CHAPTER XXWEIGHTS AND MEASURESAnybody who has ever done any practical housekeeping in a provincial town is familiar with certain anomalies in the buying and selling of farm produce and other articles in common use. Why, for instance, is a potato when young sold by weight, and when it is old by measure? Why are gooseberries sold by measure and other small fruits by weight? Why are eggs in Oxford sold at so many to the shilling, and in Sidmouth for so much the dozen? Still, we can jog along with our preconceived notions as to the proper means of apportioning out the goods we want to buy, and we do not have to readjust or add to the Tables we learned at school. A catalogue of the weights and measures in the dialects does however upset a great many of our everyday ideas, and make our knowledge of Tables seem surprisingly limited. For here we find familiar measures changing their standard value according to locality, or according to the commodity to be sold by measure or weight; all sorts of new measures with queer names enter into computations where we had hitherto only dealt with plain bushels, or pounds, or inches; liquid measures usurp the place of dry, and vice versa; and indefinite terms like heap, bunch, bundle become fixed quantities. Let us hope that compilers of arithmetic books will never be allowed to stray into this field. What a fiendish joy it would give to those tormentors of youth if they might add to their nightmare sums about taps running into leaky baths, and men ploughing fields by the week, and horses costing odd shillings and pence, a few questions like this: If one man could plough an acre of land in Westmorland in five days, working every other day, how long would six men take to plough a field of11½ acres in Cheshire? If a Cornishman bought a mease of herrings in the Isle of Man and sold them to his next-door neighbour at home, how many more herrings would he have left for his wife to fry than if he took them to Clovelly to sell? If a dish and a half of butter costs two shillings and twopence halfpenny, how much butter would you get for four shillings and elevenpence three farthings? Or nice problems on the Tables such as: If three men and a boy could get thirty-six pankets of coal in four days and a half, how long would it take two boys to get out a chalder? If A. bought a wash of oysters and sold them to B. at so much per strike, what would be the price of a prickle of whelks?Variation in Weights and MeasuresA gill in most of the north-country dialects means half a pint, in Devonshire it means a quart, and in Cornwall, as a measure of tin, it means a pint. A stone may be equivalent to any weight from 8lb.to 24lb., it would depend whether the article in the scales was beef, or butter, or hay, or wool, and so on. A pound of butter used to weigh 18oz.throughout Cheshire. In the Lake District butter was formerly sold by thelong pound, which was equivalent to 22oz.A Northumbrian peck is one third of a Winchester bushel, but a Craven peck is half a Winchester bushel. A hundred may mean thelong hundred, which is usually six score, but in parts of Worcestershire, by machine weight it is 112lb., by count, 126. In Norfolk a hundred crabs is 240, because crabs are counted bycasts, and acastis a pair of crabs. According to Brighton measure, 128 herrings make a hundred, but if it was mackerel there would be 132. An old Cumberland rhyme gives: Five scwore to t’hundred o’ men, money, an’ pins; Six scwore to t’hundred o’ other things. A yard of land in Devonshire is 9ft., but a Cornish land yard is 6yds.or 18ft.Local Terms and Customs relating to Weights and MeasuresAbollis a dry measure of capacity varying from two to six bushels. At Alnwick, a boll of barley or oats was six bushels; of wheat two bushels. At Hexham, a boll of barley or of oats was five bushels; of wheat four bushels. Atrug(Hrf.) is a measure of wheat of which three go to make up twobushels. Afotheris a cartload, in some places a one-horse load, and in others a two-horse load. If it denotes a weight of lead, it is equivalent to 21 cwt. and upwards. In Durham, as a measure for coals, it meant 17⅔cwt.,cp.‘With him ther was a Ploughman, was his brother, That hadde i-lad of dong ful many a fother,’ Chaucer,Prol.ll. 529, 530. Alastis a dry measure, used for corn,&c.A Lincolnshire last of oats = 21 sacks of four bushels each, but used for rape-seed, turnip-seed, or oats the last = 10 quarters, or eighty bushels. As a measure for herrings in East Anglia, a last of herrings is said to be ten thousand, but if six score and twelve go to each hundred, there would actually be 13,200. Alug(War.w.Cy.) is a measure of land, usually a rod, pole, or perch, but occasionally varying in length,cp.‘Eight lugs of grownd,’ Spenser,F. Q.Bk. II. x. 11. Ashaftmentis the measure of the fist with the thumb extended, generally taken as six inches. Abodge(Ken.) is an odd measure of corn left over when the bulk has been measured out into quarters and sacks,cp.‘To the last bodge of oats and bottle of hay,’ Jonson,New Inn.In East Anglia a pint of butter would mean 20oz.In parts of Kent fruit, vegetables, and fish are sold by the quart. Bread also is sold in pecks, gallons, and quarts. A peck in west Somerset may be used as a measure for cider, one peck being equal to two gallons. In Cheshire and Staffordshire pottery is sold by thepiece. I have myself bought flower-pots by this standard, the number of the pots contained in the piece varying according to their size. Firewood stacked for sale is in many districts sold by thecord, a measure varying in amount in different parts of the country. In Worcestershire and Herefordshire, and parts also of Shropshire and Gloucestershire, fruit and vegetables are always sold by thepot, orhalf-pot; a kind of basket or hamper without a lid. Hops are sold by thepocket, this latter being an enormous bag some 7½ft.long, holding about 168lb.of hops. Bottom might still express ‘a great desire to a bottle of hay’, and be understood in any county. Thecommon proverbial saying: To look for a needle in a bottle of hay is known as far back as 1655. Peck is used figuratively in the phrase: a peck o’ troubles. A very common way of telling a Yorkshireman that he is judging or treating others by his own standard of thought or action is to say he is: measuring a peck out of his own stroke.Any kind of indefinite measure of anything may of course be taken byscowl of brow, or bythe skeg of the eye, and things of minor weight may be judged by theheftor thelift.
Anybody who has ever done any practical housekeeping in a provincial town is familiar with certain anomalies in the buying and selling of farm produce and other articles in common use. Why, for instance, is a potato when young sold by weight, and when it is old by measure? Why are gooseberries sold by measure and other small fruits by weight? Why are eggs in Oxford sold at so many to the shilling, and in Sidmouth for so much the dozen? Still, we can jog along with our preconceived notions as to the proper means of apportioning out the goods we want to buy, and we do not have to readjust or add to the Tables we learned at school. A catalogue of the weights and measures in the dialects does however upset a great many of our everyday ideas, and make our knowledge of Tables seem surprisingly limited. For here we find familiar measures changing their standard value according to locality, or according to the commodity to be sold by measure or weight; all sorts of new measures with queer names enter into computations where we had hitherto only dealt with plain bushels, or pounds, or inches; liquid measures usurp the place of dry, and vice versa; and indefinite terms like heap, bunch, bundle become fixed quantities. Let us hope that compilers of arithmetic books will never be allowed to stray into this field. What a fiendish joy it would give to those tormentors of youth if they might add to their nightmare sums about taps running into leaky baths, and men ploughing fields by the week, and horses costing odd shillings and pence, a few questions like this: If one man could plough an acre of land in Westmorland in five days, working every other day, how long would six men take to plough a field of11½ acres in Cheshire? If a Cornishman bought a mease of herrings in the Isle of Man and sold them to his next-door neighbour at home, how many more herrings would he have left for his wife to fry than if he took them to Clovelly to sell? If a dish and a half of butter costs two shillings and twopence halfpenny, how much butter would you get for four shillings and elevenpence three farthings? Or nice problems on the Tables such as: If three men and a boy could get thirty-six pankets of coal in four days and a half, how long would it take two boys to get out a chalder? If A. bought a wash of oysters and sold them to B. at so much per strike, what would be the price of a prickle of whelks?
Variation in Weights and Measures
A gill in most of the north-country dialects means half a pint, in Devonshire it means a quart, and in Cornwall, as a measure of tin, it means a pint. A stone may be equivalent to any weight from 8lb.to 24lb., it would depend whether the article in the scales was beef, or butter, or hay, or wool, and so on. A pound of butter used to weigh 18oz.throughout Cheshire. In the Lake District butter was formerly sold by thelong pound, which was equivalent to 22oz.A Northumbrian peck is one third of a Winchester bushel, but a Craven peck is half a Winchester bushel. A hundred may mean thelong hundred, which is usually six score, but in parts of Worcestershire, by machine weight it is 112lb., by count, 126. In Norfolk a hundred crabs is 240, because crabs are counted bycasts, and acastis a pair of crabs. According to Brighton measure, 128 herrings make a hundred, but if it was mackerel there would be 132. An old Cumberland rhyme gives: Five scwore to t’hundred o’ men, money, an’ pins; Six scwore to t’hundred o’ other things. A yard of land in Devonshire is 9ft., but a Cornish land yard is 6yds.or 18ft.
Local Terms and Customs relating to Weights and Measures
Abollis a dry measure of capacity varying from two to six bushels. At Alnwick, a boll of barley or oats was six bushels; of wheat two bushels. At Hexham, a boll of barley or of oats was five bushels; of wheat four bushels. Atrug(Hrf.) is a measure of wheat of which three go to make up twobushels. Afotheris a cartload, in some places a one-horse load, and in others a two-horse load. If it denotes a weight of lead, it is equivalent to 21 cwt. and upwards. In Durham, as a measure for coals, it meant 17⅔cwt.,cp.‘With him ther was a Ploughman, was his brother, That hadde i-lad of dong ful many a fother,’ Chaucer,Prol.ll. 529, 530. Alastis a dry measure, used for corn,&c.A Lincolnshire last of oats = 21 sacks of four bushels each, but used for rape-seed, turnip-seed, or oats the last = 10 quarters, or eighty bushels. As a measure for herrings in East Anglia, a last of herrings is said to be ten thousand, but if six score and twelve go to each hundred, there would actually be 13,200. Alug(War.w.Cy.) is a measure of land, usually a rod, pole, or perch, but occasionally varying in length,cp.‘Eight lugs of grownd,’ Spenser,F. Q.Bk. II. x. 11. Ashaftmentis the measure of the fist with the thumb extended, generally taken as six inches. Abodge(Ken.) is an odd measure of corn left over when the bulk has been measured out into quarters and sacks,cp.‘To the last bodge of oats and bottle of hay,’ Jonson,New Inn.
In East Anglia a pint of butter would mean 20oz.In parts of Kent fruit, vegetables, and fish are sold by the quart. Bread also is sold in pecks, gallons, and quarts. A peck in west Somerset may be used as a measure for cider, one peck being equal to two gallons. In Cheshire and Staffordshire pottery is sold by thepiece. I have myself bought flower-pots by this standard, the number of the pots contained in the piece varying according to their size. Firewood stacked for sale is in many districts sold by thecord, a measure varying in amount in different parts of the country. In Worcestershire and Herefordshire, and parts also of Shropshire and Gloucestershire, fruit and vegetables are always sold by thepot, orhalf-pot; a kind of basket or hamper without a lid. Hops are sold by thepocket, this latter being an enormous bag some 7½ft.long, holding about 168lb.of hops. Bottom might still express ‘a great desire to a bottle of hay’, and be understood in any county. Thecommon proverbial saying: To look for a needle in a bottle of hay is known as far back as 1655. Peck is used figuratively in the phrase: a peck o’ troubles. A very common way of telling a Yorkshireman that he is judging or treating others by his own standard of thought or action is to say he is: measuring a peck out of his own stroke.
Any kind of indefinite measure of anything may of course be taken byscowl of brow, or bythe skeg of the eye, and things of minor weight may be judged by theheftor thelift.
CHAPTER XXIPLANT NAMES AND NAMES OF ANIMALSA few of the dialect plant-names have been noticed in previous chapters in connexion with superstitious beliefs, medical lore,&c., but there are a great many more, equally well worth considering. What one feels about them—and herein lies their chief attraction—is that they reflect the popular mind, and are not the result of mere peeping and botanizing. The rustic sees in the flower something which calls up in his mind a familiar object—a dish of eggs and bacon, the parson in the pulpit, a hen and chickens; or something which reminds him of a Bible story he has known from his childhood; or something akin to human nature, which draws forth a responsive recognition.We naturally expect to find in the different dialects different names for one and the same flower, but it is strange to find up and down the country one and the same name attached to different flowers. An Oxford lady once pointed out to me some plants of the double garden daisy, which she called Bachelor’s Buttons. I declared this was a misnomer, for the Bachelor’s Buttons I had grown up with in Herefordshire were some kind of double ranunculus. Subsequent research, however, supported both sides of the argument, and showed further, that at least twenty more plants also bore the name of Bachelor’s Button in different parts of the country. Even a common name like Honeysuckle is not restricted to the fragrant climberLonicera Peryclymenumwith which we of the standard speech always associate it. The following plants may all be called Honeysuckle: 1. The purple clover,Trifolium pratense. 2. The white clover,T.repens. 3. The bird’s-foot trefoil,Lotus corniculatus. 4. The dwarf cornel,Cornus suecica. 5. The great bindweed,Convolvulus sepium. 6. The white dead-nettle,Lamium album. 7. The lousewort,Pedicularis sylvatica. 8. The blossoms of the willow.Plants associated with Biblical NamesThe following are some of the names of plants associated with Biblical subjects: Aunt Mary’s Tree (Cor.) is the common holly; Virgin Mary (Lakel.Cor.), Virgin Mary’s Honeysuckle (Chs.Shr.), Virgin Mary’s Milkdrops (Mon.Wil.), Lady’s Milk-sile (Chs.), are names of the lungwortPulmonaria officinalis, referring to the legend that during the flight into Egypt some of the Blessed Virgin’s milk fell on its leaves, as she nursed the infant Jesus. The same legend is also told to account for like spots on the leaves of the Blessed Thistle (War.), Our Lady’s Thistle,Carduus Marianus. Another legend says that the Virgin Mary, when thirsty, met with a cow, and after using the broad leaf of the thistle as a drinking-cup, willed that the species should ever after be called by her name, and bear the stains of the milk on its leaves. The lungwort is also called Mary’s Tears (Dor.), and the spots are traced to the tears shed by her at the Crucifixion. Legend tells that once the Virgin Mary plucked up a root of the crab’s claw,Polygonum Persicaria, and then threw it away, saying ‘that’s useless’, hence Useless (Sc.) has been its name ever since, and the blotches on its leaves are the marks of her fingers.Plants associated with the Bible and with the Christian SeasonsGethsemane (Chs.), the early purple orchis,Orchis mascula, is said to have been growing at the foot of the Cross, and to have received drops of blood on its leaves, the marks of which it has never lost. The same legend is attached also to the Calvary Clover,Medicago echinus, the leaves of which are marked with dull red, irregular blotches exactly like real blood-stains. The plant is much prized as a pot-plant, both for the sake of its leaves and for its curious seed-vessels, one of which was given to me a few weeks ago. It looks like a little prickly ball, and when thoroughly dry it can be unwound, spiral fashion, in two coils, an outer prickly one, and an inner smooth one which encases the twelve seeds. The ends can then be hooked one into the other, to forma miniature Crown of Thorns. The seeds, I was told, must be planted on Ash Wednesday, though probably an older version of the tradition would give Good Friday as the fitting date, but I have never heard of the superstition before. In parts of Cheshire Christ’s Thorn,Crataegus Pyracantha, is the accredited plant from which the Saviour’s Crown of Thorns was made. In parts of Yorkshire Christ’s Thorn is a name of the common holly, with its scarlet berries typical of His blood. The fame of having been cut to make the Crown of Thorns was given in Kent to the Jews’ Myrtle, the butcher’s broom,Ruscus aculeatus. The Eye of Christ (Wal.) is the germander speedwell,Veronica Chamaedrys, also known as Angels’ Eyes (Dev.).The name Aaron’s Beard is applied to several plants; so is Aaron’s Rod, the latter name being perhaps most commonly given to the mullein,Verbascum Thapsus, because of its long, straight stem. The mullein also goes by the name of Adam’s Flannel (Yks.Chs.Lin.Nhp.War.), so called from the soft, flannel-like appearance of the leaves. The Solomon’s Seal,Polygonatum multiflorum, is named David’s Harp, from the resemblance of the long curved flower-stalk with its pendent blossoms to the harp as it is portrayed in old pictures, where David is represented playing on an instrument shaped like half a pointed arch, hung with metal bells, which he strikes with two hammers. The Drops of Abel’s Blood (Dur.) are unopened flower-buds of the red fuchsia; Jacob’s Ladder is a name shared by various plants, garden-plants, and wild; Joseph’s Flower (Sus.) is the goat’s beard,Tragopogon pratensis, probably a reminiscence of pictures of Joseph as an old man with a long beard; Joseph’s Walking-stick (Hmp.) is another name for one of the Jacob’s Ladder flowers,Polemonium caeruleum; Lazarus Bell (Dev.) is the fritillary,Fritillaria Meleagris, Saint Peter’s Herb (Yks.) is the cowslip, the flower-head suggesting a bunch of keys; Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob (Lin.) is a name of the garden comfrey,Symphytum officinale, as well as of other plants having flowers of different shades of colour on thesame stem; several plants bear the name of Adam and Eve; Cain and Abel (Wil.) is the columbine,Aquilegia vulgaris, and other flowers in other localities; Mary and Joseph (Lin.) is the name of a garden variety of the forget-me-not; the common Virginian stock, on account of its numerous small flowers, is called the Children of Israel (Wil.Dev.); a kind of dark blue campanula is known in Sussex as the Twelve Apostles; the Rose of Sharon (Lan.Chs.Lin.War.Suf.Dor.) is the large-floweredSt.John’s wort,Hypericum calycinum; the name of Good-Friday Flower (Dor.), given to the tuberous moschatel,Adoxa Moschatellina, is supposed to be due to the four-cleft corolla of the topmost flower, which suggested the Cross, and not to refer merely to the date of flowering, as is the case with the Good-Friday Grass (Sur.), the field woodrush,Luzula campestris; the Alleluia Plant (Dor.) is the wood-sorrel,Oxalis acetosella, so called because it blossoms between Easter and Whitsuntide, when in the Catholic Liturgy psalms ending with ‘Alleluia’ were sung in the churches. It is a very old name,cp.‘Allelujah, wood-sorrel,Oxys,’ Coles, 1679, and one which occurs in other European languages. The name Epiphany (Cor.) for the hell-weed,Cuscuta Epithymum, is formed by popular etymology out of the Frenchepithin, ‘the weed Dodder, especially that kind thereof, which grows twining about the branches of Time,’ Cotgrave. In the same way anemone has been corrupted sometimes into Enemy, and a single plant of phlox has been termed a Flock.There is a touch of poetry in such names as: New Year’s Gift (Ess.), the winter aconite,Eranthis hyemalis; Summer’s Farewell (Dor.Som.), a variety of the Michaelmas daisy,Aster Tripolium; Fair Maids (Nrf.Hmp.), or February Fair Maids (Wm.), the snowdrop,Galanthus nivalis; Golden Chain (Midl.s. and sw.Cy.), the laburnum. The reminiscence of the Northern god Balder in Balder’s Brae (Nhb.), a name for the wild camomile,Anthemis cotula, is probably a borrowing from Scandinavia,cp.O.N.Baldrs-brā. The same name occurs also in Swedish and Danish dialects.‘Thou may’st have some idea of the beauty of his hair when I tell thee that the whitest of all plants is called Baldur’s brow,’ Mallet,Northern Antiquities, 1770.Old Names of PlantsWe may still hear the plant-names Shakespeare knew, such as: Honey-stalks (War.), the blossoms of the white clover,Trifolium repens; and Love in idleness (Midl.), the pansy, a name often corrupted into Love and idols, or Loving idols; and many which Dr. Johnson included in his Dictionary, for example: Ale-hoof (Yks.Shr.Sus.Dev.Cor.), the ground ivy,Nepeta Glechoma,cp.‘Alehoof ... Groundivy, so called by our Saxon ancestors, as being their chief ingredient in ale’; Ayegreen (Wm.Lan.), the house-leek,Sempervivum tectorum,cp.‘Aygreen ... The same with houseleek’; Prick-madam (Cum.), the crooked yellow stonecrop,Sedum reflexum,cp.‘Prickmadam ... A species of houseleek’; Herb of grace (Yks.Der.Lin.Som.), the rue,Ruta graveolens,cp.‘Rue ... An herb called herb of grace, because holy water was sprinkled with it.’Here did she fall a tear; here in this placeI’ll set a bank of rue, sour herb of grace:Rue, even for ruth, here shortly shall be seen,In the remembrance of a weeping queen.Rich. II,III.iv. 104-7.There are other old names which can be traced even further back, for example: Way-bread (Sc.n.Cy.Wor.), the greater plantain,Plantago major,O.E.weg-brǣde, literally way-breadth,cp.O.H.G.wege-breita, the plantain; and Withy-wind (w. and sw.Cy.), the great bindweed,Convolvulus sepium, and also the field bindweed,C.arvensis,O.E.wiþe-winde, bindweed. ‘He bare a burdoun ybounde with a brode liste, In a withewyndes wise ywounden aboute,’Piers Plowman,B. v. ll. 524, 525.Miscellaneous Plant NamesThe smell of the common buttercup was formerly supposed to induce madness, hence the name Crazy (Midl.w. and sw.Cy.). In the same way poppies are called Headaches (Irel.Midl.e.An.), because it is believed that the smell of them will cause headache. Pick-pocket (Midl.Nrf.Sus.Wil.Dev.), the shepherd’s purse,Capsella Bursa-pastoris, is so named because it impoverishes the farmer’s land. Children gather it and repeat: Pick-pocket, penny nail, Put the rogue in the jail. The same plant is also called Pick your mother’s heart out (War.), or simply Mother’s Heart (Sc.n.Cy.Midl.). Children play a kind of game with the heart-shaped seed-pods. They get one another to pick one of these off, which done, there follows the accusing cry: You’ve picked your mother’s heart out. In parts of Yorkshire the derisive cry is: Pick packet to London, You’ll never go to London. In Dorsetshire Break your mother’s heart is the hemlock,Conium maculatum; and Pick your mother’s eyes out is the field speedwell,Veronica agrestis. In the Lake District certain curative properties are attributed to the Solomon’s Seal,Polygonatum officinale, whence it is called the Vagabond’s Friend. It is said to be a remedy for black eyes, bruises, and broken noses. Courtship and Matrimony (Cum.) is the meadow-sweet,Spiraea Ulmaria, so called from the scent of the flower before and after bruising, which is thought to be typical of the two states in life.Popular Names for FlowersFor the rest, the following miscellaneous list may serve as a fairly representative sample: Babes in the Cradle (Wil.), the water figwort,Scrophularia aquatica; Lords and Ladies (ingen. dial.use), the wild arum,Arum maculatum; Milkmaids, or Milkmaidens (Yks.Midl.Ess.Wil.Dev.), the cuckoo flower,Cardamine pratensis; Painted Lady (I.Ma.Wil.), the sweet pea; Mournful Widow, or Poor Widow (Dev.), the sweet scabious,Scabiosa atropurpurea; Ranting Widow (Chs.), the willow-herb,Epilobium angustifolium; Pretty Maids (Brks.), the white meadow saxifrage,Saxifraga granulata. Babies’ Shoes (Wil.), the common bugle,Ajuga reptans; Bird-een (Cum.Wm.),Primula farinosa, e.g. The lockety gowan [globe-flower] an’ bonny bird-een, Are the fairest flowers that ever were seen; Bleeding Heart (Wm.Wor.Glo.Som.Dev.),Dielytra spectabilis; Ear-drops (Sus.Som.Dev.), the flowers of the garden fuchsia; Geslins, or Goslins (common), the blossoms of the willow; GoldenKnobs (Brks.), the marsh-marigold,Caltha palustris, much used for May-morning garlands; Grandmother’s Bonnets (Som.), or Grandmother’s Night-cap (Yks.Chs.Nrf.Ken.), the monkshood,Aconitum Napellus; Grandmother’s Slippers (Hmp.), the bird’s-foot trefoil,Lotus corniculatus; Money in both pockets (Lakel.Ken.Wil.sw.Cy.), the common honesty,Lunaria biennis; Mother Shimble’s Snick-needles (Wil.), the greater stitchwort,Stellaria Holostea; Puppy-dog’s Mouth (Wil.), the yellow toadflax,Linaria vulgaris; Tailor’s Garters (Sc.), the ribbon-grass,Phalaris arundinacea variegata; Two faces under a hat (Sus.), the common columbine. Peace and plenty (Wil.), the London pride,Saxifraga umbrosa; Pretty and little (Dev.), the Virginia stock,Malcolmia maritima; Wink-a-peep, or Wink and peep (Lan.Chs.Stf.Shr.), the scarlet pimpernel,Anagallis arvensis. Aunt Hannah (e.An.), the white arabis,Arabis alpina; Bloody Warrior (common), the dark-coloured wallflower; Bobbin Joan (Nhp.), the wild arum; Bouncing Bess (Dev.), the red valerian,Centranthus ruber; Delicate Bess (Dev.), the white valerian,Valeriana celtica; Bridget in her bravery (Lin.), the rose-campion,Lychnis chalcedonica; Gill run by the ground (Lin.Bck.Som.), the ground-ivy; Grim the collier (War.Shr.Glo.Som.Sus.), the orange hawkweed,Hieracium aurantiacum; Jack in green doublet (Stf.), a variety ofPrimula vulgarisin which the calyx is transformed into leaves; John go to bed at noon (Chs.Nhp.), the scarlet pimpernel; Sweet Nancy (Lan.Chs.Nrf.Hmp.), the pheasant-eyed narcissus; Pink-eyed John (Midl.), the pansy; Robin Hood (w.Cy.Dor.Som.Dev.), the red campion,Lychnis diurna; Trembling Jock (Yks.), or -jockies, the quaking-grass,Briza media, dried in bunches, and kept on the mantel-piece, because it is supposed to be obnoxious to mice: A trimmling-jock in t’house, An’ you weeant hev a mouse.Names for the common pansy are: Jump up and kiss me (Sus.Hmp.); Meet her in the entry kiss her in the buttery (Lin.); Kiss me behind the garden gate (Wor.Nrf.Suf.), orKiss me at the garden gate (Nhp.e.An.); Kiss me John at the garden gate (Suf.); Meet me Love behind the garden door. Kiss behind the garden gate (Brks.Glo.Wil.), and Meet me Love (Dev.) are names also given to the London pride. Kiss me quick and go (Dev.) is a name for lad’s love,Artemisia Abrotanum; Lift up your head and I’ll kiss you (Wor.) is theDielytra spectabilis; Kitty come down the lane jump up and kiss me (Ken.) is the cuckoo-pint,Arum maculatum; Granny jump out of bed (Wil.) is another name for the monkshood; Welcome home husband tho’ never so drunk (Suf.) is the yellow stonecrop,Sedum acre.The hail-fellow-well-met spirit of the rustic towards the world of Nature and all that is therein, which shows itself in plant-names like Saucy Betty, is still more noticeable in his use of personal names for living animals—toads, and even insects included. According to Dr. Smythe Palmer in his book onThe Folk and their Word-lore, some of these names are due to popular etymology, as for instance, Isaac, the hedge-sparrow, fromhay-suck,O.E.hege-sugge, i.e. the hedge-sucker. In the same way Sweet Alice is said to be a corruption ofsweet allison,Alyssum maritimum. But even if a few of the names admit of this prosaic derivation, it does but enhance their interest, by making them proofs of the common tendency towards individual names.Personal Names for BirdsAmongst the names for the common sparrow is Philip (Chs.Nhp.), a name of very old standing. Skelton wrote an elegy entitledA litle boke of Philip Sparrow, being the lament of a nun for the untimely death of her pet sparrow, slain by a cat. The hedge-sparrow is Betty (War.), and Juggy (Not.), the latter name being given also to the wren (Lei.Sus.). It is a derivative of Jug, formerly a favourite female name,cp.‘Jug,Johannicula’, Coles, 1679, and Shakespeare’s ‘Whoop, Jug! I love thee’,K.Lear,I.iv. 245. The missel-thrush is called Charlie-cock (e.Yks.); the starling, Jacob (Nhp.); and Joey (Oxf.), a name shared by the green linnet (War.), and the toad (Ken.); the redwing is Jan Shewall (Cor.); the goldfinch is Jack-a-nickas, or Jack Nicol (Chs.Wal.). A curious little instance of the way in which Dr. Johnson’s knowledge and love of his native dialect crops up in his Dictionary occurs under the heading ‘Goldfinch’,cp.‘Goldfinch.... A singing bird, so named from his golden colour. This is called in Staffordshire aproud taylor.’ In most of the Midland counties, including Staffordshire, and in others to the north and south-west, the goldfinch still bears the name of Proud Tailor. The redstart is Katie bran’-tail (Shr.); the owl is Josey (Wor.Dev.); Madge-howlet (Wor.Nrf.), a name found in Jonson’sEvery Man, 1598; and Billy-wix (e.An.). Maggie-monyfeet (Sc.) is a centipede. The very common name of Maggot, or Magotty-pie, for the magpie is the same word as Magot, a pet form, now obsolete, of the name Margaret,cp.Fr.Margot, ‘diminutif très familier de Marguerite, nom vulgaire de la pie,’ Littré. The heron is Moll-hern, or Molly-heron (Midl.Wil.), pronounced in Oxford Mollern, with the accent on the first syllable; Joan-na-ma-crank (Cum.); and Frank (Sc.e.An.), from its harsh cry which sounds like Frank! Frank! The whitecap is Peggy-whitethroat (Nhp.); the raven is Ralph (Chs.Nhp.): the cock bird in the poultry yard is Richard (Som.); the pied wagtail is Polly-dishwasher (Wil.), or Polly-wash-dishes (e.An.Dor.Som.). It is interesting to note in connexion with the geographical distribution of this name in modern times, that Dr. Johnson includes ‘Dish-washer’ in his Dictionary as: ‘The name of a bird,’ without being able to specify the kind of bird to which it belonged. No doubt he had heard the name casually, but neither he nor his Scottish assistants were familiar with its use.Names for Birds and the HareThe name Wat (Nrf.Cor.) for the hare occurs in Shakespeare’sVenus and Adonis,cp.:By this, poor Wat, far off upon a hill,Stands on his hinder legs with listening ear.In Cumberland the hare is Katie. In Herefordshire it was Sarah, so the gardener said, that came in the early morning hours, and while men still slept, browsed on the young green of the pinks in the big bed on our Rectory lawn. In Norfolkthe marshmen call her Old Aunt. The rabbit in Cumberland bears the nickname of Johnny Wapstraw. A Berkshire mouse is sometimes called Moses, a name given in Kent to a young frog. In parts of Scotland the pig is familiarly addressed as Sandy Campbell. The toad is Thomas (Chs.); the cockchafer is Tom Beadle (Cum.Lan.); the guinea-fowl is Tom-pot (Dev.), so named from its peculiar cry. For the same reason it is called Swap-hats (w.Som.), and Come-back, this last being the most widely known dialect name for the bird.Names given to AnimalsThe donkey goes by a number of names: Balaam (e.An.); Jeremiah (Suf.); Peter Moguz (Cor.),&c.; a female donkey in Lincolnshire is a Jen-ass. A tom-cat in Suffolk is a Jim-cat; and a she-cat is a Betty-cat. One is tempted to suggest that this last name is due to association of ideas—the domestic cat, the fireside, and the kettle singing on the hob—for in East Anglia the kettle is nicknamed Betty, and the common proverb takes the form of: That’s the saucepan calling the kettle Betty Black.When the author of that delightful bookThe Rose and the Ringtells us how ValorosoXXIV, King of Paflagonia, gave a small family dinner-party in honour of Prince Bulbo, he writes: ‘You may be sure they had a very good dinner—let every boy or girl think of what he or she likes best, and fancy it on the table,’ with the added footnote: ‘Here a very pretty game may be played by all the children saying what they like best for dinner.’ So here I will leave my readers to amuse themselves by thinking of all the choice morsels of dialect lore, which they specially love, and which have not been recorded in the foregoing chapters; knowing as I do full well, that many a feast can yet be spread before the store of good things is exhausted.
A few of the dialect plant-names have been noticed in previous chapters in connexion with superstitious beliefs, medical lore,&c., but there are a great many more, equally well worth considering. What one feels about them—and herein lies their chief attraction—is that they reflect the popular mind, and are not the result of mere peeping and botanizing. The rustic sees in the flower something which calls up in his mind a familiar object—a dish of eggs and bacon, the parson in the pulpit, a hen and chickens; or something which reminds him of a Bible story he has known from his childhood; or something akin to human nature, which draws forth a responsive recognition.
We naturally expect to find in the different dialects different names for one and the same flower, but it is strange to find up and down the country one and the same name attached to different flowers. An Oxford lady once pointed out to me some plants of the double garden daisy, which she called Bachelor’s Buttons. I declared this was a misnomer, for the Bachelor’s Buttons I had grown up with in Herefordshire were some kind of double ranunculus. Subsequent research, however, supported both sides of the argument, and showed further, that at least twenty more plants also bore the name of Bachelor’s Button in different parts of the country. Even a common name like Honeysuckle is not restricted to the fragrant climberLonicera Peryclymenumwith which we of the standard speech always associate it. The following plants may all be called Honeysuckle: 1. The purple clover,Trifolium pratense. 2. The white clover,T.repens. 3. The bird’s-foot trefoil,Lotus corniculatus. 4. The dwarf cornel,Cornus suecica. 5. The great bindweed,Convolvulus sepium. 6. The white dead-nettle,Lamium album. 7. The lousewort,Pedicularis sylvatica. 8. The blossoms of the willow.
Plants associated with Biblical Names
The following are some of the names of plants associated with Biblical subjects: Aunt Mary’s Tree (Cor.) is the common holly; Virgin Mary (Lakel.Cor.), Virgin Mary’s Honeysuckle (Chs.Shr.), Virgin Mary’s Milkdrops (Mon.Wil.), Lady’s Milk-sile (Chs.), are names of the lungwortPulmonaria officinalis, referring to the legend that during the flight into Egypt some of the Blessed Virgin’s milk fell on its leaves, as she nursed the infant Jesus. The same legend is also told to account for like spots on the leaves of the Blessed Thistle (War.), Our Lady’s Thistle,Carduus Marianus. Another legend says that the Virgin Mary, when thirsty, met with a cow, and after using the broad leaf of the thistle as a drinking-cup, willed that the species should ever after be called by her name, and bear the stains of the milk on its leaves. The lungwort is also called Mary’s Tears (Dor.), and the spots are traced to the tears shed by her at the Crucifixion. Legend tells that once the Virgin Mary plucked up a root of the crab’s claw,Polygonum Persicaria, and then threw it away, saying ‘that’s useless’, hence Useless (Sc.) has been its name ever since, and the blotches on its leaves are the marks of her fingers.
Plants associated with the Bible and with the Christian Seasons
Gethsemane (Chs.), the early purple orchis,Orchis mascula, is said to have been growing at the foot of the Cross, and to have received drops of blood on its leaves, the marks of which it has never lost. The same legend is attached also to the Calvary Clover,Medicago echinus, the leaves of which are marked with dull red, irregular blotches exactly like real blood-stains. The plant is much prized as a pot-plant, both for the sake of its leaves and for its curious seed-vessels, one of which was given to me a few weeks ago. It looks like a little prickly ball, and when thoroughly dry it can be unwound, spiral fashion, in two coils, an outer prickly one, and an inner smooth one which encases the twelve seeds. The ends can then be hooked one into the other, to forma miniature Crown of Thorns. The seeds, I was told, must be planted on Ash Wednesday, though probably an older version of the tradition would give Good Friday as the fitting date, but I have never heard of the superstition before. In parts of Cheshire Christ’s Thorn,Crataegus Pyracantha, is the accredited plant from which the Saviour’s Crown of Thorns was made. In parts of Yorkshire Christ’s Thorn is a name of the common holly, with its scarlet berries typical of His blood. The fame of having been cut to make the Crown of Thorns was given in Kent to the Jews’ Myrtle, the butcher’s broom,Ruscus aculeatus. The Eye of Christ (Wal.) is the germander speedwell,Veronica Chamaedrys, also known as Angels’ Eyes (Dev.).
The name Aaron’s Beard is applied to several plants; so is Aaron’s Rod, the latter name being perhaps most commonly given to the mullein,Verbascum Thapsus, because of its long, straight stem. The mullein also goes by the name of Adam’s Flannel (Yks.Chs.Lin.Nhp.War.), so called from the soft, flannel-like appearance of the leaves. The Solomon’s Seal,Polygonatum multiflorum, is named David’s Harp, from the resemblance of the long curved flower-stalk with its pendent blossoms to the harp as it is portrayed in old pictures, where David is represented playing on an instrument shaped like half a pointed arch, hung with metal bells, which he strikes with two hammers. The Drops of Abel’s Blood (Dur.) are unopened flower-buds of the red fuchsia; Jacob’s Ladder is a name shared by various plants, garden-plants, and wild; Joseph’s Flower (Sus.) is the goat’s beard,Tragopogon pratensis, probably a reminiscence of pictures of Joseph as an old man with a long beard; Joseph’s Walking-stick (Hmp.) is another name for one of the Jacob’s Ladder flowers,Polemonium caeruleum; Lazarus Bell (Dev.) is the fritillary,Fritillaria Meleagris, Saint Peter’s Herb (Yks.) is the cowslip, the flower-head suggesting a bunch of keys; Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob (Lin.) is a name of the garden comfrey,Symphytum officinale, as well as of other plants having flowers of different shades of colour on thesame stem; several plants bear the name of Adam and Eve; Cain and Abel (Wil.) is the columbine,Aquilegia vulgaris, and other flowers in other localities; Mary and Joseph (Lin.) is the name of a garden variety of the forget-me-not; the common Virginian stock, on account of its numerous small flowers, is called the Children of Israel (Wil.Dev.); a kind of dark blue campanula is known in Sussex as the Twelve Apostles; the Rose of Sharon (Lan.Chs.Lin.War.Suf.Dor.) is the large-floweredSt.John’s wort,Hypericum calycinum; the name of Good-Friday Flower (Dor.), given to the tuberous moschatel,Adoxa Moschatellina, is supposed to be due to the four-cleft corolla of the topmost flower, which suggested the Cross, and not to refer merely to the date of flowering, as is the case with the Good-Friday Grass (Sur.), the field woodrush,Luzula campestris; the Alleluia Plant (Dor.) is the wood-sorrel,Oxalis acetosella, so called because it blossoms between Easter and Whitsuntide, when in the Catholic Liturgy psalms ending with ‘Alleluia’ were sung in the churches. It is a very old name,cp.‘Allelujah, wood-sorrel,Oxys,’ Coles, 1679, and one which occurs in other European languages. The name Epiphany (Cor.) for the hell-weed,Cuscuta Epithymum, is formed by popular etymology out of the Frenchepithin, ‘the weed Dodder, especially that kind thereof, which grows twining about the branches of Time,’ Cotgrave. In the same way anemone has been corrupted sometimes into Enemy, and a single plant of phlox has been termed a Flock.
There is a touch of poetry in such names as: New Year’s Gift (Ess.), the winter aconite,Eranthis hyemalis; Summer’s Farewell (Dor.Som.), a variety of the Michaelmas daisy,Aster Tripolium; Fair Maids (Nrf.Hmp.), or February Fair Maids (Wm.), the snowdrop,Galanthus nivalis; Golden Chain (Midl.s. and sw.Cy.), the laburnum. The reminiscence of the Northern god Balder in Balder’s Brae (Nhb.), a name for the wild camomile,Anthemis cotula, is probably a borrowing from Scandinavia,cp.O.N.Baldrs-brā. The same name occurs also in Swedish and Danish dialects.‘Thou may’st have some idea of the beauty of his hair when I tell thee that the whitest of all plants is called Baldur’s brow,’ Mallet,Northern Antiquities, 1770.
Old Names of Plants
We may still hear the plant-names Shakespeare knew, such as: Honey-stalks (War.), the blossoms of the white clover,Trifolium repens; and Love in idleness (Midl.), the pansy, a name often corrupted into Love and idols, or Loving idols; and many which Dr. Johnson included in his Dictionary, for example: Ale-hoof (Yks.Shr.Sus.Dev.Cor.), the ground ivy,Nepeta Glechoma,cp.‘Alehoof ... Groundivy, so called by our Saxon ancestors, as being their chief ingredient in ale’; Ayegreen (Wm.Lan.), the house-leek,Sempervivum tectorum,cp.‘Aygreen ... The same with houseleek’; Prick-madam (Cum.), the crooked yellow stonecrop,Sedum reflexum,cp.‘Prickmadam ... A species of houseleek’; Herb of grace (Yks.Der.Lin.Som.), the rue,Ruta graveolens,cp.‘Rue ... An herb called herb of grace, because holy water was sprinkled with it.’
Here did she fall a tear; here in this placeI’ll set a bank of rue, sour herb of grace:Rue, even for ruth, here shortly shall be seen,In the remembrance of a weeping queen.Rich. II,III.iv. 104-7.
Here did she fall a tear; here in this placeI’ll set a bank of rue, sour herb of grace:Rue, even for ruth, here shortly shall be seen,In the remembrance of a weeping queen.Rich. II,III.iv. 104-7.
Here did she fall a tear; here in this placeI’ll set a bank of rue, sour herb of grace:Rue, even for ruth, here shortly shall be seen,In the remembrance of a weeping queen.Rich. II,III.iv. 104-7.
Here did she fall a tear; here in this place
I’ll set a bank of rue, sour herb of grace:
Rue, even for ruth, here shortly shall be seen,
In the remembrance of a weeping queen.
Rich. II,III.iv. 104-7.
There are other old names which can be traced even further back, for example: Way-bread (Sc.n.Cy.Wor.), the greater plantain,Plantago major,O.E.weg-brǣde, literally way-breadth,cp.O.H.G.wege-breita, the plantain; and Withy-wind (w. and sw.Cy.), the great bindweed,Convolvulus sepium, and also the field bindweed,C.arvensis,O.E.wiþe-winde, bindweed. ‘He bare a burdoun ybounde with a brode liste, In a withewyndes wise ywounden aboute,’Piers Plowman,B. v. ll. 524, 525.
Miscellaneous Plant Names
The smell of the common buttercup was formerly supposed to induce madness, hence the name Crazy (Midl.w. and sw.Cy.). In the same way poppies are called Headaches (Irel.Midl.e.An.), because it is believed that the smell of them will cause headache. Pick-pocket (Midl.Nrf.Sus.Wil.Dev.), the shepherd’s purse,Capsella Bursa-pastoris, is so named because it impoverishes the farmer’s land. Children gather it and repeat: Pick-pocket, penny nail, Put the rogue in the jail. The same plant is also called Pick your mother’s heart out (War.), or simply Mother’s Heart (Sc.n.Cy.Midl.). Children play a kind of game with the heart-shaped seed-pods. They get one another to pick one of these off, which done, there follows the accusing cry: You’ve picked your mother’s heart out. In parts of Yorkshire the derisive cry is: Pick packet to London, You’ll never go to London. In Dorsetshire Break your mother’s heart is the hemlock,Conium maculatum; and Pick your mother’s eyes out is the field speedwell,Veronica agrestis. In the Lake District certain curative properties are attributed to the Solomon’s Seal,Polygonatum officinale, whence it is called the Vagabond’s Friend. It is said to be a remedy for black eyes, bruises, and broken noses. Courtship and Matrimony (Cum.) is the meadow-sweet,Spiraea Ulmaria, so called from the scent of the flower before and after bruising, which is thought to be typical of the two states in life.
Popular Names for Flowers
For the rest, the following miscellaneous list may serve as a fairly representative sample: Babes in the Cradle (Wil.), the water figwort,Scrophularia aquatica; Lords and Ladies (ingen. dial.use), the wild arum,Arum maculatum; Milkmaids, or Milkmaidens (Yks.Midl.Ess.Wil.Dev.), the cuckoo flower,Cardamine pratensis; Painted Lady (I.Ma.Wil.), the sweet pea; Mournful Widow, or Poor Widow (Dev.), the sweet scabious,Scabiosa atropurpurea; Ranting Widow (Chs.), the willow-herb,Epilobium angustifolium; Pretty Maids (Brks.), the white meadow saxifrage,Saxifraga granulata. Babies’ Shoes (Wil.), the common bugle,Ajuga reptans; Bird-een (Cum.Wm.),Primula farinosa, e.g. The lockety gowan [globe-flower] an’ bonny bird-een, Are the fairest flowers that ever were seen; Bleeding Heart (Wm.Wor.Glo.Som.Dev.),Dielytra spectabilis; Ear-drops (Sus.Som.Dev.), the flowers of the garden fuchsia; Geslins, or Goslins (common), the blossoms of the willow; GoldenKnobs (Brks.), the marsh-marigold,Caltha palustris, much used for May-morning garlands; Grandmother’s Bonnets (Som.), or Grandmother’s Night-cap (Yks.Chs.Nrf.Ken.), the monkshood,Aconitum Napellus; Grandmother’s Slippers (Hmp.), the bird’s-foot trefoil,Lotus corniculatus; Money in both pockets (Lakel.Ken.Wil.sw.Cy.), the common honesty,Lunaria biennis; Mother Shimble’s Snick-needles (Wil.), the greater stitchwort,Stellaria Holostea; Puppy-dog’s Mouth (Wil.), the yellow toadflax,Linaria vulgaris; Tailor’s Garters (Sc.), the ribbon-grass,Phalaris arundinacea variegata; Two faces under a hat (Sus.), the common columbine. Peace and plenty (Wil.), the London pride,Saxifraga umbrosa; Pretty and little (Dev.), the Virginia stock,Malcolmia maritima; Wink-a-peep, or Wink and peep (Lan.Chs.Stf.Shr.), the scarlet pimpernel,Anagallis arvensis. Aunt Hannah (e.An.), the white arabis,Arabis alpina; Bloody Warrior (common), the dark-coloured wallflower; Bobbin Joan (Nhp.), the wild arum; Bouncing Bess (Dev.), the red valerian,Centranthus ruber; Delicate Bess (Dev.), the white valerian,Valeriana celtica; Bridget in her bravery (Lin.), the rose-campion,Lychnis chalcedonica; Gill run by the ground (Lin.Bck.Som.), the ground-ivy; Grim the collier (War.Shr.Glo.Som.Sus.), the orange hawkweed,Hieracium aurantiacum; Jack in green doublet (Stf.), a variety ofPrimula vulgarisin which the calyx is transformed into leaves; John go to bed at noon (Chs.Nhp.), the scarlet pimpernel; Sweet Nancy (Lan.Chs.Nrf.Hmp.), the pheasant-eyed narcissus; Pink-eyed John (Midl.), the pansy; Robin Hood (w.Cy.Dor.Som.Dev.), the red campion,Lychnis diurna; Trembling Jock (Yks.), or -jockies, the quaking-grass,Briza media, dried in bunches, and kept on the mantel-piece, because it is supposed to be obnoxious to mice: A trimmling-jock in t’house, An’ you weeant hev a mouse.
Names for the common pansy are: Jump up and kiss me (Sus.Hmp.); Meet her in the entry kiss her in the buttery (Lin.); Kiss me behind the garden gate (Wor.Nrf.Suf.), orKiss me at the garden gate (Nhp.e.An.); Kiss me John at the garden gate (Suf.); Meet me Love behind the garden door. Kiss behind the garden gate (Brks.Glo.Wil.), and Meet me Love (Dev.) are names also given to the London pride. Kiss me quick and go (Dev.) is a name for lad’s love,Artemisia Abrotanum; Lift up your head and I’ll kiss you (Wor.) is theDielytra spectabilis; Kitty come down the lane jump up and kiss me (Ken.) is the cuckoo-pint,Arum maculatum; Granny jump out of bed (Wil.) is another name for the monkshood; Welcome home husband tho’ never so drunk (Suf.) is the yellow stonecrop,Sedum acre.
The hail-fellow-well-met spirit of the rustic towards the world of Nature and all that is therein, which shows itself in plant-names like Saucy Betty, is still more noticeable in his use of personal names for living animals—toads, and even insects included. According to Dr. Smythe Palmer in his book onThe Folk and their Word-lore, some of these names are due to popular etymology, as for instance, Isaac, the hedge-sparrow, fromhay-suck,O.E.hege-sugge, i.e. the hedge-sucker. In the same way Sweet Alice is said to be a corruption ofsweet allison,Alyssum maritimum. But even if a few of the names admit of this prosaic derivation, it does but enhance their interest, by making them proofs of the common tendency towards individual names.
Personal Names for Birds
Amongst the names for the common sparrow is Philip (Chs.Nhp.), a name of very old standing. Skelton wrote an elegy entitledA litle boke of Philip Sparrow, being the lament of a nun for the untimely death of her pet sparrow, slain by a cat. The hedge-sparrow is Betty (War.), and Juggy (Not.), the latter name being given also to the wren (Lei.Sus.). It is a derivative of Jug, formerly a favourite female name,cp.‘Jug,Johannicula’, Coles, 1679, and Shakespeare’s ‘Whoop, Jug! I love thee’,K.Lear,I.iv. 245. The missel-thrush is called Charlie-cock (e.Yks.); the starling, Jacob (Nhp.); and Joey (Oxf.), a name shared by the green linnet (War.), and the toad (Ken.); the redwing is Jan Shewall (Cor.); the goldfinch is Jack-a-nickas, or Jack Nicol (Chs.Wal.). A curious little instance of the way in which Dr. Johnson’s knowledge and love of his native dialect crops up in his Dictionary occurs under the heading ‘Goldfinch’,cp.‘Goldfinch.... A singing bird, so named from his golden colour. This is called in Staffordshire aproud taylor.’ In most of the Midland counties, including Staffordshire, and in others to the north and south-west, the goldfinch still bears the name of Proud Tailor. The redstart is Katie bran’-tail (Shr.); the owl is Josey (Wor.Dev.); Madge-howlet (Wor.Nrf.), a name found in Jonson’sEvery Man, 1598; and Billy-wix (e.An.). Maggie-monyfeet (Sc.) is a centipede. The very common name of Maggot, or Magotty-pie, for the magpie is the same word as Magot, a pet form, now obsolete, of the name Margaret,cp.Fr.Margot, ‘diminutif très familier de Marguerite, nom vulgaire de la pie,’ Littré. The heron is Moll-hern, or Molly-heron (Midl.Wil.), pronounced in Oxford Mollern, with the accent on the first syllable; Joan-na-ma-crank (Cum.); and Frank (Sc.e.An.), from its harsh cry which sounds like Frank! Frank! The whitecap is Peggy-whitethroat (Nhp.); the raven is Ralph (Chs.Nhp.): the cock bird in the poultry yard is Richard (Som.); the pied wagtail is Polly-dishwasher (Wil.), or Polly-wash-dishes (e.An.Dor.Som.). It is interesting to note in connexion with the geographical distribution of this name in modern times, that Dr. Johnson includes ‘Dish-washer’ in his Dictionary as: ‘The name of a bird,’ without being able to specify the kind of bird to which it belonged. No doubt he had heard the name casually, but neither he nor his Scottish assistants were familiar with its use.
Names for Birds and the Hare
The name Wat (Nrf.Cor.) for the hare occurs in Shakespeare’sVenus and Adonis,cp.:
By this, poor Wat, far off upon a hill,Stands on his hinder legs with listening ear.
By this, poor Wat, far off upon a hill,Stands on his hinder legs with listening ear.
By this, poor Wat, far off upon a hill,Stands on his hinder legs with listening ear.
By this, poor Wat, far off upon a hill,
Stands on his hinder legs with listening ear.
In Cumberland the hare is Katie. In Herefordshire it was Sarah, so the gardener said, that came in the early morning hours, and while men still slept, browsed on the young green of the pinks in the big bed on our Rectory lawn. In Norfolkthe marshmen call her Old Aunt. The rabbit in Cumberland bears the nickname of Johnny Wapstraw. A Berkshire mouse is sometimes called Moses, a name given in Kent to a young frog. In parts of Scotland the pig is familiarly addressed as Sandy Campbell. The toad is Thomas (Chs.); the cockchafer is Tom Beadle (Cum.Lan.); the guinea-fowl is Tom-pot (Dev.), so named from its peculiar cry. For the same reason it is called Swap-hats (w.Som.), and Come-back, this last being the most widely known dialect name for the bird.
Names given to Animals
The donkey goes by a number of names: Balaam (e.An.); Jeremiah (Suf.); Peter Moguz (Cor.),&c.; a female donkey in Lincolnshire is a Jen-ass. A tom-cat in Suffolk is a Jim-cat; and a she-cat is a Betty-cat. One is tempted to suggest that this last name is due to association of ideas—the domestic cat, the fireside, and the kettle singing on the hob—for in East Anglia the kettle is nicknamed Betty, and the common proverb takes the form of: That’s the saucepan calling the kettle Betty Black.
When the author of that delightful bookThe Rose and the Ringtells us how ValorosoXXIV, King of Paflagonia, gave a small family dinner-party in honour of Prince Bulbo, he writes: ‘You may be sure they had a very good dinner—let every boy or girl think of what he or she likes best, and fancy it on the table,’ with the added footnote: ‘Here a very pretty game may be played by all the children saying what they like best for dinner.’ So here I will leave my readers to amuse themselves by thinking of all the choice morsels of dialect lore, which they specially love, and which have not been recorded in the foregoing chapters; knowing as I do full well, that many a feast can yet be spread before the store of good things is exhausted.
Transcriber’s Note:The following addendum was printed at the end of the book, and has been incorporated into the text: “To VIII onp. 149add: The stressed form of the nominative is generallyðēorðeə, but in somemidl.ands.dialects it isðaiorðei, and inSh. and Or.I.n.Ken.Sus.dē, rarelydei. The unstressed form is generallyðeorðə, rarelyði.” The reference to the addendum “See p.342.” has been removed from page 149.In the original sometimes the abbreviation “c.” is italicized, and sometimes not. They have been left as they were printed.Some words have been abbreviated in more than one way (e.g. s.w. and sw. for south-west). These have not been changed.In the original, citations for quoted poetry were printed on the last line of the quotation if there was room, with a long dash between the poem and the citation. If there was not room, the citation was printed on the following line. Here all such citations are shown on the line following the quotation, with no long dash.This book contains inconsistent hyphenations which have been left as printed. A few minor changes to punctuation have been made without comment, and the case of roman numerals in references has been made consistent.Other changes that have been made are:Page 36: “ s” has been changed to “is” in “it is a Norse word”.Page 244: “tall” has been changed to “tail” in “To safeguard a child from the infection of measles, place it on the back of a donkey, facing the animal’s tail ...”.The page headings from the original book are shown in sidenotes, normally at the start of the paragraph in which they occur. The use of quotation marks in these page headings does not appear to be consistent, however they have not been changed. In some cases the left-hand page heading represents a division of a chapter (e.g. “Accidence”), and the right-hand page heading a sub-division (e.g. “Pronouns”), these have been combined with a colon, (e.g. “Accidence: Pronouns”). In some very long paragraphs, only the first page heading is shown as a sidenote. The omitted page headings are:PAGEA Yorkshire Inn4The Parson’s Pig12Dialect in the Witness-box24Dialect in the Sunday School25Corruptions due to Sound Change34Johnson’s Treatment of Dialect64Johnson’s Treatment of Scots Words66‘Low Words67False, Flippant, Idle112Jolly, Kind, Maxim, Odd113Old Customs187Oak-Apple Day188Robin Hood189Cornish Traditions as to the Jews200Names of Birds assigned to the Devil204Superstitions concerning Evil Influence of Animals, Birds, and Insects218Popular Sayings and Beliefs as to Good and ill-luck220Lucky and Unlucky Actions222How to ensure Good Luck225Story ofSt.Catherine of Ledbury229Violent Remedies236Remedies for Boils, Burns, and Colds241Cures for Cramp242Dropsy and Sore Eyes243Fits, Hiccups, Nettle-sting244Quinsy, Rheumatism, Rickets245Sciatica, Shingles, Sores246Bad Legs, Skin-wounds, Styes247Thrush, Teething248Safeguards against Toothache249Old Beliefs about Warts250Types of Wart-cure251Cures for Wens252Remedies for Whooping-cough253How to ascertain if one will marry263The Farmer and the Weather318
The following addendum was printed at the end of the book, and has been incorporated into the text: “To VIII onp. 149add: The stressed form of the nominative is generallyðēorðeə, but in somemidl.ands.dialects it isðaiorðei, and inSh. and Or.I.n.Ken.Sus.dē, rarelydei. The unstressed form is generallyðeorðə, rarelyði.” The reference to the addendum “See p.342.” has been removed from page 149.
In the original sometimes the abbreviation “c.” is italicized, and sometimes not. They have been left as they were printed.
Some words have been abbreviated in more than one way (e.g. s.w. and sw. for south-west). These have not been changed.
In the original, citations for quoted poetry were printed on the last line of the quotation if there was room, with a long dash between the poem and the citation. If there was not room, the citation was printed on the following line. Here all such citations are shown on the line following the quotation, with no long dash.
This book contains inconsistent hyphenations which have been left as printed. A few minor changes to punctuation have been made without comment, and the case of roman numerals in references has been made consistent.
Other changes that have been made are:
Page 36: “ s” has been changed to “is” in “it is a Norse word”.
Page 244: “tall” has been changed to “tail” in “To safeguard a child from the infection of measles, place it on the back of a donkey, facing the animal’s tail ...”.
The page headings from the original book are shown in sidenotes, normally at the start of the paragraph in which they occur. The use of quotation marks in these page headings does not appear to be consistent, however they have not been changed. In some cases the left-hand page heading represents a division of a chapter (e.g. “Accidence”), and the right-hand page heading a sub-division (e.g. “Pronouns”), these have been combined with a colon, (e.g. “Accidence: Pronouns”). In some very long paragraphs, only the first page heading is shown as a sidenote. The omitted page headings are: