= A Collection of the best Traditional Children s Singing Games, with their Traditional Music harmonised, and Directions for Playing. Each Game, Text and Music, is written out and set within a Decorative Border by WINIFRED SMITH, who has also designed Full-page Illustrations to each Game, and Initials and Decorative Border to the playing directions. [_All rights reserved._] THE TRADITIONAL GAMES Of England, Scotland, and Ireland WITH TUNES, SINGING-RHYMES, AND METHODS OF PLAYING ACCORDING TO THE VARIANTS EXTANT AND RECORDED IN DIFFERENT PARTS OF THE KINGDOM COLLECTED AND ANNOTATED BY ALICE BERTHA GOMME VOL. I. ACCROSHAY-NUTS IN MAY LONDON DAVID NUTT, 270-71 STRAND 1894 TO _MY HUSBAND_ PREFACE Soon after the formation of the Folk-lore Society in 1878 my husband planned, and has ever since been collecting for, the compilation of a dictionary of British Folk-lore. A great deal of the material has been put in form for publication, but at this stage the extent of the work presented an unexpected obstacle to its completion. To print the whole in one alphabet would be more than could be accomplished except by the active co-operation of a willing band of workers, and then the time required for such an undertaking, together with the cost, almost seemed to debar the hope of ever completing arrangements for its publication. Nevertheless, unless we have a scientific arrangement of the enormously scattered material and a close comparison of the details of each item of folk-lore, it is next to impossible to expect that the full truth which lies hidden in these remnants of the past may be revealed. During my preparation of a book of games for children it occurred to me that to separate the whole of the games from the general body of folk-lore and to make them a section of the proposed dictionary would be an advantageous step, as by arranging the larger groups of folk-lore in independent sections the possibility of publishing the contemplated dictionary again seemed to revive.
--Barnes, Surrey (A. B. Gomme). II. There lives a lady on the mountain, Who she is I do not know; All she wants is gold and silver, All she wants is a nice young man. Choose one, choose two, Choose the fairest of the few. Now you re married I wish you joy, Father and mother you must obey; Love one another like sister and brother, And pray, young couple, come kiss one another. --Colchester (Miss G. M. Frances).
When the two again stand in the centre the boys sing the sixth verse. The girls answer with the seventh. Then all the ring sing the next verses, imitating washing clothes, wringing, ironing, baking bread, washing hands, combing hair, &c., suiting their actions to the words of the verses sung. The boy who was chosen then presents a ring, usually a blade of grass wrapped round her finger, to the girl. The ring then sing the ninth, tenth, eleventh, and twelfth verses. When all have chosen, if any lad is left without a partner, the last verse is sung. The version recorded by Chambers is similar in action, but there are some important differences in detail. The centre child acts as mistress of the ceremonies. The ring of children dance round her, singing the verses.
Ties.=_ In case of ties, the highest of the odd cards decides it. Ultimate ties must divide the pool. When combinations of equal rank are shown, the one containing the highest cards wins, the rank of the cards being, A K Q J 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2; so that two pairs, K’s and 4’s, will beat two pairs, Q’s and J’s. Three 5’s and a pair of 2’s, will beat three 4’s and a pair of aces. JACK POT LAWS. _=37. The Antes.=_ There is neither age nor straddle in jack pots. Every one at the table must ante an equal amount.
Britton (_Beauties of Wiltshire_, Glossary) says the game in London schools is called Scratch-scratch or Scratch-cradle. [Illustration: Cat s Cradle Taking off Soldier s Bed Taking off Candles Taking off Cat s Cradle (upside down) Cat s Eyes Fish.] The game is known to savage peoples. Professor Haddon noted it among the Torres Straits people, who start the game in the same manner as we do, but continue it differently (_Journ. Anthrop. Inst._, vol. xix. p. 361); and Dr.
Poor Jenny Jones is ironing, you can t see her. We ve come to see poor Jenny Jones. Poor Jenny Jones is dead, you can t see her. What shall we follow, in red, blue, or black? Red s for the soldier, blue for the sailor, Black for the dead. --Enborne School, Berks (Miss M. Kimber). XIV. Come to see Miss Jenny Jones, Miss Jenny Jones, Miss Jenny Jones; Come to see Miss Jenny Jones, And how is she to-day? Miss Jenny Jones is washing, washing, washing, Miss Jenny Jones is washing, You can t see her to-day. Farewell, ladies, ladies, ladies, and gentlemen too. [Miss Jenny Jones is drying, starching, ironing, ill, worse, dying, and dead in turn.
If they are divided, A can catch both by cinching this trick with the King and leading the Ace; but if Y has both Pedroes, such a course would lose Jack, Game, and one Pedro. If A cinches this trick with the Ten, allowing Y to win with the Jack, A must catch both Pedroes, no matter how they lie, provided Y leads the trump Seven, for A will refuse to win it. Y sees his danger, and by leading a Pedro to A, forces him either to pass it, or to get into the lead and free the other Pedro. A-B score nothing: Y-Z score 7 for Jack, Game, Pedro; and 8 in addition, for points bid but not made by A-B; 15 altogether. _=No. 2.=_ At trick 2, Y sees that he cannot save Low, and the lead would be a great disadvantage, because either A has all the remaining trumps, or Y’s partner has an unguarded Pedro. At trick 3, A knows that if Y has Ace, and Z Pedro, A can still make his bid by catching Jack, and saving his own Pedro. If the Pedro was not with Z the small trump is still the best lead, for it puts the lead on A’s left. B gets rid of cards which might get him into the lead to his partner’s disadvantage.
If a player pass out of turn there is no penalty, and the player whose turn it was must declare himself. The player who has passed out of his proper turn may re-enter the bidding if the declaration he passed has been over-called or doubled. If a player makes an insufficient or impossible declaration, either adversary may call attention to it. Suppose the last bid is three royals, and the next player says four clubs. This is not enough, as three royals is worth 27 and four clubs only 24. Unless the player in error correct himself at once, and make it five clubs, either adversary may demand that it be five clubs, and the partner of the corrected player cannot bid unless this five-club bid is over-called or doubled. A player correcting himself must stick to the suit named, not being allowed to say four diamonds when he sees that four clubs is not enough. If an insufficient declaration is passed or over-called by the player on the left, it is too late to demand any penalty, and the insufficient bid stands as regular. Suppose A bids three royals and Y says four clubs, B and Z passing. A can repeat his bid of three royals if he likes, as that is enough to over-call four clubs.
If the error is not detected in time, the player who holds cards may play the coup or not as he pleases, and all bets on his side of the table are bound by his decision. If a player holds one card too many, he may refuse the coup, or retain whichever two of the three cards he pleases, throwing the third into the waste basket, not showing it. If the banker has too many cards, the players may amend their bets, and the banker’s cards are then exposed, and the one taken from him which will leave him with the smallest point, the drawn card being thrown in the waste basket. If the banker gives himself two cards while either player has been given one only, the player must be given another card, and the banker must also take another. If the players have not amended their stake before the error was corrected, the first two cards dealt to the banker are thrown in the waste basket, and the third is his point for that deal. If the banker gives the second card to either player before dealing the first to himself, he must give the second to the other player also, and then take his own. This single card must then be thrown in the waste basket, but the banker may play out the hand as if he had two cards which counted 10 or 20; that is, baccara. _=Showing.=_ If any of the three persons holding cards finds he has a point of 8 or 9, it must be shown at once, and the two other hands are then exposed. If the banker has 8 or 9, and neither of the others has so many, the bank wins everything on the table.
VI. Green gravel, green gravel, the grass is so green, The fairest young lady [damsel] that ever was seen. O ----, O ----, your true love is dead; He s sent you a letter to turn round your head. --Redhill, Surrey (Miss G. Hope); Lancashire (Mrs. Harley). VII. Green meadows, green meadows, your grass is so green, The fairest young damsel that ever was seen; O Mary, O Mary, your sweetheart is dead; We ve sent you a letter to turn back your head. _Or_, Green gravel, green gravel, the grass is so green, and following on as above. --Sporle, Norfolk (Miss Matthews).
4 Nines, good actions; 3 Nines, imprudence; 2 Nines, money. 4 Eights, reverses in business or love; 3 Eights, marriage; 2 Eights, trouble. 4 Sevens, intrigues; 3 Sevens, pleasure; 2 Sevens, small affairs and gossip. _=THE CONSULTATION.=_ There are several ways of telling fortunes, but one example will suffice. The most important thing is to know what your client wants to be told, and the next is to be sure that she cuts the cards with her left hand. The cards are shuffled, presented to be cut, and then counted off into sevens, every seventh card being laid face up on the table, the six intermediates being placed on the bottom of the pack each time. When twelve cards have been obtained in this manner, they are laid out in a row, and examined to see if the card representing the questioner is among them. If not, they must be gathered, shuffled, cut, and dealt again. A married man with light hair would be the ♢ K, with dark hair, the ♣ K.
| -- | -- | -- | | 26.| -- | -- | -- | | 27.|A young prince for | -- |For your ain sake. | | |your sake. | | | | 28.| -- | -- | -- | | 29.| -- | -- | -- | | 30.|If this young prince | -- |If they all should | | |should die. | |die. | | 31.
=_ It is very risky to bid seven without the Joker, the odds being 11 to 1 against finding it in the widow. A bid of ten should not be made without both Joker and Right Bower, and all the other cards winners and trumps. To bid twenty, a player should have a practically invincible hand, with at least five winning leads of trumps. The first bidders are always at a disadvantage, because they know nothing of the contents of the other hands; but after one or two players have made a bid, those following them can judge pretty well how the cards lie. For instance: The seven players are _=A=_ _=B=_ _=C=_ _=D=_ _=E=_ _=F=_ _=G=_. _=A=_ deals, and _=B=_ bids 2 in hearts. _=C=_ and _=D=_ pass. _=E=_ bids 3 in clubs; and _=F=_ says 4 in hearts. It is evident that _=F=_ is bidding on _=B’s=_ offer in hearts, and intends to choose him for a partner. _=G=_ finds in his hand four good spades and the Joker, but neither Bower.
One batsman runs across and puts his stick into the hole behind which the boy kneels whom they consider has the Cat, the other then running to his place. If they are right in their guess, the holder of the Cat throws it across the ground for the opposite bowler to put it in the hole before the second batsman reaches it. If they guess wrongly, the holder of the Cat puts it into the hole as soon as the batsman runs, and they then become the batsmen for the next game. If the batsmen leave their holes unguarded with the stick, the catsmen can at any time put them out, by putting the Cat in a hole. If more than two boys on a side play, the others field as in Cricket. --Barnes (A. B. Gomme). See Cat and Dog. Curcuddie I.
--Sheffield (S. O. Addy). V. Mother, come buy me two milking-pails, Two milking-pails, two milking-pails, Mother, come buy me two milking-pails, O sweet mother o mine. [Then verses beginning with the following lines--] Where shall I get my money from, O sweet daughter o mine? Sell my father s feather beds. Where shall your father sleep? Sleep in the servant s bed. Where shall the servant sleep? Sleep in the washing-tub. Where shall I wash the clothes? Wash them in the river. Suppose the clothes float away? Take a boat and go after them.
Fifty or a hundred points is the game. In counting out, the order of precedence is: High, Low, Jack, Ten (Game), Three, Five, Nine, Snoozer. CINCH, DOUBLE PEDRO, OR HIGH FIVE. This is now regarded as the most important variety of All Fours, and bids fair to supplant the parent game altogether. Properly speaking, Cinch is one of the pedro variations of Auction Pitch, the difference being that no one sells, and that there is added the always popular American feature of a draw to improve the hand. The derivation and meaning of the name, Cinch, seems to be very much misunderstood. Many persons assume it is simply a name for the Left Pedro, but such is not the case. Cinch is a Mexican word for a strong saddle-girth, and when used as a verb it refers to the manner of adjusting the girth on a bucking broncho so that no amount of kicking will get him free. The word is used in this sense to describe one of the principal tactics of the card game, which is to “cinch” certain tricks, so that the adversary cannot possibly get either of the Pedroes free. _=CARDS.