The Story of an Ancient Parish: Breage with Germoe: With Some Account of Its Armigers, Worthies and Unworthies, Smugglers and Wreckers, Its Traditions and SuperstitionsCoulthard, H. R. (Hugh Robert)
History
The Story of an Ancient Parish: Breage with Germoe: With Some Account of Its Armigers, Worthies and Unworthies, Smugglers and Wreckers, Its Traditions and Superstitions
The two chief practising physicians[38] in the County in Carew's time
were Rawe Clyes, a blacksmith, and a Mr. Atwell, parson of St. Tue; the
latter obtained the most wonderful results from recommending a diet of
apples and milk.
The chief pastimes of the country people at this period, as far as can
be ascertained, were wrestling, hurling and shooting with arrows. The
game of hurling, in both its forms, seems to have been even more rough
and dangerous than Cornish wrestling, and was attended, if Carew speak
correctly, frequently with fatal results and serious injury to life and
limb; yet he goes on to say "was never Attorney or Coroner troubled for
the matter." It was in the larger game of "Hurling the County" that most
of the serious damage was done; this wild game was played over miles of
country by men both on horseback and on foot. The goals were as a rule a
couple of towns or villages three or four miles apart. The match seems
to have been arranged, in the first place, between two country
gentlemen, who on the occasion of some appointed holiday would gather
as their respective supporters, as far as possible, the male inhabitants
of two or three neighbouring parishes. Each squire headed the mob he had
thus raised to the appointed rendezvous. When the two masses of men,
under their respective commanders, were brought face to face, at an
appointed signal, a silver ball was thrown into the air. The object of
the game was for each side to endeavour to capture the ball and carry it
to their own goal some miles distant, in spite of the efforts of their
opponents to hinder them in their purpose. The struggle would be waged
over miles of country, to the right side or to the left, through rivers,
ditches, woods and bogs, the ball being now passed from one on foot to
one on horseback, no effort being spared to drag the possessor of the
ball to the earth by the opposing side. Little wonder that such a game
often resulted in deaths and serious maimings.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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