Produced by Chris Curnow, Ethan W. Kent, Harry Lame and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net (This file was produced from images generously made available by The Internet Archive) In this e-text, text between _underscores_ represents text printed in italics, text between =equal signs= represents bold face text, and text between ~tildes~ represents text printed in Insular font. Small capitals have been replaced by ALL CAPITALS. ^{text} represents superscript text. More Transcriber’s Notes may be found at the end of this text. BRITISH POPULAR CUSTOMS PRESENT AND PAST GEORGE BELL AND SONS, LTD. LONDON: PORTUGAL ST., KINGSWAY CAMBRIDGE: DEIGHTON, BELL AND CO. NEW YORK: THE MACMILLAN CO. BOMBAY: A. H. WHEELER AND CO. BRITISH POPULAR CUSTOMS PRESENT AND PAST ILLUSTRATING THE SOCIAL AND DOMESTIC MANNERS OF THE PEOPLE ARRANGED ACCORDING TO THE CALENDAR OF THE YEAR BY THE REV. T. F. THISELTON DYER, M.A. PEMBROKE COLLEGE, OXON. [Illustration] LONDON G. BELL AND SONS, LIMITED 1911 [_Reprinted from Stereotype plates._] PREFACE. In presenting the following pages to the Public I do not lay claim to any originality, my object simply having been to collect together, into a readable and condensed form, from various sources within my reach, accounts of Customs which, if not already obsolete, are quickly becoming so. With regard to the general plan of the book, it speaks for itself. It should, however, be stated that the movable feasts are placed under the earliest days on which they can fall. In conclusion, I would only add that I am much indebted to Mr. James Britten, of the British Museum, for the valuable help and suggestions which he has given me whilst passing the proof-sheets through the Press. T. F. THISELTON DYER. _September 15th, 1875._ POPULAR CUSTOMS. JAN. 1.] NEW YEAR’S DAY. New Year’s Day has always been a time of general rejoicing and festivity, its observance being characterised by many a curious custom and superstitious practice. History tells us how on this day the Druids were accustomed, with much pomp and ceremony, to distribute branches of the sacred mistletoe amongst the people; those precious gifts having the night before been cut from the oak-tree in a forest dedicated to the gods. Among the Saxons of the northern nations the new year was ushered in by friendly gifts, and celebrated with such extraordinary festivity that people actually used to reckon their age by the numbers of annual merry-makings in which they had participated. Fosbroke, in his _Encyclopædia of Antiquities_, notices the continuation of the Roman practice of interchanging gifts during the middle and later ages; a custom which prevailed especially amongst our kings, queens, and the nobility. According to Matthew Paris, Henry III., following the discreditable example of some of the Roman emperors, even extorted them from his subjects.