British Popular Customs, Present and Past: Illustrating the Social and Domestic Manners of the People. Arranged According to the Calendar of the Year.Thiselton-Dyer, T. F. (Thomas Firminger)
History
British Popular Customs, Present and Past: Illustrating the Social and Domestic Manners of the People. Arranged According to the Calendar of the Year.
Thiselton-Dyer, T. F. (Thomas Firminger)
Folklore -- Great Britain; Great Britain -- Social life and customs
From the moment the foundation of the tower was laid, it became an
object of care and attention to the whole community; for it was reckoned
a disgrace to suffer it to be defaced; so that they resisted, with all
their power, any attempts that should be made to demolish it, either by
force or fraud; and, as the honour that was acquired by the demolition
of a tower, if effected by those belonging to another, was in proportion
to the disgrace of suffering it to be demolished, each party endeavoured
to circumvent the other as much as possible, and laid plans to steal
upon the tower unperceived, in the night time, and level it with the
ground. Great was the honour that such a successful exploit conveyed to
the undertakers; and, though the tower was easily rebuilt, yet the news
was quickly spread by the successful adventurers, through the whole
district, which filled it with shouts of joy and exultation, while their
unfortunate neighbours were covered with shame. To ward off this
disgrace, a constant nightly guard was kept at each tower, which was
made stronger and stronger, as the tower advanced; so that frequent
nightly skirmishes ensued at these attacks, but were seldom of much
consequence, as the assailants seldom came in force to make an attack in
this way, but merely to succeed by surprise; as soon, therefore, as they
saw they were discovered, they made off in the best manner they could.
To give the alarm on these and other occasions, every person was armed
with a “tooting horn,” that is, a horn perforated in the small end,
through which wind can be forcibly blown from the mouth, so as to
occasion a loud noise; and as every one wished to acquire as great
dexterity as possible in the use of the “tooting horn,” they practised
upon it during the summer while keeping their beasts; and towards Lammas
they were so incessantly employed at this business, answering to, and
vieing with each other, that the whole country rang continually with the
sounds.
As Lammas Day approached each community chose one from among themselves
for their captain, and they prepared a stand of colours to be ready to
be then displayed. For this purpose they borrowed a fine table-napkin of
the largest size from one of the farmers’ wives within the district, and
ornamented it with ribbons. Things being thus prepared, they marched
forth early in the morning on Lammas Day, dressed in their best apparel,
each armed with a stout cudgel, and, repairing to their tower, there
displayed their colours in triumph, blowing horns, and making merry in
the best manner they could: about nine o’clock they sat down upon the
green and had their breakfast.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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