Page:Folk-lore - A Quarterly Review. Volume 3, 1892.djvu/266

 258 First-Foot in the British Isles.

it at Waterloo, and she had told me of the traditions among them.

"On the last night of 1854, I was sitting up till midnight, reading, when, just as the clock struck twelve, I was startled by an uproar breaking out in the neighbouring barracks, shouts, and beating of drums. I thought a fire had broken out, and threw open the window ; but I then perceived that the shouts were of hilarity, and mixed with laughter, while the band was playing a lively tune up and down the barrack-square.

" While I was wondering what all this could mean, my room- door opened, and two of the girls of the house came in with cake and wine, exclaiming that they were first-foot in my quarters. Then it all came back to my mind what their mother had told me — how that everybody rushed into everybody's house or room, bearing cake, wine, or whiskey, each striving to be first-foot, first in the house or quarters on New Year's Day. All together uproariously partook of the refreshments brought in. Some people were reckoned to bring good luck to the house for the rest of the year ; some were accredited with being unlucky first- foots. This was the custom as kept up by tradition in the ist Royals, which had been Scotch 250 years before.

" Afterwards I heard of it amongst Scotch people of a higher grade, who observed it, but with more decorum and propriety, perhaps. They told me that they knew well-educated people who looked out anxiously as to who should be first-foot in their house, and would turn pale if a person whose luck was doubtful should be the first to come in."

My next correspondent is Mr. Tierney, of the Welsh- man Office, Carmarthen, who writes as follows :

"I see that you have been speaking of a Manx prejudice against_/?a/ feet. I expect that must be a strong prejudice in the really Irish parts of Ireland, for, in the most Anglicised part of Ulster, where my boyhood was spent, no 'clane' peasant-girl with her wits about her would dream of marrying a flat-footed ' boy', unless there were very strong temptations to do so. Not only flat feet, but anything like bandy legs, would deter a girl from marrying a man.

"When two young fellows are rivals for the hand of one of