Cock-fight.
Hare and Hounds.
Hunting.
Knights.
Puff in the Dart.
IMITATION OF SPORTS (WITH ANIMAL) GAMES.
Badger the Bear.
Bull in the Park.
Call the Guse.
Cockertie-hooie.
Cock-fight.
Cock's-heading.
Doncaster Cherries.
Fox.
Fox in the Fold.
Fox in the Hole.
Frog in the Middle.
Garden Gate.
Hare and Hounds.
Shue-Gled-Wylie.
Wolf.
WEIGHING GAMES.
Bag o' Malt.
Honey Pots.
Rockety Row.
Way Zaltin'.
Weigh the Butter.
WITCH OR CHILD STEALING GAMES.
Gipsy.
Keeling the Pot.
Mother, Mother, the Pot boils over.
Old Cranny Crow.
Steal the Pigs.
Three Jolly Welshmen.
Witch.
ANIMAL CONTEST GAMES.
Chickens, come clock.
Fox and Geese.
Gled-Wylie.
Hen and Chickens.
Letting the Buck out.
Old Dame.
Shepherds and Sheep.
Who goes round my Stone Wall?
Wolf.
Wolf and Lamb.
FISHING GAME.
Catch the Salmond.
CHURNING GAME.
Churning.
CONUNDRUM GAMES.
Cross Questions.
Thing done.
Three Flowers.
GUESSING GAMES.
All the Birds in the Air.
Bannockburn.
Bird Apprentice.
Birds, Beasts, and Fishes.
Brother Ebenezer.
Buck, Buck.
Buff.
Dumb Crambo.
Fool, Fool, come to School.
Handy Croopen.
Handy Dandy.
Hiss and Clap.
Hot Cockles.
King Plaster Palacey.
Little Dog I call you.
Namers and Guessers.
Old Johnny Hairy.
Priest-Cat (2).
Religious Church.
Thimble Ring.
Trades.
CONTEST GAMES.
_To take Prisoners._
Bedlams.
Blackthorn.
Buckey-how.
Canlie.
Chickidy Hand.
Click.
Cock.
Flowers.
Hornie.
Hunt the Staigie.
Johnny Rover.
King Cæsar.
King Come-a-lay.
King of Cantland.
Lamploo.
Over Clover.
Prisoner's Base.
Range the Bus.
Rax.
Relievo.
Rin-im-over.
Save all.
Shepherds.
Stacks.
Stag.
Stag Warning.
Warney.
_Prisoners and Possession of Ground._
Barley Break.
French and English.
How many Miles to Babylon (2).
Pi-cow.
Prisoner's Base.
Range the Bus.
Rigs.
Scots and English.
_Catching and Touching for "he" or "it."_
Black Doggie.
Blackman's Tig.
Boggle about the Stacks.
Canlie.
Cross Tig.
Cutters and Trucklers.
Drop Handkerchief.
Fire on the Mountains.
Hand in and Hand out.
High Windows.
Jinkie.
King o' the Castle.
Letting the Buck out.
Long Terrace.
Mannie on the Pavement.
One Catch all.
Push in the Wash Tub.
Puss in the Corner.
Rakes and Roans.
Round Tag.
Ticky Touchwood.
Tig.
Time.
Tom Tiddler's Ground.
Touch.
Tres-acre.
Twos and Threes.
_Tug of War._
A' the Birdies.
Namers and Guessers.
Oranges and Lemons.
Sun and Moon.
Three Day's Holidays.
Through the Needle 'ee.
DANCE GAMES.
(_With words and singing._)
All the Soldiers in the Town.
Alligoshee.
Auntie loomie.
As I was walking.
Ball of Primrose.
Basket.
Bell-Horses.
Betsy Bungay.
Bingo.
Bold Jolly Lads.
Boys and Girls.
Carry my Lady to London.
Chicamy.
Click, Clock, Cluck.
Contrary, Rules of.
Dinah.
Duck Dance.
Duck under the Water.
Farmer's Den.
Frincy-francy.
Galloping.
Green Grass (Addenda).
Green grow the Leaves (2).
Green grow the Leaves.
Here we go Around.
Jenny Mac.
Jingo Ring.
Leap Candle.
Leaves are Green.
Long Duck.
Lubin.
My delight's in Tansies.
Ph[oe]be.
Pop goes the Weasel.
Pray, pretty Miss.
Pretty Miss Pink.
Push the Business on.
Queen Mary.
Ring by Ring.
Ring o' Roses.
Round and Round went the Gallant
Ship.
Sailor Lad.
Sally go round.
Sunday Night.
Three Little Ships.
Town Lovers.
Trip and Go.
Turn Cheeses.
Turn the Ship.
Turvey Turvey.
Uncle John.
Up the Streets.
Weary.
Weave the Diaper.
DANCE AND SEE-SAW GAMES.
Cobble.
Cobbler's Hornpipe.
Curcuddie.
Cutch-a-Cutchoo.
Harie Hutcheon.
Hirtschin Hairy.
Huckie Buckie down the Brae.
See-saw.
Skiver the Guse.
HIDE AND SEEK GAMES.
(1.) PERSONS--
Bicky.
Cuckoo.
Gilty Galty.
Hide and Seek (1).
Howly.
Kick the Block.
King by your Leave.
Mount the Tin.
Salt Eel.
Spy Arm.
Strike-a-licht.
(2). OBJECTS--
Codham.
Find the Ring.
Gigg.
Hide and Seek (2).
Kittlie-cout.
Odd-man.
Peesie Weet.
Priest Cat (2).
Shuffle the Brogue.
Smuggle the Gig.
Thimble Ring.
Tip it.
LEAP-FROG AND HOPPING GAMES.
Accroshay.
Bung the Bucket.
Cat Gallows.
Foot and Over.
Half Hammer.
Hop Frog.
Hopscotch.
Leap-frog.
Loup the Bullocks.
Saddle the Nag.
Ships.
Skin the Goatie.
CARRYING GAMES.
Betsy Bungay.
Carry my Lady to London.
King's Chair.
Knapsack.
Knights.
BLINDFOLD GAMES.
Blind Bell.
Blindman's Buff.
Blindman's Stan.
Buff.
Cock Stride.
Dinah.
French Blindman's Buff.
Giddy.
Hot Cockles.
Kick the Block.
Muffin Man.
Old Johnny Hairy, Crap in!
'Ot millo.
Pillie Winkie.
Pointing out a Point.
Queen of Sheba.
FOLLOW MY LEADER GAMES.
Follow my Gable.
Follow my Leader.
Jock and Jock's Man.
Quaker.
Quaker's Wedding.
Religious Church.
Solomon.
The Drummer Man.
FORFEIT GAMES.
American Post.
Button.
Cross Questions.
Diamond Ring.
Fire, Air, Water.
Follow my Gable.
Forfeits.
Genteel Lady.
Jack's Alive.
Malaga Raisins.
Mineral, Animal, Vegetable.
Minister's Cat.
Mr. Barnes.
Old Soldier.
Turn the Trencher.
Twelve Days of Christmas.
Wads and the Wears.
BALL, HAND.
Ball.
Ball in the Decker.
Balloon.
Balls and Bonnets.
Burly Whush.
Caiche.
Colley Ball.
Cuck-ball.
Cuckoo.
Han'-and-Hail.
Hats in Holes.
Keppy Ball.
Monday, Tuesday.
Pat-Ball.
Pize Ball.
Pots.
Stones.
Teesty-Tosty.
Trip-Trout.
Tut-ball.
BALL, FOOT.
Camp.
Football.
Hood.
BALL GAMES.
(_With bats and sticks played by rival parties._)
Bad.
Baddin.
Bandy-ball.
Bandy-cad.
Bandy-hoshoe.
Bandy-wicket.
Bittle-battle.
Buzz and Bandy.
Cat and Dog.
Cat and Dog Hole.
Catchers.
Cat i' the Hole.
Chinnup.
Chow.
Church and Mice.
Codlings.
Common.
Crab-sowl.
Crooky.
Cuck-ball.
Cudgel.
Dab-an-Thricker.
Doddart.
Hawkey.
Hockey.
Hornie Holes.
Hummie.
Hurling.
Jowls.
Kibel and Nerspel.
Kirk the Gussie.
Kit-Cat.
Lobber.
Munshets.
Nur and Spel.
Peg and Stick.
Rounders.
Scrush.
Shinney.
Sow-in-the-Kirk.
Stones.
Stool-ball.
Tip-cat.
Trap-bat and ball.
Tribet.
Trippet and coit.
Troap.
Trounce hole.
Trunket.
Waggles.
GAMES OF SKILL AND CHANCE.
AIM--_Throwing sticks or stones to hit particular object._
All in the Well.
Cockly Jock.
Cogs.
Doagan.
Duck at the Table.
Duckstone.
Loggats.
Mag.
Nacks.
Paip.
Pay Swad.
Peg-fiched.
Penny Cast.
Penny Prick.
Roly Poly.
BUTTONS.
Banger.
Buttons.
Cots and Twisses.
Hard Buttons.
Pitch and Toss.
Skyte the Bob.
CHANCE, or GAMBLING.
Chuck Farthing.
Cross and Pile.
Dab.
Davie Drap.
Hairry my Bossie.
Headicks and Pinticks.
Heads and Tails.
Hustle Cap.
Jingle-the-Bonnet.
Lang Larence.
Neivie-nick-nack.
Odd-man.
Odd or Even.
Pednameny.
Pick and Hotch.
Pinch.
CHERRY STONES.
Cherry Odds.
Cherry-pit.
Paip.
EGGS.
Blindman's Stan.
Cogger.
Jauping Paste-eggs.
Pillie Winkie.
Wink-egg.
MARBLES.
Boss-out.
Bridgeboard.
Bun-hole.
Capie-hole.
Castles.
Chock or Chock-hole.
Cob.
Crates.
Dumps.
Ho-go.
Hoilakes.
Holy Bang.
Hundreds.
Hynny-pynny.
Lab.
Lag.
Long-Tawl.
Marbles.
Nine holes.
Pig-ring.
Pit-Counter.
Pits.
Plum pudding.
Pyramids.
Ring-taw.
Ship-sail.
Shuvvy-Hawle.
Span-counter.
Spangle.
Spannims.
Splints.
Stroke.
Three Holes.
NUTS ON STRING.
Cob-nut.
Cock-battler.
Cogger.
Conkers.
Conquerors.
Jud.
Peggy nut.
ON DIAGRAM OR PLAN.
Corsicrown.
Fipenny Morell.
Fox and Geese (2).
Hap-the-beds.
Hickety-Hackety.
Hopscotch.
Kit-cat-cannio.
London.
Nine Men's Morris.
Noughts and Crosses.
Pickie.
Tip-tap-toe.
Tit-tat-toe.
Tods-and-lambs.
Tray Trip.
Troy Town.
PENCE.
Chuck Farthing.
Chuck Hole.
PINS.
Hattie.
Pinny-Show.
Pins.
Pop-the-Bonnet.
Push-pin.
SHUTTLECOCK.
Shuttlefeather.
STONES AND DICE.
Chance Bone.
Checkstones.
Chucks.
Dalies.
Dibbs.
Ducks and Drakes.
Gobs.
Huckle-Bones.
Jackysteauns.
TOPS.
Chippings.
Gully.
Hoatie.
Hoges.
Peg-in-the-Ring.
Peg Top.
Scop-peril.
Scurran-Meggy.
Tops.
Totum.
Whigmeleerie.
WITH FINGERS AND STRING.
Cat's-Cradle.
This leaves over a few games which do not come under either of these
chief heads, and appear now to be only forms of pure amusement. These
are:--
Blow-point.
Bob Cherry.
Bummers.
Chinny-mumps.
Cuddy among the Powks.
Dish-a-loof.
Dust Point.
Handy Dandy.
Level Coil.
Lug and a Bite.
Lugs.
Magician.
Malaga Raisins.
Musical Chairs.
Neighbour, I torment thee.
Obadiah.
Penny Hop.
Pigeon Walk.
Pinny Show.
Pins.
Pirly Peaseweep.
Pon Cake.
Poor and Rich.
Prick at the Loop.
Robbing the Parson's Hen Roost.
Scat.
She Said, and She Said.
Stagging.
Sticky-stack.
Stroke Bias.
Sweer Tree.
Thing Done.
Troco.
Troule-in-Madame.
Truncher.
Turn Spit Jack.
Wiggle Waggle.
Wild Boar.
In order to show the importance of this classification, let me first
refer to the games of skill. These are (1) where one individual plays
with some articles belonging to himself against several other players
who play with corresponding articles belonging to them; (2) where one
player attempts to gain articles deposited beforehand by all the players
as stakes or objects to be played for. These games are played with
buttons, marbles, cherry-stones, nuts, pins, and pence. In the second
group, each player stakes one or more of these articles before beginning
play, which stakes become the property of the winner of the game. The
object of some of the games in the first group is the destruction of the
article with which the opponent plays. This is the case with the games
of "conkers" played with nuts on a string, and peg-top; the nuts and top
are broken, if possible, by the players, to prevent their being used
again, the peg of the top being retained by the winner as a trophy. The
successful nut or top has the merit and glory of having destroyed
previously successful nuts or tops. The victories of the one destroyed
are tacked on and appropriated by each victor in succession. So we see a
nut or a top which has destroyed another having a record of, say,
twenty-five victories, taking these twenty-five victories of its
opponent and adding them to its own score. In like manner the pegs of
the tops slain in peg-top are preserved and shown as trophies. That the
destruction of the implements of the game, although not adding to the
immediate wealth of the winner, does materially increase his importance,
is manifest, especially in the days when these articles were
comparatively much more expensive than now, or when it meant, as at one
time it must have done, the making of another implement.
These games are of interest to the folk-lorist, as showing connection
with early custom. We know that playing at games for stakes involving
life or death to the winner, or the possession of the loser's magical or
valuable property or knowledge, is not only found in another branch of
folk-lore, namely, folk-tales, but there is plenty of evidence of the
early belief that the possession of a weapon which had, in the hands of
a skilful chief, done great execution, would give additional skill and
power to the person who succeeded in obtaining it. When I hear of a
successful "conker" or top being preserved and handed down from father
to son,[19] and exhibited with tales of its former victories, I believe
we have survivals of the form of transmission of virtues from one person
to another through the means of an acquired object. I do not think that
the cumulative reckoning and its accompanying ideas would occur to
modern boys, unless they had inherited the conception of the virtue of a
conquered enemy's weapon being transferred to the conqueror's.
[19] I know of one nut which was preserved and shown to admiring boys
as a conqueror of 1000.
Other games of skill are those played by two or more players on diagrams
or plans. Many of these diagrams and plans are found scratched or carved
on the stone flooring or walls of old churches, cathedrals, and monastic
buildings, showing that the boys and men of the Middle Ages played them
as a regular amusement--probably monks were not averse to this kind of
diversion in the intervals of religious exercise; plans were also made
on the ground, and the games played regularly by shepherds and other
people of outdoor occupation. We know this was so with the well-known
"Nine Men's Morris" in Shakespeare's time, and there is no reason why
this should not be the case with others, although "Nine Men's Morris"
appears to have been the favourite. These diagram games are primitive in
idea, and simple in form. They consist primarily of two players trying
to form a row of three stones in three consecutive places on the plan;
the one who first accomplishes this, wins. This is the case with
"Kit-Cat-Cannio" (better known as "Noughts and Crosses") "Corsicrown"
and "Nine Men's Morris."
Now, in "Noughts and Crosses" the simplest form of making a "row of
three," where only two players play, and in another diagram game called
"Tit-Tat-Toe," it is possible for neither player to win, and in this
case the result is marked or scored to an unknown or invisible third
player, who is called "Old Nick," "Old Tom," or "Old Harry." In some
versions this third player is allowed to keep all the marks he
registers, and to win the game if possible; in others, the next
successful player takes "Old Nick's" score and adds it to his own. Here
we have an element which needs explanation, and it is interesting to
remind oneself of the primitive custom of assigning a certain proportion
of the crops or pieces of land to the devil, or other earth spirit,
which assignment was made by lot. It seems to me that a game in which an
invisible player takes part must come from an era in which unknown
spirits were believed to take part in people's lives, the interpretation
of such part being obtained by means of divination.
Again, in the games played with ball (hand) are remains of divination,
and the ball games played by two opposite parties with bats and sticks,
the origin of our modern cricket and football, have been developed from
those early contests which have played such an important part in parish
and town politics. Even in the simple game of "Touch" or "Tig" a
primitive element can be found. In this game, as in many others, it is
one of the fundamental rules, now unfortunately being disregarded, that
the player who is "he" or "it" must be chosen by lot; one of the
"counting out" rhymes is said until all the players but one are counted
out--this one is then "he." This "he" is apparently a "tabooed" person;
he remains "he" until he succeeds in touching another, who becomes
"tabooed" in turn, and the first is then restored to his own
personality. There would be no necessity for this deciding by lot unless
something of an ignominious or "evil" character had been originally
associated with the "unnamed" or "tabooed" player. In some games the
player who is counted out is the victim of the rough play or punishment,
which is the motive of the game. It is possible that the game of "Touch"
has developed from the practice of choosing a victim by lot, or from
tabooing people suffering from certain diseases or subjected to some
special punishment.
The "counting out" rhymes of children are in themselves an interesting
and curious study. They contain the remains in distorted form of some of
the early numerals. The fact of a counting-out rhyme being used in the
games is of itself evidence of antiquity and old usage. For those
interested in this branch of study I can refer to the valuable book on
this subject by Mr. H. Carrington Bolton, which contains hundreds of
these rhymes collected from various sources.
I mention these instances of possible connection between the games of
skill and ancient belief and custom, to show that the anthropological
significance of traditional games is not absent from what might perhaps
be considered quite modern games. This is important to my argument,
because when I turn to the dramatic section of children's games there is
so much evidence of the survival of ancient custom and belief, that I am
supported in the arguments which I shall advance by the fact that the
whole province of children's play, and not particular departments,
contribute to this evidence. It will be seen from the classification
that many customs are dramatised or represented in a more or less
imperfect form in a large number of games, and that these customs have
been those which obtained a firm hold on the people, and formed an
integral part of their daily life. Courtship, love, and marriage form
the largest number; then the contest games for the taking of prisoners
and of territory are the next in point of numbers. Funerals appear as
the next most widely spread, then harvest customs, while the practice of
divination, the belief in ghosts and charms, well-worship, tree-worship,
and rush-bearing, witches, and child-stealing, are fully represented.
Next come imitations of sports (animal), and contest games between
animals, and then a number of games in which "guessing" is a principal
feature, and a large number dealing with penalties or punishments
inflicted for breach of rules.
A survey of the classification scheme of traditional games introduces
the important fact that games contain customs; in other words, that
games of skill and chance have come down from a time when practices were
in vogue which had nothing originally to do with games, and that
dramatic games have come down from times when the action they dramatise
was the contemporary action of the people. It becomes important,
therefore, to work more closely into the details of these games, to
ascertain if we can what customs are preserved, to what people or period
of culture they might have belonged. In many instances enough is said
under each game to show the significance of the conclusions, but when
brought together and compared one with another these conclusions become
more significant. The fact that marriage custom is preserved in a given
form becomes of immense value when it is found to have been preserved in
many games. I shall not go further into the games of skill and chance,
but confine myself to the important class of dramatic games.
By the dramatic game I mean a play or amusement which consists of words
sung or said by the players, accompanied by certain pantomimic actions
which accord with the words used, or, as I prefer to put it, of certain
definite and settled actions performed by the players to indicate
certain meanings, of which the words are only a further illustration.
To take the method of play first, I have found five distinct and
different methods:--
(1) The line form of game, played by the children being divided into two
sides of about an equal number on each side, with a space of ground of
about eight or ten feet between the two lines. Each line joins hands,
and advances and retires in turn while singing or saying their parts.
(2) The circle form, played by the children joining hands and forming a
circle, and all walking or dancing round together when singing the
words.
(3) The individual form, where the children take separate characters and
act a little play.
(4) The arch form, in which two children clasp each other's hands, hold
their arms high, and so form a kind of arch, beneath which all the other
players run in single file.
(5) Winding-up form, in which the players, clasping hands, wind round
another player until all are wedged closely together, and then unwind
again, generally assuming a serpentine form in so doing.
It will be well, in the first place, to arrange the games played under
each of these methods:--
GAMES PLAYED IN LINE FORM (_with singing and action_).
Babbity Bowster.
Green Grass.
Hark the Robbers (_one form_).
Here comes a Lusty Wooer.
Here comes one Virgin on her Knee.
Jenny Jones (_one form_).
Jolly Hooper (_only one line advance_).
Lady of the Land.
London Bridge (_one form_).
Mary Brown (_one form_).
Milking Pails.
Nuts in May.
Pray, pretty Miss (_one form_).
Queen Anne.
Three Dukes.
Three Knights.
Three Sailors.
We are the Rovers.
CIRCLE FORM (_singing and action subdivided into three methods_).
(1) Green Gravel.
Jolly Miller.
London Bridge (_some versions_).
Lubin.
Mulberry Bush.
Nettles.
Oats and Beans and Barley.
Ring a Ring o' Roses.
Rushes.
Wallflowers.
When I was a Young Girl.
Would You know how doth the Peasant?
(2) All the boys.
Down in the Valley.
Glasgow Ships.
Here stands a Young Man.
Isabella.
Jolly Fisherman.
Jolly Sailors.
King William.
Kiss in the Ring.
Knocked at the Rapper.
Lady on the Mountain.
Mary Brown.
Mary mixed a Pudding.
Merry-ma-tanza.
Needle Cases.
Old Widow.
Oliver, Oliver, follow the King.
Poor Mary sits a-weeping.
Poor Widow.
Pretty little Girl of Mine.
Punch Bowl.
Queen Mary.
Rosy Apple, Lemon, and Pear.
Round and Round the Gallant Ship.
Sally Water.
Silly Old Man.
Uncle John.
Wind.
(3) Booman.
Old Roger.
Round and Round the Village.
Who goes round my Stone Wall?
INDIVIDUAL FORM (_dialogue game_).
Auld Grannie.
Baste the Bear.
Fox and Goose.
Ghost at the Well.
Gipsey.
Gled-wylie.
Hen and Chickens.
Honey Pots.
Jack, Jack, the Bread's a-burnin'.
Keeling the Pot.
King of the Barbarie.
Lady on yonder Hill.
Lend Me your Key.
Mother, may I go out?
Mother Mop.
Mother, Mother, the Pot boils over.
Mouse and Cobbler.
Old Granny Crow.
Old Woman.
Shepherds and Sheep.
Steal the Pigs.
Three Jolly Welshmen.
Witch.
The arch form of game, or tug-of-war as it is usually called, subdivide
into two methods:--
ARCH FORM.
(1) Draw a Pail of Water.
Hark the Robbers (_some versions_).
How many Miles to Babylon.
London Bridge.
Long Duck.
Thread the Needle.
Through the Needle Eye.
(2) Fool, Fool, come to School.
Hark the Robbers (_some versions_).
Little Dog, I call you.
Namers and Guessers.
Oranges and Lemons.
Three Days' Holidays.
Tug of War.
WINDING UP, OR SERPENT'S COIL FORM.
Bulliheisle.
Eller Tree.
Port the Helm.
Snail Creep.
Tuilzie Wap.
Winding up the Bush Faggot.
The first or line form of games is characterised by no one player being
distinguished above his fellows; there are no distinct or separate
characters to be played. All the players on one line say the same words
and perform the same actions; all advance together and retire together.
Each line stands still while the other line advances, retires, and has
its "say." In this way questions are asked and answers are given.
Questions and answers form an essential part of the line form of game.
The one line of players imply action of a party composed of several
persons who are of the same opinion, and the line on the opposite side
is a party who hold different opinions, and express these in words and
by actions; so that in no game played in line form do we get unanimous
action of all the players, but half and half.
These line games represent in the main a contest, and there are contests
of different kinds; that is, war between the people of two different
locations, between parishes or border countries of different
nationalities, and contests for wives, of a more or less friendly
nature. That the lines or sides indicate people who come from one
country or district to another country or district is shown, I think, by
the fact that a line is drawn in the middle of the ground, which line
separates the territory of the two sides. Players can go as far as the
line on their own side, but one step over lands them in the enemy's
territory. In a marriage game of the line form, the girl when unwilling
is pulled across the line, and when willing she walks across to the
opposite side. It is also clear that in the marriage games the party on
one side represents young men, and on the other side young women.
In the second group, the circle form, all the players join hands to form
a circle. They all perform the same actions and say the same words. This
circle form is used in three ways.
In the first or simplest class all the players perform the same actions,
sing the same words all together. There is no division into parties, and
no individual action or predominance. This method is adopted when a
certain recurring custom is celebrated or a special event is
commemorated. The event is described in pantomimic action, and
accompanied with dance and song.