The Traditional Games of England, Scotland, and Ireland (Vol 2 of 2): With Tunes, Singing-Rhymes, and Methods of Playing etc.Gomme, Alice Bertha
General
The Traditional Games of England, Scotland, and Ireland (Vol 2 of 2): With Tunes, Singing-Rhymes, and Methods of Playing etc.
Gomme, Alice Bertha
Folklore -- Great Britain; Games -- Great Britain
In the Sheffield district it is called “Rag Stag,” and is usually
played in the playground, or yard, attached to a school. Any number can
play. A place is chalked out in a corner or angle formed by the walls or
hedges surrounding the playground. This is called the den, and a boy
stands within the den. Sometimes the den is formed by chalking an area
out upon a footpath, as in the game of “Bedlams.” The boy in the den
walks or runs out, crying, “Rag-stag, jinny I over, catching,” and
having said this he attempts to catch one of the boys in the playground
who have agreed to play the game. Having caught him he takes him back
into the den. When they have got into the den they run out hand-in-hand,
one of them crying, “Rag-stag, jinny I over, touching,” whilst the other
immediately afterwards calls out, “Rag-stag, jinny I over, catching.”
They must keep hold of each other’s hands, and whilst doing so the one
who cried out “Touching” attempts to touch one of the boys in the
playground, whilst the one who cried “Catching” attempts to catch one of
such boys. If a boy is caught or touched, the two boys who came out of
the den, together with their prisoner, run back as quickly as possible
into the den, with their hands separated. If whilst they are running
back into the den any boy in the playground can catch any one of the
three who are running back, he jumps on his back and rides as far as the
den, but he must take care not to ride too far, for when the boys who
are already caught enter the den they can seize their riders, and pull
them into the den. In this case the riders too are caught. The process
is repeated until all are caught.—Addy’s _Sheffield Glossary_.
Another name for the game is “Stag-out.” One player is Stag, and has a
place marked out for his bounds. He stands inside, and then rushes out
with his hands clasped together, and endeavours to touch one of the
other players, which being accomplished, he has the privilege of riding
on the boy’s back to his bounds again.—_Book of Sports._ In a London
version the hands were held above the head, and joined by interlacing
the thumbs, the fingers being outspread, the boy had to touch another
while in this position.
In Shropshire it is called “Stag-warning.” One boy is chosen Stag; he
runs about the playground with his clasped hands held palms together in
front of him, trying to tick (= touch) others. Each whom he touches
joins hands with him, and they run together in an ever-lengthening
chain, sweeping the playground from end to end, the boys at each end of
the chain “ticking” others with their disengaged hands, till all are
caught but one, who becomes the next “Stag.” The Stag gives notice of
his start by exclaiming—
Stag-warning, stag-warning,
Come out to-morrow morning!
—Shrewsbury.
Stag a-rag a-rorning
Very frosty morning!
What I cannot catch to-night I’ll catch to-morrow morning!
—Chirbury (Burne’s _Shropshire Folk-lore_, p. 523).
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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