I saw three ships come sailing by,Come sailing by, come sailing by;I saw three ships come sailing byOn New Year’s day in the morning.And what do you think was in them then,In them then, in them then;And what do you think was in them then,On New Year’s day in the morning?Three pretty girls were in them then, &c.One could whistle, and one could sing,The other could play on the violin;Such joy was there at my wedding,On New Year’s day in the morning.
I saw three ships come sailing by,Come sailing by, come sailing by;I saw three ships come sailing byOn New Year’s day in the morning.
And what do you think was in them then,In them then, in them then;And what do you think was in them then,On New Year’s day in the morning?
Three pretty girls were in them then, &c.
One could whistle, and one could sing,The other could play on the violin;Such joy was there at my wedding,On New Year’s day in the morning.
—Rimbault’sNursery Rhymes.
III.
As I sat on a sunny bank,A sunny bank, a sunny bank;As I sat on a sunny bankOn Christmas day in the morning.I saw three ships come sailing by,Come sailing by, come sailing by;I saw three ships come sailing byOn Christmas day in the morning.And who do you think was in those ships? &c.But Joseph and his lady.And he did whistle, and she did sing,And all the bells on earth did ringFor joy our Saviour he was bornOn Christmas day in the morning.
As I sat on a sunny bank,A sunny bank, a sunny bank;As I sat on a sunny bankOn Christmas day in the morning.
I saw three ships come sailing by,Come sailing by, come sailing by;I saw three ships come sailing byOn Christmas day in the morning.
And who do you think was in those ships? &c.But Joseph and his lady.
And he did whistle, and she did sing,And all the bells on earth did ringFor joy our Saviour he was bornOn Christmas day in the morning.
—Burne’sShropshire Folk-lore, p. 564.
[The above verses, except the last one, are sung at Oswestry with these additional ones:—]
Pray, whither sailed those ships all three? &c.Oh! they sailed unto Bethlehem, &c.They combed his hair with an ivory comb, &c.They washed his face in a golden cup, &c.They wiped his face with a lily-white cloth, &c.They brushed his shoes with a hairy brush, &c.
Pray, whither sailed those ships all three? &c.Oh! they sailed unto Bethlehem, &c.They combed his hair with an ivory comb, &c.They washed his face in a golden cup, &c.They wiped his face with a lily-white cloth, &c.They brushed his shoes with a hairy brush, &c.
—Burne’sShropshire Folk-lore, p. 564.
(c) In theLondon version, which I obtained from a maid-servant—two lines of children stand, hand in hand, facing one another. They advance and retire in line, with dancing steps, alternately. The children sing the lines. When the last verse is sung a girl from the end of each line advances, and the two dance round together. This is continued until all have danced in turn in the space between the lines.
(d) It will be seen that there is a probability of theversionI collected as a dance game andRimbault’s nursery songbeing derived from the Christmas carol, avariantof which I reprint from Miss Burne’sShropshire Folk-lore. A version of this carol from Kent is given inNotes and Queries, 3rd series, iii. 7.Mr. A. H. Bullen, inCarols and Poems, gives an older version of the same. In this version there is no mention of whistling, singing, or playing the violin; but in the Kent version, the third verse is the same as the fourth of that collected by Miss Burne, and the dance collected by myself. In theRevue Celtique, vol. iv., Mr. Fitzgerald considers this carol to have been the original from which the pretty words and dance, “Duck Dance,” were derived, seeante, vol. i. p. 113. If these words and dance owe their origin to the carol, they may both show connection with an older form, when the carol was danced as a dramatic round.
Here come three old bachelors,Walking in a row,Seeking wives, and can’t find ’em;So open the ring, and take one in.Now you’re married, you must obey;You must be true to all you say;You must be kind, you must be good,And help your wife to chop the wood.
Here come three old bachelors,Walking in a row,Seeking wives, and can’t find ’em;So open the ring, and take one in.Now you’re married, you must obey;You must be true to all you say;You must be kind, you must be good,And help your wife to chop the wood.
—Earls Heaton, Yorks. (Herbert Hardy).
Mr. Hardy suggests that this is a variant of “See the Farmer Sow his Seed,” but it more nearly resembles “Silly Old Man,” although the marriage formula is that of “Oats and Beans.”
[Play]
Tune Three Sailors—London (A. B. Gomme).
—London (A. B. Gomme).
I.
Here come three sailors, three by three,To court your daughter, a fair lady (pronounced ladee);[Or, And down by your door they bend their knee].Can we have a lodging here, here, here?Can we have a lodging here?Sleep, sleep, daughter, do not wake,Here are three sailors we can’t take;You cannot have a lodging here, here, here,You cannot have a lodging here.Here come three soldiers, three by three,To court your daughter, a fair lady;Can we have a lodging here, here, here?Can we have a lodging here?Sleep, sleep, daughter, do not wake,Here are three soldiers we can’t take;You cannot have a lodging here, here, here,You cannot have a lodging here.Here come three kings, three by three,To court your daughter, a fair lady;Can we have a lodging here, here, here?Can we have a lodging here?Wake, wake, daughter, do not sleep,Here come three kings that we can take;You can have a lodging here, here, here,You can have a lodging here.Here’s my daughter, safe and sound,And in her pocket one hundred pound,And on her finger a gay gold ring,And she is fit to walk with a king.Here’s your daughter, not safe nor sound,Nor in her pocket one hundred pound,On her finger no gay gold ring,I’m sure she’s not fit to walk with a king.
Here come three sailors, three by three,To court your daughter, a fair lady (pronounced ladee);[Or, And down by your door they bend their knee].Can we have a lodging here, here, here?Can we have a lodging here?
Sleep, sleep, daughter, do not wake,Here are three sailors we can’t take;You cannot have a lodging here, here, here,You cannot have a lodging here.
Here come three soldiers, three by three,To court your daughter, a fair lady;Can we have a lodging here, here, here?Can we have a lodging here?
Sleep, sleep, daughter, do not wake,Here are three soldiers we can’t take;You cannot have a lodging here, here, here,You cannot have a lodging here.
Here come three kings, three by three,To court your daughter, a fair lady;Can we have a lodging here, here, here?Can we have a lodging here?
Wake, wake, daughter, do not sleep,Here come three kings that we can take;You can have a lodging here, here, here,You can have a lodging here.
Here’s my daughter, safe and sound,And in her pocket one hundred pound,And on her finger a gay gold ring,And she is fit to walk with a king.
Here’s your daughter, not safe nor sound,Nor in her pocket one hundred pound,On her finger no gay gold ring,I’m sure she’s not fit to walk with a king.
—Barnes, Surrey, and London (A. B. Gomme).
II.
Here come three tinkers, three by three,To court your daughter, fair lady;Oh! have you any lodgings here, oh, here?Oh! have you any lodgings here?Sleep, sleep, daughter, do not wake,Here come three tinkers we cannot take;We haven’t any lodgings here, oh, here,We haven’t any lodgings here.Here come three soldiers, three by three,To court your daughter, fair lady;Oh! have you any lodgings here, oh, here?Oh! have you any lodgings here?Sleep, sleep, daughter, do not wake,Here come three soldiers we cannot take;We haven’t any lodgings here, oh, here,We haven’t any lodgings here.Here come three kings, three by three,To court your daughter, fair lady;Oh! have you any lodgings here, oh, here?Oh! have you any lodgings here?Wake, wake, daughter, do not sleep,Here come three kings that we can take;We have some lodgings here, oh, here,We have some lodgings here.Here’s my daughter, safe and sound,And in her pocket five hundred pounds,And on her finger a five guinea gold ring,And she is fit to walk with a king.Here’s your daughter, nor safe nor sound,And in her pocket no five hundred pound,And on her finger no five guinea gold ring,And she’s not fit to walk with the king.
Here come three tinkers, three by three,To court your daughter, fair lady;Oh! have you any lodgings here, oh, here?Oh! have you any lodgings here?
Sleep, sleep, daughter, do not wake,Here come three tinkers we cannot take;We haven’t any lodgings here, oh, here,We haven’t any lodgings here.
Here come three soldiers, three by three,To court your daughter, fair lady;Oh! have you any lodgings here, oh, here?Oh! have you any lodgings here?
Sleep, sleep, daughter, do not wake,Here come three soldiers we cannot take;We haven’t any lodgings here, oh, here,We haven’t any lodgings here.
Here come three kings, three by three,To court your daughter, fair lady;Oh! have you any lodgings here, oh, here?Oh! have you any lodgings here?
Wake, wake, daughter, do not sleep,Here come three kings that we can take;We have some lodgings here, oh, here,We have some lodgings here.
Here’s my daughter, safe and sound,And in her pocket five hundred pounds,And on her finger a five guinea gold ring,And she is fit to walk with a king.
Here’s your daughter, nor safe nor sound,And in her pocket no five hundred pound,And on her finger no five guinea gold ring,And she’s not fit to walk with the king.
—Sporle, Norfolk (Miss Matthews).
III.
Here’s three sweeps, three by three,And down by the door they bend their knee;Oh! shall we have lodgings here, oh, here?Oh! shall we have lodgings here?Sleep, dear daughter, do not wake,For here’s three sweeps coming to take;Lodgings here they shall not have,So sleep, dear daughter, sleep.Here’s three bakers, three by three,And down by the door they bend their knee;Oh! shall we have lodgings here, oh, here?Oh! shall we have lodgings here?Sleep, dear daughter, do not wake, &c. (as above).Here’s three kings, three by three, &c. (as above).Wake, dear daughter, do not sleep,For here’s three kings coming to take;Lodgings here they all may have,So wake, dear daughter, wake.Here’s my daughter, safe and sound,And on her finger a guinea gold ring,And in her pocket a thousand pounds,So she is fit to marry a king.Here’s your daughter, safe and sound,And on her finger no guinea gold ring,And in her pocket no thousand pounds,So she’s not fit to marry a king.
Here’s three sweeps, three by three,And down by the door they bend their knee;Oh! shall we have lodgings here, oh, here?Oh! shall we have lodgings here?
Sleep, dear daughter, do not wake,For here’s three sweeps coming to take;Lodgings here they shall not have,So sleep, dear daughter, sleep.
Here’s three bakers, three by three,And down by the door they bend their knee;Oh! shall we have lodgings here, oh, here?Oh! shall we have lodgings here?
Sleep, dear daughter, do not wake, &c. (as above).
Here’s three kings, three by three, &c. (as above).
Wake, dear daughter, do not sleep,For here’s three kings coming to take;Lodgings here they all may have,So wake, dear daughter, wake.
Here’s my daughter, safe and sound,And on her finger a guinea gold ring,And in her pocket a thousand pounds,So she is fit to marry a king.
Here’s your daughter, safe and sound,And on her finger no guinea gold ring,And in her pocket no thousand pounds,So she’s not fit to marry a king.
—Aberdeen Training College (Rev. W. Gregor).
IV.
Here come three tailors, three by three,To court your daughter, fair and fair;Have you got a lodger here, oh, here?Have you got a lodger here?Sleep, daughter, sleep, sleep,Here come three tailors we can’t take;We haven’t got a lodger here, oh, here,We haven’t got a lodger here.
Here come three tailors, three by three,To court your daughter, fair and fair;Have you got a lodger here, oh, here?Have you got a lodger here?
Sleep, daughter, sleep, sleep,Here come three tailors we can’t take;We haven’t got a lodger here, oh, here,We haven’t got a lodger here.
[The verses are repeated for “sailors,” “blacksmiths,” &c.,and then “kings,” and ends in the same way as the preceding version.]
—Swaffham, Norfolk (Miss Matthews).
V.
Here come three sailors, three by three,A courting your daughter, Caroline Mee;[Some would sing it “Because your daughter”]Can we have a lodging here to-night?Sleep, daughter, do not wake,Here’s three sailors we can’t take;You cannot have a lodging here to-night.Here come three soldiers, three by three,A courting your daughter, Caroline Mee;Can we have a lodging here to-night?Sleep, daughter, do not wake,Here’s three soldiers we can’t take;You cannot have a lodging here to-night.
Here come three sailors, three by three,A courting your daughter, Caroline Mee;[Some would sing it “Because your daughter”]Can we have a lodging here to-night?
Sleep, daughter, do not wake,Here’s three sailors we can’t take;You cannot have a lodging here to-night.
Here come three soldiers, three by three,A courting your daughter, Caroline Mee;Can we have a lodging here to-night?
Sleep, daughter, do not wake,Here’s three soldiers we can’t take;You cannot have a lodging here to-night.
[This is repeated for “kings,” and the game ends as in the previous versions. “Three” hundred pounds being substituted for “five.”]
—Deptford, Kent (Miss Chase).
VI.
Here come some travellers three by three,And down by a door they bend their knee.“Can we get lodgings here?”The fairest one that I can seeIs pretty little ——, come to me,And you’ll get lodgings here—“Will you come?” “Yes,” or “No!”
Here come some travellers three by three,And down by a door they bend their knee.“Can we get lodgings here?”The fairest one that I can seeIs pretty little ——, come to me,And you’ll get lodgings here—“Will you come?” “Yes,” or “No!”
—Isle of Man (A. W. Moore).
(c) The players form in two lines, and stand facing one another. One line consists of a mother and daughters. The other of the suitors. The mother stands a little in advance of her daughters. They remain stationary during the game, the mother alone singing the words on her side. The suitors advance and retire in line while singing their verses. The mother turns partly round when singing the two first lines of her verses addressing her daughters, and then faces the suitors when singing to them the remaining two lines. When she accepts the “kings” shebrings one of her daughters forward, presents her to the suitors, and shows them the money in her pocket, and the ring on her finger. The daughter goes with the kings, who take her a little way apart, pretend to rob her of her ring, money, and clothes, and then bring her back to her mother, and sing the last verse. They then run off in all directions, and the mother and daughters chase and catch them, and they change sides. Sometimes all the daughters are taken by the suitors before they are robbed and brought back. The game is also played by five players only; three representing the sailors or suitors, and two the mother and daughter. The mother then chases the suitors, and whoever she catches becomes the daughter the next game. These are the usual methods of playing. In theNorfolk versionthe middle one of the three suitors takes the girl, robs her, and all three bring her back and sing the verses. In theIsle of Man versionone player sits down, the others join hands, advance and retire singing the lines. The girl who is chosen joins the one sitting down.
(d) This game points to that period of tribal society, when the youths of one tribe sought to obtain their wives from the maidens of another tribe according to the laws of exogamy, but a definite person is here selected for the wife, and it is to the relatives or persons having authority (as in “Three Knights”) that the demand for the bride is made, and not to the girl personally, as in “Three Dukes.”
The game, while not so interesting a one to us as “Three Dukes,” and “Three Knights,” has its particular or peculiar features. It is probably later, and shows more clearly that position and wealth were of importance to a man in the obtaining of a wife. Individually he has not (apparently) courted the girl before, but he comes for that purpose now. He may be announcing himself under the various ranks or professions mentioned, before stating his real position; or, this may show that the girl having many suitors, and those of all degrees, the “mother” or relatives are actuated by purely mercenary motives, and wish to select the best and richest suitor for her. We must remember that it was accounted great honour to a girl to have many suitors and amongst these men distinguishedby the performance of brave deeds, which had gained them renown and pre-eminence, or wealth. The fact that the rejection or acceptance of the suitors is made known to the girl by the “mother,” or person having authority, shows that “sanction” or permission is necessary, and that “rejection” or “acceptance” is signified to the suitors in the words, you “may not,” or, you “may” have a lodging here, signifies admission into the family. This is a most interesting feature. The girl is to “wake up,” that would be to rouse up, be merry, dress in bridal array and prepare for the coming festival. She is also given to the suitors with “in her pocket one hundred pounds,” and “on her finger a gay gold ring.” This, it will be seen, is given her by her “mother” or person having authority, and probably refers to the property the girl brings with her to her new abode for her proper maintenance there; the ring shows likewise her station and degree in her former abode, and is the token that she is fit bride for a king, and must be treated accordingly. Curious, too, is “Here’s my daughter safe and sound,” which looks like a warrant or guarantee of the girl’s fitness to be a bride. The expression “walk with,” meaning “to marry,” again occurs in this game as in “Three Dukes.” The line occurring in two versions, “And down by the door they bend their knee,” is suggestive of courtesy shown to the bride and her family at the threshold of the house.
The incident of the three kings becoming robbers is not easily understood. Robbery was common of course, particularly when money and valuables were known to be carried on the person; but I do not think this is sufficient in itself to account for the incident. It may be a reflection of the later fact that a man always took possession of his wife’s personal property after marriage, and considered it his own to do as he pleased with. When this idea became codified in written law, the idea might readily get reflected in the game, whenkingswould not be understood as apparently taking things that did not belong to them, unless they were bandits in disguise. This last verse and the robbery may be a later addition to the game, when robbery was of everyday occurrence. There may have been (although there is nothing now in any version to warrant theidea) some similar action on the part of the kings, such as a further arraying of the bride, and presenting her to their party or house, which has been misunderstood. Mr. Newell suggests that children having forgotten the original happy finish, and not understanding the “haggling” over the suitors, turned the kings into bandits. Children think it such a natural thing to wish to marry kings, princes, and princesses, and are so sincere in thinking it a matter of course to refuse a sailor or soldier for a king, when it is only a question of marriage, and not of choosing the one you like the best, that this reason does not to me seem to apply to a game of this kind.
Two leaders each choose a name such as “Golden Apple” and “Golden Pear.” The remaining children all hold each other’s waists in a long string, the “Golden Apple” and “Golden Pear” holding hands aloft like an arch. The string of children then runs under the arch. The last child that passes under is detained by the “Golden Apple” and “Golden Pear” (they having dropped hands previously). The detained child is asked in a whisper which she prefers, “Golden Apple,” “Golden Pear;” she chooses, and then stands at the back of the “Golden Apple” or “Golden Pear.” When all the children have passed through, the “Golden Apple” and “Golden Pear” hold each other’s hands and stand with the others behind them and pull like a “Tug of War.” There should be a line drawn between the “Golden Apple” and the “Golden Pear,” and whichever side pulls the other over the line, wins the game.—Northumberland (from a lady friend of Hon. J. Abercromby).
The formula sung in Fraserburgh when the players are running under the raised arms is—
Clink, clink, through the needle ee, boys,One, two, three,If you want a bonnie lassie,Just tak me.
Clink, clink, through the needle ee, boys,One, two, three,If you want a bonnie lassie,Just tak me.
After the tug of war the victors call out “Rotten eggs, rotten eggs” (Rev. W. Gregor).
The words used in Galloway are—
Through the needle e’e, boys,Through the needle e’e!If ’twasna for your granny’s sake,I wadna let ’e through.
Through the needle e’e, boys,Through the needle e’e!If ’twasna for your granny’s sake,I wadna let ’e through.
—Galloway (J. G. Carter).
Jamieson describes this game in the south of Scotland as follows: “Two children form an arch with both hands. The rest, who hold each other by the skirts following in a line, attempt to pass under the arch. The first, who is called the king, is sometimes laid hold of by those who form the arch, each letting fall one of his arms like a portcullis for enclosing the passenger. But more generally the king is suffered to pass, the attempt being reserved for the last; whoever is seized is called the prisoner. As soon as he is made captive he takes the place of one of those who formed the arch, and who afterwards stand by his side.”
It is differently played in Mearns, Aberdeen, and some other counties. A number of boys stand with joined hands in a semicircle, and the boy at one end of the link addresses the boy at the other end of the line:
A—— B——, if ye were mine,I wad feed you with claret wine;Claret wine is gude and fine,Through the needle-ee, boys.
A—— B——, if ye were mine,I wad feed you with claret wine;Claret wine is gude and fine,Through the needle-ee, boys.
The boy to whom this is addressed makes room between himself and his next neighbour, as they raise and extend their arms to allow the opposite boy to run through the opening followed by all the other boys still linked to each other. If in running through the link should be broken, the two boys who are the cause suffer some punishment.—Ed. Jamieson’s Dictionary.
The Northumberland game resembles “Oranges and Lemons.” The other versions are nearer the “Thread the Needle” and “How many Miles to Babylon” games. Both games may be derived from the same custom.
See “How many Miles to Babylon,” “Thread the Needle.”
A thin lath of wood, about six inches long and three or four inches broad, is taken and rounded at one end. A hole is bored in that end, and in the hole is tied a piece of cord between two and three yards long. It is then rapidly swung round, so as to produce a buzzing sound. The more rapidly it is swung, the louder is the noise. It was believed that the use of this instrument during a thunder-storm saved one from being struck with “the thun’er bolt.” I have used it with this intention (Keith). In other places it is used merely to make a noise. It is commonly deeply notched all round the edges to increase the noise.
Some years ago a herd boy was observed making one in a farm-kitchen (Udny). It was discovered that when he was sent to bring the cows from the fields to the farmyard to be milked, he used it to frighten them, and they ran frantically to their stalls. The noise made the animals dread the bot-fly or “cleg.” This torment makes them throw their tails up, and rush with fury through the fields or to the byres to shelter themselves from its attacks. A formula to effect the same purpose, and which I have many and many a time used when herding, was: Cock tail! cock tail! cock tail! Bizz-zz-zz! Bizz-zz-zz.—Keith (Rev. W. Gregor).
Dr. Gregor secured one of these that was in use in Pitsligo, and sent it to the Pitt-Rivers Museum at Oxford, where it now lies. Professor Haddon has made a collection of these toys, and has written on their connection with the Australian boomerang.
They are still occasionally to be met with in country districts, but are used simply for the purpose of making a noise.
See “Bummers.”
A game mentioned by Drayton, and still played in Warwickshire.—Halliwell’sDictionary. The same game as “Touch.”
An old game (undescribed) mentioned in Taylor’sMotto, 1622, sig. D, iv.
Ticky, ticky Touchwood, my black hen,She lays eggs for gentlemen;Sometimes nine and sometimes ten,Ticky, ticky Touchwood, my black hen.
Ticky, ticky Touchwood, my black hen,She lays eggs for gentlemen;Sometimes nine and sometimes ten,Ticky, ticky Touchwood, my black hen.
—Sporle, Norfolk (Miss Matthews).
Addy (Sheffield Glossary, under “Tiggy Touchwood”) says, “One player who is called Tiggy stands out, and each of the others takes hold of or touches a piece of wood, such as a door, or rail, &c. One then leaves his ‘wood’ and runs across the playground, and if whilst doing so Tiggy can touch him he must stand out or take Tiggy’s place.”
One child is chosen to be “Ticky,”i.e., to be on thequi viveto lay hold of or touch any one who is not touching wood. If played out of doors it must be clearly definedwhat is wood, trees and all growing wood being forbidden. The fun consists in the bold ventures of those who tempt “Ticky” to run after them, and contrive to touch “wood” just before he touches them. When one is caught he is “Ticky” in turn.—Swaffham, Norfolk (Miss Matthews).
Played within a given boundary, in which were wooden buildings or fences. When one of the players was being pursued by the tigger, if he touched wood he could not be made prisoner, but he was not allowed to remain long in that position, and directly his hand left wood he was liable to instant capture. If when pursued he called out “a barla!” he was again exempt from capture, but he could not move from the position or place where he or she was when they called out, a barla! When wishing to move he had to call out “Ma barla oot!” No den in this game, but constant running.—Biggar (Wm. Ballantyne).
Lowsley (Berkshire Glossary) says, “Boys have games called Touch-wood and Touch-iron, where any one not touching either of the substances named is liable to be caught by the one standing out.”
Ross and Stead (Holderness Glossary) give this game as Tiggy Touchwood, a game similar to Tig, but in which the player must touch wood. It is called Ticky, Ticky Touchwoodby Brogden (Lincolnshire Provincial Words), and Tiggy in Addy’sSheffield Glossary.
Also played in another way. One tree or piece of wood was selected for “Home,” and the players darted out from this saying, “Ticky, Ticky Touchwood,” then running back to the tree and touching it before Ticky caught them. “Parley” or “fainits” were the words called out when exempt.—London (A. B. Gomme).
It is also described in Patterson’sAntrim and Down Glossary.
A game in which one player touches another, then runs off to be pursued and touched in turn.
Mr. Addy says, “Childrentigeach other when they leave school, and there is a rivalry among them to get the last tig. After a boy has saidtig-poison, he is not to be ‘tigged’ again.” Brockett says: “Tig, a slight touch (as a mode of salutation), a play among children on separating for the night, in which every one endeavours to get the last touch; called also Last Bat.”—Brockett’sNorth Country Words, and consult Dickinson (Cumberland Glossary), also Jamieson. A boys’ game, in which the player scores by touching one who runs before him.—Stead’sHolderness Glossary. A play among children when separating for the night.—Willan’sDialect Words of West Riding of Yorks.Called also “Touch” and “Tigga Tiggy,” in East and West Cornwall; (Courtney and Couch), also Patterson’sAntrim and Down Glossary.
See “Canlie,” “Cross Tig.”
The players stand in a line. Two are chosen, who stand apart, and fix on any hour, as one, two, three, &c., or any half-hour. A nestie is marked off at some distance from the row of players. One of the two goes in front of the line of players, and beginning at one end asks each the hour. This is done till the hour fixed on between the two is guessed. The one that makes the right guess runs to catch the other of the two that fixed the hour, and she makes off to the “nestie.” If she is caught she goes to the line of players, and the one thatcaught her takes her place. If she reaches the “nestie” without being caught, she has still to run to the line of players; if she does this without being caught she holds her place as one of the time-fixers, but if caught she takes her stand in the line, and the one that caught her becomes time-fixer.—Fraserburgh (Rev. W. Gregor).
This is played by six players, divided into two sides of three each, with one captain to each side. A ring or other small object is taken by the side which wins the toss, and then both sides sit down to a small table. The in-side puts their hands under the table, and the ring is given to one of the three players. At a given signal they all bring up their closed hands on to the table, and the other side has to guess in which closed fist the ring is. The guesser has the privilege of ordering “off” the hands which he thinks are empty. If he succeeds in getting the empty hands off, he says “tip it” to the remaining one. If he guesses right the ring changes sides. The game is to keep the ring or other object on one side as long as possible.—London (Alfred Nutt).[Addendum]
Strutt says this is so denominated from the piece of wood called a cat, about six inches in length, and an inch and a half or two inches in diameter, diminished from the middle to both ends. When the cat is on the ground the player strikes it smartly, when it rises with a rotatory motion high enough for him to hit it again before it falls, in the same manner as a ball. He says there are various methods of playing the game, and describes the two following: A large ring is made in the ground; in the middle of this the striker takes his station; his business then is to hit the cat over the ring. If he fails in doing so he is out, and another player takes his place; if successful, he judges with his eye the distance the cat is driven from the centre of the ring, and calls for a number at pleasure to be scored towards his game: if the number demanded be found upon measurement to exceed the same number of lengths of the bludgeon, he is out; on the contrary, if it does not, he obtains his call.The second way of playing is to make four, six, or eight holes in the ground in a circular direction, and at equal distances from each other, at every hole is placed a player with his bludgeon: one of the opposite party who stand in the field tosses the cat to the batsman who is nearest him, and every time the cat is struck the players are obliged to change their situations, and run once from one hole to another in succession; if the cat be driven to any great distance they continue to run in the same order, and claim a score towards their game every time they quit one hole and run to another; but if the cat be stopped by their opponents and thrown across between any two of the holes before the player who has quitted one of them can reach the other, he is out.
Mr. Kinahan says there is among old Irish games one sometimes called cat, played with three or more players on each side, two stones or holes as stations, and a lobber, but the regular cat is played with a stick four inches long, bevelled at each end, called the cat. This bevelled stick is laid on the ground, and one end hit with a stick to make it rise in the air, when it is hit by the player, who runs to a mark and back to his station. The game is made by a number of runs; while the hitter is out if he fails three times to hit the cat, or if he is hit by the cat while running.—(Folk-lore Journal, ii. 264.) The common game of “tip-cat” was calledcat-and-kittenby Dorset children. The long stick represented the “cat” and the small pieces the “kitten.”—(Folk-lore Journal, vii. 234.) Elworthy (West Somerset Words) calls itStick and Snell. Brogden (Provincial Words, Lincolnshire) gives it as tip-cat, as does Lowsley (Berkshire Glossary), alsoTrippit and Coit, and Trippit and Rack in some parts of the North.—Brockett’sNorth Country Words. Once commonly played in London streets, now forbidden.
See “Cudgel,” “Waggles.”[Addendum]
A square is drawn having nine smaller squares or houses within it. Two persons play. They alternately make the one a square and the other a cross in any one of thehouses. He that first gets three in a line wins the game.—Peacock’sManley and Corringham Glossary. Brogden (Provincial Words, Lincolnshire) calls it Tit-tat-toe, also Lowsley (Berkshire Glossary).
Northall says called Tick-tack-toe in Warwickshire and Staffordshire; the rhyme is “Tick-tack-toe, I’ve caught you.”
This game is called “Noughts and Crosses,” in London, probably from those marks being used in the game.
See “Kit-Cat-Cannio,” “Noughts and Crosses.”
An old game with iron rods and rings.—Holland’sCheshire Glossary.
See “Shuttlefeather,” “Teesty Tosty.”
The game ofsee-saw.—Halliwell’sDictionary.
A game played by school children on slates. A round is drawn, which is divided into as many divisions as is thought necessary, sixteen being generally the least. These divisions are each numbered, the centre containing a higher figure than any in the divisions, usually 25, 50, or 100. Several children can play. They each have a place or square allotted to them on the slate in which to record the numbers they obtain. A space is allotted to “Old Nick” or the “Old Man.” The players alternately take a pencil in their right hand (holding it point downwards on 1, and tapping on each number with it), and shutting their eyes move round and round the diagram saying—
“Tit, tat, toe, my first go,Three jolly butcher boys all in a rowStick one up, stick one down,Stick one in the old man’s ground.”
“Tit, tat, toe, my first go,Three jolly butcher boys all in a rowStick one up, stick one down,Stick one in the old man’s ground.”
stopping and keeping the pencil in an upright position when the last word is said. The player then opens his eyes, and registers in his square the number at which the pencil stopped.This number is then scratched through on the diagram, to signify that it is taken, the other players proceed in the same manner as the first; then the first one begins again. This is continued till all the numbers are scratched out, or till one of the players puts his pencil into the centre, and thus wins the game. If all the figures are taken before the centre is touched, the game goes to the “Old man” or “Old Nick.” Also, if one player puts his pencil in a division already taken, he records nothing and loses that turn; this is also the case if, after the verse is repeated, the pencil is found to be on a division or boundary line or outside the round.—London (A. B. Gomme).
Tit-tat-toe
I was taught by a maid servant to play this game on the ground. This girl drew the round and divisions and figures on the gravel path or mould in the garden, and sharpened a piece of stick at one end for the pointer. She did not know the game as one played on slates, but always played it on the ground in this way.
This game appears to indicate a lottery, and might originally have had something to do with allotting pieces of land or other property to prospective owners under the ancient common fieldsystem. The places when taken by one player not being available for another, and the fact of it being known as played on the ground, and not on slates, are both significant indications of the suggested origin. The method of allotting lands by lottery is described in Gomme’sVillage Community. Mr. Newell,Games, p. 140, records a similar game called “Wheel of Fortune.”
A game played on a perforated board with wooden pins.—Jamieson. The Editor adds that the game is materially the same as the English “Fox and Geese.”
See “Fox and Geese” (2).
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