Common Land of Congrebury, Puxton and Week Saint Lawrence - part 2

A common near Congresbury - not sue if it is the same - by FollowMeChaps [CC-BY-SA-2.0 (www.creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0)], via Wikimedia Commons

[cont.] "...duck's-nest, hand-reel, and hare's-tail. On the Saturday before Old-Midsummer, several proprietors of estates in the parishes of Congresbury, Puxton, and Week St. Lawrence, or their tenants, assemble on the commons. A number of apples are previously prepared, marked in the same manner with the beforementioned acres, which are 'distributed by a young lad to each of the commoners from a bag or hat. At the close of the distribution each person repairs to his allotment, as his apple directs him, and takes possession for the ensuing year. An adjournment then takes place to the house of. the overseer of Dolemoors, (an officer annually elected from. the tenants,) where four acres, reserved for the purpose of paying expences, are let by inch of candle, and the remainder of the day is spent in that sociability and hearty mirth so congenial to the soul of a Somersetshire yeoman."

Brand 1813











Map - Congresbury
Map - Puxton
Map - Wick Saint Lawrence
Map - Dolemoor

Unlucky in Devon - 61, 62, 63, 64, 65 & 66 ; and lucky in Devon 32 (all at sea)

The Lundy Ferry, nr. Ilfracombe North Devon

It is unlucky -

"To lose a mop or a broom at sea. 

To whistle on board ship, as it raises storms, and enrages the devil, who in retaliation brews tempestuous weather and causes shipwrecks.

Save a sailor from the sea,

And he'll become your enemy.

Fishermen are exceptionally superstitious and believe that ill-luck attends certain practices : for instance, they would never think of turning a craft against the sun, or of mentioning rabbits, hares, or pigs, while aboard, nor will they lend anything from one boat to another.

If the first herring brought aboard for the season is found to be a "melt," then a disastrous time in the fishing world is to be expected. If on the other hand the first brought in is a "roe," then hundreds of mease (600) will be caught and full purses the result.

Fishermen consider it most unlucky to throw a cat overboard, or to drown one at sea. 

(Children bring good luck to a ship.)"

Hewett 1900 

 

Devon Dreams G - K

"The following few examples shew " the stuff which dreams are made of."

Garden. 

To dream of being in a beautiful garden shews you will be rich and prosperous in love.
 

Glass. 

Broken glass foretells quarrels and family strife.
 

Gold; 

To dream of gold portends riches.
 

Hares. 

To dream of these implies great trouble in pecuniary matters and sickness.
 

Horses. 

Shews that your life will be long and happy. If kicked by a horse you will have a long and severe illness, and heavy misfortune.

Ivy.

A sign that your friendships are true.

Inn. 

To dream that you are staying at an inn is a most favourable one. It shews that you will inherit a large fortune, be successful in all your undertakings, and will enjoy much happiness.
 

Jackdaw. 

Beware of danger and evil disposed persons.

Journey. 

If you are about to take one in your dream, you will meet with reverse of fortune.
 

Knives 

are always omens of some evil about to happen.
 

Kiss.

To dream that some one is kissing you, is a sure sign that you are being deceived. To dream that you are kissing some one whom you love is a sign that your love is not reciprocated."

Hewett 1900

Ill-omened animals on a wedding day...

Raven - Corvus Corax - Naumann, Naturgeschichte der Vögel Mitteleuropas (Natural history of the birds of central Europe) of 1905

"Now follow the unfortunate omens and events attached to this momentous occasion. Should a raven hover over their path, a cat, dog, or hare pass between them, or should they encounter a toad, frog, or other reptile, then terrible misfortunes will follow them for all time. These creatures are supposed to be the embodiment of pixies, witches, and every species of evil spirit. Even his satanic majesty does not object to assume the form of an animal, to enable him to work certain ill on their future lives, and to assist in contributing his share to their distress."

Hewett 1900

The Death-Watch in Devon

Death-Watch Beetle - Xestobium rufovillosum - By Sarefo (Own work) [GFDL (http://www.gnu.org/copyleft/fdl.html), CC-BY-SA-3.0 (www.creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/) or CC-BY-SA-2.5-2.0-1.0 (www.creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.5-2.0-1.0)], via Wikimedia Commons

ONE often hears issuing from the rafters and woodwork of old houses sounds resembling the ticking of a watch. These clickings are produced by a small insect known as the " Death-Watch." By nervous persons they are considered omens of death.

Mrs. Hagland, a laundress, living at Tiverton, came to me one morning in great distress of mind, and her simple story will give a better insight into the feelings of the superstitious than any thing I can say. I give verbatim her account of a very unhappy experience

" I be zure zom'thing is gwaine tli 'appen tii me, or mine, for all last night I kep' on hearing of the Death-Watch, aticking, ticking, ticking, ess, he kep' on ticking till he drawved me most mazed. He made me think of my poar bwoy Bill whot's out to zay, 'e tha' bin gone now for tii or dree yer ; I dii zim 'tez a brave while ago I zeed 'n, but there God Almighty 'th tiiked kear aw'n zo var and I 'opes as how He will 'et. I a'n't ahad ide-nor-tide aw'n zince he went away and I dii zim tez a longful time agone that I zeed'n. Well, as I wuz azaying of, I yeard that Death-Watch aclicking all drii the night and dii trubble me dreffel bad. Gi'th me the heart ache and  I can't get no rest for thinkind aw'n ; 'tez all day and ivvry day and all night tii. A mawther's heart is a sorrowful thing tii car about, when her only cheel is zo var away, and out tii zay tii. I've a yerd the Death-Watch avore, and then my mawther died perty quick afterwards, but he diddent tickee zo 'ard and zo dismal-like as he did last night. It zimmed to me, as how he zed, 'tick ! tick ! tick ! tick ! wake up, Mawther ! I be drownded ! I be drownded !' Ah ! Lord-a-massy ! if he be a drownded 'twill break my heart. What diiee think mum ?" Poor soul, she went away, crying bitterly. Bill never came back, and now she has gone to her rest, where there will be no more wakeful nights, or dread born of the love-calls of a common insect. Swift ridiculed the foolish fancy of predicting death in this way, but ridicule, be it never so strong, does not kill belief in the supernatural.

A wood-worm

That lies in old wood, like a hare in her form,
With teeth or with claws it will bite, or will scratch ;
And chambermaids christen this worm a death-watch
Because like a watch it always cries click ;
Then woe be to those in the house that be sick,
For, sure as a gun, they will give up the ghost.
If the maggot cries click when it scratches the post
But a kettle of scalding hot water ejected,
Infallibly cures the timber affected.
The omen is broken, the danger is over ;
The maggot will die, the sick will recover."

Hewett 1900

[Later Hewet reiterates that it is unlucky "To hear the melancholy ticking of the " Deathwatch," in woodwork, is an omen of death. " Because like a watch it always cries click, Then woe be to those in the house that be sick."]

Map - Tiverton

The Death of King Rufus - part 1

"It was said of William the Norman that he loved wild beasts "as if he were their father," and it seems a true judgment tested by his cruel laws. The slaying of a man might be atoned for by a price; hut he who killed a stag, boar, or even hare, was punished with total blindness. Even his Norman nobles might keep no sporting dogs on their estates unless the fore-paws of the poor animals were mutilated. This law was an exceedingly cruel one at a time when men depended on the chase for much of their subsistence.

But William seems to have brought a curse on himself and his progeny by this act of ruthless selfishness. His second son, Richard, was gored to death by a stag, as he was hunting here; his wife and favourite daughter died soon after, and he met his own death as the consequence of his cruelty to the city of Mantes.

His second son, Rufus, succeeded him, and kept his court at Malwood Keep in 1100, close to the forest in which he intended that same Lammas-tide to hold a chase. Prince Henry, his younger brother, was with him..."  [cont.]

Valentine (undated)

Saint Neot's Well - part 3

Roe Deer
By Die4Dixie [CC-BY-SA-3.0 (www.creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0) or GFDL (www.gnu.org/copyleft/fdl.html)], from Wikimedia Commons

"At another time St. Neot was praying at this well, when a hunted deer sought protection by his side. On the arrival of the dogs the saint reproved them, and, behold ! they crouched at his feet, whilst the huntsman, affected by the miracle, renounced the world, and hung up his bugle-horn in the cloister. 

Oxen -By Allen Drebert (Allen Drebert) [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons

Again, the oxen belonging to the saint had been stolen, and wild deer came of their own accord to replace them, and returned to their woods at night, until the stolen bullocks were restored. When the thieves beheld St. Neot ploughing with his stags they were conscience-stricken, and returned what they had stolen. Such stories as these are represented in the stained-glass window, c. I500-1530, and many more may be gathered from the country people, who affirm that the church was built by night, and the materials brought together by teams of two deer and one hare. They also show in the churchyard the stone on which the saint used to stand to throw the key into the keyhole, which had been accidentally placed too high. (St. Neot was of small stature, and either this lock or another was in the habit of descending, so that his hand could reach it.)... [cont...]

Hope 1893

The Adventures of Cherry of Zennor - part 2

'...We are, however, only concerned with one of them--his daughter Cherry. Cherry could run as fast as a hare, and was ever full of frolic and mischief.


'Whenever the miller's boy came into the "town," tied his horse to the furze-rick and called in to see if any one desired to send corn to the mill, Cherry would jump on to its back and gallop off to the cliff. When the miller's boy gave chase, and she could ride no further over the edge of that rocky coast, she would take to the cairns, and the swiftest dog could not catch her, much less the miller's boy.

Soon after Cherry got into her teens she became very discontented, because year after year her mother had been promising her a new frock that she might go off as smart as the rest, "three on one horse to Morva Fair." [proverb] As certain as the time came round the money was wanting, so Cherry had nothing decent. She could neither go to fair, nor to church, nor to meeting....' [cont.]


Hunt 1903

How Tom and Jack found Tin, Part 3

[cont.] '...Off went Tom and Jack, followed by young Tom and Jane, to the Towednack and Zennor hills. They soon knocked down as many kids, hares, and rabbits as they desired;--they caught some colts, placed the children on two of them and the game on the others, and home they went. On their return, whilst waiting for supper, Jack wandered around the castle, and was struck by seeing a window which he had not before observed. Jack was resolved to discover the room to which this window belonged, so he very carefully noticed its position, and then threw his hammer in through it, that he might be certain of the spot when he found the tool inside of the castle. The next day, after dinner, when Tom was having his snooze, Jack took Jane with him, and they commenced a search for the hammer near the spot where Jack supposed the window should be, but they saw no signs of one in in any part of the walls. They discovered, however, a strangely-fashioned, worm-eaten oak hanging-press...'

Hunt 1903

How Tom and Jack found Tin, Part 2

[cont.] '...Jane now made her appearance, announcing that dinner was ready. She was surprised at seeing so much tin, but she didn't say anything. She thought maybe she would get a new gown out of it, and go down to St Ives Fair. Notwithstanding that Tom and Jane professed to treat lightly the discovery of the tin, it was clear they thought deeply about it, and their thoughts spoiled their appetites. It was evidently an accession of wealth which they could not understand.

Tom said he didn't know how to dress tin, it was of little use to him. Jack offered to dress it for the market on shares. Tom told him he might take as much as he had a mind to for what he cared. After dinner, the giant tried to sleep, but could not get a snore for the soul of him. Therefore, he walked out into the court, to get some fresh air, as he said, but in reality to look at the tin. Jane saw how restless Tom was, so she unhung his bows and arrows, and told him he must away to the hills to get some kids and hares.

"I shan't trouble myself with the bows and arrows," says Tom; "all I want are the slings Jack and I have in our pockets. Stones are plenty enough, hit or miss, no matter; and we needn't be at the trouble to gather up the stones again."...' [cont.]

Hunt 1903

Tom, Jane, and Jack the Tinker, part 4

[part 4] '...At length Tom awoke, and, feeling very sore, he begged the tlnkeard to put off until to-morrow a wrestling-match which they had talked of before dinner. The tinkeard, nothing loath, agreed; so Tom took him up to the topmost tower of the castle, to show him his lands and his cattle. For miles and miles, farther over the hill than the eye could reach, except on the southern side, everything belonged to Tom. In this tower they found a long and strong bow. Tom said none but the old giant could bend it. He had often tried, and fretted because he could not bring the string to the notch. The tinkeard took the bow; he placed one end to his toe, and, by what appeared like sleight-of-hand to Tom, he bent the bow, brought the string to the notch, sent the arrow off--thwang,--and shot a hare so far away that it could hardly be seen from the heath and ferns. Tom was surprised, until the tinkeard showed him how to bend the bow, more by handiness than strength, and again he killed a kid which was springing from rock to rock on the cairns far away. The hare and kid were brought home, cooked for supper, and the tinkeard was invited to stop all night.

The story ordinarily rambles on, telling of the increasing friendship between the three, and giving the tinkeard's story of himself, which was so interesting to Tom and Jane that they stayed up nearly all night to hear it. He told how he was born and bred in a country far away--more than a score days' journey from this land, far to the north and east of this, from which it was divided by a large river. This river the tinkeard had swam across ; then there was a week's journey in a land of hills and cairns, which were covered with snow a great part of the year. In this land there were many giants, who digged for tin and other treasures. With these giants he had lived and worked,--they always treated him well; indeed, he always found the bigger the man the more gentle. Half the evil that's told about them by the cowardly fools who fear to go near them is false. Many, many more strange things did the tinkeard tell. Amongst other matters, he spoke of wise men who came from a city at no great distance from this land of tin for the purpose of buying the tin from the giants, and they left them tools, and other things, that the diggers required in exchange. One of these merchants took a fancy to the tinkeard, named him Jack--he had no name previously--and removed him to the city, where Jack was taught his trade, and many other crafts. The tinkeard had left that city four months since, and worked his way down to Market-Jew. Being there, he heard of the giant, and he resolved to make his acquaintance. The rest has been told...' [cont...]

Hunt 1903

Bowerman the huntsman

'According to local legend, a huntsman called Bowerman lived on the moor around one thousand years ago. When chasing a hare he and his pack of dogs unwittingly ran into a coven of witches, overturned their cauldron and disrupted their ceremony.

They decided to punish him, and the next time he was hunting, one of the witches turned herself into a hare, and led both Bowerman and his hounds into a mire. As a final punishment, she turned them to stone - the dogs can be seen as a jagged chain of rocks on top of Hound Tor, while the huntsman himself became the rock formation now known as Bowerman's Nose.'

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bowerman%27s_Nose