Page:Transactions of the Second International Folk-Congress.djvu/474

 436 Catalogue oj the Exhibition oj done expressly for the occasion by Miss L. J. Burne. (See Hasted's History of Kent, quoted in Ellis's Brand!) Three Pace Eggs (Easter Eggs) from Woodbroughton, near Cart- mel, Furness. Coloured there annually at Easter to give to " pace-eggers" who come dressed to represent different characters (as Lord Nelson, etc.), one being a woman (" Bessy Brown Bags"): these sing a song and act an abridged version of the Mummers' Play. The recipients ot the eggs play with them as with marbles, rolling them against each other, and every egg of which the shell gets chipped is " lost" to the owner of the egg which chipped it. These eggs belong to Mrs. Myles Chapman, formerly (till 1889) lady's-maid at Woodbroughton, from whom and from whose husband, a native of Fur- ness, these particulars are gathered.

Funeral Veil : as woin by female bearers at the burials of child- ren and unmarried girls, at Edgmond, Shropshire.

Blood-stained Stones from the Holy Well at Woolston, Shropshire, sometimes called St. Winifred's. (See Shropshire Folk-lore, p. 429.)

Old Print of St. Oswald's 'Well, Oswestry. (See Shropshire Folk- lore, p. 423.)

Chinese Drawing representing a Creation Myth.

iMummers' Plays in MS., written for Miss Burne by the peasant mummers.

Photograph of Miss Georgina F. Jackson, collector of Shropshire folk-lore.

Chapbook of Carols.

The (Deities) Father Muh (Wood) and Mother Kin (Gold) elaborating Pankoo (the Chinese Adam).

Miss R. H. Busk. The Biddenden Maids' Cake.

The "Biddenden Maids" were twins, united after the fashion of the " Siamese Twins", who lived at Biddenden, a village four miles from Head- corn, about the year 1164. They bequeathed their small possession — a bit of land — to the poor. It still brings in about _^30 a year, which is still dis- tributed to the poor. Their memory is still celebrated on the spot, on Thursday before or after Easter, and little effigies in dough are distributed to the many people who still flock to the spot. Applications are continually made from distant parts, America, Australia, etc., for these effigies. They bear the names of the twins, alternately placed — "Mary Eliza", "Eliza Mary" — every succeeding year.

[Obtained on the spot about eighteen months ago by the exhi- bitor, who has also one of the previous year, marked " Mary and Eliza Chilkhurst", in which the date [i 100 | 60] is plainer than in this one.]

Ancient Costa Rica Pottery : two specimens found in tomb in Costa Rica.