SOME WHIMSICAL PARISH CUSTOMS.

Hawke's Bay Herald, Volume XXI, Issue 6301, 14 July 1882, Page 3

SOME WHIMSICAL PARISH CUSTOMS.

{English Mac/azine.) The parish is one of the oldest divisions of land in this country ; so old, indeed, that antiquaries and county historians are in controversy how much more than twelve or fourteen hundred years ago it was firßt established. As may naturally be expected, many curious customs gradually sprung up, sorae'in one parish, some in another, somo in two or more adjoining parishes ; some long Bince become obsolete, others still flourishing more or less. We can trace the influence of the church, of the feudal system, of the rise of royal power and prestige, in some or other of them ; but ignorance and superstition were probably the most potent causes. A considerable number of these old customs had their origin in endowments, sums of money or patches of land, the annual proceeds of which were to be appropriated in perpetuity for certain objects more or less clearly specified by the donor.

The parish books kept by churchwardens are a veritable mine of facts relating to such matters. The books of a Lincolnshire parish, for instance, contain numerous entries concerning the marrying of paupers, the whipping of vagrants, the baiting of bulls, &c. Those of Stan-ford-in-the-Vale, Berkshire, comprise some curious entries relating thereto in the old Catholic times ; such as : "Received from the maydes at the Hallowtide towards the bells," so much. It appears that young maidens perambulated the streets, dressed in black, ringing bells, and urging the people to prayers on the eve of All-Saints' Day ; and the item was. as paying for the bells. Another payment was for " watching,, the sepulchre ; " a crucifix, wrapped in linen, was placed in a recess formed on the north side of the altar ; this was done on Easter Eve, and the watching was kept up until early on Easter Sunday, when the crucifix waß removed, with various circumstances typical of the resurrection. Other entries relate to less solemn subjects : " Money received for the gayness of the May ale." There being no poor-rates in those days, one mode of obtaining small sums for the sick and needy was to solicit gifts for the purchase of malt, with which ale was brewed, sold to the parishioners, and the profit or " gayness " given to the poor. " Money received for the font "was obobtained by young maidens who went from house to house at Whitsuntide, solicited alms, gave half the amount to the poor, and laid out the rest in purchas" ing a dove to suspend from the roof of the church over the font.

At Waltham Abbey, the pariah books contain evidence of a change in many of the items of expenditure, contemporaneous with the change in the religion of the State. The wax for the tapera and candles used afc the altar and in church processions, had been bought in the lump, and made up aa wanted. When tbe altar lights were no longer sanctioned in the Established Church, the wax was sold. One of the entries mentions the price obtained for the wax. Other entries bear relation to the sale of priests' garments. The parish books of Abingdon contain notifications of money paid to the bellman to buy food, drink, and firing for " watching the sepulchre." Money was also paid for two dozen bells for the morris-dancers ; fitting up Robin Hood's bower ; an hourglass for the pulpit, and other singularities long since abandoned.

Tho custom of the flitch of bacon at Dunmow is not the least curious among those which rural parishes present. Par back in the old days when there was a priory at Dunmow, in Essex, the monks made a promise of a flitch of bacon to any married couple who could take oath that they had never quarrelled nor regretted their union. Whether the bachelor monks only intended to encourage conjugal harmony, or whether they satirically believed that married folk never do live together twelve months without discord, we can gueaa as best we may. At any rato, the successful applicants for the flitch were few and far between. Tho priory was suppressed at the Reformation, but the old custom Burvived, the fiitoh being given by the lord of the manor. In the last century the ceremony was conducted with much parade. The couple appeared at a court baron ; a jury of unmarried persons heard the averments ; and if the results were satisfactory, a verdict was given — to the effect that the couple had been married at least one year; that they had lived quietly and lovingly together ; and that they were deserving of the promised prize. This verdict beiug delivered, the happy couple, standing near the church door, made a dcclaratiou, received the flitch, and were chaired iv procession through the town. The lords of the manor by degrees declined to offer the tempting bonus ; and tho clergy viewed unfavorably some of the incidents accompanying the proceedings. Twenty or thirty years ago, a few literary men revived the ceremony at their own expense — more as a whimsical joke for that one occasion, than as a permanent custom. Prom time to time the locals record an observance of the ceremony. There is reason to believe, howover, that speculative trade is mainly concerned here ; the flitch being provided by some tavorner interested in bringing together a large assemblage of thirsty souls.

fn the cheese-making district of Gloucestershire, a pleasant kind of characteristic harvest-home used to be celebrated annually. Three large cheeses were placed on a litter or barrow, decked with flowers and branches of trees. They were drawn through and about the pariah, with music and rejoicing. In the churchyard the cheeses were removed from the litter, rolled three times round the church, coveyed back to the village, cut up, and distributed among the peasantry. Many parishes have duties imposed upon them of so whimsical a character that one marvels how such a state of thingß could have arisen. But it ia ex-

plicable on the theory of endowments. A man bequeaths money or land, the interest or rental of which is to be api r 'priated annually for Borne purpose mentioned by him. After many generations the affair becomes a3 much an absurdity as a benefit, in some casea very much more so. The City of London parishes present numerous instances of this kind ; the parochial authorities being trustees for sundry small endowments. If they do not administer these funds in accordance with the wishes of donors, they may possibly though unwittingly be offenders against the law.

Take a few instances. The parish of St. Benet, Gracechurch-street, is trustee for a bequest, the annual amount of which —£7 0s Gd — is not only small in itself, but has to be divided into mere driblets — one portion for that parish, one for St. Olave'a in the Old Jewry and three others for parishes in Essex, Herts, and Bucks; the don.r having probably had some porsonal associate o a with all these localities. The Ironmongers' Company are intrusted with the administration of ten pounds a year, to be given to St. Benet's parish, Paul's Chain ; and the parish authorities havo to divide it into five portions, varying from sixteen to fifty-six shillings each, among an equal number of other parishes. St. Botolph, Aldgate, enjoys the complicated bequest of "one-fourth of two houses," and another of " three houses and threequarters of ten houses." Among the multiplicity of City endowments, either corporate, chartered, or parochial, there Js one for releasing Christian captives from the corsairs of Barbary ; another for giving a certain amount of snuff once a year to a certain number of poor women ; a third to pay the bellringers for ringing a merry peal on the aniversary of (not the birth but) the death of tho doctor's wife ! What are the parochial authorities to do with such extravagances aa these? Some of the purposes specified are now impracticable, some absurd, and some altogether out of harmony with the general current of Engliah feeling in the present day. Little wonder if the trustees occasionally get out of the anomaly by paying for a savory official dinner from the money thus strangely bequeathed. The Endowment Commissioners found records of the bequest of an estato bringing in three hundred and thirty-three pounds per annum ; thore were eighteen trustees, who spent fifty pounds once io three years on a visit to the property, winding up with a dinner. We may safely assert that the Legislature will ere long sweep away many of these absurdities.

The parishes of Loudon in the old days were linked together in one matter by the establishment of a guild of parish clerks. These persons, mostly young men with good voices, were the favorite performers in the mysteries or religious plays before the Reformation. Clerken well or Clerks Well is believed to have derived its name from them, On the grassy slope rising from the eastern bank of tha river Fleet (the great sewers and the Metropolitan railway must say what now occupies the locality) were the Clerks' Well, the Skinners' Well, St. Rosamond's Well, and many other pleasant bubbling springs of beautifully sweet and clear water. Near one of these, in the open air, the parish clerks played a Mystery for three days in the presence of King Richard 11., his queen, and court. In the next century the young clerks devoted eight days consecutively to performing the " Creation of the World" and other mysteries. Previous to tho recent wholesale demolition of streets and buildings, there was an old pump bearing an inscription commemorative of the doings of the guild of parish clerks near the spot.

Some of the parishes of Wilts and Dorset still keep up the old custom of Lent crocking, one among many remains of Lenten usages in earlier days. The boy 8, marshalled into small parties, arm themselves with what broken crockery the dust- heaps can yield. A leader, going from house to house, knocks at the doors, appeals to the inmates, and sings doggerel lines announcing the fact that the boys have come a-shroving, and will expect gifts of pies, dough-nuts, cheese, bacon, and other toothsome titbits. If these good things are not forthcoming, the leader brings on his phalanx of boys, who administer to the door of the house a thorough bombardment with the broken ware.

The parish of Garrat in Surrey waß for many years the scene of a custom strange and whimsical enough in all conscience. An encroachment on the rights of commonage was on one occasion successfully defeated by the parishioners, who chose one of their number afl chairman of a committee for that purpose. A general election happened to be going on about the time ; and some wag proposed the idea of electing a mock mayor of Garrat, the elected dignitary to remain in office as long as the members of Parliament. The tavern and beer-shop keepers relished the scheme highly, for the ceremonial would infallibly lead to custom. Public attention was drawn specially to the subject in 1747, when Willis a waterman, and Gubbin a publican, competed for the honor of the mayoraly. Town hall, clerk, and recorder were improvised for the occasion, and the proceedings were conducted in mock-heroic style. The best candidate was considered to be the man who could " drink largely, feed vigorously, head a mob majestically, and hurrah eloquently." Willis, under the assumed cognomen of Squire Blowmedown, won the election. Seven years afterwards, at the time of another general election, the Garrat men closely imitated the parliamentary partisans, fighting the battle as keenly and as noisily. Again, seven years more paßßed, and no fewer than nine candidates contested for the mayoralty. The wits of the day entered into the jusfc so heartily, that Foofce, Wilkes, and Garrick wrote some of the electioneering addresses. Foote produced his farce of " Tho Mayor of Garrat," after taking purt in this anomalous election. It soon became known that h_3 characters of Matthew Mug, Snuffle, Lord Twankum, Crispin, Heeltrap, and Kit Noißy, were caricature portraits of some of the candidates. Another seven years brought on another general election, and with it the mock election of a mayor of Garrat. Seven candidates appeared, most of whom assumed the titles of lords and baronets. Some of the mayors elected at theße septennial intervals were very popular ; especially Sir John Harper (a breechesmaker), Sir Jeffrey Dunstan (a dealer in old wigs), and Sir Henry Dimadale (a muffin-man. Sir Jeffrey, who was elected no less than three septennial mayoralties, was a fellow full of wit and drollery. So great was the public enjoyment of these extravagancies, that on ono or two occasions the whole line of road from London to Garrat (Garrat Lane still e.Kists) was crowded with vehicles, equestrians, and pedestrians, all bound for the election. The absurdity died out with the last century ; a revival was once attempted afterwards, but failed.

Enough. The old customs which we have "lanced at in rapid Bucceßßion are illustrative of a much larger number than most of us would suppose. Thore are few parishes in England but would, by an appeal to the memory of aged persons, tell of such.