Page:Folk-lore - A Quarterly Review. Volume 28, 1917.djvu/453

 Catalogue of Brand Material. 419

Hanging sheet over chair, locality.

finding tool or weapon

leaning against it in morning South Yorksh. Tapping on henhouse door,

auguring marriage or single

life from cock or hen

cackling - - - - Devon. To see persons doomed to die,

watch at church door - North Yorksh. ^

(&) Precautionary Practices. •

Crosses chalked at street- ends, straws crossed over doors, to keep out witches and evil spirits (obs.) - Staffs. (Bilston).

Some new garment worn, lest

birds should spoil clothes - Wore. (Alvechurch).^

(c) Things Forbidden, or Unlucky,

during Christmastide. To plough, or work horses - Salop, To spin (the distaff was often

dressed with flowers) - Salop. To keep suds or " buck-lee "

(washing liquor) in the house Salop. To keep wet ashes (the

material for washing-ley)

in the house - - - Wore. To take new shoes, or un-

tanned leather into the

house -. - - Herefordshire, Wore. To give fire or light out of the

house - - - - Wlaitby, Filey. 3 To throw out ashes, or sweep

out dust - - - - Whitby, Filey, Salop. To " give, borrow, or strike "

a light - - - - Salop. To permita squinting, or bare- footed person, or above all

a flat-footed woman, to

enter the house while the

Christmas log is burning - Cheshire.^

^ Cf. Fire Customs, First Foot, etc.

2Cf. Easter.


 * See Fire Customs.


 * " Anon." in Cheshire N. and Q., 18S4, p. 181.