The East Anglian.

JULY, 1868.

NOTES.

EAST ANGLIAN FOLK-LORE.-No. 5.

(VOL. III, P. 21.)-Harvest Songs and Toasts.

Harvest Songs and Toasts have already become things of the past. The old custom of taking the men into the master's house to board during the harvest has died out, and the old merry harvest suppers are gone with it. Even the old tin harvest horn has been abandoned, and is now rarely, if ever, heard. And what is the use of harvest songs now, when the gatherings for which they were intended have passed away, never to return?

Some years since I jotted down a few of the songs and toasts which were most in request at old-fashioned harvest suppers, from which I have selected the following specimens. They will serve to give some idea of the kind of mirth and feasting which both farmers and farm labourers delighted in half a century or more ago. No one regrets that we have now entered on a more sober and rational state of things, but it may not be amiss to chronicle the past by way of contrast to the present, that we may comprehend the vast social progress the present generation has made, when such scenes as are suggested by these harvest merry-makings are no longer possible.

Fifty years ago the veterinary surgeon (or, as he was then called, the farrier) of the village in which I reside, was always expected to sing the following song at every harvest supper he attended :

VOL. III.

Now we have crown'd our harvest home,
And all our welcome guests are come,
Set open every door,

Call in the needy poor,

Of Heav'n's bounty give them some.
With pleasure now our barns we view,
With pleasure see our neighbour's too,
And see this fruitful earth
To every thing give birth,
And life supported by the plough.
Mark yonder coxcomb, see him go
In all his pride and outside show;
He in his gaudy dress

Still wants the happiness

Of him that drives the cart and plough.

3 A

Come, come, my lads, let us regale,
And push about the nut-brown ale;
Drink a good price to wheat,
Barley at twenty-eight-

May peace and plenty here be found.

Come, come, my lads, let songs resound,
And let this night with mirth be crown'd,
For solid happiness,

Good-will, content, and peace,

Are in a Farmer's cottage found.

Between thirty and forty years ago I was present at a harvest supper, given by a farmer at Pulham Market, at which all the old-fashioned customs were observed. The master took his seat at the head of the table, with his friends (who were invited to the feast) seated around him, and the lord of the harvest sat at the other end of the table, opposite to the master, with the men ranged on either side, meeting the guests half way down the table. It might be truly said that plenty crowned the board. In the course of the evening the master left the room for the purpose of introducing the favourite three-glass toast of the "Duke of Norfolk." He presently returned with a staff in his hand, and a soft cushion on his head for a coronet, and, advancing to the table, commenced singing

I am the Duke of Norfolk
Lately come from Suffolk,

Am not I to be attended, now, now, now?

The company all stand up and sing

Duke sings.

Noble duke, be not offended,

For you shall be attended

With all the respect that we owe, owe, owe.
If I am not attended

This company is ended,

And parted I know not how, how, how.

Omnes-singing. Noble duke, be not offended,

Duke sings.

Omnes-singing.

For you shall be attended,

So toss off your liquor, you know how, how, how.

And if it is all out,

[Offering him a glass of ale, which he drinks off.

Let us see, let us see

And if it is all out, let us see, see, see—

And if it is all out

We will drink another bout,

[Looking into the glass.

So, here, my fine fellow, here's to thee, thee, thee.

The reaper and the binder,

The binder and the reaper,

[He drinks off a second glass of ale.

The reaper and the binder of corn, corn, corn;
So, valiant Cupid, bend your bow,

And shoot away your arrow, O!

And Huntsman, come wind away your horn, horn, horn.

Whilst the last verse is being sung, a third glass of ale is offered and drunk, the harvest horn is blown, and the staff and cushion are given to the next bystander, the ceremony being repeated till the toast has gone round.

To this succeeded the toast of the Barley-mow:

Here's a health to the Barley-mow;

Here's a health to the man who very well ean
Plough, harrow, and sow;

And when it is well sown, grown, mown,

Heap'd, and well carried in,

Here's a health to the man who very well can
Thresh it and fan it up clean.

And then the jolly Wood-cutter :

As a matter of course the health of the master and mistress was always drunk on these occasions :

Here's the Master's good health, boys,

He's the lord of our feast,

God bless his endeavours

And send him increase;

Send him plenty of crops, my boys,

That we may meet another year,
Here's the Master's good health, boys,
Come drink half your beer.

Chorus.-Send him plenty of crops, my boys,

That we may meet another year,

Here's the Master's good health, boys,
Come drink off your beer.

The mistress was complimented in this wise

Now supper is ended and all things are past,

Here's our Mistress' good health, boys, in a full flowing glass;
For she is a good woman, she provides us good cheer,

Here's our Mistress' good health, boys, so drink half your beer.

Chorus. For she is a good woman, she provides us good cheer,

Here's our Mistress' good health, boys, come drink off your beer.

The king was not forgotten in those days, but came in for a share of good wishes, in connection with the master:

Our master has got his harvest in well,
His harvest in well, his harvest in well,
Our master has got his harvest in well,
He and his men together.

We hope he will tipple the pitcher well,
The pitcher well, the pitcher well,
We hope he will tipple the pitcher well,
He and his friends together.

For it is the King's health,

And it must go round,

It must go round, it must go round;
For it is the King's health,

And it must go round,

He and our master together.

So lift up your elbow, and hold up your chin,
And let your next neighbour juggle it in.

[His neighbour nudges his elbow, whilst he tries to drink as much as he can. The singing (as it was called) at these merry-makings, as might be expected, was something dreadful to listen to; but the tunes, so far as I was able to make them out, had occasional touches of wild melody, sometimes modulating into a minor key, that would lead one to suppose they were unwritten tunes which had come down traditionally from a much earlier period. And I am inclined to think that both the words and music (if such it may be called) of some at least of these Harvest songs and toasts have an earlier origin than has been commonly assigned to them. Pulham.

GEORGE RAYSON.

SPARROWS, SPOWES, AND WHIMBRELS (VOL. III, P. 259.)

I read with much interest the extract from Mr. Stevenson's Birds of Norfolk on the word spowe; and shall rejoice to see the archæology of Birds receive more attention from your learned correspondents than has hitherto been the case. Allow me now to say that the sparrow appears to have been a recognized article of food long anterior to the date of the Hunstanton Household Book; being frequently mentioned in the "Boke of Nurture," written by John Russell, who filled the office of Usher and Marshall to "good Duke Humphrey of Gloucester," between 1404 and 1447; and now for the first time printed in a collection of tracts on Manners and Meals in Olden Times, most admirably edited for the Early English Text Society, by Mr. Furnivall. In the directions for " a dynere of flesche," given in this the most complete and elaborate tract of its kind extant: :-"Curlew, brew, snytes, quayles, sparowes and martenetts rost," are mentioned as part of the third course; and in The Boke of Keruynge, printed by Wynkyn de Worde, in 1413, under the head of "serving of flesshe," the same classification of birds occurs: -"Curlewe, brewe, snytes, quayle, sparowes, martynet." The following note of Mr. Furnivall will interest Mr. Stevenson, if not already acquainted with it; and probably cause him to pause before proceeding to maintain his assertion that "the whimbrel was invariably designated in old records as a spowe."

"The Brewe is mentioned three times [in Russell's Boke of Nurture] and each time "in connection with the curlew. I believe it to be the Whimbrel, (Numenius Phaopus) 66 or Half Curlew. I have a recollection (or what seems like it) of having seen the 66 name with a French form like whimbreau."

ALPHA.

EAST ANGLIAN TRADESMEN'S TOKENS.-No. 14.
ESSEX, concluded. (VOL. III, P. 257.)

TOKENS OF THE EIGHTEENTH CENTURY.

Braintree.

1. O. Braintree and Bocking, Half. Pence. MDCCXCIV-a view of a large house.

R. Success to Trade. and. Commerce.-
-a figure of hope leaning on

an anchor.

Edge. Payable. at. W. Goldsmith's. Braintree. Essex.

2.

0.

R.

E,

3.

Chelmsford.

Shire. Hall. on a label--a view of the County Hall.

King. and. Constitution. 1794-a crown, sceptre and palm branch.
Payable. at. Clachar and Co's. Chelmsford. Essex.

E. Payable. in. Hull. and. in. London.

O. and R. The same.

Colchester.

1794. in exergue-a view of Colchester Castle.

R. Success to. the. Bay Trade.

4.

0.

E.

Payable. at. Charles. Heaths. Bay. Maker. Colchester.

Dunmow.

May Dunmow Prosper. 1793-Arms:-three daggers in a shield.
Payable. at. Dunmow. Essex.-a flitch of bacon.
Skidmore. Holborn. London.

R.

As Reverse of No. 5.

In Commemoration of the Glorious First of June, 1794-an anchor and cable.

R. David Garrick. Esq.-head of Garrick.

These two last are "Mules," i.e., not made for genuine use or convenience, but the dies of other tokens reversed with the genuine dies, for the sake of variety and to please collectors.

9.

The tokens Nos. 2 to 8 are Half-pence.

Epping.

O. A stag running; a tree in the foreground.

R. Value. one. Shilling. around a garter, in the centre of which is I. s. (for a Shilling) with the Legend-Epping. Forest. 1796. The figures 9 and 6 are inverted. The token was made for sale, but is a very creditable specimen.

This once immense Forest, at first the habitation of the ancient Druids and the venerable Britons, has at various times received so many charters and confirmations of charters, and been partly disafforested and vast tracts of country cleared and cultivated, that the Steward, King's Forester, Lieutenant, or Warden, created by these charters, would now find it an utter impossibility to perambulate its ancient and extensive boundary.

10. 0.

R.

Felstead.

Felsted. School. Essex.-a laurel wreath.

Head of Minerva.

This is scarcely a coin, although of copper and of the usual size, it should rather be classed as a school ticket.

Founded in 1504, and eighty boys were from the commencement taught thereat, and many noted clergymen have been its masters. Three of the sons of Oliver Cromwell received their education at this school.