Old English Sports, Pastimes and Customs
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About This Book
Originally published in 1891. The book describes the holiday festivals as they occurred in each month of the year; and the sports, games, pastimes, and customs associated with these rural feasts. it is a comprehensive history of the best features of old English village life. The illustrated contents include: Hunting - Cock Throwing - Easter Customs - May Day - Morris Dancing - Wrestling - Golf - Tennis - Cricket - Hawking - Dancing - Tournaments - Christmas Customs - Wakes - Fairs - Mummers etc. Many of the earliest history books, particularly those dating back to the 1900s and before, are now...
Chapters (44)(click to expand)
- OLD ENGLISH SPORTS
- Pastimes and Customs
- P.H. DITCHFIELD, M.A.
- PREFACE.
- CONTENTS.
- OLD ENGLISH SPORTS.
- CHAPTER I.
- JANUARY.
- Dedication Festivals—New Year's Day—"Wassail"—Twelfth Night—"King of the Bean"—St. Distaff's Day—Plough Monday—Winter Games—Skating—Sword-dancing.
- CHAPTER II.
- FEBRUARY.
- Hunting—Candlemas Day—St. Blaize's Day—Shrove-tide— Football—Battledore and Shuttlecock—Cock-throwing.
- CHAPTER III.
- MARCH.
- Archery—Lent—"Mothering" Sunday—Palm Sunday— "Shere" Thursday—Watching the Sepulchre.
- CHAPTER IV.
- APRIL.
- Easter Customs—Pace Eggs—Handball in Churches—Sports confined to Special Localities—Stoolball and Barley-brake —Water Tournament—Quintain—Chester Sports—Hock-tide.
- CHAPTER V.
- MAY.
- May Day Festivities—May-pole—Morris-dancers—The Book of Sports—Bowling—Beating the Bounds—George Herbert's description of a Country Parson.
- CHAPTER VI.
- JUNE.
- Whitsuntide Sports—Church-ales—Church-house—Quarter-staff —Whistling and Jingling Matches—St. John's Eve—Wrestling.
- CHAPTER VII.
- JULY.
- Cricket—Club-ball—Trap-ball—Golf—Pall-mall—Tennis— Rush-bearing
- CHAPTER VIII.
- AUGUST.
- Lammas Day—St. Roch's Day—Harvest-home—"Ten-pounding"— Sheep-shearing—"Wakes"—Fairs.
- CHAPTER IX.
- SEPTEMBER.
- Hawking—Michaelmas—Bull and Bear-baiting.
- CHAPTER X.
- OCTOBER.
- Tournaments—Mysteries—Moralities—Pageants.
- CHAPTER XI.
- NOVEMBER.
- All-hallow Eve—"Soul Cakes"—Diving for Apples—The Fifth of November—Martinmas—Demands Joyous—Indoor Games.
- CHAPTER XII.
- DECEMBER.
- St. Nicholas Day—The Boy Bishop—Christmas Eve—Christmas Customs—Mummers—"Lord of Misrule"—Conclusion.
- FOOTNOTES
- INDEX.
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