in the churchyard are the North and South sides of the church.
Throughout Lancashire and the North of England there is a universal
superstition that the south side of the church is the holiest or most
consecrated ground, and it may be observed that that side of the
graveyard is generally crowded with grave-stones, or green hillocks of
turf, while the north side has but few. This is an old superstition,
which held that the north side of the church was really unhallowed
ground, fit only to be the last resting place of still-born infants and
suicides. Then almost all graves are ranged east and west; and in a rare
tract of the Marprelate series, called "_Martin's Month's Mind_" (1589)
it is stated that "he would not be laid east and west (for he ever went
against the hair), but north and south: I think because 'Ab aquilone
omne malum' (from the north comes all evil), and the south wind ever
brings corruption with it." The celebrated antiquary Thomas Hearne, left
orders for his grave to be made straight by a compass, due east and
west. Sir Thomas Browne[201] observes that "the Persians were buried
lying north and south; the Megarians and Phœnicians placed their
heads to the east; the Athenians, some think, towards the west, which
Christians still retain; and Bede will have it to be the posture of our
Saviour." One "Article of Inquiry" in a visitation of the Bishop of Ely
in 1662, was--"When graves are digged, are they made six feet deep (at
the least), and east and west?"
FOOTNOTES:
[193] Rev. John Booker, Prestwich, in _Notes and Queries_, v. 543.
[194] _Richmondshire_, ii. 298.
[195] In many instances, in social feasts, four persons were regarded as
a "mess."
[196] The Rev. Mr. Hodgson's _Description of Westmorland_.
[197] Baines's _History of Lancashire_.
[198] Rev. W. Thornber's _History of Blackpool_.
[199] Dr. Whitaker's _Whalley_, addenda.
[200] _Lancashire MSS.--Letters._
[201] In his _Urn Burial_.
CUSTOMS OF MANORS.
This subject would require extensive notice, if the materials requisite
for its elucidation were more numerous and accessible. All prescriptive
customs of manors have existed beyond what is termed "legal
memory"--_i.e._, from the reign of Richard I. (1189-1199). Many others,
relating to the military and other free tenures of the chief tenants of
manors, and to the socage and inferior or servile tenures, with the
boons of the cottagers, &c., and the various services attached to these
different tenures, would make a very curious piece of history of customs
and usages; but these are usually recorded only in private grants,
charters, and other deeds, or in copy-rolls and other records of manors,
not generally accessible. The following are some examples:--
THE HONOUR OF KNIGHTHOOD.
In the early ages of our history, the honour of knighthood, with the
military services to which it was incident under the feudal system, was
often forced upon the subject. In the year 1278, a writ to the Sheriff
of Lancashire commanded him to distrain upon all persons seised of land
of the value of £20 yearly, whether held of the King _in capite_, or of
any other lords who ought to be knights and were not; and all such were
ordered forthwith to take out their patent of knighthood. Fourteen years
after this, a writ was issued, wherein the qualification was raised to
double the amount; and a writ, dated 6th February, 1292, was issued to
the Sheriff of Lancashire (with others), proclaiming that all persons
holding lands in fee, or of inheritance, of the value of £40 per annum,
must take the order of knighthood before Christmas in that year. The
crown might relax or vary these services: hence a writ to the Sheriff of
Lancashire recites "that the commonalty of England, having performed
good services against the Welsh, the king excuses persons not holding
lands of the value of £100 yearly from taking the order of knighthood;"
but all holding above that amount, and not taking the order before the
Nativity of the Virgin (Sept. 8), were to be distrained upon.
Subsequently, injunctions were addressed to the Sheriff, commanding him
to make extents of the lands of those refusing to take the order of
knighthood, and to hold them for the king until further orders. Another
writ to the Sheriff of Lancashire, of 6th April, 1305, directs him to
proclaim that all who should become knights, and are not, must repair to
London before the following Whit Sunday to receive that distinction, if
properly qualified.[202]
MARITAGIUM.
On the marriage of the Princess Alianora (sister of Edward III.) with
the Earl of Guelders, an order was issued to the abbot of Furness, and
to the priors of Burscough, Up-Holland, and Hornby, as well as to the
abbot of Whalley, and to the priors of Cartmell and Coningshead,
requesting them to levy the subsidy on their respective houses, towards
the _Maritagium_, an impost of early times, which ceased with the feudal
system.[203] This order the priests were slow to obey, in consequence of
which another letter was issued by the king from Pontefract, reminding
them of their neglect, and ordering them to communicate their intention
to the proper authority. No further documents appear on the subject; and
it may be presumed that this second application produced the desired
effect.[204]
PECULIAR SERVICES AND TENURES.
The following are entries in the "Testa de Nevill," a book supposed to
have been compiled towards the close of the reign of Edward II. or the
beginning of that of Edward III., and consequently to exhibit the
services and tenures existing about the beginning of the 12th
century:--Thomas and Alicia de Gersingham, by keeping the king's
[John's] hawks in Lonsdale, till they became strong, when they were to
be committed to the Sheriff of Lancashire. Luke Pierpoint, by keeping an
aëry; Adam de Hemelesdale, by constabulary at Crosby. Quenilda de
Kirkdale, by conducting royal treasure. Richard Fitz Ralph, by
constabulary at Singleton. John de Oxeclive, by being carpenter at
Lancaster Castle. Adam Fitz Gilmighel, by being the king's carpenter.
Roger the carpenter, by being carpenter in Lancaster Castle. Ralph Barun
or Babrun, by being mason in Lancaster Castle. Walter, son of Walter
Smith, by forging iron instruments. Roger Gernet, by being chief
forester. William Gernet, by the service of meeting the king on the
borders of the city, with his horse and white rod, and conducting him
into and out of the city. William and Benedict de Gersingham, by the
sergeantry of keeping the king's aëries of hawks. Gilbert Fitz Orm, by
paying yearly 3_d._ or some spurs to Benedict Gernet, the heir of Roger
de Heton, in thanage. Roger de Leycester, by paying 8_s._ and two arrows
yearly. A great number of persons in thanage: others in drengage. John
de Thoroldesholme, by larderery; Roger de Skerton, by provostry. Roger
Fitz John, by making irons for the king's ploughs. Others, by gardenry,
and by masonry, or the service of finding pot-herbs and leeks for
Lancaster castle, smith's work, and carpentry; the burgesses of
Lancaster, by free-burgage and by royal charter. Peter de Mundevill, by
service of one brachet [a sort of hound] of one colour. The prior of
Wingal, by he knows not what service. Lady Hillaria Trussebut, by no
service, and she knows not by what warrant. Henry de Waleton, by being
head sergeant or bailiff of the Hundred of Derbyshire [_i.e._, West
Derby]. Galfridus Balistarius [Geoffrey Balistur] by presenting two
cross-bows to the king. William Fitz William, by presenting one brachet,
one _velosa_ [? a piece of velvet] and two _lintheamina_ [pieces of
linen cloth]. Roger Fitz Vivian holds the sergeantry of Heysham, by
blowing the horn before the king at his entrance into and exit from the
city of Lancaster. Thomas Gernet, in Heysham, by sounding the horn on
meeting the king on his arrival in those parts. William Gresle, by
presenting a bow without string, a quiver, 12 arrows, and a _buzon_ [?
possibly a quiver or arrow-case]. William Fitz Waukelin, by presenting
one soar-hawk. Hervi Gorge, by presenting one plough, one _linthola_
[piece of linen cloth], one _velosa_ [piece of velvet], and one
_auricular_ [? a veil for the confessional]. Roger and Hugh de
Auberville, by keeping one hawk. Several religious houses held in pure
and free and perpetual alms, or what the Normans styled
"Frank-almoigne." A large number of persons held by donation, in
consideration of yearly rents, and some of these were nominal, as "a
pepper-corn, if demanded," "a clove," "a red rose on St. John the
Baptist's Day" (24th June), "a pair of white gloves or a peny," a
"Manchester knife," &c.
SMITHELLS.--The mesne manor of Smithells in Sharples, near Bolton, is
dependent upon the superior manor of Sharples, the lord of which claims
from the owner of Smithells a pair of gilt spurs annually; and, by a
very singular and inconvenient custom, the unlimited use of the cellars
at Smithells Hall for a week in every year.[205]
It does not appear, however, that the lord of Smithells was bound to the
quantity or to the quality of the liquors with which his cellars were at
that time to be stored. This feudal claim seems now nearly abandoned, as
it has not been enforced within the present century.[206]
MANOR OF COCKERHAM.--REGULATIONS FOR THE SALE OF ALE.
The customs' dues of this manor appear to have been originally ordained
by Brother William Geryn, cellarer of the Abbey of Cokersand, in 1326,
and were confirmed by John the Abbot in 1st Richard III. (1483-4). The
confirmation is in the English of the period; and among other curious
ordinances, contains the following regulation as to the price, &c., of
ale (the spelling is modernised):--"There shall no brewer let no tenant
for to have ale for their silver out of their house, and such [may] have
four gallons within their house, so that they bring a vessel with them.
Ye shall not sell a gallon of ale above a halfpenny when ye may buy a
quarter of good oats for 2_d._ Ye shall give ale-founders [manorial
officers also called ale-tasters] a founding-gallon, or else a taste of
each vessel, and your charge, on pain [penalty] of grievous
amerciaments."[207]
MANORIAL CUSTOMS IN FURNESS.
KIRKBY IRELETH.--In this manor the widow is entitled during her
widowhood to the moiety of the estate whereof her husband died seised;
but forfeits her right thereto upon re-marriage or breach of chastity.
Every tenant, upon being admitted to a tenement, pays to the lord of the
manor 20 years' quit-rent for a fine. Every entire tenement was formerly
obliged to keep one horse and harness, for the king's service, on the
borders or elsewhere. These were called "summer [? sumpter] nags," of
which 30 were kept in Kirkby. The tenant was also to furnish a boon
plough and a boon-harrow, that is, a day's ploughing and harrowing; and
no one is to let his land for any time exceeding 7 years, without
licence. Tenements in this manor are forfeited to the lord by treason or
felony. A tenant convicted of wilful perjury forfeits to the lord 20
years' rent, and for petty larceny, 10 years' rent.
PENNINGTON.--Pennington is the smallest parish in the county, and
contains fewer streams than any other parish in North Lonsdale. Some
feudal customs, obsolete in most places, are still observed in the manor
of Pennington. A tenant on admission pays a fine of 16 years' quit-rent.
On the death of the lord and on every change of the lord by descent, the
tenant pays a further fine of 6 years' quit-rent; and a running-fine,
town-term, or _gressom_, is payable every 7th year. The heir, where
there is a widow, pays a heriot. Every tenant must plant two trees of
the same kind for every one that he fells. Formerly every tenant was
obliged to carry a horse-load once a year to Manchester and half a
horse-load to Lancaster. In 1318 a dispute between the Pennington family
and the Abbot of Furness, as to boon services, was thus decided:--"That
the manor of Pennington was held by the service of 30_s._, and of
finding yearly, for one day in autumn, a man and woman, sufficient to
mow at the Grange of Lindale, for every house with a court-yard except
Sir William de Pennington's capital messuage; the convent to find the
daily refreshment of each mower while employed, according to ancient
custom; and Sir William granting that all the tenants of the manor, who
had or might have ploughs, should plough half an acre of the Abbot's
Grange at Lindale."[208]
MUCHLAND.--Immediately after the Conquest Aldingham was granted to
Michael Flandrensis or le Fleming, and his land was called Michael's
land, to distinguish it from that of the abbey of Furness; spelled often
Mychel-land and Mychelande, till it got corrupted into Muchland. In the
manor of Muchland, the tenant on being admitted to his tenement pays to
the lord of the manor two years' rent over and above the usual annual
rent. Every tenant paying 40_s._ rent was formerly obliged to find a
horse and harness for the King's service, on the borders or elsewhere.
Every tenant who paid 20_s._ a year rent, was to furnish a man harnessed
for the King's service. Every old tenant paid a _gressom_ of one year's
rent on the death of the lord, and every new tenant pays two years' rent
to the next heir. The widow has one-third of the tenement during her
chaste widowhood. If a tenement is not presented within a year and a day
after the death of the tenant, or if it be sold, set, or let without
paying the fine, or _gressom_, for a year and a day, then the lord, if
there be not good distress upon the grounds, may seize such tenement
into his hands as a forfeiture, &c.
LOWICK.--Here the customs are much the same as in Kirkby Ireleth, except
as to forfeitures. The running _gressom_, or town term, is a year's rent
every seventh year, paid to the lord. There are four house-lookers
annually appointed for reviewing and assigning timber for necessary
repairs.
NEVIL HALL.--The admittance fine is two years' rent, over and above the
accustomed yearly rent. The heriot, on the change of lord, is half a
year's rent. The running _gressom_, or town-term, is half a year's rent
every seventh year. Every tenant paying 20_s._ rent was formerly to keep
a horse harnessed in readiness for the King's service. The widow in this
manor, if the first wife, to have half the tenement; but if she be a
latter wife, then only one-third the tenement. A tenant may, whenever he
pleases, give his tenement to any of his sons; and in default of sons to
any of his daughters, as he thinks fit. A tenant may let, or mortgage,
any tenement or part of it for a year, without a licence; and may sell
his whole tenant-right, or any part of it, with licence from the lord.
The rents mentioned above are old and immutable rents.[209]
MUCH-URSWICK.--These customs include a fine of 20_d._ to the lord of the
manor on every change of tenancy, or on the death of the lord; except
one large house, which paying 4_s._ rent, paid a fine of five times the
lord's rent, or 5_d._ on the death of the lord, or a change of tenancy.
The tenant's widow had half the estate during chaste widowhood. The
tenants were obliged to carry a single horse-load, anciently fish, once
a year to Mowbreck Hall, near Kirkham; but this service was commuted for
a small rent called carriage rent. Tenements in this manor, on treason
or felony by the tenant are forfeited to the lord. A tenant convicted of
wilful perjury, forfeits to the lord twenty years' rent, and for petty
larceny, ten years' rent.[210]
THE ROYAL MANOR OF WARTON.--These customs are similar in many respects
to those of the duchy manors in Furness. In the reign of Elizabeth a
commission of survey, and a jury of twenty-four, from the neighbouring
manors, made a return of the customs, which were confirmed by the Court
of Exchequer. These manorial bye-laws are applicable to customary
tenants, and relate to the subjects of heirships, performance of suit
and service, the powers of the steward, the enrolling of tenants, the
payment of rents, amounts of fines, &c. A fine of two years' rent is to
be imposed on changes of tenantry; all tenants paying above 20_s._ rent
were required to maintain a horse and man with armour, tenants paying
under 20_s._ being commanded to serve in person: these services to be
strictly and fully executed in cases of need. Each tenant is directed to
repair his own homestead. In case of the death of a married tenant,
one-half of the tenement is assigned to the widow, to be held during her
chaste widowhood, and the other half to the heir or heirs. The crime of
fornication to be punished with forfeiture. Tenants not to set, let, or
mortgage for above three years without licence; not to encroach on the
common without permission. The manor court to have jurisdiction in cases
of tithe and tenant right; the tenants to be at liberty to take ash
wood. The tenants are not to be abated in their rents for any loss they
may suffer in their several proportions of turbary, marsh and common.
These manorial regulations are now but seldom enforced, and the Court
Baron of Warton assembles only on rare occasions, not uncommonly after
intervals of years.[211]
FEUDAL PRIVILEGES OF THE HONOUR AND MANOR OF HORNBY.--These ancient
privileges comprised free warren, subject to a fine of 10_l._ on
encroachments on the King's forests; right of market and fair at
Arkholme and at Hornby; court of view of frank-pledge; sheriff's turn;
free court of all pleas; assize of bread; soc, sac, tol, and them;
infangetheof and utfangetheof; hamsocn; leyrwite; murder; acquittance of
shires and hundreds, lestage [or lastage], aids of sheriffs and their
bailiffs, and amercements; wardships, and works and enclosures of
castles, parks, and bridges; and of passage, frontage, stallage, toll,
paiage, and money given for murder; and right to pontage, stallage,
hidage, and pickage. All these feudal customs were confirmed in the 12th
Charles I. (1636) to Henry Parker, Lord Morley and Monteagle.[212]
A number of the above terms require explanation. "Money given for
murder," implied the fines levied on a district in which a murder had
been committed, and the criminal not discovered; "the privilege of
murder" was the power to levy such fines; thus the town or hundred which
suffered an Englishman, who had killed a Dane there to escape, was to be
amerced sixty-six marks [44_l._] to the King. _Hamsocn_, is the
privilege or liberty of a man's own house, its violation is burglary.
_Leyr_ or _lecher wite_, is the privilege of punishing adultery and
fornication. Passage is a toll for passing over water, as at a ford or
ferry; pontage is bridge toll; stallage, a toll for stalls in a market;
paiage or pavage, is a paving toll. _Sac_, the right of a lord to hold
pleas in his court, in causes of trespass among his tenants; _soc_, the
right to administer justice and execute laws; _toll_, the right to levy
tolls on tenants; _them_, the right to hear, restrain, and judge bondmen
and villeins, with their children, goods and chattels, &c.
_Infangetheof_, the lord's privilege to judge any thief taken within his
fee. _Outfangtheof_, the right of the lord to call men dwelling within
his manor, and taken for felony outside his fee, to judgment in the
lord's own court.
THE LORD'S YULE FEAST AT ASHTON.
Among the customs of the Manor of Ashton-under-Lyne, as described by the
late Dr. Hibbert-Ware, was the making of so-called "presents" by the
tenants-at-will to the lord of the manor, for the sake of partaking in
the annual feast at the great hall. In the rental of Sir John de
Assheton, made in November 1422, these presents are claimed as an
obligatory service from the tenants-at-will, in the following
terms:--"That they shall give their presents at Yole [Christmas]; every
present to such a value as is written and set in the rental; and the
lord shall feed all his said tenants, and their wifes, upon Yole-day at
the dinner, if they like for to come; but the said tenants and their
wifes, though it be for their ease not to come, they shall send neither
man nor woman in their name,--but if [unless] they be their son or their
daughter dwelling with them,--unto the dinner; for the lord is not
bounden to feed them all, only the good man and the good wife." In some
manor-houses of Lancashire, once dedicated to these annual scenes of
festivity, may be observed an elevation of the floor [or _daïs_] at the
extremity of the great hall, or, in the place of it, a gallery which
stretches along one side of the room [many halls have both _daïs_ and
gallery] to accommodate the lord and his family, so that they might not
be annoyed by the coarse rustic freedoms which the tenants would be too
apt to take during the hours of their conviviality. In a hall, then, of
this kind in the manor-house at Assheton, we may imagine the large Yule
fire to be kindled; while in a gallery or raised floor Sir John of
Assheton, his lady, and family, together with his kinsmen, Elland of
Brighouse, and Sir John the Byron, are feasting apart, yet attentive to
the frolics or old songs of the company below. It was on these occasions
that peg-tankards were used, and horns that bore the names of the Saxons
and Danes, whom the Normans had ousted out of their possessions. Of the
description of ale that flowed merrily on these occasions we know
little; but there can be no doubt that it was like King Henry the
Eighth's ale, which contained neither hops nor brimstone. We may
suppose, then, that on annual festivals like these, the wooden bowl or
horn would pass freely through the hands of Sir John of Assheton's
tenants-at-will; among whom were such personages as Hobbe Adamson, Hobbe
of the Leghes, William the arrow-smith, Roger the baxter, Roger le
smith, Jack the spencer, Jack the hind, Elyn Wilkyn daughter, Elyn the
rose, and the widows Mergot of Staley, Peryn's wife, and Nan of the
Windy Bank,--all clad in their best hoods, and brown woollen jackets and
petticoats. The ancient musical instruments used in Lancashire were a
kind of fiddle, not of the present form, and a stringed instrument
called the virginals. The provincial songs of that period, few of which
were less than half-an-hour in length, rehearsed the deeds of Launcelot
du Lake, and his conquest of the giant Tarquin, at the castle of
Manchester; Ranulph of Chester, and his wars in the Holy Land; or the
warlike feats and amorous prowess of the renowned Cheshire hero, Roger
de Calverley. In order to preserve, as much as possible, the degree of
decorum that was necessary at such meetings, there was firstly
introduced a diminutive pair of stone stocks, of about eighteen inches
in length, for confining within them the fingers of the unruly. This
instrument was entrusted to the general prefect of manorial festivities
named the King of Misrule, whose office it was to punish all who
exceeded his royal notions of decency. Accordingly such a character
appears among the list of Sir John of Assheton's tenants, under the name
of Hobbe the king. From these entertainments being supported by the
contributions of the tenants, they were derisively called _Drink-leans_.
[_Læn_, A.-S. a loan, a gift, a reward; _Læne_, adj., lean, slender,
fragile.][213]
RIDING THE BLACK LAD AT ASHTON-UNDER-LYNE.
In the rental of Sir John Assheton, knight, of his Manor of
Ashton-under-Lyne, A.D. 1422, it is stated that two of his sons, Rauf of
Assheton, and Robyn of Assheton, by grants to them, "have the sour carr
guld rode and stane rynges for the term of their lives." This donation
(says Dr. Hibbert-Ware) evidently alludes to the privilege of
_Guld-riding_, a custom that in Scotland at least is of great antiquity,
having been intended to prevent lands from being over-run with the
weeds, which, from their yellow colour, were named _gools_ or _gulds_,
_i.e._, the corn-marigold, or _Chrysanthemum Segetum_ of Linn. Boethius
(lib. 10) mentions a law of king Kenneth (probably rather of Alexander
II.) to prevent the growth of _manaleta_ or _guld_, and to impose a fine
of oxen on proof of its infraction. The Rev. J. P. Bannerman, in a
statistical account of the parish of Cargill, in Perthshire, states that
with a view of extirpating this weed, "after allowing a reasonable time
for procuring clean seed from other grounds, an act of the Baron Court
was passed, enforcing an old Act of Parliament to the same effect,
imposing a fine of 3_s._ 4_d._, or a wether sheep, on the tenants for
every stock of _gool_ that should be found growing in their corn at a
particular day; and certain persons styled _gool-riders_ were appointed
to ride through the fields, search for _gool_, and carry the law into
execution when they discovered it. Though the fine of a wether sheep is
now commuted and reduced to a penny, the practice of _gool-riding_ is
still kept up, and the fine rigidly exacted." To this origin Dr.
Hibbert-Ware attributes the custom peculiar to Ashton-under-Lyne of
"Riding the Black Lad." He states that in the days of Sir John of
Assheton (A.D. 1422) a large portion of low wet land in the vicinity of
Assheton was named the Sour Carr (carr being synonymous with the Scotch
word _carse_, and the well-known term _sour_ implying an impoverished
state of the carr). It had been over-run with corn-marigolds or
carr-gulds, which were so destructive to the corn that the lord of the
manor enforced some rigorous measures for their extirpation, similar to
the carr-guld riding in Perthshire. Ralph of Assheton, Sir John's son by
a second marriage, and Robin, his brother, were on a certain day in the
spring [Easter-Monday] invested with the power of riding over the lands
of the carr, named the _Carr Guld Rode_, of levying fines for all
_carr-gulds_ that were found among the corn, and, until the penalties
were paid, of punishing transgressors by putting them into the [finger]
_stocks_ or _stone rings_, or by incarceration. Ralph Assheton, by his
alliance with a rich heiress, became the lord of the neighbouring manor
of Middleton, and soon afterwards received the honour of knighthood;
being at the same time entrusted with the office of Vice-Constable of
the kingdom; and it is added, of Lieutenant of the Tower. Invested with
such authorities, he committed violent excesses in this part of the
kingdom. Retaining for life the privilege granted him in Ashton of
Guld-riding, he, on a certain day in spring, made his appearance in the
manor, clad in black armour (whence his name of the Black Lad or Black
Boy) mounted on a charger, and attended with a numerous train of his own
followers, in order to levy the penalty arising from the neglect of
clearing the land from carr-gulds. The interference of so powerful a
knight belonging to another township could not but be regarded by the
tenants of Assheton as the tyrannical intrusion of a stranger; and as
Sir Ralph, sanctioned by the political power given him by Henry VI.,
exercised his privilege with the utmost severity, the name of the Black
Lad is still regarded with sentiments of horror. Tradition has, indeed,
perpetuated the prayer that was fervently ejaculated for a deliverance
from his tyranny:--
Sweet Jesu! for thy mercy's sake,
And for thy bitter passion,
Save us from the axe of the Tower,
And from Sir Ralph of Ashton.
Upon the death of the Black Knight, Sir John's heir and successor
abolished the usage for ever, reserving for the estate a small sum of
money for the purpose of perpetuating, in an annual ceremony, the
dreaded annual visits of the Black Boy. This is still kept up. An effigy
is made of a man in armour; and since Sir Ralph was the son of a second
marriage (which, for this reason, had been esteemed by the heir of Sir
John as an unfortunate match) the image is deridingly emblazoned with
some emblem of the occupation of the first couple that are linked
together in the course of the year. [Mr. Edwin Butterworth says with the
initials of their names.] The Black Boy is then fixed on horseback, and,
after being led in procession round the town, is dismounted, made to
supply the place of a shooting-butt, and, all fire-arms being in
requisition for the occasion, he is put to an ignominious death. [The
origin of Riding the Black Lad, here suggested, is exceedingly
ingenious; but it seems questionable whether any real data for it are
given in the single passage cited from the rental of 1422. "The Sour
Carr Guld Rode and the Stane Ringes" taken as they stand, may mean the
Guld-ruyding, or ridding, as a piece of land cleared of stumps, &c., was
called; _ex. gr._ Hunt-royd, Orme-rod, Blake-rod, &c. The Stone Rings
may be a piece of land so-called. There is no mention of the power to
levy penalties, nor even of any official riding, but only the
_rode_,--not road, as it has been interpreted, but ridded land, perhaps
cleared from gulds and weeds, no less than from stubs, stumps, and
stones.--EDS.][214]
Mr. Roby, from the above materials, has written a tale of Sir Ralph's
cruel seizure of a widow's only cow, as the heriot due to him as lord of
the manor, on the death of her husband. Her half-witted son is said to
have told Sir Ralph that on his death his master the devil would claim a
heriot, and that Sir Ralph himself would be given up. On this Sir Ralph
took fright, and sent back the heriot cow to the poor widow. Another
tradition exists as to the origin of the custom of "Riding the Black
Lad," which Mr. Roby thinks may have been fabricated merely to throw off
the odium attached to the name of Sir Ralph. In the reign of Edward III.
one Thomas Assheton fought under Queen Philippa in the battle of
Neville's Cross. Riding through the ranks of the enemy, he bore away the
royal standard from the Scotch king's tent, who himself was afterwards
taken prisoner. King Edward, on his return from France, conferred on
Thomas the honour of knighthood, with the title of "Sir Thomas Assheton
of Assheton-under-Lyne." To commemorate this singular display of valour,
Sir Thomas instituted the custom of "Riding the Black Knight or Lad" at
Assheton, on Easter-Monday; leaving 10_s._ yearly to support it,
together with his own suit of black velvet, and a coat of mail. Which of
these accounts of the origin of the custom is correct, there is now no
evidence to determine.
BOON SHEARING.
In the manor of Ashton-under-Lyne, every tenant-at-will was thus
commanded:--"He that plough has, shall plough two days. He that half
plough has, shall plough a day, whenever the lord be liever [more
willing], in wheet-seeding, or in lenton-seeding; and every tenant
harrow a day with their harrow, in seeding time, when they bin charged.
And they should cart, every tenant ten cartful of turve from Doneam Moss
to Assheton, and shere four days in harvest, and cart a day corn." This
service, so profitable to the lord, was familiarly called boon-work.
Hence an old adage still retained in the North of England, when a man is
supposed to be working for nothing, that "he has been served like a
boon-shearer."[215]
THE PRINCIPAL OR HERIOT.
One of the services of Sir John Assheton's tenants-at-will, in the manor
of Ashton-under-Lyne, in the fifteenth century, as appears by his rental
of 1422, was that "they should pay a principal at their death, to wit,
the best beast they have." This was evidently a heriot. As of a military
vassal, or tenant by knight-service, his horse was the heriot due to his
lord at death; so the custom became extended to that class of dependents
who were retained in the lord's employ to perform the busier services of
the manor. As their property consisted of cattle, or of implements of
husbandry, the heriot due to the lord was the best beast, cow, or horse,
of which the tenant might die possessed. This condition being fulfilled,
every further claim upon the goods of the deceased was remitted. At
times this expressive relic of ancient military subjection was found
exceedingly galling. In the manor of Assheton there are many traditional
stories still remaining on the subject of such principals or heriots. A
tenant's boy, on the death of his father, was driving an only cow to the
manor-house of the adjoining demesnes of Dukinfield. He was met by the
lord of the place, with whose person and rank he was unacquainted, who
questioned him whither he was taking his beast. "I am driving it as far
as Dukinfield for the heriot," replied the boy. "My father is dead--we
are many children--and we have no cow but this. Don't you think the
devil will take Sir Robert for a heriot, when he dies?" The lad was
fortunately addressing a humane landlord. "Take the cow back to thy
mother; I know Sir Robert,--I am going to Dukinfield myself, and will
make up the matter with him."[216]
DENTON RENT-BOONS.
The lands of the Denton estates of the Hollands were held in 1780 by
seventeen tenants, subject to a rent of 294_l._ 6_s._ 8_d._ The entire
property was held by lease of lives, and this rental was exclusive of
fines paid on the renewal of leases. By the terms of their respective
leases the tenants were also pledged to the payment of certain
rent-boons, consisting of a dog and a cock, or (at the landlord's
option) of their equivalent in money--for the dog 10_s._, for the cock
1_s._; the landlord thus providing for his amusement in hunting and
cock-fighting in a manner least onerous to himself.[217]
A SAXON CONSTABLEWICK.
Until within these few years a relic of Saxon polity more ancient than
the Domesday Survey existed in the Constablewick of Garstang, which
continued to our own days, the _freo borh_, _friborg_, or Saxon manor,
in a very perfect state. The free-burgh consisted of 11 townships,
surrounding the original lordship to which all but one were subject. The
reason for establishing this institution is stated in a Saxon law. The
_Wita_, or counsellors, having considered the impunity with which
trespasses against neighbours were committed, appointed over every ten
friborgs, justiciaries whom they denominated _tien heofod_ or "head of
ten." These (says Dr. Keuerden) handled smaller causes between townsmen
and neighbours, and according to the degree of the trespass, awarded
satisfaction; made agreements respecting pastures, meadows and
corn-lands, and reconciled differences among neighbours. The
constablewick of Garstang comprised the township of Garstang and ten
other townships, all of which are styled hamlets in the books of the
court, and were divided into three portions. Two constables were
annually elected for this district, and were alternately taken from each
third portion of the constablewick. The jury were nominated in a similar
manner. The jury were accustomed to adjourn from the court to an
eminence called Constable hillock, adjoining the river Wyre, where they
made choice of the constables by inscribing their names upon slips of
wood. These officers were empowered to collect the county-rates, and
serve for all the hamlets. The court was held annually, by direction of
a steward of the Duke of Hamilton, the superior lord of the wick, till
1816, when it fell into neglect, and its powers are now exercised in
such of the townships only as are the property of the Duke. The
adjournment of the court to the hillock is obviously the remnant of a
custom far more ancient than the institution of the friborg itself.[218]
TALLIAGE OR TALLAGE.
This was a kind of occasional property tax, levied by order of the
monarch in emergencies, and throughout the kingdom. In the charter
granted by Randle, Earl of Chester, to the burgesses of Stafford, about
A.D. 1231, is a clause reserving to him and his heirs reasonable
tallage, when the King makes or takes tallage of his burgesses
throughout England. A precisely similar clause is found in Thomas
Greslet's charter to his burgesses of Mamecestre in 1301. In the 11th
Henry III. (1226-27) a still earlier talliage was made in Lancashire,
which enables us to measure the relative importance of the principal
towns in the county early in the thirteenth century. The impost was
assessed by Master Alexander de Dorsete and Simon de Hal; and the
payments were for the towns of Lancaster thirteen marks (£8 13_s._
4_d._); Liverpool, eleven marks, 7_s._ 8_d._ (£7 14_s._ 4_d._); West
Derby, seven marks, 7_s._ 8_d._ (£5 1_s._); Preston, fifteen marks,
6_d._ (£10 0_s._ 6_d._). The tenants in thanage paid ten marks (£6
13_s._ 4_d._) to have respite, that they might not be talliaged. Baines
deems it remarkable that Manchester, Stafford, and Wigan were not
included; but in these old manors it was the lord of the manor who had
the right to levy talliage within his manor. In 1332 a tallage of
one-fifteenth was levied by Edward III., to enable him to carry on the
war against Scotland.[219]
ROCHDALE TITHE, EASTER-DUES, MORTUARIES, ETC.
The following is a literal copy of a small hand-bill in possession of
the writer, which appears to have been printed for distribution among
the farmers and the parishioners generally, with the purpose of
supplying information as to the various payments to be made to the
vicar, or at all events to the parish church:--
An EXTRACT out of the _Parliament Survey_,
Taken the 10th of _January_ 1620.
The Parish of _Rochdale_ is divided into four Divisions, viz.
_Hundersfield_, _Spotland_, _Castleton_, and _Butterworth_. There is
also belonging to the Rectory of _Rochdale_, the Parish Chapel of
_Saddleworth_, in the County of _York_; and certain Parcels of Glebe
Lands, lying in _Saddleworth_.
⁂ There is no Tythe Hay paid within the Parish, but a Penny a
Year every one payeth that holdeth any Lands within the Parish.
No Tythe paid for Eggs, Apples, Hemp, or Flax.
The Manner of receiving the _Easter-Role_ and Mortuarys are
thus--each Horse payeth a Penny; for every married Man or Widow at
the Offering, a Penny; every Plough a Penny; every Swarm of Bees a
Penny; every Cow one Penny; and every Colt, and every Calf, one
Halfpenny.
For Mortuarys--Every one buried in the Chancel payeth 6_s._ 8_d._
every one that dieth worth twenty Nobles, in moveable Goods, over
and above his Debts, payeth 3_s._ 4_d._ if worth 30_l._ payeth
6_s._ 8_d._ if worth 40_l._ or upwards, 10_s._--Stat. 21. Hen. 8.
Chap. 6.
N.B. That House or Smoke, and Garden, hath been substituted in the
Room of Horse and Plough.
In Closes where there are more than ten Stacks of Corn (or even
tens) in one Close, _the odd Stacks shall not be tythed_; the
Land-Owner setting up the Corn in Stacks, may be a good
Consideration for the same; because of Common Right the Tytheman is
to take the Corn Tythe in the Sheaf, but when the same is stacked,
as is customary in many places, the Tytheman may not break any odd
Stack, for he cannot tythe both by the Stack and Sheaf. And this
was the Opinion of Serjeants _Poole_ and _Kenyan_, and of Lawyer
_Wilson_.
No Complaint concerning any small Tythes, &c. shall be determined
by Justices of Peace, unless the Complaint be made within two Years
after the same Tythes, &c. become due. Stat. 7. and 8. William 3.
Chap. 6.
FARM AND AGRICULTURAL CELEBRATIONS IN THE FYLDE.
In the olden times almost every great agricultural operation had its
peculiar festivities; now almost everywhere obsolete. The harvest home,
its procession and feast, still linger the last of these rural
celebrations, but shorn of much of its old ceremonial and jollity.
"Shutting of marling" had also its gala-day. Then a "lord" and a "lady"
presided at the feast; having been previously drawn out of the marl-pit
by a strong team of horses, gaily decorated with ribbons, mounted by
their drivers, who were trimmed out in their best. The procession
paraded through the village lanes and streets, some of its members
shaking tin boxes, and soliciting contributions from the bystanders. The
money collected was expended in good cheer at the feast. Again,
"Cob-seeding" was a time when mirth and good-nature prevailed. Like the
"bee" of our American cousins, it was an occasion when all helped every
one else in turn,--collecting, threshing, winnowing the crop on the
field; "housing" the seed ready prepared for the market; and when all
the work of the day was finished, partaking of a substantial supper, and
closing the evening with many a merry dance on the barn's clay
floor.[220]
DALTON-IN-FURNESS.
Among the ancient customs of Dalton, is the practice of hiring reapers
on Sundays in time of harvest. Endeavours have been made to abolish it;
but by the statute of 27 Henry VI. cap. 5, for suppressing
Sabbath-breaking, four Sundays in harvest time are excepted from the
prohibition against holding markets and fairs on holydays, and the
people of Dalton have construed it to the hiring of such servants. Till
of late years there was at Dalton an annual festival called "The Dalton
Hunt," in which the gentlemen of the district partook of the sports of
the field by day, and joined the ladies in the ball-room at night. A
suite of rooms was erected in the town, and handsomely fitted-up for
this annual jubilee, which existed as early as the year 1703, as appears
from the columns of the _London Gazette_, in which it is styled "the
Dalton Route," and the pen of an elegant contributor to the _Tatler_ has
imparted to it additional celebrity. To the regret of the beaux and
belles of the neighbourhood the "route" was discontinued in 1789, and
has never since been revived.[221]
LETTING SHEEP FARMS IN BOWLAND.
One custom, in letting the great sheep-farms in the higher parts of
Bowland, deserves to be mentioned, as I do not know that it prevails
anywhere else. It is this: That the flock, often consisting of 2000
sheep, or more, is the property of the lord, and delivered to the tenant
by a schedule, subject to the condition of delivering up an equal number
of the same quality at the expiration of the term. Thus the tenant is
merely usufructuary of his own stock. The practice was familiar to the
Roman law, and seems to have arisen from the difficulty of procuring
tenants who were able to stock farms of such extent.[222]
MEDIÆVAL LATIN LAW TERMS.
The old charters and deeds of Manchester, Warrington, and other
Lancashire towns, contain various words now obsolete, and amongst others
the words _namare_ and _namium_, which it is not easy to render
accurately. The first may be translated to seize in pledge, to arrest,
to distrain; the second is a pledge, or a distress, what is seized by
distraint. In connexion with the substantive _namium_, the following
anecdote of the great Sir Thomas More may be told, as illustrative of
the obscurity of some of these ancient law terms. It is said that Sir
Thomas, when travelling, arrived at Padua just as a boasting Professor
had placarded the walls of that University with a challenge to all the
world to dispute with him on any subject or in any art, and that Sir
Thomas accepted the challenge, and proposed for his subject this
question:--
"AN AVERIA CARUCÆ CAPTA IN VETITO NAMIO SINT IRREPLEGIBILIA?"
which, it is almost needless to add, proved such a stumbling-block to
the challenger, who did not know even the very terms of the question,
that he surrendered at discretion, and acknowledged himself
vanquished.[223]
Perhaps the best way to English the puzzling question, would be to
render it thus:--"Whether plough-cattle, taken in illegal distress, are
irrepleviable?" But several of the words are susceptible of two
meanings. Thus _averia_ means goods, as well as cattle; _caruca_, a
cart, as well as a plough; _namium_, a pledge, as well as a distress. It
is not to be wondered at that the continental Professor found himself
unable even to comprehend the terms of this perplexing question.
CUSTOMS [DUES] AT WARRINGTON.
Amongst the Tower records are three royal charters bearing date
respectively 3 Edward II., 15 Edward II., and 12 Edward III. (1309-10,
1321-2, 1338), and granting, for the purpose of effecting repairs in the
bridges and pavements, certain temporary customs on articles brought
into Warrington for sale. In the two first of these charters, a custom
of one farthing is imposed on every 100 faggots and every 1000 turves;
and of one halfpenny on every cart-load of wood or wind-blown timber.
The last of the charters imposes a custom of one penny on every 1000
faggots, one farthing on every 10,000 turves, one penny on every
ship-load of turves, and one halfpenny weekly on every cart-load of wood
and coals [_carbonum_, ? charcoal]. Amongst other articles, a custom was
imposed on salt, on bacon, on cheese (probably from Cheshire), on
butter, on lampreys, on salmon, on pelts of sheep, goats, stags, hinds,
deer, does, hares, rabbits, foxes, cats, and squirrels; on cloths in the
entire piece; on grice work (_i.e._, fur of the skins of blue weasels);
on Cordovan leather, on oil in flasks (_lagenas olei_); on hemp, on
linen webs; on Aylesbury webs and linen; on canvas, Irish cloths,
Galways and worsteds; on silks, diapered with gold (_de Samite_) and
tissue; on silks within gold; on sendal [or _cendal_, a kind of silk];
on cloth of baudekin [silk cloth, interwoven with threads of gold]; on
gads of maple, and on Aberdeen gads; on every tun of wine (_et
cinerum_--the ashes of burnt wine lees); on honey; on wool in sacks; on
tin, brass, copper, iron, and lead; on alum, copperas, argil, and
verdigris; on onions and garlic; and on stock-fish, salt mullet,
herrings, and sea-fish, amongst a number of other articles.[224]
FOOTNOTES:
[202] Baines's _Lancashire_.
[203] Claus., 7 Edward III., 1333, p. 1, m. 23.
[204] Baines's _Lancashire_.
[205] Dr. Whitaker's _Whalley_.
[206] Baines's _History of Lancashire_.
[207] Baines's _History of Lancashire_.
[208] Baines's _Lancashire_.
[209] West's _History of Furness_.
[210] Baines's _History of Lancashire_.
[211] Baines's _History of Lancashire_.
[212] Baines's _Lancashire_.
[213] _Illustration of the Customs of a Manor in the North of England._
[214] Dr. Hibbert-Ware's _Illustration of the Customs of a Manor in the
North of England_.
[215] Dr. Hibbert-Ware's _Illustration of the Customs of a Manor in the
North of England_.
[216] _Illustration of the Customs of a Manor in the North of England_,
by Dr. Hibbert-Ware.
[217] Rev. J. Booker's _Chapel of Denton_.
[218] Baines's _Lancashire_.
[219] Baines's _Lancashire_.
[220] Rev. W. Thornber's _History of Blackpool_.
[221] Baines's _Lancashire_.
[222] Dr. Whitaker's _Whalley_.
[223] Mr. Beamont's _Warrington in the Thirteenth Century_.
[224] Mr. W. Beamont, in _Warrington in 1465_.
INDEX.
Agricultural and Farm Celebrations in the Fylde, 298
Alchemists, 23;
two Lancashire, 30
Alchemy, 23
Ale, price of, 281;
of Halton, 259;
Warrington, 259;
Cockerham, 281
Ale Founders, 281
All-Souls Night, 49
" Day, 251
Apostle Spoons, 262
Arrowsmith, Father, his execution and the dead hand, 158-163
Arval, cake and ale, 270-272
Ascension Day, or Holy Thursday, 249
Ash-Wednesday, 221
Ashton, (Sir Thomas), of Ashton, 30
Ashton-under-Lyne, manorial customs of, 286, 289, 292, 293;
the Lord's Yule Feast at, 286;
Riding the Black Lad at, 289
Assheton (Sir John de), 287
" (Sir Ralph de), 290-292
Astrologers, Lancashire, 33
Astrology, 33
Auld Wife Hakes, 216
Averia (cattle, goods), 300, 301
Aylesbury webs and linen, 302
Baal Worship, 3-45
Bacon, Customs' dues on, 301
Ball, or "Old Ball," 234, 235
Baptismal Customs, 260
Barguest, bar- or barn-ghaist, 91
Barnacle Geese, 116-121
Bel, Belus, or Baal, 45
Belisama, the River Ribble, 4
Bells, church, 41, 42;
passing and funeral, 41, 42;
pancake, 44;
curfew, 44;
submarine, 44;
verses, 42
Beltane or Beltein fires, 3, 45, 47, 48
Betrothing and bridal customs, 263
Bible, for direction, divination, and dreams, 20
Bible and key, 103
Bidding to funerals, 274
Birth and baptismal customs, 260
Black Lad, at Ashton, 289
Bleeding, charms to stop, 77
Boggart, or bogle, 16;
the name, 49;
the flitting, 58
Boggart Hole Clough, 50
Boggarts, ghosts, and haunted places, 49;
various, 58;
in old halls, 51;
in the nineteenth century, 61
Bones of St. Lawrence at Chorley, 157
Booker (John), of Manchester, astrologer, 34-38
_Books of Fate_, 145
Boon rents at Denton, 294
Boon shearing at Ashton, 292, 293
Bothe (Thomas del) his will, 241
Bowland, letting sheep, &c., 300
Bragot-Sunday, 225, 258
Bridal bouquet, 268;
flowers, _ib._
Bride's chair at Warton, 265
Brindle Church, footprint at, 134
Bromley (Sir Edward), judge, 189
Brownies or _lares_, 16
Bryn Hall, the Gerards, and the dead man's hand, 158-163
Bungerley stepping-stones, 90
Burial by candle light, 273;
of a widow in vows, _ib._
Burnley, the church, 89;
a witch near, 209;
wedding customs at, 265
Burying in woollen, 269
Cards, 140
Carlins, 258
Carnaval, 217
Carols, Christmas, 257
Carr Gulds, 290
Cartmel Church, Legend of, 137
Cattle Diseases, Charms for, 79
Celebrations, Farm and Agricultural, in the Fylde, 298
Changelings, 263
Charles I., King, 200, 240
Charm, a, in cypher, 63
Charms and spells, 62;
against evil beings, _ib._;
against sickness, wounds, &c., 74;
crow, lady-bird, 70-71;
to get drink, 72-74;
against danger by night, 74;
wounds, 74;
toothache, 75;
rheumatism and cramp, 75;
ague, 80;
nettle stings, _ib._;
jaundice, _ib._;
to get sleep, _ib._
"Chattox, Old," a witch, 186-189
Child, unbaptized, cannot die, 262
Childbed presents, 260
Childbirth, tea-drinking, 261
" turning the bed after, 261
Children, gifts to, 262
Christianizing of pagan gods and festivals, 14
Christmas, 252;
mumming at, 253;
carols, 254;
games, 255;
mutes, 256
Christmas at Wycoller Hall, 256
" Carols, 254;
rhymes, 253
Christmas customs in the Fylde, 254;
games there, 255
Christmas-day, old and new, 20;
breakfast in the Fylde, 256
Christmas Eve, creatures worshipping, 253;
called "Flesh-day," 256
" Evergreens, &c., 256
Christmas Frumenty, 252, 256
Christmas hobby-horse, 254
Christmas or Yule Feast, at Ashton-under-Lyne, 286
Church Festivals, 212, _et seq._
Churches and Churchyards, north and south sides of, 275
Cinderella and her slipper, 5
Clayton Hall Boggart, 52
Clegg Hall Boggart, 52
Cleworth, Demoniacs in 1594, 92
Clock-house Boggart, 52
Cob-seeding, 298
Cock-penny, at Clitheroe, 220
Cock-throwing and Cock-fighting, 218;
about Blackburn, 220;
at Burnley, _ib._
Cockerham Manor, 281;
ale in, _ib._
Cokersand Abbey, 281;
abbot of, _ib._
Collop Monday, 217
Constablewick, a Saxon, 295
Corals with bells, 262
Corpse, carrying the, 272, 274
Courting and Wedding Customs in the Fylde, 264
Cousell and Clarke, conjurors, 86
Cramp Rings, 75
Creed and Little Creed, at Eccles, 114
Cross-buns on Good Friday, 226
Crow Charm, 70
Curfew Bell, 44
Customs of Manors, 276;
in Furness, 281;
Ashton, 286, 289
Customs' dues at Warrington, 301
"Cuthbert, Old mother," and her daughters, 177
Dalton-in-Furness, funerals at, 271;
manor, 299;
hunt and rout, _ib._
Dalton-in-Furness, hiring reapers on Sunday, 299
Danish Traditions, &c., 4, 5
Darrell's (Rev. John) _Narrative_, &c. 93, 96;
his punishment, 97
Dead and Dying, the, 7
" man's hand, 158, 163
" raising the, 128
Deasil, or Widersinnis, 151
Death tick or Death watch, 152
Dee (Dr. John), 25
" charged with Witchcraft, 178
Deities and demi-gods, 12
"Demdike, Old," a witch, 186;
"Young Demdike," _ib._
Demon and Goblin Superstitions, 88
Demon Pig, 89
Demoniacal possession in 1594, 92;
in 1686, 98
Demoniacs, 87;
dispossessing a, 92;
at Morzine, 88
Demonology, 86
Denton Rent-boons, 294
Derby (Edward 3rd) Earl of, charged with keeping a Conjuror, 129
Device, Elizabeth and Alizon, witches, 186, 189
Devil, the 16;
his names, 84-86;
a card-player, 81;
raised, 17, 81;
exorcised, 17, 81
Devil, at Burnley, 83
" and the Tailor of Chatburn, 82;
and the Dun horse, _ib._;
and the schoolmaster at Cockerham, 83
Devil, sacrifices to, 82;
appearances of, _ib._
"Devils of Morzine," (demoniacs) 88
Dispossession of Devils, 93-98
Divination, ancient, 7;
Lancashire, _ib._
" 102;
at marriages, 103;
by Bible and key, _ib._;
Lancashire form of, 104;
by the dying, _ib._;
second-sight, 105;
spirits of the dying and dead, _ib._;
by lots, 106
Doles at Weddings, 264;
at funerals, 270;
at Swinton, _ib._
Downham, King and Queen at, 248
Dreams, 6, 19, 140, 145-149
Drink-leans, 288
Druidical Rock basins, 106-110
Dugdale, the Surey demoniac, 98
Dukinfield (Sir Robert), and the heriot, 294
Dying, Death-bed, and Funeral Customs, 268
Dying hardly, 268
Easter, _Eostre_, 8, 226, 227
" Customs, 227-237;
Fylde, 236
" Day, 227
" Eggs, 227, 228
" Monday, 233, 237
" "Lifting or heaving," 233;
game of the ring, 234;
Sports, 231
Easter sports at the Manchester Free Grammar School, 231
Eating and Drinking Customs, 258
Eccles, ignorance in, 113-115
Eccles cakes, 258
Edward I., King, 27;
his gift for "lifting," 233
Edward III., King, 28;
his letter for alms, 133
Edward IV., King, 32
Edward VI., King, 34
Eggs, Pace, Pasche, or Easter, 217, 228;
in Blackburn, 228, 229;
in East Lancashire, 231;
bought for Easter, 229;
papal prayer, blessing eggs, 229
"Elias, the Prophet," a fanatic, 138
Elizabeth, Queen, 35
Ellen's (St.) Well, in Brindle, 172
Elves and Fairies, 110-113
Everton toffy, 258
Evil Eye, the, 69
Ewe Loaf, the, 256
Exorcism of demons by godly ministers, 95, 98-101
Fag-pie (or Fig-pie) Sunday, 226, 258
Fairies, 53;
and Elves, 106-110
Fairy, a, on Mellor Moor, 111
" Hole, at Warton, 265
" Queen, 16
" Tales, Lancashire, 112, 113
Familiar Spirit, Transfer of a, 210
_Famous History of Witches_, 176
Feeorin (fairies), 53
Fern Seed, 10
Festivals, Church and Season, 212
Finger Stocks of Stone, 288
Flemings' Wooden Shoes and Oaten Bread, 259
"Flesh-Day" (Christmas Eve), 256
Folk-Lore, Eastern, 2-6;
Greek and Roman, 5, 6;
Scandinavian, 4, 5;
various, 113;
of Eccles and neighbourhood, 113
Footprints at Brindle Church, 134;
at Smithells Hall, 135
Fortune-Telling, 121-126;
Story of, 122;
"Owd Rollison," 123
Frumenty, 262, 256, 258
Funeral Biddings, 274;
gifts, 275;
bay, rosemary, &c., 270, 272, 275
Funeral Customs, 268;
in East Lancashire, 273;
at Dalton-in-Furness, 271;
at Warton, 271;
Fylde, 272
Funeral Doles, 270;
at Swinton, _ib._;
various, 274
Funeral Sermons, 274;
dinners and drinkings, 272
Furness, Manorial Customs, 281, 285
Fylde, The (in Lancashire), _passim_.
" Easter Customs in, 236, 242, 243
" Farm and Agricultural Celebrations in, 298
" Harvest Home, 298;
"shutting of marling," _ib._;
cob-seeding, _ib._
Gabriel Ratchets, 89, 167
"Gang-Days," or Rogation Days, 248
Garstang, a Saxon Constablewick, 295
Geese, hatched from sea-shells, 116
Gemmel Rings, 263
Gerard (Sir Thomas), 131
" (Sir John), 162
Gerards of Bryn, 158-162
Gifts to Infants, 262
Gloucester (Eleanor), Duchess of, and Witchcraft, 174
Gloves, Wedding, 268
Goblin, Gobelinus, Kobold, Khobalus, &c., 16
Goblin Builders, 89
" Superstitions, 88
Good Friday, 226;
viands, 226, 237
"Goose-Intentos," 250
Graves, Situation and Direction of, 275
Greek Traditions and Superstitions, 5, 6, 13;
Mythology, 13
Grendels, The, 17
Grislehurst Boggart, 61
Groaning Cheese and Cake, 260
Guld-Riding, 289
Gunpowder Plot, 251
Guy Fawkes, 251
Hackensall Hall Boggart, 59
Hæver or Hiver, 149
Hakes, Auld Wife, 216
Hallowe'en, 3
Halton Ale, 259
Hand-bell Ringing, 258
Hand-festing, 263
Hartlay (John), a Conjuror, 93-96
Harvest Home, 298
Havercake Lads, 258
Helen's (St.) Well in Brindle, 172;
near Sefton, 173
Henry IV., King, 20
Henry VI., King, 28, 29, 31;
miracles at his tomb, 132
Henry VII., King, his embassy to Pope Julius II., 132
Henry VIII., King, 87;
his ale, 287
Heriot or Principal, at Ashton-under-Lyne, 292, 293;
story of, 294
"Hobbe, the King," at Ashton, 288
Hobby-horse at Christmas, 254
Hornby, Honour and Manor of, 285
" Park Mistress and Margaret Brackin, 59
Horwich Moor, 48
Hothershall Hall, 5
House Boggarts, 56
Household bewitched, 184
Hunchback, story of the, 5
Huntingdon's, Earl of, letter, 130
Hydrocephalus in Cattle, to cure, 79
Ignagning, 236
Imps, or Changelings, 263
Ince Hall, 52
Ince Manor House, 52
" Oatmeal Charity at, 249
Indo-European origin of superstitions, 2
Infants, gifts to, 262
Invocation at bedtime, 68, 69
Jack and the Bean-Stalk, 5
Jack the Giant-Killer, 5
James I., King, his _Dæmonologie_, 185
Jannocks, 259
Johnson's (Margaret), confession, 198
Jolly Lads, 236
Jourdain (Margery), witch of Eye, 174
Kelly (Edward), the Seer, 25, 126
Killing a witch, 208
King and Queen at Downham, 248
King of the May, 254
" of Misrule, 288
King's Evil, touching for, 77
Kirkby Ireleth, Manor of, 281
Knighthood, honour of, 277;
compulsory in 1278, 1292, and 1305, _ib._
Knives, &c., 18;
Manchester, 280
Labouring Goblins, 56
Lady in the straw, 260
Lady-bird charm, 70, 71
Lancashire musical instruments, 288
" Witches, verses on, 179
Lancaster (Thomas), Earl of, a saint, 133, 134
Lating or Leeting Witches, 210
Law Terms, mediæval Latin, 300
Lawrence, St., his bones at Chorley, 157
Leadbetter (Charles), a Lancashire astrologer, 40
Legend of Cartmel Church, 137
Lent, 221
Local customs and usages at various seasons, 212, _et seq._
Lord's Day conjuration, 67
Lostock May-pole, 243
Lots, casting or drawing, 106
Lowick, Manor of, 283
Lubber Fiend, 59, 89
Magic and Magicians, 126
Magpies, 143-145
Malkin Tower, in Pendle Forest, 186, 189, 204, 211
Manchester knife, a, 289
" Church, weddings at, 265
Manorial franchises, &c., 285
Manors, customs of, 276;
in Furness, 281;
Ashton-under-Lyne, 286, 289;
Smithells, 280;
Cockerham, 281;
Kirkby Ireleth, _ib._;
Pennington, 282;
Muchland, _ib._;
Lowick, 283;
Nevill Hall, _ib._;
Much Urswick, 284;
Warton, _ib._;
Hornby, 285;
Ashton-under-Lyne, 286, 289
Maritagium, custom of, 278
Marsh (Geo.), the martyr, 135-137
Martins, "shifting of," 143
Mary Queen of Scots, 131
May-day Eve, 46, 47, 239
" Customs, 238-246;
in Spotland, 242;
in Manchester, 245
May-day Games, decay of, 241;
at Burnley (1579), 244
May-Poles, 240-243;
Parliamentary ordinance against, 241
May King and Queen, 246
" Songs, 239
Mermaid of Marton Mere, 90
"Messes" at dinners, &c., 271, 274
Michaelmas Day, 250;
goose, _ib._, 258
Mid-Lent Sunday, or Mothering Sunday, 222, 225
Mince Pies, 255, 258
Miracles, or Miraculous Stories, 131
" of a dead Duke of Lancaster (King Henry VI.), 132-134
Miraculous cures by a dead man's hand, 158-163
Miraculous footprints in Brindle Church, 134;
in Smithells Hall, 135
"Mischief Night," 239
Mistletoe, 252
Money gift at funerals, 275
Moon, the, 70;
omens from, 149;
names for autumn moons, 250
More (Sir Thomas), Story of, 300
"Mothering Sunday," 222, 225
Mountain Ash, 72
Muchland, Manor of, 282
Much-Urswick, Manor of, 284
Mutes at Christmas, 256
Mythology of Greece and Rome, 13;
Oriental, _ib._;
Northern, _ib._
Naiades, Nixies, Nisses, 16
Nails, cutting, 68
Nevill Hall, Manor of, 283
New Year's-Day, weather omens, 151;
Festival, 214;
and Old Christmas-Day, 212
New-Year's turkey, 258
" Eve, fire on, 214
New-Year's Luck, 214;
first caller, 215;
gifts and wishes, 216
Nicholas, St., 85
"Nick, Old" (the devil), 84-86
Night-mare, 89
Northumbrian Superstitions, 9
November 1, All Souls' Day, 251
November 5, Gunpowder Plot, 251
Numbers, odd, 4;
"3" and "7," _ib._
Nutter (Alice), a wealthy witch, 193
Oat Cake, 258;
Jannocks, 259
Oatmeal charity at Ince, 249
"Old Nick" (the devil), 84-86
"Old Scrat," or Skrat, 90
Omens and Predications, 138, 139
Omens, Dreams, Withershins, Cards, Teacups, &c., 140
Omens--Cats, 141;
Dogs, Lambs, Birds, 142;
Swallows, Magpies, _ib._
Deasil, or Widersinnis, 151;
weather for New Year's-Day, 151;
Death tick, or watch, 152
Ormskirk gingerbread, 258
Pace or Pasche-egging, 128;
in Blackburn, _ib._;
East Lanc., 231
Pagan gods, festivals and temples, changed into Christian saints,
feasts and churches, 14
Pancake Bell, 44;
Tuesday, 218
Passing Bell, 44
Paternoster, White, &c., at Eccles, 115
Peel of Fouldrey and Tree-Geese, 116
Peggy's Well, Legend of, 171
Pendle, Forest and Hill of, 202, 204
Pendleton and Pendlebury, May-pole and games, 240, 241
Pentecost, 16th Sunday after, 250
Pentecost (See Whitsuntide).
Persons bewitched, sixteen, 192
Philosopher's Mercury, 23
" Stone, 23
Pigeons' Feathers in beds, 268
Pilkington (Dame Jane), 273
Pimpernel, 71
Pork Pasties, 260
Prayer and Blessing on Eggs, 229
Prayer in Verse against Sir Ralph Ashton, 291
Predications (see Omens).
Presents to Women in Childbed, 260
" to Infants, 262
Prestwich, Burying in Woollen at, 269
Principal or heriot at Ashton, 293
Prophet Elias, a fanatic, 138
Queen of the May, 246
Radcliffe, Burying in Woollen, 269
Radcliffe Tower, 51
Raising the Dead, 128;
the Devil, 17, 81
Rent-boons at Denton, 294
Rents, Nominal, 280
Rheumatism, charms to cure, 75
Riding the Black Lad at Ashton, 289
Rings, betrothal or gemmel, 263;
Wedding, 268
Robins and Wrens, 142
Robinson, Edmund, 195, 201
Rochdale Church, 89
" Tithe, Easter Dues, &c., 297
Rogation Days or Gang Days, 248
Rolleston, Mr., 131
"Rollison, Owd," 123-125
Roman Traditions and Superstitions, 5, 6, 18;
Mythology, 13
Saint Cuthbert's Beads, 15
" John's Eve, 8, 46, 47
" Vitus's Dance, 87
Samlesbury Witches, 194
"Scrat, Old" (or Skrat), 90
Second-sight in Lancashire, 105
Services and Tenures, peculiar, 278
Sheep and Farms in Bowland, 300
Shoes, Old, for luck, 264, 268
Shrew Tree in Carnforth, 79
Shrovetide, 217;
Tuesday, 218;
Pancakes, _ib._, 258;
Sports, 219;
customs in the Fylde, 221
Sickness, charms to cure, 74
Simnel Cakes, 223;
at Bury, 224, 258
Sitting-up Courtship, 264
Skriker, 91
Smithells Hall, 51;
Marsh the Martyr, 135
Smithells, Manor of, custom, 280
Sneezing, 6, 68
Songs, Lancashire, about 1422, 288
Sparrows, 142
Spell, description of a, 177
Spirits of the dying and dead, 105
Spitting on money, &c., 69, 70
Stocks for the fingers, 283
Superstitions in Manchester in the 16th century, 168
Superstitions of Pendle Forest, 164;
of East Lancashire, 165
Superstitions, popular, 153-157;
Nineteenth Century, 164
Superstitious beliefs, and practices, 1;
fears and cruelties, 167
Superstitious fear of Witchcraft, 182
Talliage or Tallage, 296;
of Lancashire towns, &c., _ib._
Teacups, Omens from, 140
Teanlay, or All Souls' Night, 49
Tenants of Ashton-under-Lyne, 288
Tenures and Services, peculiar, 278
Thackergate Boggart, 52
Throwing the Stocking, 264
Toothache, charms to cure, 75
Touching for King's Evil, 77
Towneley, ghost and tradition, 57
Trash or Skriker, 91
Tree Barnacles, or Tree Geese, 116
Turning Bed after Childbirth, 261
Unbaptized Child, cannot die, 262
Urswick Much, Manor of, 284
Utley, hanged for witchcraft, 195
Vervain, to cure wounds, a rhyming charm, 76, 115;
against blasts, 115
Victor Penny, 219
Vitus's (St.), Dance, 87
Waddow Hall, 171
Waitts, the, 257;
of Manchester, 257;
of Warrington, 258
Walton-le-Dale, raising the dead, 128
Warcock Hill, 17
Warrington Ale, 259
Warton, Royal Manor of, 284;
wedding customs at, 265
Warts, cures for, 78;
caused by washing in egg-water, 121
Water Sprites, 89
Weather Omens, 141-145, 149-152
Wedding Customs, 263;
in the Fylde, 264;
at Warton, 265;
at Burnley, 265;
various, 268
Weddings at Manchester Church, 265
Well at Wavertree, 169
Well, Peggy's, 170;
Legend of, 171
Well, St. Helen's, in Brindle, 172;
near Sefton, 173
Wells and Springs, dedicated to saints, 169
West Houghton Wakes, 260
Whitsuntide, 246;
Fair, 246;
16th Sunday after, 250
Whitsuntide Ales, 246
" Tuesday, 248
" week, 247
Whooping Cough, 10
Wicken or Wiggen Tree (the mountain ash), 72
Widersinnis, or Deasil, 151;
Withershins, 140, 151
Widow, Burial of a, 273
Widows, manorial customs, 281-285
Wilder Lads, 48
Will-o'-th'-Wisp, 53
Winwick Church, 89
Wise Men and Cunning Women, 121
Wizards, 87;
Swimming a, _ib._
Wooden Shoes and Oaten Bread, 259
Woollen, burying in, 269
Wounds, to cure, 74;
Vervain, 76
Wycoller Hall, Christmas at, 256
Yule Loaf, 256