The Traditional Games of England, Scotland, and Ireland (Vol 1 of 2): With Tunes, Singing-Rhymes and Methods of Playing etc.Gomme, Alice Bertha
History
The Traditional Games of England, Scotland, and Ireland (Vol 1 of 2): With Tunes, Singing-Rhymes and Methods of Playing etc.
Gomme, Alice Bertha
Folklore -- Great Britain; Games -- Great Britain
When we played this game we said “always genteel” after “genteel lady,”
and varied the formula. For instance, the first player would say, “I, a
genteel lady, always genteel, come from a genteel lady, always genteel,
to say she lives in a house with twelve windows,” or words were used
beginning with the letter A. Each player must repeat this, and add
something else in keeping with a house; or sentences had to be made in
which words beginning with the letter A must be said, the other players
doing the same alphabetically.—London (A. B. Gomme).
Mr. Newell, in writing of this game, says that the “lamp-lighter” or
“spill” was lighted when placed in the hair of the players who made
mistakes. He does not mention forfeits being exacted.—_Games_, p. 139.
Ghost at the Well
One of the party is chosen for Ghost (if dressed in white so much the
better); she hides in a corner; the other children are a mother and
daughters. The eldest daughter says:—
“Mother, mother, please give me a piece of bread and butter.”
M. “Let me (or ‘leave me’) look at your hands, child. Why, they are very
dirty.”
E. D. “I will go to the well and wash them.”
She goes to the corner, the Ghost peeps up, and she rushes back, crying
out—
“Mother! mother! I have seen a Ghost.”
M. “Nonsense, child! it was only your father’s nightshirt I have washed
and hung out to dry. Go again.”
The child goes, and the same thing happens. She returns, saying—
“Yes! mother! I have seen a ghost.”
M. “Nonsense, child! we will take a candle, and all go together to
search for it.”
The mother picks up a twig for a candle, and they set off. When they
come near to the Ghost, she appears from her hiding-place, mother and
children rush away in different directions, the Ghost chases them until
she has caught one, who in her turn becomes Ghost.—West Cornwall (Miss
Courtney, _Folk-lore Journal_, v. 55).
This game was “Ghost in the Copper” in London. It was played in the same
way as above. Chairs formed the copper, and the ghost crouched down
behind. The “Mother” was “washing” at a tub, also formed with two
chairs. The eldest daughter was told she could not go to school to-day;
she must stop at home and help hang up the clothes. The other children
go to play. The Mother said, “Here, Jane, take this (pretending to give
her a garment out of the wash-tub) and put it in the copper, and push it
down well with the stick.” Jane goes to the copper and pretends to take
off the lid. When she puts the washed garment in, and pokes down with
the stick, the Ghost jumps up. She cries out as above, the Mother
saying, “Nonsense, child! it’s only some of the boiling clothes.” The
child goes again, and the game proceeds as above. It is generally played
now as “Ghost.”—A. B. Gomme. It is mentioned by Newell (_Games_, p.
223).
Giants
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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