Chapter I: Front Matter

FOLKLORE AS AN
HISTORICAL SCIENCE

BY
GEORGE LAURENCE GOMME

WITH TWENTY-EIGHT ILLUSTRATIONS

METHUEN & CO.
36 ESSEX STREET W.C.
LONDON

_First Published in 1908_

CONTENTS

CHAPTER

I. HISTORY AND FOLKLORE _pages_ 1-122

INTRODUCTORY _pages_ 1-13

HISTORY AND LOCAL AND PERSONAL TRADITIONS 13-46

HISTORY AND FOLK-TALES 46-84

TRADITIONAL LAW 84-100

MYTHOLOGY AND TRADITION 100-110

HISTORIANS AND TRADITION 110-120

II. MATERIALS AND METHODS 123-179

TRADITIONAL MATERIAL 123-129

MYTH, FOLK-TALE, AND LEGEND 129-153

CUSTOM, BELIEF, AND RITE 154-179

III. PSYCHOLOGICAL CONDITIONS 180-207

IV. ANTHROPOLOGICAL CONDITIONS 208-302

PRIMITIVE INFLUENCES 211-238

EARLIEST TYPES OF SOCIAL EXISTENCE 238-261

AUSTRALIAN TOTEM SOCIETY TESTED BY THE
EVIDENCE 262-274

TOTEM SURVIVALS IN BRITAIN 274-296

SYNOPSIS OF CULTURE-STRUCTURE OF SEMANGS
OF MALAY PENINSULA 297-302

V. SOCIOLOGICAL CONDITIONS 303-319

VI. EUROPEAN CONDITIONS 320-337

VII. ETHNOLOGICAL CONDITIONS 338-366

INDEX 367-371

LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS

PAGE
1. PEDLAR'S SEAT, SWAFFHAM CHURCH, NORFOLK. _Frontispiece_

2. CARVED WOODEN FIGURE OF THE PEDLAR IN SWAFFHAM
CHURCH 8

3. CARVED WOODEN FIGURE OF THE PEDLAR'S DOG IN SWAFFHAM
CHURCH 8

Nos. 1-3 are taken from photographs, and show how the
story of the Pedlar of Swaffham has been interpreted in
carving. The costume of the Pedlar is noticeable.

4. THE PEDLAR OF LAMBETH AND HIS DOG, FIGURED IN THE
WINDOW (NOW DESTROYED) OF LAMBETH CHURCH (from
Allen's _History of Lambeth_) 20

5. THE PEDLAR OF LAMBETH AND HIS DOG AS DRAWN IN 1786
FOR DUCAREL'S _History of Lambeth_ 22

Nos. 4 and 5 illustrate the traces of the Pedlar legend
in Lambeth, and the costume of the Pedlar, though later
than that shown in the Swaffham carving, exhibits analogous
features which are of interest to the argument.

6. PLAN OF THE SITE OF THE "HEAVEN'S WALLS" AT LITLINGTON,
NEAR ROYSTON, CAMBRIDGESHIRE (reprinted from
_Archaeologia_) 43

7. SKETCH OF LITLINGTON FIELD (reprinted from
_Archaeologia_) 44

Nos. 6 and 7 show the site and general appearance
of this interesting relic of the Roman occupation of
Britain.

8. STONE MONUMENTS ERECTED AS MEMORIALS IN A KASYA
VILLAGE (reprinted from _Asiatic Researches_) 55

9. STONE SEATS AT A KASYA VILLAGE (reprinted from _Asiatic
Researches_) 55

10. VIEW IN THE KASYA HILLS, SHOWING STONE MEMORIALS
(reprinted from _Asiatic Researches_) 56

No. 8 shows the practice among the primitive hill-tribes
of India of erecting memorials in stone to tribal heroes,
and No. 9 is a curious illustration of the stones used as
seats by tribesmen at their tribal assemblies. No. 10 is a
general view of the site occupied by these stone monuments.

11. THE AULD CA-KNOWE: CALLING THE BURGESS ROLL AT
HAWICK (reprinted from Craig and Laing's
_Hawick Tradition_) 98

12. THE HAWICK MOAT AT SUNRISE (reprinted from Craig and
Laing) 99

The tribal gathering is well illustrated by No. 11, and
the moat hill is shown in No. 12.

13. ONE OF FIVE STONE CIRCLES IN THE FIELDS OPPOSITE THE
GLEBE OF NYMPHSFIELD (reprinted from Sir William
Wilde's _Lough Corrib_) 101

14. CARN-AN-CHLUITHE TO COMMEMORATE THE DEFEAT AND
DEATH OF THE YOUTHS OF THE DANANNS (reprinted
from Wilde) 102

15. THE CAIRN OF BALLYMAGIBBON, NEAR THE ROAD PASSING
FROM CONG TO CROSS (reprinted from Wilde) 102

Nos. 13-15 are selected from Sir William Wilde's admirable
account of the great conflict on the field of Moytura. They
serve to show that the fight was an historical event.

16. ALTAR DEDICATED TO THE FIELD DEITIES OF BRITAIN,
FOUND AT CASTLE HILL ON THE WALL OF ANTONINUS PIUS 105

It is important to remember that the Romans recognised
the gods of the conquered people, and this is one of the
most important archaeological proofs of the fact.

17. ROMAN SCULPTURED STONE FOUND AT ARNIEBOG, CUMBERNAULD,
DUMBARTONSHIRE, SHOWING A NAKED BRITON AS
A CAPTIVE 112

To the evidence derived from classical writers as to the
nakedness of some of the inhabitants of early Britain, it
is possible to add the evidence of the memorial stone. This
example is reproduced from Sir Arthur Mitchell's _Past in
the Present_, and there is at least one other example.

18. REPRESENTATION OF AN IRISH CHIEFTAIN SEATED AT
DINNER (from Derrick's _The Image of Ireland_,
by kind permission of Messrs. A. & E. Black) 183

This is reproduced from the very excellent reprint (1883)
of this remarkable book, published originally in 1581. The
whole book is historically valuable as showing the undeveloped
nature of Irish culture. The flesh was boiled in the hide, the
fire is lighted in the open camp, and the entire rudeness of
the scene depicts the people "whose usages I behelde after the
fashion there sette downe."

19. LONG MEG AND HER DAUGHTERS (from a photograph by
Messrs. Frith) 193

20. STONE CIRCLES ON STANTON MOOR (from
_Archaeologia_) 193

Nos. 19 and 20 are illustrations of two of the lesser-known
circles about which the people hold such curious beliefs.

21. CHINESE REPRESENTATION OF PYGMIES GOING ABOUT ARM-IN-ARM
FOR MUTUAL PROTECTION (from Moseley's _Notes by
a Naturalist on H.M.S. Challenger_, by permission
of Mr. John Murray) 242

22. SEMANG OF KUALA KENERING, ULU PERAK (from Skeat and
Blagden's _Pagan Races of the Malay Peninsula_,
by permission of Messrs. Macmillan) 242

23. NEGRITO TYPE: SEMANG OF PERAK (from the same) 243

24. SEMANG OF KEDAH HAVING A MEAL (from the same) 244

25. TREE HUT, ULU BATU, ABOUT TWELVE MILES FROM KUALA
LUMPUR, SELANGOR (from the same) 298

The old-world traditions and the scientific observation
of pygmy people are illustrated in No. 21 and Nos. 22-25
respectively. Though much has been written about the
Pygmies, Messrs. Skeat and Blagden's account of the Semang
people is by far the most thorough and important.

26. RITE OF BAPTISM ON THE FONT AT DARENTH, KENT (from
Romilly Allen's _Early Christian Symbolism_) 324

The crude paganism on the sculptured stone is confirmatory
of the pagan elements preserved in custom, and this
illustration from Kent, one of the earliest centres of
Christianity in Britain, is singularly interesting from
this point of view.

27 and 28. TWO SCENES FROM THE ANGLO-SAXON LIFE OF ST.
GUTHLAC BY FELIX OF CROWLAND, DEPICTING THE ATTACK
OF THE DEMONS 351, 352

These two plates belong to a series of eight which
illustrate the life of the saint. They are less primitive
in form than the story which they illustrate. By contrast
with the remaining six, however, which are purely
ecclesiastical in character, they show how this early
episode kept its place among the events of the saint's life.