_For the Table Book._
When oppress’d by the world, or fatigu’d with its charms,
My weary steps homeward I tread--
’Tis there, midst the prattlers that fly to my arms,
I enjoy purer pleasures instead.
Hark! the rap at the door is known as their dad’s,
And rushing at once to the lock,
Wide open it flies, while the lasses and lads
Bid me welcome as chief of the flock.
Little _baby_ himself leaves the breast for a gaze
Glad to join in th’ general joy,
While with outstretched arms and looks of amaze
He seizes the new purchas’d toy.
Then _Harry_, the next, climbs the knee to engage
His father’s attention again;
But _Bob_, springing forward almost in a rage,
Resolves his own rights to maintain.
Oh, ye vot’ries of pleasure and folly’s sad crew,
From your midnight carousals depart!
Look here for true joys, ever blooming and new,
When I press _both_ these boys to my heart.
Poor grimalkin purs softly--the tea-kettle sings,
Midst glad faces and innocent hearts,
Encircling my table as happy as kings,
Right merrily playing their parts.
And _Bill_ (the sly rogue) takes a lump, when he’s able,
Of sugar, so temptingly sweet,
And, archly observing, hides under the table
The spoil, till he’s ready to eat.
While _George_, the big boy, talks of terrible “sums”
He perform’d so correctly at school;
_Bill_ leeringly tells, with his chin on his thumbs,
“He was whipt there for playing the fool!”
This raises a strife, till in choleric mood
Each ventures a threat to his brother,
But their hearts are so good, let a stranger intrude,
They’d fight to the last for each other.
There _Nan_, the sweet girl, she that fags for the whole,
And keeps the young urchins in order,
Exhibits, with innocence charming the soul,
Her sister’s fine sampler and border.
_Kitty_ sings to me gaily, then chatting apace
Helps her mother to darn or to stitch,
Reminding me most of that gay laughing face
Which once did my fond heart bewitch.
While _she!_ the dear partner of all my delight,
Contrives them some innocent play;
Till, tired of all, in the silence of night,
They dream the glad moments away.
Oh, long may such fire-side scenes be my lot!
Ye children, be virtuous and true!
And think when I’m aged, alone in my cot,
How I minister’d comfort to you.
When my vigour is gone, and to manhood’s estate
Ye all shall be happily grown,
Live near me, and, anxious for poor father’s fate
Show the world that you’re truly my own.
[Illustration: ~Stanmore Toll-House.~]
Its ornamental look, and public use,
Combine to render it worth observation.
Our new toll-houses are deservedly the subject of frequent remark, on
account of their beauty. The preceding engraving is intended to convey
an idea of Stanmore-gate, which is one of the handsomest near London.
The top is formed into a large lantern; when illuminated, it is an
important mark to drivers in dark nights.
It may be necessary to add, that the present representation was not
destined to appear in this place; but the indisposition of a gentleman
engaged to assist in illustrating this work, has occasioned a sudden
disappointment.
* * * * *
“STATUTES” AND “MOPS.”
_To the Editor._
Sir,--Although your unique and curious work, the _Every-Day Book_,
abounds with very interesting accounts of festivals, fairs, wassails,
wakes, and other particulars concerning our country manners, and will be
prized by future generations as a rare and valuable collection of the
pastimes and customs of their forefathers, still much of the same nature
remains to be related; and as I am anxious that the _Country Statute_,
or _Mop_, (according to the version of the country people generally,)
should be snatched from oblivion, I send you a description of this
custom, which, I hope, will be deemed worthy a place in the _Table
Book_. I had waited to see if some one more competent to a better
account than myself would achieve the task, when that short but
significant word FINIS, attached to the _Every-Day Book_, arouses me
from further delay, and I delineate, as well as I am able, scenes which,
but for that work, I possibly should have never noticed.
Some months ago I solicited the assistance of a friend, a respectable
farmer, residing at Wootton, in Warwickshire, who not only very readily
promised to give me every information he possessed on the subject, but
proposed that I should pass a week at his farm at the time these
Statutes were holding. So valuable an opportunity of visiting them and
making my own observations, I, of course, readily embraced. Before I
proceed to lay before you the results, it may be as well, perhaps, to
give something like a definition of the name applied to this peculiar
custom, as also when and for what purpose the usage was established.
“Statutes,” or “Statute Sessions,” otherwise called “Petit Sessions,”
are meetings, in every hundred of each shire in England where they are
held, to which the constables and others, both householders and
servants, repair for the determining of differences between masters and
servants; the rating, by the sheriff or magistrates, of wages for the
ensuing year; and the bestowing of such people in service as are able to
serve, and refuse to seek, or cannot get masters.
The first act of parliament for regulating servants’ wages passed in the
year 1351, 25th Edward III. At an early period labourers were serfs, or
slaves, and consequently there was no law upon the subject. The
immediate cause of the act of Edward III. was that plague which wasted
Europe from 1347 to 1349, and destroyed a great proportion of its
inhabitants. The consequent scarcity of labourers, and the high price
demanded for labour, caused those who employed them to obtain
legislative enactments, imposing fines on all who gave or accepted more
than a stipulated sum. Since that period there have been various
regulations of a similar nature. By the 13th of Richard II. the justices
of every county were to meet once a year, between Easter and Michaelmas,
to regulate, according to circumstances, the rates of wages of
agricultural servants for the year ensuing, and cause the same to be
proclaimed. But though this power was confirmed to the justices by the
5th of Elizabeth, this part of the custom of Statute Sessions is almost,
if not quite, fallen into disuse. It is probable that in the years
immediately succeeding the first enactment the population was so
restored as to cause the laws to be relaxed, though they still remain as
an example of the wisdom of past ages. However this may be, it is
certain, that all that is at present understood by “Statutes,” or, as
the vulgar call them, “Mops,” is the assembling of masters and servants,
the former to seek the latter, and the latter to obtain employment of
the former. It is undoubtedly a mutual accommodation; for although the
servants now rate and ask what wages they think fit, still they have an
opportunity of knowing how wages are usually going, and the masters have
hundreds, and, in some cases, thousands of servants to choose from.
The “Statute” I first attended was held at Studley, in Warwickshire, at
the latter end of September. On arriving, between twelve and one
o’clock, at the part of the Alcester road where the assembly was held,
the place was filling very fast by groups of persons of almost all
descriptions from every quarter. Towards three o’clock there must have
been many thousands present. The appearance of the whole may be pretty
accurately portrayed to the mind of those who have witnessed a country
fair; the sides of the roads were occupied with stalls for gingerbread,
cakes, &c., general assortments of hardware, japanned goods, waggoner’s
frocks, and an endless variety of wearing apparel, suitable to every
class, from the farm bailiff, or dapper footman, to the unassuming
ploughboy, or day-labourer.
The public-houses were thoroughly full, not excepting even the private
chambers. The scene out of doors was enlivened, here and there, by some
wandering minstrel, or fiddler, round whom stood a crowd of men and
boys, who, at intervals, eagerly joined to swell the chorus of the song.
Although there was as large an assemblage as could be well remembered,
both of masters and servants, I was given to understand that there was
very little hiring. This might happen from a twofold cause; first, on
account of its being one of the early Statutes, and, secondly, from the
circumstance of the servants asking what was deemed (considering the
pressure of the times) exorbitant wages. The servants were, for the most
part, bedecked in their best church-going clothes. The men also wore
clean white frocks, and carried in their hats some emblem or insignia of
the situation they had been accustomed to or were desirous to fill: for
instance, a waggoner, or ploughboy, had a piece of whipcord in his hat,
some of it ingeniously plaited in a variety of ways and entwined round
the hatband; a cow-man, after the same manner, had some cow-hair; and to
those already mentioned there was occasionally added a piece of sponge;
a shepherd had wool; a gardener had flowers, &c. &c.
The girls wishing to be hired were in a spot apart from the men and
boys, and all stood not unlike cattle at a fair waiting for dealers.
Some of them held their hands before them, with one knee protruding,
(like soldiers standing at ease,) and never spoke, save when catechised
and examined by a master or mistress as to the work they had been
accustomed to; and then you would scarce suppose they had learned to say
anything but “Ees, sur,” or “No, sur,” for these were almost the only
expressions that fell from their lips. Others, on the contrary,
exercised no small degree of self-sufficient loquacity concerning their
abilities, which not unusually consisted of a good proportion of main
strength, or being able to drive or follow a variety of kinds of plough.
Where a master or mistress was engaged in conversation with a servant
they were usually surrounded by a group, with their mouths extended to
an angle of near forty-five degrees, as if to catch the sounds at the
aperture; this in some, perhaps, was mere idle curiosity, in others,
from desire to know the wages asked and given, as a guide for
themselves. I observed a seeming indifference about the servants in
securing situations. They appeared to require a certain sum for wages,
without reference to any combination of circumstances or the state of
the times; and however exorbitant, they rarely seemed disposed to meet
the master by proposing something lower; they would stand for some time
and hear reasons why wages should be more moderate, and at the
conclusion, when you would suppose they were either willing, in some
measure, to accede to the terms, or to offer reasons why they should
not, you were mortified to know, that the usual answer was, “Yo’ll find
me yarn it, sur,” or “I conna gue for less.”
When a bargain is concluded on at a “Statute,” it is the custom to
ratify it immediately, and on the spot, by the master presenting to the
servant what is termed “earnest money,” which is usually one shilling,
but it varies according to circumstances; for instance, if a servant
agrees to come for less than he at first asked, it is, perhaps, on the
condition that his earnest is augmented, probably doubled or trebled, as
may be agreed on.
The contract arises upon the hiring: if the hiring be general, without
any particular time limited, the law construes it to be hiring for one
year; but the contract may be made for any longer or shorter period.
Many farmers are wary enough to hire their servants for fifty-one weeks
only, which prevents them having any claim upon that particular parish
in case of distress, &c. We frequently find disputes between two
parishes arising out of Statute-hirings brought to the assizes or
sessions for settlement.
When the hiring is over, the emblems in the hats are exchanged for
ribbons of almost every hue. Some retire to the neighbouring grounds to
have games at bowls, skittles, or pitching, &c. &c., whilst the more
unwary are fleeced of their money by the itinerant Greeks and black legs
with E. O. tables, pricking in the garter, the three thimbles &c. &c.
These tricksters seldom fail to reap abundant harvests at the Statutes.
Towards evening each lad seeks his lass, and they hurry off to spend the
night at the public-houses, or, as is the case in some small villages,
at private houses, which, on these occasions, are licensed for the time
being.
To attempt to delineate the scenes that now present themselves, would on
my part be presumption indeed. It rather requires the pencil of Hogarth
to do justice to this varied picture. Here go round the
“Song and dance, and mirth and glee;”
but I cannot add, with the poet,
“In one _continued_ round of harmony:”
for, among such a mingled mass, it is rare but that in some part discord
breaks in upon the rustic amusements of the peaceably inclined. The
rooms of the several houses are literally crammed, and usually remain so
throughout the night, unless they happen to be under restrictions from
the magistrates, in which case the houses are shut at a stated hour, or
the license risked. Clearances, however, are not easily effected. At a
village not far from hence, it has, ere now, been found necessary to
disturb the reverend magistrate from his peaceful slumbers, and require
his presence to quell disturbances that almost, as a natural
consequence, ensue, from the landlords and proprietors of the houses
attempting to turn out guests, who, under the influence of liquor, pay
little regard to either landlord or magistrate. The most peaceable way
of dealing, is to allow them to remain till the morning dawn breaks in
and warns them home.
The time for Statute-hiring commences about the beginning of September,
and usually closes before old Michaelmas-day, that being the day on
which servants enter on their new services, or, at least, quit their old
ones. Yet there are some few Statutes held after this time, which are
significantly styled “Runaway Mops;” one of this kind is held at
Henley-in-Arden, on the 29th of October, being also St. Luke’s fair.
Three others are held at Southam, in Warwickshire, on the three
successive Mondays after old Michaelmas-day. To these Statutes all
repair, who, from one cause or other, decline to go to their new
places, together with others who had not been fortunate enough to
obtain situations. Masters, however, consider it rather hazardous to
hire at these Statutes, as they are in danger of engaging with servants
already hired, who capriciously refuse to go to their employment; and if
any person hire or retain a servant so engaged, the first hirer has his
action for damages against the master and servant; yet, if the new
master did not know his servant had been hired before, no action will
lie against him, except he refuse to give him up on information and
demand. Characters are sometimes required by the master hiring; and
these, to the great detriment of society, are given in such a loose and
unreserved manner, that (to use the language of the author of the
Rambler) you may almost as soon depend on the circumstance of an
acquittal at the Old Bailey by way of recommendation to a servant’s
honesty, as upon one of these characters.
If a master discovers that a servant is not capable of performing the
stipulated work, or is of bad character, he may send the servant to
drink the “earnest money;” and custom has rendered this sufficient to
dissolve the contract. On the other hand, if a servant has been deceived
by the master in any particular, a release is obtained by returning the
“earnest.” If, however, there is no just ground of complaint, it is at
the master’s option to accept it, and _vice versâ_. The Statutes I have
visited for the purpose of gaining these particulars are Studley,
Shipston-on-Stour, and Aston-Cantlow, all in Warwickshire. I observed no
particular difference either in the business or the diversions of the
day, but Studley was by far the largest. At Stratford-on-Avon, and some
other places, there is bull-roasting, &c., which, of course, adds to the
amusement and frolic of the visitors.
I believe I have now pretty well exhausted my notes, and I should not
have been thus particular, but that I believe Statute-hiring is a custom
peculiar to England. I shall conclude by making an extract from Isaac
Bickerstaffe’s “Love in a Village.” In scenes the 10th and 11th there is
a green, with the prospect of a village, and the representation of a
Statute, and the following conversation, &c. takes place:--
_Hodge._ This way, your worship, this way. Why don’t you stand aside
there? Here’s his worship a-coming.
_Countrymen._ His worship!
_Justice Woodcock._ Fy! fy! what a crowd’s this! Odds, I’ll put some
of them in the stocks. (_Striking a fellow._) Stand out of the way,
sirrah.
_Hodge._ Now, your honour, now the sport will come. The gut-scrapers
are here, and some among them are going to sing and dance. Why,
there’s not the like of our Statute, mun, in five counties; others are
but fools to it.
_Servant Man._ Come, good people, make a ring; and stand out,
fellow-servants, as many of you as are willing and able to bear a-bob.
We’ll let my masters and mistresses see we can do something at least;
if they won’t hire us it sha’n’t be our fault. Strike up the Servants’
Medley.