,  '  were  enrolled  in 
the  Roman  army  and  stationed  on  the  continent ' 
(Rhys,   Celtic   Bi^itain,    p.   93),   I    fancied  at  one 

it  would  be  not  a  '  section  of  the  elevation '  but  a  '  vertical  section,' 
that  is,  a  cutting  straight  down.  If  instead  of  cutting  down 
through  the  tower  we  cut  across  it,  all  the  way  round,  as  we 
might  cut  off  the  top  of  a  round  cake  or  an  egg,  that  would  be 
a  '  horizontal  section '  or  cutting  along  a  level. 

1  See  Arch.  Scot.  v.  pt.  i,  p.  163  i^Dr.  Anderson's  paper). 

^  Anderson,  '  Scotland  in  pagan  times — the  Iron  Age,'  p.  206. 
Anderson  refers  to  the  existence  of  multitudes  of  similar  towers 
in  the  Caucasus. 


Their  distribution  261 

time  that  the  germ  of  the  idea  had  been  brought 
back  from  the  Mediterranean  by  some  returned 
native  soldier.  But  there  is  nowhere  on  the  con- 
tinent any  building  which  does  not  differ  from  the 
broch  in  very  important  particulars,  and  the  broch 
can  be  accounted  for  as  a  development  of  pre- 
existing native  structures.  In  its  shape,  its  dia- 
meter, and  the  lean-to  of  its  sides  it  agrees  with 
the  hut-circle ;  the  long  low  narrow  entrance  and 
the  long  low  narrow  galleries  (Anderson,  p.  207) 
are  like  an  earth-house  ;  '  the  circular  wall,  with 
chambers  in  its  thickness  ...  is  common  ...  in 
Scottish  beehive  houses  '  (Anderson,  pp.  206-7). 

The  rehcs  found  in  the  brochs  show  that  their 
latest  inhabitants,  at  any  rate,  were  in  a  compara- 
tively advanced  state  of  civilization,  and  in  one 
case  Roman  coins,  but  not  later  than  the  empress 
Crispina  (A.  D.  180-192),  have  been  discovered. 
The  situations,  moreover,  in  which  we  find  them 
show  that  they  were  built  for  the  protection  of  the 
people  who  cultivated  the  arable  land  along  the 
coasts  and  up  the  valleys. 

S.  of  the  Great  Glen  of  Scotland  (the  Hne  of 
the  Caledonian  Canal)  only  3  brochs  had  been 
found  up  to  the  year  1883,  though  probably  the 
grassy  mounds  '  which  exist  abundantly  in  the 
valleys  of  the  Forth  and  Teith  for  instance  ^ '  conceal 
many  more '.     But  the  mainland  of  Invernessshire 

'  Anderson's  '  Scotland  in  pagan  times— the  Iron  Age,'  p.  191. 
2  Mr.  Kidston,  the  well-known  geologist,  who  lives  at  Stirling, 
tells  mo  that  he  knows  of  four  not  far  from  there. 


262     The  brochs  mainly  post-Roman 

contains  6,  of  Ross  10,  of  Sutherland  60,  and 
of  Caithness  79  !  The  Orkneys  contain  70,  the 
Shetlands  75,  the  Isle  of  Lewis-and- Harris  38,  the 
Isle  of  Skye  30,  and  the  Isle  of  Raasay  i  !  It  is 
plain  that,  whenever  and  against  whatever  foes 
brochs  ^QXQ.  first  built,  it  was  against  foes  from  the 
northern  seas  that  they  were  chiefly  built. 

The  brochs  contain  no  wrought  flints,  and  they 
do  contain  bronze — so  that  they  are  later  than  the 
Stone  Age.  They  also  contain  a  very  little  iron. 
The  relics  found  in  them  '  are  characteristic  of  the 
Celtic  area  and  of  post-Roman  times '  (Anderson, 
p.  259).  But  were  they  first  built  against  Saxon 
pirates  or  Norse  pirates,  and  how  long  did  their 
building  continue  ? 

No  chronicle,  Irish  or  Norse,  mentions  the  build- 
ing of  a  broch,  but  we  have  Norse  evidence  ^  that 
the  broch  at  Mousey  was  already  in  existence  about 
A.  D.  900.  Add  that  the  brochs  have  yielded  up  no 
Anglo-Saxon  or  Carolingian  coins,  and  no  inscrip- 
tions—although there  are  Pictish  inscriptions  (both 
in  Ogams  and  in  Roman  letters)  dating  back  ap- 
parently to  the  7th  century. 

As  to  the  time  when  the  earliest  brochs  may 
have  been  built  as  a  defense  against  Saxon  attacks, 
we  find  that  the  British  coasts  had  begun  to  be 
attacked  at  least  as  early  as  A.  D.  287,  since  Carau- 
sius,  who  then  assumed  rule  in  Britain,  had  before 
that  '  risen  to  be  the  head  of  a  fleet  intended  to 

^  Egtlls  Saga,  c.  32.  33  ;  Mem.  de  la  Soc.  Roy.  des  Ant.  dit  Nord, 
1850-60,  p.  127 — both  referred  to  in  Arch.  Scot.  v.  pt.  i,  p.  158. 


and  built  against  Saxon  attacks  263 

repress  the  Saxons  and  other  German  tribes  who 
novv^  ravaged  the  coasts  of  Britain  and  Gaul '.'  We 
know  also  that  in  A.  D.  369  a  Saxon  fleet  retreated 
before  Theodosius  to  the  Orkneys  ^.  But  the  broch 
at  Cockburn  Law,  Berwickshire,  must  have  been 
erected  after  the  end  of  the  Roman  occupation  of 
that  part  of  Scotland,  which  was  almost  continuous 
from  A.  D,  78  to  A.  D.  391:  during  the  occasional 
inroads  of  Picts  and  Scots  there  would  have  been 
no  building  of  forts  against  Saxon  attacks,  nor  is 
it  till  after  Roman  rule  had  ceased  in  Britain  that 
we  hear  of  the  Saxons  as  attacking  the  Picts  and 
Scots.  And  it  is  pretty  certain  that  before  the 
end  of  the  6th  century,  or  at  any  rate  the  middle 
of  the  7th,  Cockburn  Law  would  have  been  part  of 
the  Anglian  kingdom  of  Bernicia. 

The  fortifications  of  Cockburn  Law  are  on  '  a 
natural  platform  projecting  from  the  shoulder  of 
the  hill  over  the  valley  of  the  Whitadder  water, 
about  250  feet  above  the  bed  of  the  stream ' 
(Anderson,  p.  i86),  and  are  10  miles  from  the  sea. 
This  suggests  that  they  were  built  when  the  in- 
vaders were  already  masters  of  the  seacoast,  or  at 
least  were  accustomed  to  raid  10  miles  inland^. 
And  it  recalls  an  extraordinary  fact — that  although 
there  are  75  brochs  in  Shetland,  70  in  Orkney, 
79  in  Caithness,  60  in  Sutherland,  6  on  the  maln- 

'   Rhys,  Celtic  Britain,  p.  92.  '^  lb.,  p.  93. 

^  The  diameter  is  abnormal,  and  so  is  the  size  of  many  of  the 
stones  (Anderson,  p.  188).  Dr.  Joass  also  tells  mc  they  are 
tooled,  and  he  regards  this  as  a  late  broch. 


General  plan  of  Broeh  and  its  fortifications  on  Cockbunt  Law, 
Berwickshire  (Anderson). 


Most  brocks  built  about  A.D.  joo     265 

land  of  Ross,  and  10  on  that  of  Invernessshire, 
there  is  not  one  yet  discovered  in  the  seaboard 
counties  of  Nairnshire,  Elginshire,  Banffshire,  Aber- 
deenshire, Kincardineshire,  Forfarshire,  Fife,  Lin- 
lithgow-shire,  Lothian,  or  Haddingtonshire !  Of 
the  remaining  counties  on  the  E.  coast  of  Scotland 
S.  of  the  Moray  Firth  Perthshire  has  i  (inland), 
and  Stirlingshire  4 — but  these  two  are  only  washed 
by  the  upper  waters  of  estuaries — while  Berwick- 
shire has  none  except  that  on  Cockburn  Law. 

What  natural  explanation  can  be  given  of  these 
extraordinary  differences  ?  I  believe  one  is  to  be 
found  in  the  statement  of  Geoffrey  of  Monmouth  ^ 
that,  at  the  time  when  the  kings  of  Britain  caused 
Art(h)ur  to  be  crowned  over-king,  the  Saxons  had 
'  subjugated  to  themselves  all  the  part  of  the  isle 
which  is  extended  from  the  river  of  H  umber  as 
far  as  the  Caithness  sea,'  i.e.  the  Moray  Firth. 
Arthur  was  crowned  about  the  beginning  of  the  6th 
century,  the  Annates  Cambrioe  apparently  placing 
his  great  victory  over  the  Saxons  at  the  Badon 
Mount  in  516  and  his  death  in  537,  while  Geoffrey 
puts  his  death  in  542,  and  Gildas,  who  apparently 
wrote  not  later  than  547,  refers  to  him  as  if  he 
were  dead  -. 

In  other  words  I  suggest  that,  whether  or  not 

'  Subjugaverant  etiam  sibi  totam  partem  insulae,  quae  a  flumine 
Humbri  usque  ad  marc  Catancsium  cxtenditur. — Giles's  edition, 
ix.  §  I.  On  Geoffrey  and  the  Old  Breton  chronicle  he  translated, 
see  my  letter  in  The  Academy  of  Apr.  ii,  1896. 

'"'  See  my  letter  in  The  Academy  of  Oct.  12,  1895. 


266  The  first  names  of  tribes 

isolated  brochs  were  built  earlier,  and  whether  or 
not  the  practice  was  continued  later,  the  great 
majority  were  built  in  the  late  5th  or  early  6th 
century,  after  the  Saxons  had  conquered  the  sea- 
board from  the  Humber  to  the  Moray  Firth,  and 
were  built  to  protect  the  rest  of  North  Britain 
against  their  devastations. 

The  first  names  we  possess  for  the  inhabitants 
of  these  regions  are  furnished  by  the  Greek  geo- 
grapher Ptolemy,  who  flourished  about  A.D.  126- 
161,  and  who  gives  a  list  of  the  tribes  inhabiting 
North  Britain.  He  says  (ii.  §11)  that  the  last  of  all 
were  the  ^  Kopi'avtot,  a  name  which  in  Latin  would  be 
written  Cornavii,  and  obviously  means  those  who 
dwelt  in  the  northern  horn  of  the  isle  (Gaelic  corn^ 
'  horn  ') :  these  are  placed  by  Rhj^s  and  Kiepert  in 
Caithness.  Next  to  them  (§  12)  along  the  E.  coast 
came  the  AoCyot  ( =  \^2XinLugi)  and  AeKcti^Tat  ( =  Latin 
Decantae),  but,  while  Rhys  places  the  Lugi  along 
the  Golspie  coast  and  the  Decantae  to  the  south 
of  them,  Kiepert  continues  the  Decantae  N.  from 
Ross  across  the  Dornoch  Firth  and  Loch  Fleet — 
which  seems  to  me  less  likely. 

1  In  the  Greek  and  Latinized  forms  of  this  i^and  the  names 
mentioned  in  connexion  with  it)  the  final  diphthong  or  vowel  is 
a  Greek  or  Latin  termination.  All  we  know  of  the  Gaelic  names 
is  that  they  were  Cornav-,  L(o)ug-,  Decant-,  Smert-.  Holder 
{Alt-Celtischer  Spyachschatz)  derives  Cornavii  ivom  the  stem  of  an 
original  cornu,  gen.  cornav-os.  The  name  of  the  Decantae  seems 
to  come  from  a  Keltic  stem  dec-,  related  to  the  stem  of  Latin 
decentes,  Greek  ^oKowres,  and  may  mean  '  illustrious,'  '  comely,' 
or  '  decorated.' 


L{6)ugi  and  Smertae  267 

In  the  2nd  century,  then,  the  people  of  the 
Golspie  coast  seem  to  have  been  called  Lougoi 
or  Lugi,  a  name  of  which  we  do  not  know  the 
meaning  \  though  there  are  /ozcg-  and  lug-  stems 
in  Keltic.  The  inhabitants  of  some  of  the  high- 
lands behind  (but  beginning  at  what  distance  from 
the  coast  we  cannot  tell)  seem  to  have  been  called 
(Ptolemy,  ii.  §  12)  Sjueprat  (  =  Latin  Smcriae),  which. 
looks  as  if  it  meant  '  the  smeared  people  ' ;  for  we 
have  in  Highland  Gaelic  the  participle  svteurta 
'smeared'  and  in  Irish  Gaelic  smeartha  with  the 
same  meaning — both  pointing  to  an  earlier  smeria. 

Why  should  these  Sutherland  highlanders  be 
called  by  such  a  name  ?  Well,  in  those  days  the 
climate  was  much  more  wooded  than  it  is  now,  and 
therefore  probably  wetter  and  colder.  Now  the 
North  Britons  of  the  2nd  century  probably  had  not 
much  clothing  -,  and  n  the  northernmost  highlands 
they  may  have  smeared  themselves  with  whale-oil 
or  the  oil  of  other  marine  animals,  as  a  protection 
against  wet  and  cold.  In  1 793  it  is  said  of  Golspie, 
'  Seals  and  porpoises  are  on  the  coast ;  sometimes 
small  whales  are  seen  near  it ;  and  there  are  instances 


'  In  Highland  Gaelic  /«^-f7f/?  = 'bowlegged,'  and  /ug-a)i='a 
crooked  person';  Mr.  Macbain  derives  them  from  a  root  meaning 
bend.  Did  the  Lugi  carry  coracles  and  creels  on  their  backs,  and 
get  the  name  from  a  bent  position  in  walking? 

^  The  Greek  historian  Herodian,  writing  in  218,  describes  the 
North  Britons  against  whom  the  Romans  marched  in  ao8  as 
being  tattooed  and  wearing  iron  ornaments,  but  not  knowing  any 
use  for  clothing  (iii.  14.  §  7).  This  last  statement  is  incredible: 
perhaps  they  stripped  for  battle,  and  so  gave  occasion  for  his  belief. 


268  Kilmaly.     St.  Malin 

of  some  being  driven  on  shore  '  {Statistical  account 
of  Scotland,  ix.  p.  2"]).  Even  now  a  whale  occa- 
sionally appears  off  Golspie. 

Kilmaly.  But  the  first  people  hereabouts  whom 
we  find  living  together  in  a  place  possessing  a  dis- 
tinct name  are  probably  the  people  of  Culmalin 
or  Kilmaly.  This  (Gaelic)  name  indicates  a  church 
('  cell,'  Latin  cella,  pronounced  kelld)  dedicated  to 
a  saint  named  Malin.  We  have  already  seen  that 
there  are  weems,  hut-circles,  and  an  earth-house 
(probably  of  much  earlier  date)  at  Kilmaly. 

Who  was  St.  Mahn  ?  His  name  is  unknown  in 
that  form.  But  I  believe  I  have  found  him  in  the 
celebrated  Irish  saint  commonly  known  as  Moling, 
who  died  in  697,  and  who  is  called  Maling  in  a 
manuscript  so  near  to  his  own  time  as  the  8th  cen- 
tury K  The  change  of  Maling  to  Malin  is  exactly 
paralleled  in  the  modern  names  Mullinakill,  where 
one  tradition  places  his  birth,  and  St.  MuUins 
(originally  Tigh -Moling),  where  he  founded  a 
monastery  (Smith  and  Wace,  Diet,  of  Christian 
biography,  iii,  p.  930). 

St.  MaHng  died  '  in  Britonen,'  '  among  Britons,' 
and  the  kirk  may  have  been  dedicated  to  him  soon 
after  his  death  by  some  missionary  successor  of 
St.  Columba.  But  the  Columban  monks  were 
expelled  from  Pictish  into  Scottish  soil  (Argyll  and 

1  A  MS.  at  the  Monastery  of  St.  Paul  in  Carinthia  :  see 
Windisch,  Irische  Texte,  p.  317.  Maling  is  probably  the  correct 
form,  corrupted  into  Moling  because  the  honorific  prefix  Mo  'my' 
was  commonly  attached  to  the  names  of  ecclesiastics  :  thus  Cua 
became  Mochua. 


THK    KILMALY    OGAM-STONE 


1  IIJC    KIL.MALY  OGAM-STONE 


The  Kilmaly  Ogam-stone         269 

thereabouts)  in  717,  and  we  don't  know  when  they 
returned  or  whether  they  returned  at  all.  The 
foundation  of  the  kirk  is  more  likely  to  be  due 
to  the  Culdees  at  a  much  later  period.  It  has 
been  said  that  the  see  of  Dornoch,  which  is  only 
6  miles  off,  was  founded  by  Malcolm  III,  about 
1066,  but  evidence  of  this  is  not  forthcoming  K 
Ecclesiastical  land,  however,  was  held  at  Kilmaly 
when  the  Kilmaly  Ogam -stone  was  carved,  and 
that  (as  I  shall  presently  show)  may  be  put  with 
much  probabihty  about  1070. 

The  Kilmaly  Ogam-stone  is  the  most  ancient 
record  which  exists  relating  to  any  part  of  the 
parish  of  Golspie.  It  used  to  be  at  Kilmaly,  but  is 
now  in  the  museum  at  Dunrobin.  I  give  photo- 
graphs of  both  sides  of  it,  and  you  will  see  that 
the  side  which  has  the  figure  of  a  man  has  strokes 
cut  round  the  righthand  edge  and  along  the  top. 
These  strokes  are  letters  of  a  peculiar  alphabet  used 
in  the  early  middle  ages  by  the  Irish  and  the  Picts, 
and  by  those  branches  of  either  race  which  were 
settled  in  N.  and  S.  Wales,  Devon,  and  Cornwall-, 

This  alphabet  is  called  the  Ogam  alphabet,  and 
the  separate  letters  Ogams.  I  should  hke  not  only 
Golspie  people  but  everyone  in  Scotland  N.  of  the 
Forth  to  be  able  to  recognize  Ogams  when  he  sees 
them ;  for  there  can  be  no  serious  doubt  that  the 
number  of  Ogam  inscriptions  yet  found  in  Scotland, 

'   Orig.  paroch.  Scoiice,  ii.  pt.  ii,  p.  598. 

*  An  Ogam-stone  has  also  been  found  at  Silchester  in  Hamp- 
shire, an  important  place  in  Romano-British  times. 


270       Distribution  of  Ogam-writing 

Orkney,  and  Shetland  is  far  short  of  that  which  we 
may  reasonably  expect  to  discover.  And  so  I  shall 
borrow  from  my  own  book  '  The  vernacular  in- 
scriptions of  the  ancient  kingdom  of  Alban  '  enough 
not  only  to  explain  the  Kilmaly  Ogam-stone,  but 
to  enable  the  reader  to  identify  Pictish  Ogams 
wherever  he  may  see  them. 

The  Ogam  alphabet  is  not  found  outside  the 
British  isles,  and  was  employed  only  by  those 
peoples  whose  occupation  of  them  preceded  the 
Roman  invasion — probably  only  by  those  of  Gaelic 
race.  A  great  number  of  inscriptions  in  it  have 
been  discovered  in  Ireland ;  smaller  numbers  in 
Scotland,  the  Shetlands  and  Orkneys,  the  Isle  of 
Man,  Wales,  and  England.  But  none  have  been 
found  in  Scotland  S.  of  the  Forth,  or  on  the  west 
side  of  it  where  the  Irish  colonists  called  Scots 
planted  themselves. 

The  alphabet  consisted  of  strokes — almost  ex- 
clusively straight  strokes — written  on  a  ^  line  com- 
monly  called    the    stem-line — which    is    normally 

1  This  line  may  run  along  a  natural  edge  of  the  stone,  but 
I  know  of  no  case  where  the  edge  certainly  takes  the  place  of 
a  stem-line.  Such  an  instance  was  supposed  to  be  found  in  the 
Kilmaly  stone,  but  a  microscope  shows  me  parts  of  a  faint 
stem-line  in  a  photograph  taken  by  Mr.  A.  M.  Dixon  for  the  Earl 
of  Southesk.  Where  (as  sometimes  happens)  the  stem-line  is 
hardly  more  than  a  scratch,  and  where  (as  invariably  happens)  it 
has  been  exposed  to  the  weather  of  700  to  1200  years,  it  cannot 
always  be  detected  at  a  glance  upon  a  deeply  pitted  or  abundantly 
veined  stone.  The  same  remark  applies  to  the  '  ties  '  which  some- 
times join  the  tops  or  bottoms  of  strokes  forming  part  of  the 
same  letter,  and  to  the  '  rulings'  upon  or  below  which  the  letters 
were  sometimes  written. 


The  Ogam  alphabet  2,']i 

straight,  but  in  one  instance  (the  Garden  Moor 
stone  at  Logie  Elphinstone)  circular.  The  more 
ordinary  characters  were  as  follows 

mil  mil 

b      1       V        s         n 

!  H  III  IIHIIlti-///  ///  ////  IHHnr 

aou         ei  muDK  =>'  ^         P 

According  to  Irish  tradition,  ttt  representedy";  but 
it  is  found  in  places  where  an  ancient  Irish  initial  v 
would  be  expected,  and,  as  such  a  v  ordinarily 
passed  into  f  in  later  Irish,  the  value  of  its  sign 
might  similarly  change.  Its  value  in  Pictish  inscrip- 
tions is  always  z/,  w^  or  u. 

The  following  are  the  types  of  Ogams  found  in 
Pictish  inscriptions 


English 

Ogam 

equivalent 

character 

A 

-|-   or  ^7   or  -^  or  -<- 

B 

-r 

C  (hard) 

iiii, 

D 

Ji 

E 

■Wf  or  »»-  or  ->•<-  or  ^ 

G 

// 

H 

± 

I 

■Htff 

K 

liU 

L 

IT 

M 

/ 

N 

rnir 

O 

^  or  »  or  -« 

P 

TT 

272       Origin  of  various  characters 


English 
equivalent 

Ogam 
character 

Q 

OillL 

R 

Mi 

S 

ITTT 

T 

m. 

U 

-Hf  (or  TTT  ^) 

""1 

w) 

TTT 

s 

IT 

HO 

& 

lA 

ffift 

MA 

f 

OE 

tUt 

01 

-e-  or-0- 

RR 

X)000( 

ST 

M 

?UI 

VC7 

The  question  of  the  origin  of  all  or  any  ot  the 
Ogam  characters  lies  outside  the  object  of  this 
sketch :    but   it   has   long  been  pointed  out   that 

-'1  11  in  imiiiii  represent  ^  initial  letters  of  the  Old 
Irish  numerals  for  i,  2,  3,  4,  5,  It  is  also  obvious 
that  the  sign  for  rr  is  formed  by  crossing  two 
^''s.  The  sign  for  p  is  either  a  modification 
of  T  d,  or  an  angular  form  of  the  Roman  P. 
The  sign  for  ^  is  obviously  formed  out  of  that 
for  d.      The   modified   form   of  o   which    I    take 

'  Hdin,  da,  tri,  cethir,  and  some  form  of  coic  spelt  (like  Latin 
quinque)  with  initial  q. 


77?^  Ogajjts  on  the  Kilmaly  stone    273 

to  =oe  is  apparently  meant  to  represent  a  com- 
bination of  -jf  ^  and  -ffH-  e.  The  two  signs  for  oi 
may  represent  a  Roman  o  (sometimes  written  O  by 
Irish  scribes)  with  a  Roman  i  (the  stem-line  laid 
crosswise  inside  it.  -ez  may  represent  a  Roman 
u  with  a  Roman  i  (the  stem-line)  laid  across  the 
top.  And  it  will  be  seen  that  the  combinations 
for  Jio,  ia,  ma  are  made  up  of  k  +  o,  z  +  ^,  and 
m  +  a. 

The  writing  of  consonants  on  Pictish  Ogam- 
stones  usually  slopes :  above  the  stem-line  the  slope 
is  almost  always  \,  and  below  the  line  /,  and  this 
is  so  on  the  Kilmaly  stone,  except  that  the  last 
9  strokes  above  the  line  slant  / .  If  you  stand  to 
the  right  of  it  and  read  from  the  bottom  upwards, 
and  then  read  along  the  top  from  right  to  left  (as 
if  you  were  standing  above  it),  you  get  the  inscrip- 
tion correctly  as  follows 


(foot) 


iTO7^^>70^W  II  >^^^/;^^><-^-"-^V^^-^^7Z^7-- 


a        1      1    h  h  a    1    1    o       r 
(top  right  corner) 


The  thin  dotted  line  is  the  stem-line,  so  faintly 
scratched  that  probably  you  will  not  be  able  to 
find  it  on  the  stone.  There  are  three  peculiarities 
about  the  inscription  :  (i)  Tacked  on  to  the  begin- 
ning of  the  first  ^  is  a  small  mark  signifying  the 
omission  of  a  vowel,  as  on  the  Shevack  ('  Newton ') 

T 


274        Meaning  of  the  inscription 

stone,  (2)  The  first  strokes  of  the  two  q's  are 
higher  than  the  rest,  (3)  Between  the  two  tis  is 
a  small  straight  stroke  to  show  that  they  do  not 
go  together  {11m  being  a  frequent  combination  in 
Pictish).  The  number  of  double  consonants  is 
mainly  due  to  the  Pictish  habit  of  doubling  them 
after  a  short  vowel. 

Written  with  words  separated,  the  inscription  = 
Allhhallorr  edd  M'qq  Nu  Uvvarrecch,  or  in  our 
speUingy^/^^/Zr,  ait  Mic  Nu  Uabharaich  '  Alhallr, 
place  of  Mac  Nu  the  Proud  [or  the  Bold)  \' 

Alhallr  is  not  Pictish,  but  Norse :  it  is  com- 
pounded dial- '  all-',  ' completely,'  and  hallr '  slope,' 
and  it  correctly  describes  the  character  of  the 
ground  on  or  close  to  which  the  stone  stood.  So 
that  the  stone  tells  us  that  the  Norsemen  had  been 
at  Kilmaly,  but  that  in  some  cases  at  least  their 
homesteads  were  now  occupied  by  Picts, 

The  man  on  the  stone  is  M'cNu  himself  Above 
him  is  a  figure  of  frequent  occurrence  on  Pictish 
stones  ;  some  varieties  of  it  look  like  attempts  to 
represent  a  whale  or  other  marine  animal.  And  in 
front  of  him  is  a  fish.  These  animals  may  or  may 
not  be  meant  to  show  that  his  property  extended 
to  the  shore,  or  that  he  was  a  fisherman.  The 
object  below  him  is  probably  a  double  brooch  ^, 
indicating  that  the  owner  was  a  '  gentleman ' ; 
it  is  common  on  such  stones,  as  are  also  combs 

•  At  pp.  321-27  I  have  given  a  full  account  of  each  word  in  the 
inscription. 

"^  See  Stuart,  Sculptured  stones  of  Scotland,  ii,  p.  ix,  &c. 


Meaning  of  the  figures  275 

and  mirrors.  Above  it  to  the  right  is  a  Z-shaped 
object  across  which  is  an  inverted  crescent :  the 
latter  may  be  a  brooch,  the  former  some  kind 
of  pin — these  hkewise  are  common  on  Pictish 
stones.  The  intertwined  snakes  ^  may  also  repre- 
sent a  bracelet,  necklace,  or  badge :  the  snake 
is  found  on  other  Pictish  stones,  and  sometimes 
with  the  Z-shaped  ornament  which  I  believe  to  be 
a  pin  ^  The  object  at  the  ver^"  top  of  the  stone 
may  represent  the  top  and  front  of  a  decorated 
casket  -.  In  front  of  M'cNu's  feet  is  something 
which  may  be  a  woollen  glove  with  bent  fingers : 
that  is  the  best  guess  I  have  made  at  it.  And  he 
himself,  with  an  axe  in  one  hand  and  a  knife  in  the 
other,  is  apparently  attacking  a  wild  cat  or  wolf 

On  the  other  side  of  the  stone  is  a  cross  of  inter- 
laced work,  bordered  with  ornamented  panels,  and 
without  any  original  inscription  at  all.  But  hun- 
dreds of  years  afterwards  one  of  the  Gordons 
(whose  family  then  held  the  earldom  of  Sutherland) 
thought  he  would  use  this  as  a  burial-stone ;  so  he 
had  cut  round  it  the  following  unfinished  inscrip- 
tion which  Dr.  Joass  has  copied  for  me  : — FEIR  • 
IS  •  THE  •  BURAL  •  PLEAC  •  OF  •  ROBERT  ■  GORDON  • 
ELDEST  •  SON  •  TO  •  ALEX  •  GORDON  •  OF  •  SUTHE. 
When  he  had  got  as  far  as  the  e  in  '  Sutherland ' 
something  made  him  change  his  mind.  Possibly 
people  began  to  make  a  fuss  because  there  was 
a  cross  on  the  stone,  and  to  call  him  Papish  ! 

'  See  Stuart,  Sculplured  stoius  of  Scotland,  ii,  p.  xi. 
2  lb.,  plate  II. 

T  2 


276  Original  site  of  the  stone 

Now  comes  the  question  zohere  the  stone  was 
at  Kilmaly,  Stuart  in  his  '  Sculptured  stones  of 
Scotland  '  (i,  p.  12)  tells  us  that  it  was  said  to  have 
come  from  Kilmaly  kirkyard — which  is  '  Alhallr,' 
'  a  complete  slope,'  with  a  vengeance.  But  an  old 
man  now  dead,  who  lived  at  Backies,  told  Dr.  Joass 
that  he  had  helped  to  move  this  and  another  stone 
on  the  same  day,  and  that  this  (which  he  seemed  to 
regret  not  having  broken,  as  Papish!)  came  not 
from  the  kirkyard  but  from  a  field  about  half  a 
mile  nearer  the  River  Fleet,  a  field  where  (Dr.  Joass 
tells  me)  traces  of  buildings  have  been  discovered, 
and  just  under  the  slope  of  the  '  hundred-foot 
beach.'  But  the  fact  of  someone  trying  to  turn 
it  into  a  burial-stone  makes  it  much  more  likely 
that  the  account  Stuart  heard  was  correct,  and  that 
the  stone  came  from  the  kirkyard. 

At  any  rate  it  was  (like  ever\'  stone  with  a  cross 
and  Pictish  inscription  yet  found  on  the  mainland 
of  Scotland),  simply  a  boundary-stone  of  property 
belonging  to  the  neighbouring  kirk.  It  is  just 
possible  that  M'cNu  was  a  tenant  under  the  kirk, 
and  that,  while  the  inscription  and  the  accompany- 
ing sculptures  on  the  same  side  declare  his  tenant- 
right,  the  cross  on  the  other  side  means  that  the 
kirk  was  ground-landlord.  But  there  are  stones 
in  Perthshire  (one  at  Doune,  one  at  Greenloaning) 
where  the  tenant's  name  and  the  kirk's  cross  are 
on  the  same  side  of  the  stone.  So  that  when  we 
find  them — as  in  the  Kilmaly  stone — on  opposite 
sides,  the  presumption  is  that  there  is  no  tenancy 


Its  significance  and  date 


•// 


at  all,  but  that  the  kirk  owned  the  land  on  the 
cross-side,  and  that  the  land  on  the  other  was 
private.  \evy  possibly  ^McNu  gave  the  land  on 
which  the  kirk  was  built,  and  the  monks  who  built 
it,  and  who  put  up  the  boundarj^-stone  between 
the  properties,  sculptured  his  portrait  on  it  for 
him,  with  suitable  accessories,  as  a  trifling  ac- 
knowledgement. 

The  date  of  the  stone  is  probably  not  far  off  the 
year  1070.  The  Norsemen  did  not  get  to  the 
border  between  Caithness  and  Sutherland  till  875, 
and  we  have  to  allow  time  for  them  to  spread  down 
to  Kjlmaly,  to  occupy  a  farm  there  and  give  it  a 
Norse  name,  and  to  be  succeeded  as  occupants  b\' 
a  Pict,  And  there  are  so  many  points  of  resem- 
blance common  to  this  and  the  Scoonie  and  Dyke 
('  Brodie  ')  stones  ^  that  I  regard  all  three  as  belong- 
ing to  the  same  period.  Now  the  kirk  at  Scoonie 
was  given  to  the  Culdees  of  Loch  Leven  by  Bishop 
Tuadal,  1055-9  2,  and  the  Scoonie  stone  was  very 
probably  erected  by  them  to  mark  the  boundary 
of  their  property:  so  that  I  date  it  at  about  1057. 
No  inscribed  Pictish  stones  later  than  these  three 
are  known  to  exist. 

Dr.  Joass  tells  me  that  there  is  beneath  the  waters 
of  Loch  Brora — on  its  N.E.  side,  below  Gordonbush 
House — a  stone  which  was  broken  up  and  thrown 
into  it  as  having  '  Popish  tricks  and  capers  ' — to 
use  his  informant's  phrase.     Whether  it  bore  an 

'  Nicholson,  p.  24. 

*  Walcott,  Scoti-nionasticon,  p.  357. 


278    A   'Popish^  stone  in  Loch  Brora 

inscription  or  not,  it  is  morally  certain  to  have  been 
nothing  worse  than  the  cross-marked  and  sculptured 
boundary-stone  of  land  belonging  to  the  ancient 
kirk  of  Columba  (Ivilcolumcille)  hard  by.  Probably 
the  same  people  who  broke  and  threw  it  in,  as 
a  supposed  relic  of  Roman  'superstition,'  were 
themselves  frightened  if  they  saw  the  first  lamb  of 
the  year  with  its  tail  turned  towards  them,  and  were 
ready  to  accuse  the  nearest  old  woman  of  witch- 
craft if  their  cows  happened  to  fall  short  of  milk ! 

The  first  mention  of  Kilmaly  is  in  1401,  when 
the  n  had  begun  to  be  dropped  and  it  is  called 
Culmali :  however,  we  find  Culmalin  in  1471. 
Culmaly  occurs  in  1512,  Kilmale  in  1532,  Kilmaly 
in  1536  1. 

The  kirk  was  the  parish  kirk  of  Golspie  from 
the  time  when  parishes  were  established^  till  1619, 
when  the  chapel  of  St.  Andrew  at  Golspie  super- 
seded it  as  such.  Kilmaly  itself  remains  under  two 
names — a  group  of  cottages  on  the  slope  of  the 
100  ft.  beach  and  the  edge  of  a  burn,  keeping 
the  old  name  '^  and  a  farmstead  further  along  upon 
the  plain  (close  to  another  burn),  bearing  the 
English  name  of  Kirkton,     At  Kirkton  are  traces 

'  Kil-  or  Cil-  was  certainly  the  earliest  form,  though  not  recorded 
for  Kilmaly  so  early  as  Cul-.  The  spelling  still  varies  greatly, 
and  the  i-inch  Ordnance  Map  and  W.  W.  M.  (p.  211)  use  Cul-. 

^  They  cannot  be  traced  in  Scotland  before  Alexander  I 
(1107-24). 

^  There  is  also  a  Kilmaly-craigton  on  the  hillside  beyond  Kirkton, 
but  there  are  no  houses  there  now. 


Kilmaly  and  St.  Garden         279 

of  the  ancient  kirk,  with  the  graveyard  which 
belonged  to  it,  and  which  was  used  as  late  as  the 
present  centur>^  In  the  wall  which  divides  this 
graveyard  from  the  road  is  a  modern  slab  contain- 
ing the  mistaken  statement  that  the  ashes  of  very 
many  earls  of  Sutherland  are  there  buried. 

Strange  to  say,  however,  we  do  not  know  whether 
at  the  time  of  the  Reformation  the  old  kirk  was 
dedicated  to  St.  Maling  or  to  St.  Garden.  For 
'  In  1 630  there  was  a  yearly  fair  held  at  Kilmaly 
called  "  Sanct  Garden  his  fayre  ",'  and  this  suggests 
that  the  kirk  had  been  dedicated  to  him.  There 
was  at  the  same  time  a  Saint  Garden's  fair  at  Loth, 
13  or  14  miles  northward.  In  the  Dictio7iary  of 
Christia7i  biography  the  Rev.  James  Gammack 
says  '  There  are  many  Gardenwells  throughout 
Scodand,'  and  there  are  other  Scottish  place- 
names  which  may  be  compounded  with  the  same 
saint's  name.  As  Dr.  Anderson  suggests  to  me,  it 
doubtless  represents  that  of  the  semi-legendary 
7th  century  saint  Queretinius,  Queritinus,  Kiritinus, 
or  Guritan,  who  is  said  to  have  been  abbat  of 
Rosmarkyn  (Rosemarkie)  in  the  adjoining  county 
of  Ross  ^  There  may,  indeed,  have  been  an 
earlier  and  a  later  dedication  at  Kilmaly,  one 
Golumban,  the  other  Guldee — as  at  St.  Vigean's 
near  Arbroath,  which  about  the  year  700  was 
dedicated  not  to  Vigean  but  to  Drostan  (Nicholson, 
p.  10).  In  that  case  the  Garden  dedication  would 
doubtless  be  the  later  (Guldee),  partly  because  of 

'  There  is  a  Kincardine  only  some  14  miles  S.W.  of  Kilmaly. 


28o        The  dertvation  of  'Golspie'' 

the  fair  bearing  his  name,  and  partly  because  he 
seems  to  have  been  an  apostle  of  Roman,  not 
Columban,  ideas.  But  it  is  equally  possible  that 
the  fair  on  Garden's  day  was  an  institution  bor- 
rowed from  Rosemarkie  or  some  other  place  where 
there  was  a  dedication  to  him. 

Golspie  itself  is  mentioned  in  1330,  as  the  site 
of  a  chapel  of  St.  Andrew  s.  It  is  then  called 
Goldespy  ^.  What  does  the  name  mean  ?  That 
has  never  been  made  out  within  any  measurable 
distance  of  probability :  let  me  try  to  make  it  out 
now. 

No  derivation  Is  of  any  great  value  which  does 
not  take  the  oldest  known  form  of  the  name  and 
explain  every  letter  In  It.  And  my  belief  is  that 
the  place  was  a  settlement  made  by  some  Low- 
lander  named  Gold  patronized  by  one  of  the  first 
earls  of  Sutherland  ^.  Adam  Gold  was  bailiff  of 
Montrose  In  1296,  and  there  was  a  John  Golde  at 
Haddington  In  1335-6^.  Either  form  of  the  sur- 
name would  naturally  have  had  Goldes  for  a  geni- 
tive in  1330.  As  for  the  -py^  '  by  '  is  ^  early  Eng- 
lish for  a  place  of  abode,  and  we  actually  find  the 
spelling  Gollesby  In  1499,  and  Golesby  in   1539^ 

*  Orig.  paroch.  Scot.,  ii.  pt.  ii,  p.  650. 

^  Sutherland  (Norse  Siidurlatid)  was  tke  Norse  name  for  the 
southern  part  of  Catt ;  the  northern  part,  the  promontory  or  ness 
of  Catt,  they  called  Cathanes,  now  Caithness. 

^   Calendar  of  doaanents  relating  to  Scotland,  ii,  198. 

*  The  New  English  Dictionary  gives  examples  of  it  as  a  separate 
word  from  about  950  to  about  1314. 

'  Orig.  paroch.  Scot.,  ii.  pt.  ii,  p.  677. 


a7id  of  'Cantsbay'  281 

The  Hig-hlander  s  propensity  for  sounding  d  as  p 
is  so  notorious  that  I  need  not  cite  instances  of  it ; 
and  the  same  tendency  is  found  in  the  oldest  High- 
land Gaelic  known,  that  is,  '  Pictish.'  Gold  may 
have  been  a  merchant  who  carried  on  an  export 
and  import  trade  between  the  opposite  shores  of 
the  Moray  Firth,  and  he  would  naturally  take  up 
his  station  within  easy  reach  of  the  protecting  arm 
of  a  powerful  noble  ^. 

The  derivation  just  put  forward  is  strongly  sup- 
ported by  the  case  of  the  village  of  Canisbay  on 
the  N.  coast  of  Caithness.  The  neighbouring  day 
is  not  so  called,  and  apparently  never  was.  The 
ending  -day  is  first  found  about  1640;  in  1577  it  is 
-de ;  before  then  it  is  always  -dz  -dy  -die  or  -dye^ 
the  oldest  known  form  of  the  name  being  Canan- 
esbi  in  \22'^-\2^^^  [Tivo  ancient  records  of  the 
bishopric  of  Caithness^  Bannatyne  Club — facsimile 
at  end).  Now  the  church  was  '  apparently  dedi- 
cated to  Saint  Drostan '  {Orig.  paroch.  Scot.,  ii. 
pt.  ii,  p.  792).  Well,  the  chief  foundation  connected 
with  that  saint,  a  foundation  of  Pictish  times,  was 
at  Deer  in  Aberdeenshire,  and  when  we  turn  to 
the  records  of  its  history  contained  in  the  celebrated 
'  Book  of  Deer  '  we  find  that  among  those  who 
had  conferred  lands  on  it  (apparently  after  1 13 1-2) 
was  Clan  Canan  (p.  Ivi).  And  I  suggest  that 
Cananesbi  =  Canan"s  settlement,  and  that  one  of 
Clan  Canan,  in   founding  a  kirk   there,  naturally 

'  One  finds  that  in  1527  there  was  a  port  of  Diinrobin  (Sir 
W.  Fraser,  The  Sutherland  book ^  iii.  p.  79). 


282        {The)  Backies.    Drummuie 

dedicated  it  to  Saint  Drostan.  The  b  in  that  name 
has  not  been  changed  to  p^  because  the  Gaels  on 
the  N,  coast  of  Caithness  were  either  expelled  or 
absorbed  by  the  Norsemen. 

In  1 40 1  we  find  Bakys,  Dro77tmoy,  and  Dun- 
robyn  mentioned  ^. 

At  Bakys^  now  Backies,  are  some  ancient  sand- 
banks, and  Dr.  Joass  plausibly  suggests  the  Norse 
bakki '  bank  '  as  the  origin  of  the  name.  He  finds 
'  the  Backies  '  in  a  deed  of  27  Nov.  1546  preserved 
at  Dunrobin  (a  precept  of  sasine  in  favour  of  one 
Richard  Sutherland).  Mr.  J.  Hutt,  of  the  Bodleian, 
has  pointed  out  another  instance,  about  1620,  where 
the  plural  pronoun  '  them '  is  applied  to  '  the 
Backies '  (Sir  W.  Fraser,  The  SiLtherlaiid  book, 
ii,  p.  347),  and  '  the  Backies  '  is  still  sometimes 
heard.  Lastly,  I  find  the  singular  'Backie'  in 
a  document  of  about  1630  {ib.  iii,  p.  193). 

Drommoy,  now  Drummuie,  on  the  slope  of 
the  100  ft.  beach,  apparently  means  '  ridge  of  the 
plain,'  from  Gaelic  drom-,  di^uiin, '  ridge',  and  inagh 
(locative-dative,  ?/^(2?^/i), 'plain.'  Magh,  Prof.  Mac - 
kinnon  tells  me, '  undoubtedly  yields  '  Moy  ',' which 
is  found  as  a  place-name  in  Sutherland  itself. 

The  derivation  of  Dunrobyn,  now  Dunrobin, 
has  never  been  satisfactorily  made  out,  except  that 
the  first  part  is  of  course  the  Gaelic  dim  'castle.' 
It  is  commonly  said  to  have  been  named  from 
a  Robert,  earl  of  Sutherland.     But  there  was  no 

^  Orig.  paroch.  Scot.,  ii.  pt.  ii,  p.  673. 


Dunrohin.     Driimrabyn  283 

Robert  before  the  6th  earl,  who  did  not  succeed 
before  1370  and  is  said  to  have  died  in  1442.  There 
was  almost  certainly  a  casde  at  Dunrobin  before 
he  was  born  :  indeed  Dunrobin  seems  to  have 
been  built  over  an  old  Pictish  broch.  And  in  1556 
we  find  the  then  Earl  granting  the  chaplaincy  of 
St.  Andrew  on  condition  of  the  chaplain  '  doing 
the  funeral  rites  {exeqiiias)  and  other  sers'ices 
according  to  the  foundation  of  the  chaplaincy, 
together  with  the  service  and  worship  {sertiitio  et 
diuiiiis)  due  and  w^ont  within  the  palace  or  fortalice 
of  Dunrobin  when  possible  besides  the  cure  and 
service  of  the  chaplaincy  according  to  the  same 
foundation  '  [Orig.  paroch.  Scot.,  ii.  pt.  ii,  p.  651). 
This  implies  that  the  foundation- deed  obliged  the 
chaplain  to  officiate  at  the  castle  as  well  as  in 
the  chapel.  Now  the  chapel  of  St.  Andrew  was 
founded  at  least  as  early  as  1330,  for  in  that  year 
we  have  a  charter  dated  there. 

There  was,  moreover,  not  only  a  Dtmvohyn  or 
Z^//;/rabyn,  but  also  a  Drzcmrahyn.  In  1512  we 
have  an  '  Instrument  of  Sasine  in  favour  of  John 
Sutherland,  son  and  heir  of  the  late  John,  Earl  of 
Sutherland,  in  the  Earldom  of  Sutherland,'  printed 
by  Sir  William  Eraser  [The  SiUhcrlaiid  book,  iii, 
pp.  47-8).  It  mentions  the  castle  4  times— thrice 
as  castruni  de  '  Dunrabyn^  once  as  casti^iim  de 
'  Dtmrabin.'  But  the  document  is  witnessed  by 
(among  others)  Dauid  Stewart,  constable  oi  Drum- 
rabyn  ('  constabilario  de  Drumrabyn  '),  and  it  is  not 
likely  that  in  so   important   a  deed,  and   one    in 


284  St  Johns   Well 

which  the  name  of  the  castle  is  4  times  written 
correctly,  this  Drum  should  be  simply  a  mistake 
for  Dun  ^.  The  fact  is  that  Dunrobin  stands  on 
a  druiin^  a  '  ridge,'  which  is  a  continuation  of  the 
Drummuie  ridge,  and  on  this  ridge,  between  the 
castle  and  Golspie,  traces  of  ancient  houses  have 
been  found.  It  is  the  entire  ridge  which  is 
clearly  indicated  by  Drumrabyn,  and  we  have  to 
consider  what  rabyn  is  likely  to  mean  in  the  name 
of  the  ridge  as  well  as  in  that  of  the  castle.  I  have 
exhausted  my  ingenuity  in  attempts  at  a  really 
plausible  Gaelic  or  Norse  derivation  for  -robm  and 
-rabyn.  As  Dr.  Joass  points  out,  various  '  duns  ' 
are  named  after  persons,  and  if  the  name  had  only 
been  Dunroibeirt  or  Dunraibeirt  one  would  have 
had  no  doubts.  But  I  can  find  very  few  traces 
of  Robin  as  an  old  Scottish  name,  the  forms  being 
mainly  Robert,  Roby,  Rob :  and  the  odds  are 
cdways  heavy  that  a  Robertson  is  of  Scottish 
descent  and  a  Robinson  of  English.  Prof  Mac- 
kinnon  would  have  expected  Dun  Raibeirt,  and 
suggests  that,  if  -robin  really  =  Robert,  'the  name 
took  its  rise  with  those  more  accustomed  to  Scotch 
than  Gaelic'  But  then  one  has  to  suppose  the  same 
of  Z^rz^wrabyn  too,  which  seems  very  unlikely. 

'  In  the  midst  of  the  court  within  the  castle,'  says 
Sir  William  Fraser,  '  there  is  one  of  the  deepest 
draw-wells  in  Scotland,  all  lined  with  ashlar-work, 
which  was  built  and  finished  before  the  house  was 

'  If  the  mistake  be  attributed  to  a  copyist  from  dictation,  let 
me  say  that  Dun  is  properly  pronounced  Doom. 


Golspie  Tower.     The  Hollow  Park     285 

begun.  The  well  was  known  as  that  of  St.  John  ' 
( The  Siifkerlaiid  book,  i,  p.  xxxi).  This  looks  as  if 
there  had  been  a  chapel  of  St.  John  on  Drumrabyn. 
In  that  case  it  may  have  been  one  de  endent  upon 
Kileain  (=Kirk  of  John)  on  Loch  Brora,  which 
was  only  \  a  mile  further  than  Kjlmalin. 

In  1456  we  find  mention  ^  of  the  alehouse  of  the 
tower  of  Gouspy.  Golspie  Tow^er  was  a  castel- 
lated house  which  has  been  demolished  for  some 
centuries :  all  that  now  remains  of  it  is  a  small  part 
of  one  end,  which  standi  at  the  corner  of  a  road- 
side garden  ^.  But  there  are  still  cottages  and 
farmbuildings  at  the  spot,  which  is  about  |  of  a 
mile  from  the  sea,  by  the  side  of  a  burn,  and  on 
the  slope  of  an  old  beach  above  the  100  ft.  beach. 
There  are  other  burnside  cottages  half  a  mile  higher 
up,  on  the  edge  of  a  still  higher  and  older  beach, 
and  these  also  bear  the  name  of  Golspie  Tower. 
The  burn  beside  which  the  two  hamlets  stand  is 
now  carried  by  a  modern  channel  (partly  under- 
ground) into  Golspie  Burn,  between  the  Manse 
and  the  Sutherland  Arms.  But  at  one  time,  when 
it  was  a  wide  stream  instead  of  a  mere  rivulet,  it 
entered  the  sea  in  a  quite  different  direction,  by 
a  mouth  of  its  own  cutting,  broad  and  deep,  through 
the  100  ft.  beach.  If  you  walk  past  the  School 
toward  Rhives,  you  will  almost  immediately  come 

'   Orig.  paroch.  Scot.,  ii.  pt.  ii,  p.  677. 

'  This  fragment  was  several  feet  higher  until  about  a  dozen 
years  ago,  when  it  was  reduced  because  it  shut  out  light  from 
the  cottage. 


286  R  hives 

to  the  gap  made  by  the  stream  and  the  sea  in  the 
front  of  this  beach,  and  you  will  descry  a  singular 
inner  gap — its  broad  bed  a  sown  field,  its  deep 
sloping  sides  still  covered  with  grass  and  flowers. 
This  inner  gap — called '  The  Hollow  Park  ^ ' — is  the 
end  of  the  ancient  course  cut  by  the  stream  -,  and 
such  disused  river-mouths  are,  I  believe,  so  very 
seldom  to  be  met  with  that  I  have  had  a  photo- 
graph taken  of  this  one — which  I  here  present. 

^  In  Scottish  use  '  park' =  simply  an  enclosed  field,  and  is 
even  applied  to  an  enclosed  plantation  of  trees  (see  Jamieson's 
Dictionarj'^). 

2  The  breadth  of  the  stream  at  its  present  outlet  is  about  a  yard, 
its  normal  depth  less  than  2  inches,  the  height  of  its  dug  banks 
2  or  3  feet.  In  comparing  with  these  dimensions  those  of  its 
ancient  outlet,  we  must  bear  in  mind  that  the  soil  of  the  banks  of 
the  latter  is  very  loose  and  liable  to  be  washed  away,  that  the 
sea  may  have  been  the  main  factor  in  broadening  the  distance 
between  them,  and  that  the  stream,  though  apparently  broad, 
needs  not  have  been  deep.  The  result  of  a  long  walk  up  it  is  to 
lead  me  to  beheve  that  it  was  everywhere  much  broader  than  at 
present,  but  that  it  cut  a  deep  channel  only  where  there  was 
a  marked  fall  in  the  land,  and  where  consequently  its  own  force 
was  considerably  increased.  Nor  can  I  feel  sure  how  far  its 
apparent  breadth  was  due  to  floods,  or  to  its  having  shifted  its 
course.  The  considerable  length  to  which  the  old  deep  outlet 
runs  I  should  venture  to  explain  thus  :  (i)  the  stream,  falling  over 
the  100  ft.  beach  into  the  sea,  cut  a  deep  outlet  in  the  soft  edge 
of  the  beach  ;  (2)  the  fall  in  its  bed  was  thus  carried  continuously 
further  back,  and  its  channel  continuously  deepened  further  back 
in  consequence. 

The  apparently  much  greater  volume  of  this  and  Golspie  Burn 
in  former  times  is  to  be  explained  partly  by  the  fact  that  the 
mountains  were  not  so  much  wasted  as  they  are  now,  and  that, 
being  higher,  they  arrested  more  rain  and  snow  than  at  present ; 
partly  by  the  fact  that  (in  a  later  age)  the  country  was  more 
wooded  than  it  now  is,  and  so  likely  to  be  wetter. 


The  Golspie  of  to-day  287 

A  few  words  about  Rhives  (pronounced  Rivz), 
the  homestead  where  the  Duke's  factor  resides.  It 
is  on  the  edge  of  the  100  ft.  beach,  by  the  side  of 
a  burn.  It  seems  to  be  mentioned  first  in  1548^, 
as  Ruvis,  while  in  1563  we  have  it  as  Ruves,  in 
1566  as  Ruiffis  and  Ruves-,  and  in  a  map  made  by 
Herman  Moll  in  1714  I  find  Ruifis.  I  suspect  that 
these  forms  are  simply  variant  plurals  of  roqf'^^  and 
that  the  buildings  at  Ruvis  were  so  named  because 
they  were  timber-roofed  at  a  time  when  the  neigh- 
bouring houses  were  mere  turf  cabins. 

The  present  village  of  Golspie  consists  chiefly 
of  one  long  broad  street  of  low  stonebuilt  houses. 
For  a  small  part  of  the  length  of  this  street,  the 
fronts  of  the  seaward  row  are  turned  toward  the 
sea,  because  at  that  part  of  the  bay  the  fishing-boats 
put  in.     This  seaward  row  is  known  as  Fishertown. 

At  present  Golspie  proper  has  only  four  houses 
across  the  Burn  ;  that  is,  two  at  the  Mill,  the  Duke's 
solicitor's  house,  and  a  Lodge  near  the  shore. 
But  formerly  there  were  other  houses  not  far 
from  the  last  mentioned. 

The  original  village,  indeed,  seems  to  have 
been  mainly  on  that  side,  where  the  last  house 
(once  the  Inn  *)  was  pulled  down  only  in  1 894.     It 

*  Orig.  paroch.  Scot.,  ii.  pt.  ii,  p.  680. 

^  Fraser,  The  Sutherland  book,  iii,  pp.  135,  137,  138. 

^  Dalrymple's  1596  translation  of  Leslie's  History  of  Scotland 
speaks  of '  the  ruffe  of  ony  hous,'  and  Jamieson's  Dictionary  gives 
•  ruiff-spar '  as  =  roof-spar. 

*  The  Sutherland  Arms  was  built  in  1809- 11,  but  has  been 
much  added  to. 


288  Population 

stood  in  an  angle  formed  by  two  walls,  about 
60  yards  E.  of  the  Lodge,  which  was  built  in  1894, 
and  to  which  its  occupants  removed.  The  longer 
of  these  two  walls  once  formed  the  back  of  an 
entire  row  of  houses. 

Probably  there  were  very  few  houses  on  the  site 
of  the  modern  village  before  1808,  when  the  transfer 
of  crofters  from  the  interior  of  Sutherland  was 
begun  ^  In  1793  the  population  of  the  village  was 
estimated  at  only  300,  that  of  the  entire  parish  at 
1700  [Statist,  account  of  Scotland.,  ix,  p.  28),  of 
whom  800  were  males,  900  females. 

The  population  of  the  parish  2,  which  con- 
sists of  19,690  acres  (nearly  31  square  miles), 
amounted  at  the  1891  census  to  354  famihes,  com- 
prising 661  males  and  790  females — 1451  altogether. 
Since  the  1881  census  there  had  been  a  decrease  in 
the  number  of  families  and  of  both  sexes. 

The  population  of  the  village  '^  amounted  at 
the  1 89 1  census  to  220  famihes,  comprising  427 
males  and  508  females — 935  altogether.  Since  the 
1 88 1  census  there  had  been  a  decrease  of  i,  3,  and 
18  under  these  three  heads  respectively.  But  since 
1 89 1  a  number  of  new  houses  have  been  built  or 
are  in  course  of  building. 

Their  occupations.  The  register  of  parish- 
ioners  entitled   to  vote    for   county-councillors  in 

'  '  In  the  year  1812,  it  was  composed  of  a  collection  of  black 
mud  huts  ...  It  now  consists  entirely  of  a  street,  of  neat,  clean, 
well-built  houses,  with  some  excellent  shops'  (Loch,  Improvements 
on  the  estates  of  the  Marquess  of  Stafford,  1820,  Append,  p.  20). 

^  Parliamentary  papers,  1892,  vol.  76,  p.  10.  ^  lb.,  p.  130. 


Occupations  289 

1889-90  contained  the  names  of  243  persons.  Of 
these,  'j'}^  were  women,  whose  occupation  was  not 
stated.  An  analysis  of  the  occupations  of  the 
remainder  gives  the  following-  results. 

About  ^  were  emploj^ed,  in  one  capacity  or  an- 
other, on  farms  or  estates. 

About  \  were  tradesmen  ^  or  artisans. 

About  -y^  were  engaged  in  professions  or  the 
public  ser\'ice. 

About  y^3  were  engag-ed  in  fishing  or  fisheries. 

About  jj  were  crofters. 

About  ^-  were  in  the  railway-ser\'ice. 

It  must,  however,  be  noted  that  this  is  an  analysis 
of  a  list  of  ratepayers  only,  and  that  a  considerable 
number  of  heads  of  families  were  not  on  the  list 
through  being  in  arrears  of  poor-rates.  Conse- 
quently the  proportion  of  the  well-to-do  classes 
was  probably  much  less  than  the  analysis  indicates, 
and  that  of  the  fishermen  in  particular  probably 
much  greater. 

Owing  to  names  having  been  struck  off  for 
neglect  to  pay  the  county  rate,  or  because  the  bearer 
had  been  exempted  from  its  payment,  subsequent 
lists  show  a  much  smaller  number  of  voters,  that 
for  1895-96  containing  only  214,  of  whom  only  37 
were  women. 

Their  races  ^.     Very  nearly  \  of  the  243  voters 

'  I  have  been  obliged  to  group  these  classes  together  because 
the  register  does  not  show  whether  the  voter  is  an  employer  or 
a  mechanic,  but  only  what  his  occupation  is  (e.  g.  painter). 

2  Probably  the  Highland  element  is  larger  than  the  register 
shows — for  the  reason  already  given. 

U 


290  Races 

bear  names  which  are  either  certainly  or  probably 
not  of  Highland  origin.  None  of  these  names  is 
owned  by  as  many  as  5  voters,  but  there  are  4 
Watsons,  3  Burnetts  and  Nicols,  2  Andersons, 
Bruces,  Grays,  Melvilles,  Mitchells,  Nobles,  and 
Smiths.  No  doubt  much  of  the  non-Highland 
element  came  in  originally  in  the  retinue  of  various 
Earls  and  Dukes  of  Sutherland.      There  is  only 

I  voter  bearing  a  name  which  suggests  at  all  recent 
immigration  from  Scandinavia :  that  is  Olson. 

About  f  of  the  rest,  or  \  of  the  entire  number, 
consist  of  persons  bearing  one  of  the    following 

I I  names 

Sutherland      30 

Mackay  18 

Murray  1 5 

MacDonald  i  o 

Ross  9 

Gordon  8 

MacKenzie  8 

Grant  6 

Gunn  6 

Matheson  6 

MacRae  5 

121 

All  these  are  names  of  clans. 

Sutherland  is  the  clan  of  which  the  Earls  (Dukes) 
of  Sutherland  have  been  the  chiefs. 

Mackay  is  a  clan  once  specially  connected  with 
Strathnaver  in  the  north  of  the  county. 


The  chief  clan-names  291 

The  first  earl  of  Sutherland  came  from  Moray, 
and  was  for  a  time  called  '  de  Moravia.'  Perhaps 
Murray  was  the  name  borne  by  the  dependents 
who  accompanied  him  from  Moray.  Or  it  may 
have  been  given  to  later  immigrants  from  the 
opposite  Moray  coast. 

MacDonald  is  the  name  of  several  clans.  That 
of  MacDonald  of  the  Isles,  as  having  once  been 
associated  with  the  earldom  of  Ross,  is  the  most 
likely  stock  for  Golspie  MacDonalds. 

Ross  is  another  clan  associated  with  the  extinct 
earldom  of  Ross.  Just  as  part  of  the  retainers 
of  the  Earls  of  Sutherland  may  have  been  called 
by  the  original  family- name  of  Murray  while  part 
bore  the  later  name  of  Sutherland,  so  part  of  the 
retainers  of  the  Earls  of  Ross  seem  to  have  been 
called  by  the  original  family- name  of  MacDonald 
and  part  by  the  later  name  of  Ross. 

Gordon  is  the  name  of  the  family  to  which  the 
earldom  of  Sutherland  passed  by  marriage  early 
in  the  1 6th  century.  This  family  came  from  Aber- 
deenshire, and  most  of  the  Sutherland  Gordons 
may  be  descendants  of  retainers  brought  from  the 
former  county. 

AlacKenz-ie  is  a  clan  once  specially  connected 
with  Kintail  in  Ross. 

Grant  is  a  clan  specially  connected  with  Strath- 
spey, in  the  shires  of  Elgin,  Banff,  and  Inverness. 
Dr.  Joass  suggests  that  the  prevalence  of  the  name 
in  Golspie  may  be  due  to  the  fact  that  in  the  last 
century  a  Sir  James  Grant  occasionally  lived  in 
U  2 


292  The  Pidish  element  probably  dominant 

Sutherland  as  the  acting  curator  of  the  Countess- 
Duchess  of  Sutherland  during  her  minority, 

Gunn  is  a  clan  once  specially  associated  with 
Caithness ; 

Mathesoii  with  Loch  Alsh,  opposite  Skye  ;  and 

MacRae,  Hke  MacKenzie,  with  Kintail  in  Ross. 

Now  let  us  sum  up  our  results. 

Of  Sutherland  origin  are  probably  the  Suther- 
lands  and  Mackays — total  48. 

Of  Caithness  origin  are  probably  the  Gunns — 
total  6. 

From  Ross  have  probably  moved  up  the  Mac 
Donalds,  Rosses,  MacKenzies,  Mathesons,  and  Mac 
Raes — total  38. 

From  the  opposite  side  of  the  Moray  Firth  have 
probably  come  the  Murrays,  Gordons,  and  Grants 
— total  29. 

Presumably,  then,  the  great  majority  of  the  popu- 
lation take  their  origin  in  what  we  may  call  the 
head  and  neck  of  Scotland,  and  an  appreciable 
part  of  the  remainder  from  what  we  may  call  Its 
shoulder.  Both  these  regions  were  originally 
peopled  by  the  Picts  (not  by  the  Scots);  and, 
although  the  Pictlsh  element  in  the  shoulder  of 
Scotland  has  been  diluted  a  good  deal  by  a  Low- 
land element,  and  In  the  head  and  neck  of  Scotland 
by  Scottish  Inflows  from  the  southwest  and  Norse 
inflows  from  the  east^  I  see  no  reason  to  doubt 
that  the  Pictlsh  element  is  still  numerically  dominant 
here,  and  In  almost  all  parts  of  the  Highlands 
except  Argyll  and  Its  borders. 


Gaelic  and  English  293 

The  mere  names  of  clans,  however,  only  afford 
7S.  preszunption  as  to  the  race  of  the  persons  bear- 
ing those  names,  A  MacRae  juay  be  a  descendant 
of  the  Rae  from  whom  his  clan  takes  its  name : 
much  more  probably  he  is  only  a  descendant  of 
a  retainer  or  tenant  of  some  chief  or  sub-chief 
of  the  clan.  And  in  the  latter  case,  although  the 
chances  are  that  he  belongs  to  the  original  stock 
of  the  district  in  which  the  clan  is  settled,  he  may 
be  of  any  other  stock  in  the  wide  world — and  very 
possibly  is  a  Norseman  or  a  Lowlander.  Dr.  Joass 
tells  me  that  he  knows  of  a  case  in  which  persons 
coming  to  Lochaber  in  the  retinue  of  a  bride 
changed  their  names  of  Green  and  O'Brien  to 
Cameron,  because  they  settled  on  the  lands  of 
a  chief  of  that  name. 

And,  as  an  evidence  of  the  need  of  caution  in 
drawing  conclusions  from  partial  statistics,  I  may 
mention  that  in  the  voters'  list  current  in  August, 
1896,  the  Sutherlands  had  fallen  to  11  while  the 
Mackays  had  risen  to  21.  The  Murrays  had  fallen 
to  9,  and  the  MacDonalds  to  4,  while  the  Munros 
had  risen  to  7,  and  the  Erasers  to  5.  The  Munros 
are  an  East  Ross  clan,  and  the  largest  Eraser  clan 
is  in  Invernessshire. 

Their  languages.  The  language  of  Suther- 
land in  ancient  times  was  Pictish,  the  oldest  form 
of  Highland  Gaelic.  The  influx  of  English-speak- 
ing settlers,  and  the  teaching  of  English  in  schools, 
have  naturally  diminished  the  prevalence  of  Gaelic, 
and   in    1891    only   707  parishioners  out  of  1451 


294       Long  live  Highland  Gaelic! 

spoke  Gaelic  in  addition  to  English,  and  only  464 
villagers  out  of  951  ;  while  the  number  of  parish- 
ioners who  spoke  Gaelic  alone  was  but  6,  and  of 
villagers  but  5. 

No  sensible  man  who  wished  the  Highlander  to 
live  in  intimacy  and  friendship  with  the  other  races 
which  inhabit  these  isles,  or  who  wished  to  see 
him  cultivated  and  prosperous,  would  do  other- 
wise than  wish  him  to  speak  and  read  English 
well.  But  I  hope  the  day  will  never  come  when 
Gaelic  will  become  extinct  in  the  Highlands,  as 
unhappily  Cornish  was  allowed  to  become  extinct 
in  the  i8th  century.  In  it  are  imbedded  no  small 
part  of  the  Highlander's  history — the  history  of 
his  settlements,  the  history  of  his  descent,  the  his- 
tory of  his  thought,  the  history  of  his  culture.  It 
is  not  only  bad  for  a  race  to  forget  such  things, 
but  it  is  bad  for  science  too :  no  study  of  a  dead 
language  can  recover  for  us  all  of  that  know- 
ledge which  would  have  been  transmitted  by  its 
preservation.  Every  Highlander,  every  Irish  Gael, 
every  Manksman,  and  every  Welshman,  should 
know  and  speak  the  speech  of  his  fathers,  and 
should  see  that  his  children  also  know  and  speak 
it.  And  every  government  should  show  for  all 
such  healthy  developments  of  race-feeling  that 
sympathy  which  is  the  best  bond  of  union. 

As  regards  the  Golspie  dialect  of  English,  I  have 
had  scarcely  any  opportunities  of  hearing  it  freely 
spoken  among  the  bulk  of  the  people  themselves. 
But  I  believe  that  it  has  very  litde  of  the  '  broad 


The  Golspie  dialect  of  English      295 

Scots  '  about  it.  It  belongs,  of  course,  to  that  class 
of  dialects,  prevailing-  from  the  more  Northern  coun- 
ties of  England  upwards,  in  which  the  a  in  such 
words  Tusfavte  is  not  pronounced  with  that  '  vanish- 
ing sound  '  of  the  i  in  pin,  and  the  o  in  such  words 
as  note  is  not  pronounced  with  that  '  vanishing 
sound '  of  the  71  in  pitll,  which  South-English 
speakers  incorrectly  give ;  in  which  r  is  not  habitu- 
ally degraded ;  and  in  which  wh  is  still  rightly 
sounded  as  '  hiv,  and  not  as  w  without  any  h  at 
all.  On  the  other  hand  it  has  its  faults — for  instance, 
the  obscure  pronunciation  of  /  and  u  in  such 
words  as  nit,  nut,  which  makes  the  vowels  almost 
or  quite  indistinguishable  from  each  other  -,  and  the 
pronunciation  of  such  a  word  as  mountain  as  if  it 
were  ntount'n. 

The  pronunciation  of  village  varies :  J.  S.  said 
villaj  (with  a  as  in  villa),  but  B.  C.  villi/.  The 
natural  pronunciation  of  otitside  otir  house  in 
this  district  would  be  ootside  oor  hoose.  B.  C, 
when  asked  to  read  a  sentence  in  which  those 
words  occurred  as  if  she  were  talking  to  other 
young  folk  and  not  as  if  she  were  reading  out 
of  a  book,  said  outside  our  house,  but,  when 
questioned,  admitted  that  she  usually  said  ootside 
oor  hoose.  That  shows  the  influence  of  the 
School    on    the    pronunciation    given    to    written 

'  Until  about  1300  the  wh-  class  of  words  were  (correctly) 
written  with  hiv-.  To  say  wen  for  wheti  is  historically  as  bad  as 
to  say  en  for  hen. 

'  '  Him'  and  'it'  when  unemphatic  are  often  very  nearly  nm 
and  ut,  even  in  the  mouths  of  the  most  highly  educated. 


296  Education  in  Golspie 

words.  But  J.  S.  not  only  i^ead  the  words  as 
outside  our  hoiise^  she  said  that  that  is  her  ordi- 
nary pronunciation,  and  that  she  does  not  say 
ootside  oor  hoose.  That  show^s  the  influence  of 
the  School  on  the  pronunciation  of  daily  Hfe.  But 
both  B.  C.  and  J.  S.  pronounced  saw  (from  '  see  ') 
as  sa^  which  apparently  represents  the  old  pre- 
terite sah^  a  form  earlier  than  sank  and  saw. 

Oo  is  sounded  long,  and  final  -jig  (whatever  its 
origin)  usually  as  -ng.,  not  as  -n. 

May  dialect-pronunciation  long  survive— at  least 
until  we  have  a  standard  pronunciation  fixed  by 
a  competent  and  authoritative  body  and  systema- 
tically taught.  Much  is  to  be  learnt  from  it  of  the 
history  of  our  language  and  of  the  right  and  wrong 
ways  of  pronunciation,  and — speaking  as  a  Southron 
bred — I  regard  it  as  an  unmixed  piece  of  good 
fortune  for  the  future  of  English  that  the  first  and 
still  joint  editor  of  the  New  English  Dictionary 
should  be  a  Lowlander. 

Their  education.  Almost  every  boy  or  girl 
over  5  years  old  and  under  15  attends  the  district 
school ;  but  few,  especially  of  the  boys,  stop  beyond 
the  latter  age. 

There  was  a  time — not  so  very  long  ago,  but 
before  the  present  Code  was  in  force — when,  I 
am  told,  as  many  as  a  dozen  boys  ^  in  the  school 
were  reading  Homer.  They  were  mostly  sons  of 
poor  parents,  and  some  at  least  of  them  became 
members  of  the  learned  professions.      The  Code 

'  Some  of  them,  however,  the  master's  boarders. 


Education  in  Golspie  297 

made  that  state  of  things  impracticable  for  the  time. 
I  do  not  blame  it :  its  object  rightly  was  to  give  the 
children  the  highest  average  training,  and  not  to 
push  on  the  cleverest  at  the  almost  unavoidable 
cost  of  the  less  clever.  But  it  was  a  grievous  pity, 
all  the  same,  that  here  and  elsewhere  children  whose 
education  might  be  much  further  advanced,  to  the 
improvement  both  of  their  culture  and  of  their 
prospects  in  hfe,  should  be  kept  back  in  order  that 
time  might  be  found  to  work  up  the  duller  ones 
to  a  lower  standard.  Fortunately  Golspie  School 
is  now  a  Centre  of  Secondary  Education,  and 
Homer  can  once  more  be  read,  as  well  as  Latin, 
French,  German,  and  English  classics.  It  is  pleasant 
to  add  that  of  the  contributors  to  this  book  A.  C. 
and  M.  S.  are  now  pupil-teachers  in  the  School, 
and  that  B.  C.,  who  has  stayed  on  simply  as  a  pupil, 
is  not  only  '  dux '  of  it  but  is  distinguished  in 
its  prospectus  and  prize-list  as  '  First  Girl  over 
all  the  Counties  in  the  Highland  Trust  Bursary 
Competition  for  1895.' 


APPENDIX 


The  Anglo-Cymric  score  301 


THE  ANGLO-CYMRIC   SCORE 

The  following-  passages  are  extracted  from 
Mr.  A,  J.  Ellis's  paper. 

'  The  use  of  this  Score  in  England  is  various. 
There  is  evidence  of  its  having  been  used  for 
scoring  sheep,  because  not  only  is  this  fre- 
quently traditionally  affirmed  .  .  .  but  one  of  my 
informants  actually  heard  it  so  used  at  Helmsley 
Blackmore  near  Scarborough  . . .  There  is  evidence 
that  it  is  used  by  old  women  to  count  their  stitches 
in  knitting  .  .  .  Most  people,  however,  merely 
recollect  it  as  a  strange  piece  of  gibberish,  which 
they  retail  from  memory,  extending  sometimes 
more  than  fifty  years  back,  and  in  the  process 
necessarily  either  forget  or  alter  the  words,  to 
which  they  attach  no  value  or  importance,  regard- 
ing them  as  an  idle  curiosity.  The  Score  in  fact 
seems  to  have  descended  to  be  a  plaything,  especi- 
ally of  girls  and  boys  at  school, used  for  the  purposes 
of  "  counting  out  "...  Besides  schoolboys,  nurses 
seized  hold  of  the  Score  to  amuse  babies  and  keep 
them  quiet,  or  give  them  something  to  do  .  .   . 

It  would  seem  to  have  existed  over  the  old  Cum- 


302  The  Anglo-Cymric  score 

brian  kingdom,  and  to  have  been  thence  exported 
.  .  .  The  principal  area  of  this  score  would  appear 
to  be  Cumberland,  Westmorland,  the  N.W.  of 
Lancashire,  and  N.W.  of  Yorkshire,  with  the  ad- 
joining part  of  Durham.  There  are  traces  in  Rox- 
burghshire, Renfrewshire,  Northumberland,  Mid, 
East,  and  South  Yorkshire,  which  may  be  all  more 
or  less  importations  from  the  other  area.  When 
S.  Lancashire,  East  Lincolnshire,  Epping,  and,  still 
more  strangely.  North  American  India  contribute 
their  quota,  we  may  be  sure  that  the  versions  given 
are  entirely  exotic'  (pp.  6-9). 

'The  names  of  the  numerals  i,  4,  5,  10,  15,  20 
can  all  be  easily  connected  with  the  Welsh,  but 
what  is  most  important  is  that  the  structure  of  the 
names  for  16,  17,  18,  19  as  ^  i  &  15,  2  &  15,  3  &  15, 
4  &  15,  is  peculiar  to  the  Welsh  among  all  known 
Celtic  languages  and  probably  all  known  languages. 
This  makes  it  indisputable  that  the  origin  of  the 
Score  is  Welsh,  unless  the  language  of  the  Strath- 
clyde  kingdom,  of  which  I  know  and  have  as  yet 
been  able  to  learn  nothing,  is  the  same  -.  If  it  is, 
the  Score  may  have  sprung  up  in  Strathclyde,  as 
has  been  suggested.  But  the  absolute  divergence 
of  the  names  for  2,  3,  6,  7,  8,  9  from  any  Celtic 
type,  invahdates  the  hypothesis  of  indigenous 
growth  and  confirms  the  notion  of  importation  ' 
(p.  26). 

'  He  means  that  the  Welsh  for  i6  means  '  i  &  15  '  and  so  on. 
^  The  paramount  Welsh  tribe  of  N.  Wales  descended  from  the 
north  about  the  beginning  of  the  5th  century. 


The  Anglo-Cymric  score  303 

The  remarks  about  the  numbers  mentioned  in 
this  last  sentence  do  not  stand  investigation.  It  is 
very  surprising-  that  Mr.  Ellis  should  not  have 
seen  that  the  commonest  forms  of  2  and  3  diverge 
from  the  natural  type  only  in  such  a  way  as  to 
show  that  they  have  been  altered  to  make  rimes 
to  I  and  4.  The  numbers  6-9  are  much  harder, 
but  Mr.  Henry  Bradley,  in  a  review  of  Mr.  Ellis's 
paper  (published  in  The  Academy  oiyia^y  17,  1879) 
has  satisfactorily  established  the  Keltic  connexion 
of  these  also.  The  following  passages  are  extracted 
from  Mr.  Bradley's  review. 

'  The  preceding  scheme  has,  I  trust,  made  it 
evident  that  all  the  differing  forms  of  the  "  Anglo- 
Cymric  "  numerals  from  6  to  9  may  (with  two  or 
three  trifling  exceptions)  be  traced  to  one  common 
original,  which  may  be  given  as  haita,  saiia^  ova^ 
dova.  .  .  . 

I  have  often  heard  people  count  in  English  in 
the  following  manner : — "  One,  and  two,  and  three, 
and  four,"  &c.  This  in  modern  Welsh  (taking  the 
feminine  forms  to  agree  with  the  word  dq/ad, 
sheep)  would  be  "  Un,  a  dwy,  a  thair,  a  phedair, 
a  phump,"  &c.  Repeated  in  this  way,  the  numerals 
up  to  ten  would  sound  to  an  EngHsh  ear  some- 
thing like  "  Een,  a  dwee,  a  thair,  a  fedder,  a  fimp ; 
whaik,  a  saith,  a  ooith,  a  now,  a  deg."  Under 
the  influence  of  rhyme,  this  might  easily  be  cor- 
rupted into  "  Eena,  deena,  tethera,  fethera,  fimp  ; 
haitha,  saitha,  ova,  nova,  deg."  For  the  change 
of  nova  into  dova  (produced),  probably,  by  the 


304  The  Anglo-Cymric  score 

following  d  in  the  word  for  ten),  we  may  compare 
the  Slavonic  word  for  nine,  devyat. 

My  conclusion  on  the  whole  is,  that  these  "Anglo- 
Cymric  "  numerals  are  entitled  to  be  regarded  as 
a  genuine  remnant  of  the  British  dialect  of  the 
north-west  of  England,  and  as  proving  that  that 
dialect  was  nearly  identical  with  the  oldest  known 
Welsh.  It  seems,  however,  possible  that  the  Cum- 
brian Celtic  may  have  had  dl,  two ;  hech,  six ; 
6th,  eight ;  and  nov,  nine  ;  but  this  is  venturing  on 
somewhat  unsafe  ground.' 

The  following  observations  of  my  own  are 
printed  as  they  stood  before  I  had  seen  Mr.  Brad- 
ley's, except  that  in  (5)  I  have  added  the  words 
'  and/c?/r,'  and  that  I  have  re-written  (6)  to  express 
my  meaning  better. 

(i)  The  period  during  which  the  Welsh  numerals 
may  have  been  introduced  extends  at  least  as  far 
back  as  the  5th  century. 

(2)  The  border-country  over  which  they  may 
have  crept  is  extended  from  the  English  channel 
to  the  Clyde:  for  the  Welsh  kingdom  of  Strath- 
clyde  took  in  the  entire  S.W.  of  Scotland. 

(3)  They  may  have  been  introduced  at  the  most 
diverse  times  and  places,  and  by  persons  of  dif- 
ferent nationalities.  In  one  part  they  may  have 
been  learnt  in  the  5th  century  from  Welsh  people 
who  continued  to  live  as  free  men  among  their 
Saxon  conquerors  (as  we  are  now  coming  to 
believe  that  they  very   often    did  live)   or   from 


The  Anglo-Cymric  score  305 

Welsh  who  were  captured  in  war.  In  another 
part  they  may  have  been  learnt  in  modern  times 
from  an  English  child, 

(4)  We  have  consequently  to  take  into  account 

(a)  not  only  the  modern  Welsh  forms  of  the 

numerals,  but  their  ancient  forms,  and 

(b)  the  sound-changes  which  have  been  going 

on  in  the  various  dialects  of  English. 

(5)  As  regards  the  Welsh  names  for  two  and 
three  2XiA  four  we  have  to  take  into  account  that 
they  have  both  a  masculine  and  a  feminine  form, 
and  that  as  used  by  Welsh  children  in  counting 
girls  they  would  not  be  quite  the  same  as  when 
used  in  counting  boys. 

(6)  We  have  to  allow  for  the  possibility  that  the 
Welsh  conjunction  ^  ac  or  a  ('  and ')  was  used 
between  some  of  the  numbers,  ac  before  vowels 
and  a  before  consonants. 

(7)  We  have  also  to  allow  for  the  fact  that  when 
a  is  so  used  in  late  fnediaeval  or  modern  Welsh  it 
causes  a  following  /  to  change  to  th  [  —  th  in  ihiii)^ 
and  a  following^  to  change  to  ph. 

'  In  the  Renfrewshire  specimen  printed  by  Mr.  Ellis  a  is 
actually  given:  we  get  in  it  tether  a  mether  a  bamf  a  &c.,  i.e. 
}  and  4  and  /  and  &c.  From  bamf  a  has  arisen  the  bank  fore 
of  the  Golspie  version.  Again  the  fact  that  the  Welsh  ngen  (pro- 
nounced igeii)  almost  always  appears  in  the  English  rimes  in  a 
form  beginning  with  a  _§-  or  ^,  as  gigam  or  o  kick  em,  points  to  its 
having  been  preceded  by  the  conjunction  ac. 


X 


3o6     Additional  counting-out  rimes 


ADDITIONAL  COUNTING-OUT 
RIMES 

The  following  8  additional  rimes  in  italics  have 
been  furnished  to  me  by  A.  C. 

(i)  Ease^  oze^ 
Mail's  brose  : 
OzU  goes  she  (or  he). 

Bolton's  no.  653  is 

Eze,  oze, 
Manze,  broze, 
Eze,  oze,  out ! 

This  is  from  Portland,  Oregon,  and  he  says 
'  Obviously  of  German  origin,'  His  reason  seems 
to  be  that  '  Ose,  Pose  '  is  found  in  a  German  rime 
(269).  His  680  is  from  the  West  of  Scotland 
and  is 

Ease,  ose, 

Man's  nose  ; 

Caul  parritch, 

Pease  brose. 

^  Is  this  also  '  obviously  of  German  origin  '  ? 

^  The  3rd  line  in  the  German  ends  with  '  Packedich,'  which  is 
suspiciously  like  '  parritch.'  Neither  Bolton  nor  Simrock  gives 
the  source  of  the  German  rime :  may  not  that  be  the  borrowed  one  ? 


Additional  counting-out  rimes     307 

(2)  Eetly,  otly^ 
Black  botlie  : 

Out  goes  she  (or  he). 

Are  we  to  compare  '  Eel-e,  eel-e-ot '  on  p.  229  ? 

(3)  One^  tiao^  three: 
Out  goes  she  (or  he). 

This  =  the  first  two  lines  of  Bolton's  416. 

(4)  One,  two,  three ; 
Mother  caiight  a  flea. 

Flea  died:    mother  \  (Flea   died:    mother 

cried/  >  ^  cried 

Out  goes  she  (or  he). ;  {  '  Out  goes  she  (or  he).' 

The  alternative  punctuations  which  I  have  given 
of  the  last  two  lines  allow  the  reader  a  choice 
between  pathos  and  sarcasm.  A.  C,  put  no  quo- 
tation-marks. 

This  is  very  nearly  Bolton's  413,  given  from  4 
American  states  ;  compare  also  414.  '  Nanny  '  and 
'  Granny  '  are  variants  given  by  Bolton.  Doubtless 
there  is  another  version  with  '  Mammy,'  the  missing 
link  between  these  and  '  Mother.' 

(5)  Tick,  tack,  toe^ 
Round  I  go. 
And  if  I  miss 
I  stop  at  this. 

Bolton's    854    ('  used    by    boys    in    the    south 
X  2 


3o8      Additional  counting-out  rimes 

of  Scotland   and   in   the  Lake  districts   of  Eng- 
land ')  is 

Tit,  tat,  toe. 

Here  I  go, 

And  if  I  miss, 

I  pitch  on  this, 

(6)  Eeny,  uteeny^  "^inany  inoe^ 
Catch  a  iiigger  by  the  toe : 
If  he's  good^  let  him  go 

— Eeny^  meeny^  inany^  nioe. 

This  is  very  nearly  Bolton's  600-603,  one  of 
which  is  from  Edinburgh.  But  in  the  3rd  line  they 
all  give  '  If  {or  '  When  ') '  he  hollers  '  {or  '  squeals  ' 
or  '  screams  ').  None  of  them  gives  '  many  '  but 
three  have  '  miny.' 

(7)  Zeenty^  teeiity^  "^  heligo^  lum^ 
Peelty^  potty,  peel  a  gum, 
Franc'is  in,  Francis  out : 

I. — O. — the  Laird  o/^ Peasle p—o—pipe. 

'  Herricum  is  found  in  Bolton's  684  (Derbyshire) 
and  '  Elhgo '  in  his  598  (Maine),  while  '  heligo, 
lum,'  is  a  variation  of  '  hick-ary  hum  '  (Bolton's 
443,  '  hickory,  hum  '451).  We  get  '  peelers  gum  ' 
followed  by  '  Francis '   in  his  470  (Virginia),  and 

^  Pronounced  '  may-ny.' 

^  Pronounced  with  e  as  in  hell. 

'  Pronounced  as  if  written  Peezle  P  O  pipe. 


*Mi\  Mundy,  Iiozv  is  your  zmfe?'    309 

'  pela '  in  his  642  (Montreal),  as  well   as  '  peela ' 
on  p.  219  of  this  book. 

(8)  '  Mr.  Altnidy^  hoio  is  your  wife } ' 
'  Very  sick.,  and  like  to  die.' 
'  Can  she  eat 
Any  meat?' 

'  Yes.,  as  mtich  as  yoit  can  buy, 
A  plate  of  porridge  very  thin: 
A  pound  of  butter  you'll pici  in.' 
Bake  a  piidding^  bake  a  pie 
— Stand  you,  out  by. 

The  two  following  variants  used  south  of  the 
Moray  Firth  are  given  by  Gregor  (pp.  170,  173, 

175)- 

"  '  Mr.  Mundie,  ^  foo's  yir  wife  ? ' 

'  Verra  sick,  an  like  t'die.' 

'  Can  she  eat  ony  butcher  meat  ? ' 

'  Yes ;  more  than  I  can  buy. 

Half  a  horse,  half  a  coo, 

Half  three-quarters  o'  a  soo. 

She  mak's  her  pottage  very  thin ; 

A  pound  o'  butter  she  puts  in.' 

^Fite  puddin,  black  troot, 

Ye're  oot." 

'*  '  Mr.  Mungo,  ^  foo's  yir  wife  .-' ' 
'  Very  sick  an  like  t'die.' 
'  Can  she  eat  any  butcher  meat  ? ' 
*  Yes ;  more  than  I  can  buy. 

»  How's.  '^  White. 


3IO  Ilhistrations  of 

Half  a  sow, 

Half  an  ox,  half  a  quarter  of  a  cow ; 

She  likes  her  porridge  very  thin, 

A  pound  of  butter  she  puts  In. 

I  choose  you  oot 

For  a  penny  pie,  put." 

"  '  Mr.  Murdoch,  how's  your  wife  ? ' 
'  Very  ill,  and  like  to  die.' 
'  Can  she  eat  any  meat  ? ' 
'  Yes,  as  much  as  I  can  buy ; 
She  makes  her  porritch  very  thin, 
Pounds  o'  butter  she  puts  in.' 
Black  fish,  ^  fite  troot, 
Eerie,  aarie,  ye're  oot." 

What  was  the  real  name  of  this  interesting- 
female  ?  All  versions  agree  that  it  began  with 
Mu^  but  was  it  Mundie,  Mungo,  or  Murdoch  ?  It 
seems  to  me  that  the  last  is  the  form  which  best 
explains  the  others :  pronounced  with  a  trilled 
Scottish  r  it  is  not  an  easy  name  to  '  catch '  in 
a  district  where  it  is  uncommon. 

Mr.  Udal  gives  the  two  following  from  Dorset 

[Folk-lore journal,  v,  p.  2^^"^  : — 

(i)  "'Doctor,  Doctor,  how's  your  wife?' 
'  Very  bad  upon  my  life.' 
'  Can  she  eat  a  bit  of  pie  ? ' 
'  Yes,  she  can  as  well  as  I.'  " 

'  White. 


'Mr.  Miindy,  how  is  your  wife?'    311 

(2)  "  '  ^  Garg}',  Pargy,  how's  yer  wife  ? ' 
'  \'ery  bad  upon  my  life.' 
'  Can  she  ait  a  bit  o'  pie  ? ' 
'  Ees,  sa  well  as  you  or  I,'  " 

The  latter  of  these  is  used   as  a  counting-out 
rime. 

*  Doubtless  pronounced 'Jargey.'    'Jargey-pargey' would  =  our 
old  friend  '  Georgey-porgey.' 


312  Glossary 

^GLOSSARY  TO  THE  CON- 
TRIBUTIONS 

A.     Corrupted  from  at,  p.  185. 

Allow  .  .  .  see.     Allow  to  see,  p,  69. 

Am  to.     Am  about  to,  p.  2^. 

An.     And,  p.  185. 

Anyone  is  not.     People  are  not,  p.  98. 

Are.     (?  Burlesque  for)  Am,  p.  231. 

Bairns.     Children,  p.  239, 

Baps.     (Corrupted  from  Paps?)  Blows,  p.  122. 

Belt.     Part  of  a  ship,  p.  190,  where  see  note. 

Blaws.     Blows  (verb),  p.  240 

Bothy.     Rudely    furnished    shed,    p.    15.     Pro- 
nounced with  o  as  in  bother,  but  th  as  in  both. 

Brunny.     Brownie  (a  kind  of  elf),  p.  17.     Pro- 
nounced broony. 

Bullie  Horn.     Name  of  a  game,  p.  117. 

Buttony.     Name  of  a  game,  p.  118. 

Byre.     Cow-house,  pp.  64,  6^,  &c. 

Cans.     Chimney-pots,  p.  92. 

Clapping.     Knocking,  p.  30. 
,     Coocoo.     Cuckoo,  p.  ()2. 

Decent.     Good,  p.  26. 

Deil.     Devil,  p.  39, 

Demanded.     '  Was  demanded  ...  to  come  '  = 
'  Was  ordered  ...  to  come,'  p.  81. 

Done  on.     Done  to,  p.  80. 

*  By  far  the  greatest  part  of  these  spelHngs,  words,  or  phrases, 
needed  no  explanation,  and  those  which  did  need  any  have 
already  been  explained  by  me.  They  are  brought  together  here 
simply  for  the  sake  of  those  interested  in  the  study  of  English. 


to  the  contributions  313 

Doon.     Down  (adverb),  p.  241. 

Far  and  few.     Few  and  far  between,  p.  26. 

[Full  ?     Fill,  p.  98,  note.] 

Gangs.     Goes,  p.  241. 

Gig-gie.     (?)  Little  gig  (spinning-top\  p.  120. 

Go  under.     Undergo,  p.  118. 

Gollo.       (?)  Corrupted      from     French     gaiop, 

'gallop,'  pp.   158,   162,  where  'lily  gollo '  = 

petit  galop,  our  '  canter.' 
Got.     Have  got,  p.  103. 
Gowk.     Fool,  p.  109. 
Gowking-day.     April  Fools'  day,  p.  109. 
Greedly.     Greedily,  p.  1 7- 
Guising.     Disguising  oneself,  p.  99. 
Happen  one.     Happen  to  one,  p.  65. 
Have.     Half,  p.  239. 
Have  .  .  .  safe.     Keep  .  .  .  safe,  p.  103. 
Hile-posts.  Goal -posts,  in  game  of  Shinty,  p.  1 1 6. 
Hiles.     Goals,  in  game  of  Shinty,  p.  1 16. 
Hilli  ballu.     [Hullaballoo],  pp.  176,  182  84. 
Hog(o)manay.     New  Year's  eve,  pp.  100,  104-8. 
Horn.     Nail  of  finger  or  toe,  p.  dd.     See  also 

'  BuUie.' 
Housie  meetie  (mettie).     '  Rounders,'  p.  116. 
Hull.     HoU,  i.  e.  hollow,  concave,  p.  185. 
Is.     (?)  Are,  pp.  84,  97. 
Jeu.    Jew,  p.  242. 

Kilpies.     Kelpies  (demon-horses),  pp.  1 7,  24, 33 2. 
Liftet.     Lifted,  p.  38. 
Like  to  be.     Likely  to  be,  p.  241. 
Lily.     Little,  pp.  158,  162. 


314       Glossary  to  the  contributions 

Loving-silver.     Name  of  a  plant,  p.  i  ^6,  note. 
Mains.     Farm  attached  to  a  mansion,  p.  40. 
Make  damage  to.     Do  damage  to,  p.  103. 
Man,     Corrupted  from  mon  (e),  i.  e.  moon,  p.  185. 
Manie.  „         „      fJtonie,  i.e.  inoon-ie, '  little 

moon,'  p.  185. 
Milkhouse.     Dairy,  p.  80. 
Mischevious.     Mischievous,  p.  93. 
Mischief  (The).     Satan,  p.  242. 
No  sooner  than  . . .  than.  No  sooner  . , .  than,  p.  26. 
On  the  Christmas  week.  In  Christmas  week,  p,  26. 
„  one  bed.     With  one  bed,  one-bedded,  p,  27, 
Paps,     Blows,  p,  122, 
Porter  Lodge  ( =  Porter-lodge  ?),    Porter's  Lodge, 

p.  40. 
Pot,     Hop-scotch,  p,  115, 
Presently,     At  present,  p,  81, 
Rodin-trees,  Rowan-trees,  mountain -ashes,  p,  27. 
's.     Has  (plural),  p,  340, 
Shiney.     Ball,  in  game  of  Shinty,  p,  116, 
Skeby.     Name  of  a  game,  p.  120.     Pronounced 

sk^eby. 
Spague.     Name  of  a  game,  p,  116.     Rimes  w^ith 

plague. 
The  day.     Next  day,  p.  15. 
Thumble.     Thimble,  p,  121, 
Till  you  take.     Till  you  have  taken,  p,  2"]. 
To  bed.     In  bed,  p,  2"]. 
Trembulos.     Tremulous,  p,  38, 
Waiting  on.     Waiting  for,  p.  29. 
Was.     (?  Burlesque  for)  Be  (infinitive),  p.  231. 
Wee.     Wi\  i.  e.  with,  p,  157, 


Rimes  &c.  in  Chambers 


315 


CRIMES,    GAMES,  Etc., 

IN  CHAMBERS'S  '  POPULAR  RHYMES  OF  SCOTLAND  ' 

KNOWN   TO   A.  C.   OR   B.  C. 

(before  they  had  read  that  book) 

fp.     19  I  had  a  Httle  pony  &c. 
fp.     20  This  is  the  man  &c. 
tp.    24  The  wife  put  on  &c. 
fp.    35  Katie  Beardie  had  &c. 

p.  108  Pease-porridge  &c. 

p.  109  Riddle  me,  riddle  me  &c. 
fp.  114  Cripple  Dick  upon  &c. 
fp.  116  Put  your  fing-er  in  &c. 
fp.  116  This  is  my  lady's  &c. 

p.  122  Who  goes  round  &c. 
fp,  123  How  many  miles  &c. 
fp.  136  Here's  a  poor  widow  &c, 
fp.  139  A  dis,  a  dis,  a  green  &c, 
fp.  154  The  Gunpowder  &c. 
fp.  165  Get  up  goodwife  &c. 

p.  182  Rain,  rain  &c. 
fp.  184  Rain  rain  rattle-stanes  &c. 

p.  371   Till  May  be  out  &c. 
f  p.  383  Some  say  the  deil's  dead  &c. 

p.  379  A  rainbow  in  the  morning  &c. 
f  p.  389  Some  hae  meat  &c. 

p.  393  Multiplication  is  a  vexation  &c. 

'  I  mark  with  a  f  all  those  which  were  unknown  to  me  except 
from  books  :   I  had  an  English  West-Midland  mother. 


3i6  Rimes  in  Hallizvell 


CRIMES 

IN  halliwell's  nursery  rhymes 

KNOWN   TO   A.  C.  OR   B.  C. 

(before  they  had  read  that  book) 

I  (p.  i)  Old  King  Cole  &c. 

XL  (p.  8)  One,  two,  Buckle  my  shoe  &c. 

XLIII  (p.  9)  A  was  an  apple-pie  &c. 
fXLlx  (p,  15)  Solomon  Grundy,  Born  on  a  Mon- 
day &c. 

LX  (p.  18)  Tom,  Tom,  the  piper's  son  &c. 

LXXIV  (p.  26)  Taffy  was  a  Welshman  &c. 

LXXV  (p.  26)  Little  Jack  Horner  &c, 
fCX  (p.  31)  A  diller,  a  dollar  &c. 

CXVI  (p.  31)  Multiplication  is  vexation  &c. 

CXVII  (p.  32)  Thirty  days  hath  September  &c. 
fcxxill  (p.  32)  Speak  when  you're  spoken  to  &c. 

CXXV  (p.  32)  If  ifs  and  ands  &c. 

CXXVI  (p.  32)  Mistress  Mary,  quite  contrary  &c. 

CXXXVIII  (p.  36)  Sing  a  song  of  sixpence  &c. 

CXLIII  (p.  37)  Little  Bo-peep  &c. 

CLX  (p.  41)  Hot-cross  buns  !  &c. 

CLXXII  (p.  44)  Three  bhnd  mice  &c. 

*  I  mark  with  a  f  all  that  were  unknown  to  me  except  from 
books. 


Rijjies  in  Hallm'cll  317 

fCLXXXI  (p.  4;)  ni  sing-  you  a  song-  &c, 

CCIX  (p.  51}  Little  Nancy  Etticoat  &c. 

CCXVIII  (p.  ^2)  Pease-porridge  hot  &c. 
fccxix  (p.  ^2)  As  I  was  going  o'er  Westminster 
Bridge  &c. 

CCXXVIII  (p.  53)  Elizab  th,   Elspeth,    Betsy   and 
Bess  &c. 

CCXXIX  (p.  53)  As  I  ^Yas  going  to  St.  Ives  &c. 

CCXL  (p.  54)  Matthew,  Mark,  Luke  and  John  &c. 

CCLIII  (p,  56)  There  was  an  old  woman  who  lived 
in  a  shoe  &c. 

CCLXV  (p.  58)  Old  mother  Hubbard  &c. 
fCCLXXVllI  (p.  61)  \^'ho  goes  round  my  house  this 

night  ?  &c. 
f  CCCV  (p.  66)  There  were  two  blackbirds  &c. 

CCCXIII  (p.  6-j)  Ride   a   cock-horse  to    Banbury- 
cross  &c. 
fcCCXXVlll    (p.  70)  How  many  miles  is  it  to  Ba- 
bylon ? — &c. 
fCCCXXlX  (p.  70)  Clap  hands,  clap  hands !  &c. 
fCCCXXXVll  (p.  71)  Here  sits  the  Lord  Mayor  &c. 
fCCCXXXVIlI  (p.  J2)  Ring  the  bell  &c. 
fCCCLXXXI  (p.  81)  Dance,  little  baby  &c. 
fCCCXCI  (p.  82)  Rock-a-bye  baby  &c. 

CCCXCIV  (p.  83)  Hush-a-bye  baby  &c. 

CCCCVI  (p.  85)  Ding,  dong,  bell  &c. 

CCCCLXIV  (p.  92)  Jack  Sprat  could  eat  no  fat  &c. 

CCCCLXXXV  (p.  97)  Jack  and  Jill  &c. 
fCCCCXCV  (p.  99)  The  cuckoo  s  a  fine  bird  &c. 
fDXXXlI  (p.  103)  Once  I  saw  a  little  bird  &c. 

DLXXVIII  (p.  108)  I  like  Httle  pussy  &c. 


3i8  Rimes  in  Halliwell 

fDLXXXlv  (p.  109)  I  had  a  little  pony  &c. 

DLXXXV  (p.  109)  Bah,  bah,  black  sheep  &c. 

DLXXXIX  (p.  no)  Little  boy  blue  &c. 

DXCIV  (p.  Ill)  This  is  the  house  that  Jack  built 
&c. 
tDCIX  (p.  118)  Cripple  Dick  upon  a  stick  &c. 

DCXIX  (p.  120)  Rain,  rain,  go  away  &c. 


TJie  Pictish  inscviptioiis  319 


A   DICTIONARY    OF    THE 
KILMALY   OGAM-STONE 

For  the  satisfaction  of  students  of  language,  and 
of  ever^'one  who  knows  Gaelic,  I  shall  here  explain 
fully  all  the  words  in  this  inscription,  and  shall 
illustrate  them  as  far  as  possible  from  all  the  other 
Old  Highland  Gaelic  ('  Pictish ')  inscriptions  which 
are  yet  known. 

Including  the  Kilmaly  stone,  there  are  22  in- 
scriptions, or,  if  we  include  a  Latin  postscript  to 
one  of  them,  23.     They  are  all  cut  on  stones. 

The  following  is  a  list  of  the  stones  and  inscrip- 
tions in  northward  order  ^ 

Those  marked  *  are  in  the  National  Museum  of 
Antiquities,  Queen  st.,  Edinburgh.  Those  marked 
t  are  on  properties  within  a  few  miles  (at  furthest) 
of  their  original  site.     C  is  within  a  few  yards  from 

'  See  my  work  on  'The  vernacular  inscriptions  of  the  ancient 
kingdom  of  Alban '  (London,  B.  Qiiaritcii,  15  Piccadilly,  1896), 
and  my  letter  on  '  Three  unpublished  Pictish  inscriptions '  in 
The  Academy  of  May  23,  1896.  The  stones  for  which  capitals 
are  used,  as  A,  are  included  in  my  book ;  those  denoted  by  small 
letters  (a*,  a',  a^,  h)  have  become  known  to  me  since. 


320  List  in  northward  order 

where  it  first  stood  ;  so,  probably,  is  a^  (which  was 
found  face  downwards  under  the  surface  in  1822); 
while  apparently  D  has  never  been  moved. 

All  the  inscriptions  are  in  Ogam  letters,  except 
a\  a^,  C,  G'-^,  and  G",  which  are  in  varieties  of  the 
Roman  alphabet. 

a\     tThe  Annet  Burn  stone  (Perthshire) — now 
at  Doune  Lodge. 

a'-.     fThe  Coillechat  Burn  stone  (Perthshire) — 
now  at  Doune  Lodge. 

a^.       The  Greenloaning  stone  (Perthshire). 

A.  *The  Scoonie  stone  (Fife). 

B.  *The  Abernethy  fragment  (Perthshire). 

C.  The    St.  Vigean  s  stone,   near   Arbroath 

(Forfarshire). 

D.  The  Easter  Aquhollie  stone,  near  Stone- 

haven (Kincardineshire). 

E.  fThe  Aboyne  fragment  (Aberdeenshire) — 

now  in  the  grounds  of  Aboyne  Castle. 

F.  fThe  Garden  Moor  stone  (Aberdeenshire) 

— now  in  the  grounds  of  Logie  Elphin- 
stone,  near  Pitcaple. 

fThe  Shevack  stone  (Aberdeenshire) — now 
in  the  grounds  of  Newton  House,  near 
Pitcaple. 

fThe  Burghead  stone  (Elginshire). 


List  in  northward  order  321 

fThe  Dyke  stone  (Elginshire)— now  In  the 
grounds  of  Brodie  Castle,  near  Forres. 

fThe  Kilmaly  stone  (Sutherland)—  now  in 
the  museum  in  Dunrobin  gardens,  Golspie. 

J.        *The    Burrian    stone    (North    Ronaldsha, 

Orkney). 
K.       *The  St.  Ninian's  stone  (St.  Ninian 's  Isle, 

Shetland). 
L.       *The  Culbinsgarth  stone  (Bressay,  Shetland 

isles). 
M.      *The     larger     Conningsburgh     fragment 

(Mainland,  Shetland). 
N.      *The     smaller    Conningsburgh    fragment 

(Mainland,  Shetland). 
O.      *The  Lunasting  stone  (Mainland,  Shetland). 

«ht^,  aihta,  ehte,  &c.  [Irish  dite,  dit.  High- 
land, aiie\  ait,  'place,'  '  dwelUng'].  Subs, 
(masc),  '  place,'  or  '  tenement.' 

I.  2-sy  liable  forms,  (i)a^  ah  te  (doubtful).  (2) 
M,  ehte  Con  J/<?rr— apparently  in  apposition 
with  preceding  loc.-dat.  ct.  (3)  F,  ahta  (angled 
a's) — in  apposition  with  preceding  loc.-dat.  pi. 
(4)  a\  aihta.     (5)  G-,  settae  ^c  Nun  Vavr. 

The  various  endings  are  due  to  the  word 
belonging  to  the  Irish  declension  of  stems  in  ia 

'  The  normal  Highland  pronunciation  I  don't  know,  but  some- 
times it  is  aMe,  in  the  North  Highlands  at  any  rate  :  so  I  learn 
from  Dr.  Joass,  who  suggested  the  identification  to  mc. 

Y 


322  Dictionary  of 

(for  Irish  aiie  made  pi.  ace.  aittiii).  In  that 
declension  terminal  -e  sometimes  becomes  -(e 
and  sometimes  -a  :  thus  we  have  both  cuniachte 
and  cwnachta;^  dalte  and  dalia, 

II.  i-syllablefoi^ms.  {i)  A^  ehtarr  bavonn: 
D,  (?)  e(ht) — followed  by  unaspirated  loc.-dat.  pi. 
TedovQ).  (2)  H-\  ehht.  (3)  E,  ;/ehht  (on  the  n 
see  Nicholson,  Append,  p.  88)  followed  by  aspi- 
rated loc.-dat.  pi.  Vrobbaccemievv.  (4)  O,  a 
/z-ehhtt  (for  prosthetic  h  see  Nicholson,  p.  44, 
under  a).  (5)  O,  ett.  (6)  C,  ett-followed 
by  aspirated  loc.-dat.  sing.  P'orcus.  (7)  M, 
<f'et — loc.-dat.  sing-,  governed  by  prep.  d'. 
(8)  a',  (perhaps)  ait.  (9)  G\  aedd  Aig^  N'nn 
Vor^  where  idd  is  a  possible  alternative  read- 
ing (see  Nicholson,  Append,  p.  69).  (10)  H^, 
edd  arr  bavomi :  I,  Allhhallorr,  edd  Al'qg  Nu 
Uvvarrecch  ^ 

In  aedd  (or  idd),  ett,  ett,  and  edd  the 
doubling  may  be  simply  due  to  assimilation  of 
the  original  h  to  the  following  dental :  and  in 
Irish  we  get  the  forms  aidde  (sing,  nom.)  and 
aittm  (pi.  ace).  But  in  ehht,  ehht,  ehhtt  this 
cannot  be  so,  and  we  must  suppose  the  e  to 
be  ^:    it  is  the  infected  a  written  in   Irish  ai^ 

^  In  only  one  of  these  examples  is  the  case  quite  certain,  i.e.  in 
II.  7,  where  it  is  governed  by  a  preposition.  In  I.  5  and  II.  9  it 
aspirates  a  following  masc.  gen.  proper  name  (^c  and  Aiq  =  Mhcec 
and  Mhaiq),  but  so  it  might  if  it  were  a  nominative.  In  II.  3.  6  it 
aspirates  a  following  proper  name,  but  possibly  only  in  composition 
with  it.  In  I.  2  the  apposition  with  a  preceding  dat.  is  not  quite 
certain,  because  the  two  lines  may  be  two  separate  inscriptions. 


tJic  Kilmaly  Ogam-stone  323 

and  in  Ulster  pronounced  e.  For  the  ordinary 
meaning  of  doubled  consonants  in  these  inscrip- 
tions is  that  the  preceding  vowel  is  short. 

The  word  occurs  in  the  12th  century  Gaelic 
entries  in  the  Book  of  Deer  as  ct  in  the  place- 
name  eidajiin,  i.  e.  '  place  of  two  forks,'  doubtless 
— '  place  of  two  cross  roads  '  (for  nin^  '  fork,'  see 
the  dictionary  to  Windisch's  Irische  Texie). 

The  derivation  of  aite  is  unknown,  but  the 
forms  with  medial  h  show  that  it  represents  dJi-ie, 
aih-te^  in  which  -fe  must  be  a  suffix,  and  h  arise 
from  aspiration  of  some  other  consonant.  Are 
we  to  connect  2J1  and  aih  with  Highland  ath 
and  Old  Irish  diili  ?  ^  both  of  which  now  mean 
'  kiln  '  but  may  perhaps  once  have  meant  merely 
'fire-.'  Or  are  we  to  compare  Old  Irish  ded^ 
cbd,  '  fire,'  and  Modern  Irish  aodh, — taking  our 
h  to  arise  out  of  an  older  dh  } 

Or,  as  initial  Indo-European  p  is  lost  in  native 
Gaelic  words,  should  we  turn  to  the  root  (p)e/', 
'  stretch  '  '^}  which  appears  in  Greek  as  pe^-,  in 
Latin  as  j!>ai!-,  and  from  which  Stokes  and  Mac- 
bain  derive  Gaelic  aitheauth,  '  fathom.' 

Or  are  we  to  suggest  (as  I  find  Macbain  has 
already)  the  same  root  as  that  of  the  Greek 
pedon,  '  ground  '  ?    In  that  case  also  the  h  would 

'   Th  is  pronounced  h  both  in  Highland  and  in  Irish. 

*  O'Reilly  gives  an  Irish  fern,  atlian,  '  fire,'  but  he  cannot  be 
depended  on. 

5  Cf.   from  root  {pet,  'fly,'  O.  Ir.   diili,    'wing,'  and   cite,  lite 
(  =aith  +  te,  Ascoli,  Glossariutn,  p.  xlix), '  wing.'     Ascoli  also  holds 
that  there  is  an  O.  Ir.  aitit  v^genitive  atlio),  '  area,  field.' 
Y  2 


324  Dictionary  of 

arise  out  of  an  older  dh.  Macbain  compares 
early  Irish  ed,  '  space,'  Highland  eadh. 
AUhhallorr  [Old  Norse  al-  'all,'  'completely,' 
and  hallr  '  slope  ^ ']  subs.,  '  all-slope,'  '  complete 
slope' — Norse  proper  name  of  a  vSutherland 
homestead  subsequently  occupied  by  a  Pict. 

Sing.  nom.  masc,  AUhhallorr, 1  (A //Ma//orr 
edd  M'qq  Nu).  The  o  represents  a  vowel  which 
was  lost  before  Old  Norse  took  literary  form. 

The  doubling  of  the  consonants  is  to  be 
explained  as  follows. 

The  o  was  of  course  short,  as  it  is  lost  alto- 
gether in  Old  Norse  MSS. ;  but  the  inscription 
L  begins  with  the  word  crrcescc,  where  r  is 
doubled  without  any  vowel  preceding  it.  The 
remaining  double  consonants  indicate  that  the 
two  a's  were  short.  Cf.  Cleasby  and  Vigfusson, 
Icelandic- English  Dictionary,  p.  i,  '  «  and  a  .  .  . 
sound  short  if  followed  by  two  or  more  strong 
consonants  (a  double  mute  or  liquid):  thus  the 
a  and  a  sound  .  .  .  short  in  .  .  .  hall,  liibricitsi 
6dd.     See  ah\.a. 

[Maqq]  [Old  Irish  (Ogams)  niaqg-i,  maq-i  (geni- 
tives);  (MSS.)  mace,  mac,  Highland  niac\ 
Subs,  masc,  '  son,'  used  in  proper  names. 

Sing.  nom.  Not  found  in  our  inscriptions 
unless  we  divided  in  E  Maqq  Oi  Talhtorr. 

'  I  should  have  said  the  adjective  hallr  '  sloping,'  but  that  my 
friend  Prof.  York  Powell  tells  me  a  Norse  homestead  would 
hardly  be  named  by  an  adjective  without  some  accompanying 
substantive. 


the  Kilmaly  Ogam-stone  325 

Sing.  gen.  (i)  nnaspirated,  Meqq,  K  {Les 
Meqq  Nan),  L  {ann  Berniases  Meqqddri'oi- 
ann) ;  M'qq,  I  {edd  M'qq  Nu  Uvvarrecch). 

Sing.  gen.  (2)  aspirated  (occasional  after  subs. 
or  loc.-dat.  sing. .?),  Aiq,  G^  [aedd  Aiq  N'nn 
For);  Mc,  G~  {a;tta:  ^Ec  Niui  Vaur),  h  {^c 
Bccad).  Here  in  has  been  aspirated  into  mh., 
pronounced  u  or  Z',  and  this  u  or  v  has  been 
dropped.  So  the  modern  Hig-hlander  for  Mac 
Mhic — '  son  of  Mac  — '  often  says  Alac  Ic — . 

B  apparently  has  qmi—{Meq)q  or  {Maq)q 
Mi  .  .  . 

The  doubling  of  the  q  in  an  inscription  so  late 
as  the  Kilmaly  one  is  probably  due  to  the  short- 
ness of  the  preceding  vowel.  But  in  Old  Irish, 
which  does  not  seem  to  double  consonants  on 
this  principle,  it  is  probably  due  to  the  loss  of 
a  final  11. 

The  mark  which  denotes  the  omission  of  the 
vowel  in  the  Kilmaly  stone  is  / .  It  is  only  found 
here  and  in  the  genitive  N'nn  (G^)  where  it 
represents  the  omission  of  an  u  (G''  has  Nun) 
or  obscure  vowel.  In  the  Kilmaly  stone  of 
course  it  represents  an  omitted  e  or  i.  In  each 
case  it  is  attached  to  the  foot  of  the  first  stroke  in 
the  following  consonant— thus,  in  G^  j^^^  and  in 
the  Kilmaly  stone   aww  . 

Nu?  nu  ?     I'ound  only  in  a  man's  name  : — 
Sing.  gen.     Nu  ?  nu  ?,  I  (M'qqnu). 
Prof.  Rhys  called  my  attention  long  since  to 


326  Dictionary  of 

the  similarity  between  this  and  Mac  Naue  in  the 
following-  passage  of  Adamnan's  Life  of  Columba 
[prcef.  II) : — '  cuius  pater  Latine  Filius  Nauis 
dici  potest,  Scotica  uero  ling^ua  Mac  Naue.' 

The  person  alluded  to  is  stated  in  the  gene- 
alogy g-iven  by  Bishop  Reeves,  Adamnan's 
editor,  to  have  been  the  son  of  a  man  named 
'  Nave  '  (rather  Naue)  or  '  Noe.' 

Assuming  such  an  Irish  name  as  Naue,  it 
might  pass  into  Nue  as  aite  became  oa  and  itUy 
or  as  gau  became  go  and  gu.  The  reduction  of 
a  nom.  Ntie  to  Ntt,  raises  no  difficulty,  as  we 
have  abundant  instances  in  Old  Irish  and  Pictish 
of  dropped  -e  in  nom.  and  dat. 

To  take  M'qqnu  as  literally  =  ' son  of  a  ship,' 
i.  e.  sailor,  or  ship-builder  ^  is  tempting,  but  can 
the  -e  of  the  Old  Irish  gen.  naiie^  noe  be  dis- 
pensed with  ? 
[Nu].  The  possible  nominative  of  the  following 
proper  names : — 

Sing.  ge7i.  Nun,  G"  {^c  Ntin\  N'nn,  G^ 
[Aiq  N'nn),  Non,  D  {Vi Non). 

Cf.  Old  Irish  bru  nom.  to  the  gen.  brunn  and 
bronn,  cit,  nom,  to  the  gen.  coji. 

[uvar]  [Old  Irish  uabar.  Modern  Irish  and  High- 
land 7iabhar\.  Subs,  masc,  '  pride,  arrogance, 
vain -glory,  pomp,'  perhaps  also  '  high  spirit.' 

Found  only  in  its  derivative  adj.  uvarracch, 
which  see. 

*  In  L  the  man's  name  Meqqddrroiann  (genitive  case)  seems 
to  -  Micdroghan,  i.  e.  '  line- fisher '  or  '  fishingline-maker.' 


tlie  Kibnaly  Ogajn-sfone  327 

[Uvarracch]  [Old  Irish  nabrech.  Modern  Irish 
itabhrach^  iiaibhreach^  Highland  iiabharach^ 
uazbreac/t].     Adj.,  '  proud,'  '  spirited.' 

Sing.  gen.  masc.  Uvvarrecch,  used  as  part 
of  proper  name.  I  [edd  M'gq  N'lc '  Uvvarrecch). 
The  shortening  of  the  ^(indicated  by  doubling 
the  v)  is  caused  by  the  previous  ic  in  Ntc. 

The  doubling  of  the  r  may  or  may  not  be 
due  to  the  shortness  of  the  a :  see  above  under 
Allhhallorr. 

The  final  cck  represents  the  doubling  of  c/t 
after  a  short  vowel :  thus  in  O  aspirated  initial 
c,  when  doubled  after  a  short  vowel  in  the  pre- 
vious word,  becomes  not  c/ic/i  but  /icc. 

The  exact  shade  of  meaning  in  the  above  case 
is  uncertain.  Windisch  gives  the  Old  Irish  as 
'  iibermiithig,  prahlerisch  ' ;  O'Reilly  the  Modern 
Irish  as  '  proud,  haughty,  arrogant,  vain-glori- 
ous ' ;  the  Highland  Society's  Diet,  the  Highland 
as  '  proud,  haughty,  vain-glorious,  spirited,  full 
of  spirit.'  Its  ambiguity  is  not  lessened  by  the 
fact  that  '  Alexander  the  Great  is  always  called 
"  Uaibhreach  "  in  Gaelic '  (Nicolson,  Gaelic 
Proverbs,  p.  165,  quoted  by  Kuno  Meyer  on 
the  line  '  feart  Alaxandair  uaibhrigh,'  EiJie 
iris  die  Versioii  der  AiexaJidersage,  p.  3). 

Uvvarrecch.     See  Uvarracch. 


328  The  terms  of 


THE  COMPETITION  AND  THE 
CONTRIBUTORS 

The  following  rules  which  I  wrote  will  show 
what  was  in  my  own  mind :  in  any  similar  com- 
petition the  rules  should  be  printed  and  a  copy 
given  to  each  competitor. 

"I.  Mention  all  the  games  played  by  children  in 
Golspie.  And  describe  any  that  have  not  got 
well-known  names. 

[For  instance,  if  Golspie  children  play  cricket, 
football,  hop-scotch,  or  rounders,  mention 
those  games  but  do  not  describe  them, 
because  they  are  well-known  all  over  the 
country.  But  describe  the  game  in  which 
children  dance  in  a  ring  and  then  turn  and 
dance  the  other  way,  because  that  is  not 
well-known  all  over  the  country.] 

II.  Write  out  all  the  ^  rhymes  and  sayings  that 
Golspie  children  use,  and  say  when  it  is  that  they 
use  each  of  them.     If  any  are  in  Gaelic,  write  the 

'  I  wrote  '  rhymes'  here  so  as  not  to  puzzle  the  boys  and  girls. 
But  I  may  tell  them  that  '  rime  '  is  the  only  proper  spelling  of 
the  word — which  has  nothing  whatever  to  do  with  the  word 
'  rhythm.' 


the  competition  329 

Gaelic  and  then  turn  it  into  English.     Be  sure  not 
to  forget  the  rhymes  you  use  in  your  games. 

III.  Write  out  all  the  songs  you  know,  or  can 
find  out,  that  3'ou  think  have  never  been  printed, 
and,  if  the  words  are  Gaelic,  write  the  English 
underneath.  If  you  know  how  to  write  the  tunes, 
write  the  tunes  as  well. 

IV.  If  any  stories  are  told  in  Golspie  about 
fairies  or  ghosts,  or  the  like,  or  any  other  curious 
old  stories,  write  them  out  in  English.  If  they 
are  really  Gaehc,  say  so,  but  ^  do  not  write  the 
Gaelic — only  the  English  of  it. 

[You  must  not  write  down  stories  that  are 
printed  in  books.  For  instance,  you  must 
not  write  down  Jack  the  Giant -Killer,  or 
stories  which  are  in  the  Arabian  Nights,  or 
in  Andersen's  Fairy-tales,  or  in  the  histories 
of  Scotland.] 

V.  If  anyone  in  Golspie  believes  in  witchcraft, 
or  charms,  or  in  stones  and  plants  and  trees  and 
water  having  magical  power,  or  in  lucky  and 
unlucky  times  and  animals  and  things,  write  down 

'  This  direction  may  seem  a  very  mistaken  one.  But  Gaelic 
is  spelt  so  very  unphonetically  that  few  Gaelic  speakers  can  write 
it — and  the  Gaelic  stories  sent  in  might  have  turned  out  to  be 
almost  or  quite  the  same  as  stories  of  which  Campbell  has  already 
printed  the  Gaelic  :  if  not,  it  would  have  been  easy  for  me  to  ask 
fur  the  Gaelic  afterwards. 


330       The  terms  of  the  competition 

what  it  is  that  is  beheved,  and  say  whether  most  or 
many  people  believe  it  or  only  a  few. 

\'I.  Write  an  account  of  all  the  curious  customs 
used  in  Golspie  at  different  times  of  the  year,  such 
as  '  '  gizing,' 

You  may  get  as  much  information  as  you  like 
from  anyone  else.  But  please  say  who  told  you 
each  thing,  and  how  old  that  person  is.  And 
nothing  at  all  riuist  come  out  of  books. 

You  must  compose  your  essay  ^^ourself.  Please 
write  everything  Just  as  you  zvojild  tell  it  iii 
Golspie.,  and  do  not  try  to  write  it  as  if  you  were 
writing  a  book.  And  do  not  change  any  words 
that  you  use  because  you  think  they  are  not  found 
in  books  :  for  instance,  if  you  speak  about  '  fog  on 
a  stone '  do  not  alter  it  to  '  moss  on  a  stone.' " 

I  also  said  "  I  may  perhaps  print  what  I  think 
worth  printing,  and  then  I  should  also  print  the 
names  of  the  children  from  whom  I  had  got  it. 
I  will  give  \os.  for  the  best  essay,  and  if  there 
is  a  good  second  essay  I  will  give  ^sr  for  that. 
And,  if  many  boys  and  girls  try,  then  I  will  give 
more  than  two  prizes.  All  the  essays  sent  in  will 
belong  to  me  to  do  as  I  like  with." 

'  I  had  only  heard  the  word  once   or  twice,  and  did  not  see 
that  it  was  '  guising.' 
^  Raised  on  seeing  it. 


TJie  competitors 


33i 


The  competitors  were 


r 

is"? 

•a  « 

Name 

Age 

Fatker^s 
occupation 

Parents 
Caelic-speaking 

2, 

I 

15 

I 

Annie  Gumming 

Blacksmith 

Both 

4 

2 

Bella  Gumming 

13 

3 

3 

Jane  Stuart 

13 

Railwa^'- 
surfaceman 

>> 

/  Mother  can 
j    speak 
\  Father    can 
'    understand 

2 

4 

Willie  W.  Munro 

14 

Labourer 

5 

5 

Andrew  Gunn 

13 

Shoemaker 

Neither 

6 

^i 

Henri  J.  MacLean 

12 

Draper,  &c. 

Father 

7 

Minnie  Sutherland 

12 

Reporter 

Both 

In  Stories,  the  first  three  were  Jane  Stuart, 
Annie  Gumming,  and  A.  Gunn.  In  Superstitions, 
the  sisters  Gumming  were  equal,  and  next  to  them 
Jane  Stuart  and  H.  J.  MacLean  also  equal.  In 
Customs  the  sisters  Gumming  were  again  equal, 
and  W.  W.  Munro  third.  In  rimeless  Games  the 
first  three  were  M^.  W.  Munro,  Annie  Gumming, 
and  Bella  Gumming.  In  Rimes,  Annie  Gumming, 
Bella  Gumming,  and  Jane  Stuart.  And  in  vSayings 
A.  Gunn,  W.  W.  Munro,  and  Bella  Gumming. 

The  competitors  came  out  very  nearly  in  order 
of  age.  The  only  noticeable  exception  was  that  of 
W.  W.  M.,  whose  natural  advantage  over  B.  G. 
and  J.  S.  in  rimeless  Games  was  far  more  than 
counterbalanced  by  their  natural  advantage  over 
him  in  rimed  ones. 

Each  competitor  received  a  money-prize  and 
a  book. 


332      Derivation  of  ' kilpie,^  'kelpie'' 

ADDITIONAL   NOTES  TO   THE 
CONTRIBUTIONS 

Derivation  of '  kilpie,'  '  kelpie '  (p.  24). 

The  dictionaries  I  have  consulted  about  this  are 
either  ridiculous  or  helpless.  It  is  obviously  de- 
rived from  kilpe,  kilp^  or  kelp^  a  name  of  various 
kinds  of  seaweed.  About  kilp  or  kelp  itself  they 
are  equally  ignorant.  That  again  is  obviously  the 
Middle  English  kelp  or  kilp  '  scabbard,'  preserved 
in  the  name  of  the  '  kelp-pigeon  '  or  '  sheathbill.' 
One  of  the  commonest  of  our  seaweeds  is  the 
very  image  of  a  pointed  mediaeval  scabbard,  and 
doubtless  from  this,  when  the  meaning  '  scabbard  ' 
l^ecame  extinct,  the  name  spread  to  other  varieties. 

The  Old  Gaelic  (Old  Irish)  for  'horse'  is  ech. 
Th.  re  was  also  an  Irish  olcke  —  ''  water,'  and  as  Irish 
01  was  dialectally  pronounced  <?,  while  the  final  e  of 
substantives  was  often  dropped,  it  is  quite  possible 
that  this  also  was  sometimes  pronounced  eck^  and 
that  the  confusion  of  sound  assisted  the  notion 
that  boys  who  were  drowned  when  bathing  by  kiVp 
or  water-weed  were  the  victims  of  a  sub-aqueous 
horse  whose  mane  floated  on  the  surface. 

Dread  of  the  hare  (p.  55). 

Hazlitt  in  his  Popular  antiquities  of  Great 
Britain  (iii,  p.  191)  says  'An  opinion  was  formerly 
entertained  both  in  England  and  abroad,  that  a 
hare  croffing  the  path  of  any  one  was  a  portent  of 
misfortune,  and  a  warning  to   return,  or  retrace 


Dread  of  the  have.     Monday  unlucky  333 

one's  fteps.'  He  g^ives  references,  and  quotes  a 
passao^e  from  Sir  Thomas  Browne  in  which  the 
latter  says  '  the  ground  of  the  conceit  was  probably 
no  greater  than  this,  that  a  fearful  Animal  paffing 
by  us,  portended  unto  us  fomething  to  be  feared.' 

Monday  unlucky  (p.  67). 

I  find  the  following  instances  of  the  supposed 
unluckiness  of  Monday  on  pp.  30-33  of  vol.  ii  of 
W.  C.  Hazlitt's  Popular  antiquities  of  Great 
Britain. 

In  161 7  Moryson  says  that  the  king  and  queen 
of  Poland  lost  many  fair  winds  at  Dantzic  in  1593, 
because  they  were  afraid  to  sail  on  Mondays 
or  Fridays.  Lord  Burghley  in  1636  mentioned 
3  Mondays  as  having  an  unlucky  repute — the  first 
Monday  in  April  (when  Cain  was  born  and  Abel 
killed !),  the  second  Monday  in  August  (when 
Sodom  and  Gomorrah  were  destroyed !),  and  the 
last  Monday  in  December  (when  Judas  was  born!). 
On  the  last  Monday  in  December  —  and  on 
March  22  and  Aug.  20  when  they  fell  on  a  Monday 
— it  was  considered  improper  to  eat  goose,  to  be 
bled,  or  to  take  a  draught  of  medicine.  '  Among 
the  Finns  whoever  undertakes  any  business  on  a 
Monday  or  Friday  must  expect  very  little  success.' 
Finally,  all  Caithness  gentlemen  of  the  name  of 
Sinclair  hold  Monday  unlucky  because  they  crossed 
the  Ord  on  a  Monday  when  going  to  Flodden 
Field.  So  Hazlitt— who  gives  references  for  these 
statements. 


334  Witches  as  hares 

Witches  as  hares  (p.  76). 

In  1808  the  Countess  of  Sutherland  (the  '  Duchess- 
Countess  ')  writes  : 

'You  know  that  the  last  witch  burned  in  Scot- 
land suffered  in  Dornoch,  to  our  everlasting  shame, 
in  1722.  Her  daughter,  a  fishwife  in  a  village 
about  eight  miles  from  hence,  happened  to  have 
burned  her  hands  when  a  child,  which  contracted 
her  fingers,  and  the  common  people  ascribed  that 
misfortune  to  her  mother  s  witchcraft,  and  imagined 
that  this  creature  ^  could  turn  herself  into  a  poney, 
and  that  being  shod  by  the  devil  occasioned  this 
blemish.  Lord  Stafford  to-day,  in  walking  near 
their  village,  met  a  man  (a  beggar)  with  his  hands 
in  that  form,  the  son  of  this  fishwife  and  grandson 
of  the  witch ;  and  the  descendants  of  that  family 
are  still  feared  in  the  neighbourhood  from  that  old 
liaisoji '  (Sir  W.  Fraser,  The  Stiiherland  book,  i, 

p.  485). 

Dornoch  is  only  8  miles  from  Golspie,  and  is 
the  county-town  of  Sutherland— hence  '  to  our  ever- 
lasting shame.'  And  in  Dunrobin  woods,  close  to 
the  Gallows-hill,  is  a  pit  where  the  sink-or-swim  test 
is  said  to  have  been  applied  to  supposed  witches. 

The  date  of  the  judicial  murder  at  Dornoch  was 
apparently  even  later  than  the  Duchess-Countess 
thought :  for  in  Burt's  anonymous  '  Letters  from 
a  gentleman  in  the  North  of  Scotland '  we  have  the 
following  (1754  ed,,  i,  p.  281) : 

1  Dr.  Joass  tells  me  that  it  was  also  supposed  that  her  mother 
had  turned  her  into  a  pony  in  order  to  ride  upon  her. 


Doniocli  zvitch-biijiu'iig  335 

'  In  the  Beoinning  of  the  Year  1727,  two  poor 
Highland  \\'omen  (Mother  and  Daughter)  in  the 
Shire  oi  Suiherland,  were  accused  of  JVi/c/icraJ'/, 
tried  and  condemned  to  be  burnt.  This  Proceeding 
was  in  a  Court  held  by  the  Deputy  Sheriff.  The 
young  one  made  her  Escape  out  of  Prison,  but 
the  old  Woman  suffered  that  cruel  Death,  in  a 
Pitch-Barrel,  in  Jt{,?ie  following,  at  Dornoch,  the 
Head  Boro7to[h  of  that  County.' 

Burt  was  General  Wade's  agent  in  Scotland  in 
1724-8  and  writes  from  Inverness.  Although  his 
letters  were  not  printed  till  1754,  the  '  Dictionary 
of  National  Biography '  says  that  evidence  in  them 
shows  they  were  written  in  1725-6.  The  above 
passage  must  have  been  written  at  least  as  late 
as  1727,  but  we  may  at  any  rate  take  him  as  a 
contemporary  authority. 

As  regards  the  origin  of  the  be'ief  that  witches 
were  particularly  fond  of  turning  themselves  into 
hares ^  I  have  seen  no  explanation  of  it ;  and  in 
Scot's  famous  '  Discoverie  of  w^itchcraft '  (1584) 
the  hare  is  not  mentioned  among  the  animals  into 
which  witches  were  supposed  to  transform  them- 
selves— their  favourite  shapes  being  those  of  the 
wolf  and  the  cat. 

But  Mr.  J.  Hutt,  of  the  Bodleian,  searching  for 
me  for  such  an  explanation,  has  come  across  the 
following  very  interesting  passages  in  Pitcairn's 
'Ancient  criminal  trials  in  Scotland,'  iii.  pt.  2, 
pp.  602-611 : 


336      Issobell  Goiv die's  '  confessions  ' 

'Confessions  of  If  obeli  Gowdie,  Spous  to  John 
Gilbert,  hi  Loch/oy. 

(i.)  Issobell  Gowdies  first  confession.  At 
Aulderne,  the  threttein  day  of  Aprill,  1662  yeiris  ' 
(p.  602). 

'  El/pet  Chi/sholme  and  Ifobell  Moi^e,  in  Aul- 
derne, Magie  Brodie, ,  and  I,  went  in 

to  Allexander  Ctnnings  litt-hows ""'',  in  Aulderne. 
I  went  in,  in  the  likenes  of  a  kea^',  the  faid  El/pet 
Chi/olm  wes  in  the  fhape  of  a  catt.  Ifobell  Mor 
wes  a  hair,  and  Magie  Brodie  a  catt '  (p.  605). 

Again,  at  p.  607,  in  '  (2.)  Issobell  Gowdies  second 
confession' : — 

'  Qwhen  we  goe  in  the  fliape  of  an  haire,  we 
fay  thryfe  owr : 

'  I  sail  goe  intill  ane  haire. 

With  forrow,  and  fych,  and  meikle  caire ; 

And  I  fall  goe  in  THE  DiVELLiS  nam, 

Ay  whill  I  com  hom  [againe !] ' 
And  inftantlie  we  ftart  in  an  hair.     And  when  we 
wold  be  owt  of  that  fhape,  we  will  fay : 

'  Haire,  [haire,  God  fend  the  caire !] 
I  am  in  an  hairis  liknes  juft  now, 
Bot  I  falbe  in  a  womanis  liknes  ewin  [now.]'  ' 
Again,  at  p.  611,  in  '(3.)  Issobell  Gowdies  third 
confession ' : — 

'  He  [the  Divell]  wold  fend  me  now  and  then 
to  Aulderne  fom  earandis  to  my  neightbouris,  in 
the  fhape  of  ane  hair.     I  wes  on  morning,  abowt 

'  '^  Dye-house.'  '  ^''  Jackdaw.' 


Issobell  GowdiVs  'confessions"     337 

the  break  of  day,  going  to  Aulderne  in  the  fliap  of 
ane  hair,  and  Patrik  Papleyis  Serwandis,  in  Kilhill, 
being  goeing  to  ther  labouring,  his  houndis  being 
with  them,  ran  efter  me,  being  in  the  Ihape  of  an 
haire.  I  ran  werie  long,  bot  wes  forcet,  being 
wearie,  at  laft  to  take  my  own  hous.  The  dore 
being  left  open,  I  ran  in  behind  an  chift,  and  the 
houndis  followed  in ;  bot  they  went  to  the  vther 
fyd  of  the  chift ;  and  I  was  forcet  to  run  furth 
agane,  and  wan  into  an  vther  hows,  and  thair  took 
leafour  to  fay, 

'  Hair,  hair,  God  fend  the  cair ! 
I  am  in  a  hearis  liknes  now, 
Bot  I  fall  be  an  voman  ewin  now ! 
Hair,  hair,  God  fend  the  cair ! ' 

And  fo  I  returned  to  my  owin  fhap,  as  I  am  at 
this  inftant,  again.  The  dowgis  will  fom  tymes 
get  fom  byttis  ^  of  vs,  quhan  ve  ar  in  hairis  -,  bot 
will  not  get  ws  killed.  Quhan  ve  turn  owt  of  a 
hairis  liknes  to  owr  awin  fhap,  we  will  haw  the 
byttis,  and  rywis,  and  fcrattis^  in  owt  bodies.' 

The  '  confessions '  (four  in  number)  of  this  un- 
fortunate creature  fill  13  closely  printed  quarto 
pages.  We  don't  know  whether  she  was  tortured 
or  frightened  into  making  them  ;  whether  she  made 
them  in  the  hope  of  saving  her  life ;  whether,  feeling 
that  she  had  no  chance  of  escape,  she  conceived 
a  delight  in  magnifying  her  own  importance  as  a 

* '  Bites.'  ' '  In  the  shape  of  hares.' 

* '  Tears  and  scratches.' 

Z 


338       The  Auldearn  'confessions' 

witch  and  in  gulling  her  persecutors ;  or  whether, 
as  Sir  Walter  Scott  thinks,  she  was  simply  a  lunatic. 
The  freedom  with  which  she  implicates  other  per- 
sons by  name  would  make  it  charitable  to  believe 
that  this  last  solution  is  the  true  one.  But,  if  any- 
one wants  to  see  how  confessions  of  witchcraft  zvere 
sometimes  obtained,  let  him  read  the  9th  of  Sir 
Walter's  '  Letters  on  demonology  and  witchcraft,' 
and  a  similar  confession,  though  less  detailed  and 
extraordinary,  was  made  by  Janet  Breadheid,  one 
of  the  same  accused  parties.  It  is,  however,  pos- 
sible that  there  were  women  and  men  who  actually 
tried  to  become  witches  and  wizards  \  and  that 
there  were  men  who  associated  with  the  women 
in  a  disguise  intended  to  represent  the  Devil. 
When  such  persons  were  accused,  having  no 
innocent  conscience  to  give  them  hope  of  deliver- 
ance, they  may  have  delighted  in  publishing  tales 
of  imaginary  achievements. 

Whether  Issobell  Gowdie's  story  about  the  hares 
was  her  own  invention  or  a  repetition  of  earlier 
superstitions,  it  is  clear  that  the  belief  goes  back 
as  far  as  1662  at  Auldearn.  Auldearn  is  in  Nairn- 
shire, which  you  can  actually  see  from  the  high 

1  Nor  was  it  very  hard  for  them  to  acquire  a  belief  in  their  own 
power.  It  was  so  easy  to  'wish  ill  to  one's  neighbour,'  and,  if 
the  wish  was  realized,  to  mistake  a  coincidence  for  a  consequence; 
while  in  the  contrary  event  it  was  equally  easy  to  suppose  that 
the  wish  had  been  defeated  by  counter-spells.  Image-killing  must 
have  been  exceptionally  'successful'  in  times  when  the  plague 
and  smallpox  slew  their  thousands,  and  when  mortality,  and 
infant-mortality  in  particular,  was  so  much  higher  than  it  is  now. 


How  to  discover  a  coiv-witch      339 

ground  about  Golspie,  and  between  which  and  the 
Sutherland  coast  fishermen  must  have  conveyed 
frequent  communication.  It  is  even  possible  that 
the  superstition  was  carried  as  far  down  as  York- 
shire by  coasters  from  the  Moray  Firth. 

How  to  discover  a  cow-witch  (p.  82). 

In  Scot's  '  Disco verie  of  \vitchcraft '  (1584)  the 
following  is  given  as  A  charine  to  find  hir  that 
bewitched  your  kine  : — 

'  Put  a  paire  of  breeches  upon  the  cowes  head, 
and  beate  hir  out  of  the  pasture  with  a  good 
cudgell  upon  a  fridaie,  and  she  will  runne  right 
to  the  witches  doore,  and  strike  thereat  with  hir 
homes'  (p.  282,  p.  230  in  the  1886  reprint). 

Stand  but(t)  (p.  123). 

I  here  describe  the  Oxford  game  of  '  Iddy-iddy- 
all '  from  Mr,  E.  Gass's  kind  information. 

A  tennis-ball  is  thrown  high  up  against  the  side 
of  a  building,  and  the  thrower  calls 

Iddy-iddy-all 
Catch  my  fine  ball, 

adding  the  name  of  another  player.  The  player 
called,  if  he  fails  to  catch  it,  throw^s  it  at  the  rest, 
who  are  running  away  ;  and  anyone  who  is  hit  has 
to  stand  out.  The  last  left  in  may  have  three  shies  at 
the  hand  of  each  of  the  others,  held  against  the  wall. 
I  presume  that '  Iddy-iddy-all '  is  a  corruption  of 
'  Heed  ye,  heed  ye,  all.' 

Z  2 


340       'See  the  robbers  passing  by' 

And  I  think  I  played  some  form  of  the  game 
about  1859  in  the  Middle  School  of  Liverpool 
College. 

See  the  robbers  passing  by  (p.  127). 

A  company  of  girls  having  been  selected,  two 
of  them  join  hands,  and  under  their  hands, 
which  are  held  aloft,  the  rest  of  the  girls  (or 
robbers)  pass.  As  they  march  along,  one  after 
the  other,  each  holding  the  dress  of  the  girl  in 
front,  the  following  verse  is  sjtng  by  all  the 
company  : — 

See  the  robbers  passing  by, 

Passing  by,  passing  by. 
See  the  robbers  passing  by, 
My  fair  fnaidens. 
Before  (or  as  the  verse  is  being  ended)  the  last 
of  the  train  pass  under,  the  so-called  "bridge" 
falls,  and  the  girl  being  catight  is   questioned 
thus  : — 

What  's  ^  the  robbers  done  to  you. 

Done  to  you,  done  to  you  ? 
What  's  the  robbers  done  to  you, 
My  fair  maiden? 
The  above  is  of  course  sung  by  the  "bridge"  ; 
and  in  answer  the  prisoner  sings  : — 
Broke  my  locks  and  stole  m.y  gold. 

Stole  my  gold,  stole  my  gold; 
Broke  my  locks  and  stole  my  gold, 
My  fair  maidens. 

1  I.e.  has.     See  p.  169,  note  i. 


*  See  the  robbers  passing  by''       341 

Theft  she  is  carried  away  to  prison  to  bear 
witness  against  the  robbers,  and,  as  she  is  being 
led  along,  the  "bridge  "  sii2gs 

Off  to  prison  yon  must  go. 
You  must  go,  you  must  go ; 

Off  to  prison  yoti  mjtst  go. 
My  fair  lady. 

The  prison  is  supposed  to  be  reached  as  the  last 
word  of  the  verse  is  sung,  and,  after  they  have 
remained  a  moment  at  the  prison,  the  prisoner 
is  brought  back  again,  the  bridge  singing: — 

Back  from  prison  yotc  must  come. 
You  must  co7ne,  you-  imist  come; 

Back  from  pi^ison  you  must  come. 
My  fair  lady. 

The  priso7ier  is  noiu  set  free,  and  stands  aside 
while  the  game  proceeds.  The  robbers,  who  have 
all  this  time  been  marching  round  the  bridge, 
again  pass  binder,  agaiti  the  last  is  caught,  and 
the  song  is  sung,  and  the  girl  is  questioned  as 
before. 

Generally,  but  not  alzvays,  the  girls  whose 
hands  form  the  bridge  choose  before  the  game 
begins  one  of  tivo  things — apples  or  oranges, 
milk  or  tea,  etc.  The  prisoners  are  each  asked, 
after  they  have  been  brought  back  from  prison, 
which  of  the  chosen  articles  they  like  best,  and 
each  becomes  the  property  of  the  girl  zvhose 
article  she  has  chosen.     In  this  way  sides  are 


342       'See  the  robbers  passing  by' 

formed,  and,  when  the  game  is  finished,  a  tug  of 
ivar  takes  place  between  the  two  parties. 

[B.  C] 

This  is  Mrs.  Gomme's  '  Hark  the  robbers '  (i, 
p.  192),  of  which  she  prints  7  versions.  None 
have  '  passing-  by,'  5  having  '  coming  through  '  and 
I  '  going  through.'  None  have  '  maidens '  or 
'  maiden,'  but  6  have  '  lady.'  None  have  '  Broke 
my  locks  and  stole  my  gold ' :  the  varieties  are 
'  You  have  stole  my  watch  and  chain,'  '  Steal  your 
watch  and  break  your  chain,'  '  They  have  stolen 
my  watch  and  chain,'  '  They  have  stole  my  watch 
and  chain,'  '  Stole  my  gold  watch  and  chain,'  '  She 
stole  my  watch  and  lost  my  key.'  And  none  have 
the  '  Back  from  prison '  stanza. 

As  at  Tong  in  Shropshire,  the  verses  are  sung 
to  the  tune  of  Sheriffmuir  (see  p.  198).  B.  C.  has 
written  it  out  for  me. 

'  The  music,'  she  says,  '  is  almost  the  same  as 
that  of  '  My  delight's  in  tansies,'  but  the  time  is 
slower.  In  the  last  two  verses,  however,  it  is 
quickened;  for  the  prisoner  runs  to  and  from 
prison,  and  the  music  must  always  suit  the 
movements.' 


See      the    rob  -  bers  pass-ing    by,     pass-ing    by,     pass-ing    by; 
What's    the    rob -bers  done   to  you,  done   to    you,  done  to    you? 


See     the    rob- bers  pass-ing  by. 
What's  the   rob  -  bers  done  to    you, 


my 
my 


fair 
fair 


mai  -  dens, 
raai-dens? 


'  Rosy  apple,  lenio)i,  and  pear'     343 

Rosy  apple,  lemon,  and  pear  (pp.  139-40. 
144-5)- 

I  give  the  original  form  as  nearly  as  I  can 
conjecture  it — 

T,  ,  {  merry,  and  fair — 

1.  Rosy,  happy, ,  ^^^^^  ^^._._ 

2.  A  bunch  of  roses  she  shall  wear, 

3.  (And)  Loving- silver  by  its  side  : 

4.  She's  the  one  shall  be         r  bride. 

5.  Take  her  by  her  lily-white  hand, 

6.  Lead  her  to  the  altar ; 

7.  Give  her  kisses  one,  two,  three, 

8.  For  she's  a  lady's  daughter. 

Notes  to  the  foregoing : 

1.  Rosy  apple  arises  from  Rosy,  'appy  (see 
p.  145) :  fair  is  given  in  two  versions  on  p.  144, 

2.  So  the  version  on  p.  140:  see  also  the  two 
on  p.  144. 

3.  Y  or  Loving -silver  as  an  emendation  of'  Gold 
and  silver '  see  note  to  p   156. 

Her  side  is  possible  and  is  found  on  pp.  140, 
144,  but  his  side  suggests  its  side.  Of  course  his 
was  once  equal  to  'of  it'  as  well  as  to  'of  him  '; 
but  the  verses  are  not  old  enough  for  that. 

4.  She's.  In  North  Midland  she  is  shoo :  hence 
she's  would  become  shoo's,  whence  apparently 
'  Choose  the  one  shall  be  her  bride '  on  p.  140. 
I  am  quite  aware  that  this  is  in  a  Dorset  version  ; 


344     'Mother,  the  nine  o'dock  hells' 

but  one  doesn't  know  where  the  rime  originated 
or  what  channels  the  Dorset  version  had  passed 
through. 

One,  pronounced  zvoon  in  parts  of  the  North 
Midland  district,  would  be  liable  to  develope  who 
(pronounced  zvoo-d)  in  that  dialect.  Compare 
'  I  know  who '  on  p.  144,  1.  4,  and  with  this  again 
compare  '  Crying  out '  in  the  next  specimen,  where 
the  accented  vowels  are  the  same  if  we  pronounce 
'  Cr>ang  cot, '  as  a  Fraserburgh  child  undoubtedly 
would. 

Shall  be.     So  on  p.  140, 

The  bride.  So  on  p.  139.  Or  perhaps  a  bride, 
as  two  versions  give  'her  bride'  (pp.  140,  144) 
and  one  '  and  bride  '  (p.  144). 

5-7.  As  on  p.  140. 

8.  As  on  p,  133  and  in  the  first  version  on 
p.  144. 

Mother,  the  nine  o'clock  bells  are  ringing 

(P-  '^^^)- 

The  Rev.  John  Cort,  vicar  of  Sale,  Cheshire, 
kindly  communicates  through  Dr.  Joass  the  follow- 
ing as  '  sung  in  Cheshire ' :  I  print  it  with  no 
alteration  except  a  few  trivial  ones  in  punctuation 
and  the  insertion  of '  buy  '  in  1.  7. 

Eight  o'clock  is  striking; 
Mother,  may  I  go  out  ? 
My  young  man  is  waiting, 
To  take  me  round  about. 


Poor  Tom  345 

He  will  buy  me  apples, 
He  will  buy  me  pears, 
He  will  [buy]  me  everything. 
And  kiss  me  on  the  stairs. 

Ten  o'clock  is  striking; 
Mother,  may  I  come  in  ? 
My  young  man  has  left  me : 
He's  an   awful  ^  sting. 

He  won't  buy  me  apples. 
And  he  won't  buy  me  pears, 
He  won't  buy  me  anything. 
Nor  kiss  me  on  the  stairs. 

Poor  Tom  (pp.  201-2). 

Mr.  Andrew  Lang,  not  in  the  least  knowing  that 
I  was  acquainted  with  any  version  of  this  rime,  has 
called  my  attention  to  the  following  one.  It  occurs 
in  The  forty-sixth  ammal  report  of  the  Deputy 
Keeper  of  the  Public  Records,  1886,  Append.  II, 
p.  ']2,  note — part  of  a  report  on  the  Royal  library 
at  Copenhagen  by  my  friend  the  Rev.W.  D.  Macray, 
of  the  Bodleian.  And  it  is  quoted  by  him  from 
a  MS.  of  travels  through  Europe  (New  Royal 
Collection,  fol.  129)  the  writer-  of  which  picked  up 
the  rime  in  London,  at  some  time  in  1679-83. 

'Who  is  there?  Poor  maid  full  of  sorre  and 
care.  Whad  will  poor  maid  have  ?  I  beseech  to 
rep  poor  Tham  in.  Is  poor  Tham  dead  ?  Poor 
Tham    is    dead.      When    did    poor   Tham    dey  ? 

'  I.e.'  stingy  one.'  '  Oligcr  Jacobseus. 


34^  Poor  Tom 

Yesterday  in  the  morning  grey.  Partit  poor 
Tham,  and  deid,  deid,  deid.  I  beared  a  bort  sing 
in  the  wood,  poor  Tham  is  dead,  we  will  drink 
a  half  for  poor  Thame's  sake,  for  he  was  a  right 
afiish  \lio7iestT\  man.  I  will  drink  a  half  w'  play 
for  me  self  w'  so  schall  every  man.  Sup,  pru,  nel, 
mel,  dal,  Yohn.' 

Comparing  the  two  versions  and  making  allow- 
ance for  the  Dane's  imperfect  knowledge  of  Eng- 
lish, I  would  restore  his  original  as  follows : — 
N.  Who  is  there  ? 

M.  Poor  Meg,  full  of  sorrow  and  care. 
N.  What  will  poor  Meg  have  ? 
M.  A  big  sheet  to  wrap  poor  Tom  in. 
N.  Is  poor  Tom  dead .? 
M.  Poor  Tom  is  dead. 
N.  When  did  poor  Tom  die  ? 
M.  Yesterday,  in  the   morning  grey,   parted 

poor  Tom  and  died — died—  died, 
N.  I  heard  a  bird  sing  in  the  wood,     [Poor 
Tom  was  like  to  die.] 
[Chorus.]     Poor  Tom  is  dead !    We  will  drink 
a  half  for  poor  Tom's  sake,  for  he  was  a  right 
honest  man.      /  will   drink    a   half  and   pay  for 
myself,  and  so  shall  every  man. 
Sue,  Prue,  Nell,  Mall,  Doll,  John ! 

At  first  I  wrote  Tam,  and  Taimis  was  a  recent 
Folkestone  pronunciation   (Ellis,   Early  English 


Poor  Tom  347 

proimnciation^  v,  p.  143) ;  but,  as  the  Dane  wrote 
Dalior  Doll  and  ahish  for  honesty  I  suspect  he  really 
heard  '  Tom.'  The  Scottish  form  Taut  is,  indeed, 
supported  by  the  Scottish  termination  oi  partit^ 
but  the  Dane  is  weak  in  his  final  consonants,  since 
he  writes  bort  for  'bird'  and  whad  for  'what.' 
*  Poor  Tit '  in  the  Richmond  version  supports 
'  partit,'  but  it  might  have  arisen  quite  independ- 
ently out  of  '  parted.'  There  is  nothing  else  in 
the  least  Scottish  about  the  dialogue,  and  the 
names  of  the  servants  at  the  end  look  as  un-Scottish 
a  selection  as  it  would  be  easy  to  meet  with. 

Notes  to  the  foregoing : 

2,  3.  7l/<?^=  older  form  of  '  Peg,'  but  misheard 
by  the  Dane  as  'maid.' 

4.  A  big  sheet.  Misheard  by  the  Dane  as 
'  I  beseech.' 

Tom.  Probably  the  Dane  inserted  an  h  simply 
because  there  is  one  in  Thomas. 

8.  Parted.  '  Part '  =  '  depart '  is  frequently  used 
by  Shakspere.  In  acting  this  funeral-game  the 
repetition  '  died  —  died  —  died  '  may  have  been 
interspersed  with  sobs. 

9.  This  I  take  to  be  a  reply  by  the  first  person 
=  ' Yes,  I  thought  he  was  likely  to  die,  for  I  heard 
a  bird  sing,'  the  idea  apparently  being  that  a  bird 
singing  at  night  was  a  death-omen.  See  *  Cock- 
crowing  at  night'  (p.  61),  and  Hazlitt,  Popular 
Antiquities  of  Great  Britaifi^  iii,  p.  199,  respecting 


348 


Poor  Tom 


the  night-jar:  he  quotes  from  Mary,  Countess  of 
Pembroke,  this  Hne  referring  to  it, 

'  The  night  Crowes  fonge,  that  foundeth  nought 
but  death,' 

In  the  chorus,  what  has  been  taken  for  w  in 
the  Dane's  manuscript  is  doubtless  some  Danish 
equivalent  of  &^. 

The  names  at  the  end  of  it  are  those  of  the 
servants  of  the  inn,  called  to  bring  the  liquor. 


The  frontispiece.     The  map        349 


NOTES  ON  THE  ILLUSTRATIONS 

I.  Specially  taken  by  Mr.  Dixon,  from  a  point 
in  the  Dairy  Park  not  far  from  the  entrance  to  the 
gardens  of  Dunrobin.  The  Dairy  Park  is  the  long 
meadow  between  the  Burn  and  those  gardens,  and 
the  Castle  dair^-  stands  on  the  ridge  at  the  end 
of  it.  The  collotype  shows  clearly  the  old  grass- 
covered  Caithness  road.  The  mountain  on  the 
right  is  Beinn  a'  Bhraghaidh,  and  the  roundheaded 
one  is  the  Silver  Rock,  which  Dr.  Joass  believes  to 
have  been  a  place  at  which  rents  were  received 
which  were  payable  in  silver  instead  of  in  kind. 

3.  Reduced  from  part  of  the  i-inch  Ordnance- 
map  of  1878,  which  the  Controller  of  Her  Majesty's 
Stationery  Office  gave  me  permission  to  reproduce. 
I  have  made  the  following  changes  and  additions. 
The  boundary  of  the  parish  has  been  rendered 
more  visible.  The  position  of  the  Battery  (recently 
moved  much  nearer  the  Burn)  has  been  altered. 
The  names  of  the  Sutherland  Arms,  Fishertown, 
the  newly  built  Pier  there,  and  Iron  Hill,  have  been 
added.  '  Highland  Railway  '  has  been  inserted  in 
one  place  and  substituted  for  '  Sutherland  Railway  ' 
in    another.     The    former    Sutherland     Railway 


350     Descent  of  the  Sutherland  title 

Hotel  at  the  W.  end  of  the  village  having  recently 
become  a  private  house,  the  word  '  Hotel '  has 
been  taken  out.  The  spelling  '  Ben  a  Vraggie ' 
has  been  altered  to '  Beinn  a'  Bhraghaidh.'  The  outer 
border  and  some  wave-lines  have  been  taken  out, 
a  few  names  have  been  printed  larger,  and  the  scale 
has  been  transferred  from  the  foot  of  the  map  to  the 
right  side  in  order  to  allow  the  coUotyper  more 
depth. 

The  School  at  Backies  is  not  used  as  such  at 
present:  the  Backies  children  come  down  to 
Golspie  School. 

II,  12.  From  a  scarce  work  acquired  by  me  for 
the  Bodleian,  '  Views  •  in  •  Orkney  •  and  •  on  •  the 
.  north-eastern  •  coast  •  of  •  Scotland  •  taken  •  in 
MDCCCV  •  and  •  etched  •  MDCCCVII  • ',  by  the 
Duchess  -  Countess  of  Sutherland.  Whether  it  be 
the  fault  of  the  drawing,  the  etching,  or  the 
printing,  the  distance  between  the  Castle  and  Loch 
Fleet  (the  nearest  part  of  which  is  almost  4  miles 
off)  has  been  greatly  under-represented  in  12. 

William  '  de  Moravia,'  the  ist  Earl,  was  after- 
wards called  '  de  Suthyrland  \'  and  Sutherland 
became  the  surname  of  his  line.  It  ended  in 
Countess  Elizabeth,  who  succeeded  in  1514,  and  had 
married  in  1 500  Adam  Gordon  of  Aboyne  in  the 
Dee  valley,  2nd  son  of  George,  2nd  earl  of  Huntly. 
In  1527  she  and  he  resigned  the  earldom  to  their 
son  Alexander,     Dr.  Joass  tells  me  that  in  171 8 

'  Registrum  Moraviense,  p.  133,  in  a  deed  of  1237. 


Diinrobin  in  i8g6.  351 

the  Gordon  name  and  arms  were  dropped  by  roval 
grant,  and  the  Earl  reverted  to  those  of  Suther- 
land. This  second  line  ended  in  another  Countess 
Elizabeth,  who  in  1785  married  George  Granville 
Leveson  Gower,  eldest  son  of  Earl  Gower.  In 
1803  he  became  Marquis  of  Stafford,  in  succession 
to  his  father,  and  in  1833  he  was  made  Duke 
of  Sutherland,  whence  his  wife  is  known  as  the 
Duchess-Countess. 

14,  15.  Specially  taken  by  Mr.  Dixon,  to  whom 
my  warmest  thanks  are  due  not  merely  for  allowing 
me  to  collotype  his  various  photographs,  but  for 
his  generosity  in  making  me  a  gift  of  all  his  own 
work  towards  the  production  of  my  book. 

The  seaward  face  of  Dunrobin  in  14  is  merely 
modernized,  as  is  the  front  nearest  Golspie.  The 
other  old  fronts  have  been  hidden  from  outside 
view  by  new  work. 

The  photograph  was  taken  from  a  little  knoll,  on 
the  edge  of  the  beach,  just  20  paces  in  front  of  the 
rifle-butt  nearest  the  sea.  The  effect  of  it  would 
have  been  better  if  the  tide  had  been  higher,  but 
it  is  still  the  prettiest  landscape-view  of  the  Castle 
which  I  have  seen. 

The  front  cover  shows 

Holl  monic  an'  auld  mone. 
At  dip,  at  dip,  o'  day  (p.  185). 


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