Page:Glossary of words in use in Cornwall.djvu/349

 XVI ADDITIONS AND ILLUSTRATIONS. It must be gratifying to all Meuda of humanity to think that though not quite two thousand years have passed since the (Gospel was first nreached, bull-baiting nas been done away with, at least proyisionaily ; cock-fighting is obliged to be done on the sly ; and rabbit- worrying, boring out birds* eyes to make them sing better, and eating live rats for a show, though still lingering amongst us, are possibly to disappear also in the course of a few generationB. NICKNAMES. Here, and in many of the yiUae^ near, some names are so common, particularly Armitage, Brook, Haigh, Shaw, Sykes, Taylor, and a few others, that it is almost necessary to haye the byname. Some men indeed are scarcely eyer called and hardly known by their proper appellations. One old man, to whom I was formerly indebted for many tales, was neyer spoken of by his real name ; and though he was perfectly well known, I doubt whether many persons knew then bis surname, or know it now. The byname is of great use in finding a person in the wilder neigh- bourhoods, &c. ; sometimes it has proyed effectiye in another way. A labourer once went to Mrs. Scott of Woodsome Hall for the * drink- ings,' who, as a matter of course, asked him how many men there were, to which he replied, * Count for yersen, mistriss.* So he gaye the Irue names of the men and their bynames, by which means he secured for three the drinkings of sue : Jem Taylor and Wantem, Dan Waring and Blackcop, Johnny Lod^ and MuddliDpin. Perhaps in such a matter Yorkshire people would hardly expect to be surpassed, although I haye heard of a similar trick played off in Hampshire which in craft exceeds eyen this ; whether the cunning man oelonffed to that county I am unable to sa^r, but thus the tale goea At me close of a certain Winchester election, in tiie good old times, yarious persons went to make their claims for seryicee performed for one or other of the candidates. Amongst the rest one made his petition who said he represented the ringers of a church (name not known to me) which had but one belL Said the paymaster, ' How many are there of you P ' To which he answered, ' The clerk, the sexton, Nicky Smith, and myself.' Mr. Nicholas Smith (not the real name), being himself, clerk, and sexton, thus secured his four guineas instead of one. HOME MANUFACTURE OP CLOTH. Mirfield was a ^^eat place for the manufacture of hand-made carde formerly. In driymg through that yillage during 1840-44, the trayeller would notice numbers of women sitting on the doorsteps of the ootta^;ee with lonff perforated straps of leather across their knees, into which they studc with great accuracy wires bent for the purpose. Under this heading may appropriately be introduced a short description of the mode followed m the home manuffusture of doth, as performed a generation or two back. Formerly eyery weayer was really a manufeusturer or master clothier. His dyeing-pan, which was of lead, was set oat of doors.