Chapter IX

Popular Places of Resort -- Wakes, Statutes, and Fairs -- the
Wake, the Feast of the Dedication of the Parish Church, now
dwindled into a Village Holiday -- Anticipation of it by the Rural
People -- Wake Festivities -- the Wake, in some places yet
connected with Church-rites. -- STATUTES: Meetings by Legal
Statute for the Hiring of Servants -- Attendance of Farmers, their
Wives, and Men and Women Servants -- their Appearance --
Shepherds, Ploughmen, Milkmaids, and their Insignia --
Earnest-Money -- Afternoon Jollification -- in the Northern
Counties the Bondage Girls hired at similar Meetings -- FAIRS:
Places of both Business and Pleasure to all Classes of Country
People -- Nottingham Great October and Goose Fair taken as a
specimen -- Preparations for its Attendance -- Fair Scenery and
Characters -- Proclamation of the Fair -- Corporation Procession
-- Gig Fair -- Peculiar Tastes and Pleasures of Fair-goers -- Good
Subjects for the Painter presented 493

CHAPTER X.

Popular Places of Resort, _continued_ -- The Rural Watering Place 502

CHAPTER XI.

Sports and Pastimes of the People -- History of their Changes and
Present State -- Sports generated by the Feudal Habits -- Sports
introduced by the Catholic Church -- the mere brutal Portion of
both these remaining in the last Century -- many of these now
abolished, and a better Class encouraged -- Sports and Pastimes
prevalent in Farming Districts and obscure Hamlets -- Prevalence
of Cricket -- Description of a Cricket-Match between Nottingham
and the Sussex Club -- Auguries drawn from the Present Popular
Taste 515

CHAPTER XII.

WRESTLING: Its History and present Practice -- this Exercise,
formerly so general, now confined to a few Counties -- Cornwall
and Devon, Lancashire, Cumberland and Westmoreland -- these
Counties possessing Practices peculiar to themselves -- Grand
Annual Wrestling in Clerkenwell, formerly attended by the Lord
Mayor and Corporation of London -- Curious Anecdote of a Minister
of the Society of Friends of that day -- West of England and
Westmoreland and Cumberland Clubs in London -- Attempt of Sir
Thomas Parkyn to establish Wrestling in Nottinghamshire -- Cornish
Wrestling -- Fuller’s Opinion of it -- Account of it by an
Eye-witness -- Champions of Cornwall and Devon -- Games
established at St. Ives in Cornwall by John Knill -- the Canns of
Dartmoor, and Widdicombs of the Moors -- Description of a Match at
the Eagle Tavern Green, City Road, in 1826, between Devon and
Cornwall 531

CHAPTER XIII.

Favourite Pursuits of English Cottagers and Workmen -- the Genius
of the Working Class -- its Effects on the Happiness of that Class
-- almost every Man his Hobby -- Pigeon-fanciers, Dog-fanciers,
Lovers of Music, Singing, Bellringing, Poaching, Bird-stuffing,
Bird-catching -- A Caveat against kidnapping of Nightingales --
Interior of a Bird-catcher’s House -- Anecdote of a Bird catcher
-- Angling, its effect on the Spirits -- Lovers of Gardens and
Bees -- Anecdote of a Bee-lover and the Abbess of Caverswall --
Florists -- Entomologists -- Crabbe’s Description of some known to
him -- Artisan’s Gardens -- Account of 5000 of these at Nottingham
-- Happiness to be diffused through the Working-class by sound
Legislation 541

CHAPTER XIV.

Sunday in the Country -- Goethe’s Description of a Sunday in
Germany -- Applicable in a great degree to Sunday here -- Trip to
Richmond by the Steamer, and its Result -- Passing of Sunday by
many Inhabitants of large Towns -- the Street Preacher -- the
Sailor’s Chapel -- the Irvingite Street-Preacher -- A Camp-meeting
-- Profound Air of Repose in the Country on this Day -- The Farmer
and his Household -- Groups going Churchward -- the Country Church
a Place congenial to Worship -- Social Pleasures of Sunday Evening
-- Millions who enjoy the Blessings of a Day of Rest -- Holy
Influence of Sunday -- Evening Walk 555

CHAPTER XV.

Cheap Pleasures of Country Life -- No great Events needed by the
Lover of Nature to render him Happy -- Recollections of early
Delight in the Country -- Objects of Pleasurable Observation as
they present themselves in the course of the Seasons -- Splendid
Pictures presented by Nature -- the Spirit of Peace and Gladness
inspired by Nature, which renders so delightful the Writings of
White, Evelyn, Walton, etc. -- Testimonies of Coleridge and Sir
Henry Wotton to the profound Satisfaction to be found in Country
Life 574

CHAPTER XVI.

Lingering Customs -- Rapid Disappearance of Old English Customs --
the Beautiful Custom of Hanging Garlands in Village Churches at
the Funerals of Young Maidens, nearly extinct -- Character of the
Primitive Times lingers in the Village Church -- Old-fashioned
Congregations -- Genuine Old Village Clerk -- Circumstances
occurring to the Author in Village Churches -- their Superstitions
-- Village Notions of Angels and Cherubims -- Country Customs at
Funerals -- Poetical Procession of Rush-bearing -- Sanding at
Knutsford -- Eggs and Salt given to Children -- Eating Simnel Cake
-- Riding Stang, May Bushes and their Significance -- Homage to
the New Moon -- Charms -- Superstitions connected with the
Foxglove, the Dog-rose, the Cuckoo, Pigeon’s Feathers, etc. --
Closing of Churchyards of late years -- Richard Howitt’s Remarks
on this Practice 582

CHAPTER XVII.

Education of the Rural Population -- what Education is doing, and
leaving undone in the Poetry of Village Life -- Peculiar Social
Condition of Surrey -- its Effect on the Peasantry -- Need of
Schools -- Mr. Allen’s School of Industry at Lindfield in Sussex
-- Schools of Industry established by the Earl of Lovelace, and
Lady Noel Byron -- School of Lady Noel Byron, at Ealing, Middlesex
-- School of the Earl of Lovelace, at Oakham, Surrey 593

CHAPTER XVIII.

Concluding Chapter -- an extensive Observation of our own Country
recommended -- Every Part presents some Variety of Beauty, Custom,
or other Object worthy of Notice -- Some of these to be found on a
Summer’s Route from London to Devon and Cornwall -- Others in
Routes of the Solitary Pedestrian through the Western, Midland,
and Northern Counties -- the wide Growth of the Spirit of
Enjoyment in such Excursions -- Numbers which throng to all our
Places of Natural Beauty, or Historic Interest -- Concluding
Remarks 603