Page:The Folk-Lore Journal Volume 1 1883.djvu/67

 NOTES, QUERIES, NOTICES, AND NEWS.

A Cheshire Custom.—An extraordinary custom was made public at the Eddisbury Cheshire Police-court on Tuesday. Five young men were summoned for assaulting another young man named Taylor. Complainant was coming from his sweetheart's house when defendants asked him to pay his footing on commencing courting. He refused, whereupon defendants produced a huge flour bag, in which they completely enveloped him, smashing his hat and umbrella, smothering him with flour, and spoiling his overcoat. Defendants said this was the invariable custom of the neighbourhood, and the magistrates recognised it by ordering the defendants to pay £2 10s. damages, and also to pay expenses.—Yorkshire Gazette, Nov. 4, 1882.

A Singular Custom kept up.—A correspondent writes:—I see that some of our old and quaint customs are still kept up in St. Just. William Harvey and George Angove had their hats burnt on Monday morning at Wheal Drea mine for the first increase to their families.—Cornishman, Aug. 21, 1882.

"Riding the Stang."—On Monday night the town of Northallerton was in a somewhat excited state on the announcement that the youths of the place were going to "ride the stang" for a married man and woman, who had, it was alleged, eloped, but who returned to their respective homes last Thursday and Friday night. The procession started at the back of the town, near the residence of one of the alleged offenders, but as soon as it reached the main street a number of policemen conveyed them to the police station.—Yorkshire Gazette, Nov. 4, 1882.

Superstition in Stornoway.—On a visit which we had the pleasure of making the other day to the capital of the Lewis, we were surprised to find the still prevalent strength of an old superstition that was at one time widely influential in Scotland. It would appear that the disease known as "the King's Evil" is very common in the island, including its chief town. One of the islanders, a shopkeeper in a good way of business, telling of the prevalence of the disease, from which his own children suffer, added the astonishing remark, "But we are getting a good deal of good from the Seventh Son cure. This refers to the old practice of getting the seventh son in a family of that extent to touch the person afflicted with the disease,