The Traditional Games of England, Scotland, and Ireland Volume I Part 98

Who will you have to pull her away, This cold frosty morning?

We will have -- to pull her away, Pull her away, pull her away, We will have -- to pull her away, This cold frosty morning.

-Settle, Yorks. (Rev. W. S. Sykes).

IX. Here we come gathering nuts to-day, Nuts to-day, nuts to-day, Here we come gathering nuts to-day, So early in the morning.

Pray, whose nuts will you gather away, Gather away, gather away?

Pray, whose nuts will you gather away, So early in the morning?

We'll gather Miss A--'s nuts away, Nuts away, nuts away, We'll gather Miss A--'s nuts away, So early in the morning.

Pray, who will you send to take them away, To take them away, take them away?

Pray, who will you send to take them away, So early in the morning?

We'll send Miss B-- to take them away, To take them away, take them away, We'll send Miss B-- to take them away, So early in the morning.

-Symondsbury, Dorsetshire (_Folk-lore Journal_, vii. 226-7).

[Ill.u.s.tration: Fig. 1.]

[Ill.u.s.tration: Fig. 2.]

(_b_) The children form in two lines of equal length, facing one another, with sufficient s.p.a.ce between the lines to admit of their walking in line backwards and forwards towards and away from each other, as each line sings the verses allotted to it (fig. 1). The first line sings the first, third, and fifth verses, and the opposite line the second and fourth. At the end of the fifth verse a handkerchief or other mark is laid on the ground, and the two children (whose names have been mentioned, and who are as evenly matched as possible), take each other's right hand and endeavour to pull each other over the handkerchief to their own side (fig. 2). The child who is pulled over the handkerchief becomes the "captured nut," and joins the side of her capturers. Then the game begins again by the second line singing the first, third, and fifth verses, while advancing to gather or capture the "nuts," the first line responding with the second and fourth verses, and the same finish as before. Then the first line begins the game, and so on until all the children are in this way matched one against the other.

(_c_) Other versions have been sent me, with slight variations: NUTS IN MAY, with the verses ending, "On a fine summer morning," from Lincoln and Nottinghamshire (Miss M. Peac.o.c.k); "So early in the morning,"

Sporle, Norfolk (Miss Matthews); "Six o'clock in the morning,"

Nottingham (Miss Wenfield); "On a cold and frosty morning," East Kirkby, Lincolnshire (Miss K. Maughan); Barnes (A. B. Gomme), Colchester (Miss G. M. Frances). NUTS AND MAY: "On a bright and sunny morning" (Mr. C. C.

Bell); "On a cold and frosty morning," Forest of Dean (Miss Matthews); "Every night and morning," Gainford, Durham (Miss Edleston); "We've picked [Sally Gray] for nuts in May," "All on a summer's morning,"

Sheffield (Mr. S. O. Addy). A version by Miss Kimber (Newbury, Berks, and Marlborough, Wilts) ends each verse, "Nuts and May." In other respects these variants are practically the same. Printed versions not given above are Hersham, Surrey (_Folk-lore Record_, v. 85); Burne's _Shropshire Folk-lore_, p. 516; Sulhampstead, Berks (_Antiquary_, vol.

xxvii., Miss E. E. Thoyts); and Dorsetshire, "Gathering nuts away"

(_Folk-lore Journal_, vii. 225). From Longcot, Berks, a version sent me by Miss I. Barclay has no fourth line to the verses.

(_d_) This game is probably, unless we except "Mulberry Bush," the most popular and the most widely played of any singing game. It might almost be called universal. This is shown by the fact that there are few counties where it is not known, and also that important variants, either in the words or in the method of playing, are rarely met with. In all the versions which have been sent there are only the following variations in the words, and these are princ.i.p.ally in the refrain, or last line of each verse: "On a cold and frosty morning" ends by far the greater number of versions; "On a fine summer's morning," "So early in the morning," "All on a summer's morning," "Five o'clock in the morning," "On a cold and sunny morning," coming next in number. The Belfast version ends, "May! May! May!" and a Newbury and Marlborough fourth line is simply a repet.i.tion of the second, "Nuts in May, nuts in May."

In the first line of the verse the only important variant seems to be the Symondsbury "Gathering nuts away" and "Gathering nuts to-day."

"Gathering nuts away" also occurs in one version from Newbury (Berks), "Nuts and May" appearing in the larger number after the more usual "Nuts in May." In only one version is a specific place mentioned for the gathering. This is in the Bocking version, where Galloway Hill is named, in reply to the unusual question, "Where do you gather your nuts in May?" A player is usually gathered for "Nuts in May." In three or four cases only is this altered to gathering a player's "nuts away," which is obviously an alteration to try and make the action coincide exactly with the words. The game is always played in "lines," and the princ.i.p.al incidents running throughout all the versions are the same, _i.e._, one player is selected by one line of players from their opponents' party.

The "selected" one is refused by her party unless some one from the opposite side can effect her capture by a contest of strength. In all versions but two or three this contest takes place between the two; in one or two all the players join in the trial of strength. In another instance there appears to be no contest, but the selected player crosses over to the opposite side. Two important incidents occur in the Bocking and Symondsbury versions. In the Bocking game the side which is victorious has the right to begin the next game first: this also occurs in the Barnes version. In Symondsbury, when one child is drawn over the boundary line by one from the opposite side she has to be "crowned"

immediately. This is done by the conqueror putting her hand on the captured one's head. If this is not done at once the captured one is at liberty to return to her own side. In some versions (Shropshire and London) the player who is selected for "Nuts" is always captured by the one sent to fetch her. Some Barnes children also say that this is the proper way to play. When boys and girls play the boys are always sent to "fetch away" the girls. In Sheffield (a version collected by Mr. S. O.

Addy) a boy is chosen to fetch the girl away; and in the Earls Heaton version the line runs, "We'll have a girl for nuts in May."

(_e_) There is some a.n.a.logy in the game to marriage by capture, and to the marriage customs practised at May Day festivals and gatherings. For the evidence for marriage by capture in the game there is no element of love or courtship, though there is the obtaining possession of a member of an opposing party. But it differs from ordinary contest-games in the fact that one party does not wage war against another party for possession of a particular piece of ground, but individual against individual for the possession of an individual. That the player sent to fetch the selected girl is expected to conquer seems to be implied-first, by a choice of a certain player being made to effect the capture; secondly, by the one sent "to fetch" being always successful; and thirdly, the "crowning" in the Symondsbury game. Through all the games I have seen played this idea seems to run, and it exactly accords with the conception of marriage by capture. For examples of the actual survivals in English, Scottish, Welsh, and Irish customs of marriage by capture see Gomme's _Folk-lore Relics of Early Village Life_, pp.

204-210.

The question is, How does this theory of the origin of the game fit in with the term "Nuts in May"? I attribute this to the gathering by parties of young men of bunches of May at the May festivals and dances, to decorate not only the Maypole, May "kissing-bush," but the doors of houses. "Knots of May" is a term used by children, meaning bunches of May. Thus, a note by Miss Fowler in the MS. of the games she had collected says, "In Bucks the children speak of 'knots of May,' meaning each little bunch of hawthorn blossom." The gathering of bunches of May by parties of young men and maidens to make the May-bush round which the May Day games were held, and dancing and courting, is mentioned by Wilde (_Irish Popular Superst.i.tions_, p. 52), the game being "Dance in the Ring." Holland (_Cheshire Glossary_) says, "May birches were branches of different kinds of trees fastened over doors of houses and on the chimney on the eve of May Day. They were fastened up by parties of young men who went round for the purpose, and were intended to be symbolical of the character of the inmates." I remember one May Day in London, when the "May girls" came with a garland and short sticks decorated with green and bunches of flowers, they sang-

Knots of May we've brought you, Before your door it stands; It is but a sprout, but it's well budded out By the work of the Lord's hands,

and a Miss Spencer, who lived near Hampton (Middles.e.x), told me that she well remembered the May girls singing the first verse of this carol, using "knots" instead of the more usual word "branch" or "bunch," and that she knew the small bunch of May blossom by the name of "knots" of May, "bringing in knots of May" being a usual expression of children.

The a.s.sociation of May-whether the month, or the flower, or both-with the game is very strong, the refrain "cold and frosty morning," "all on a summer's morning," "bright summer's morning," "so early in the morning," also being characteristic of the early days of May and spring, and suggests that the whole day from early hours is given up to holiday.

The familiar nursery rhyme given by Halliwell-

Here we come a-piping, First in spring and then in May,

no doubt also refers to house-to-house visiting of May.

The connection between the May festival and survival in custom of marriage by capture is well ill.u.s.trated by a pa.s.sage from Stubbe's _Anatomie of Abuses_, p. 148. He says: "Against May Day, Whitsonday, or other time, euery Parishe, Towne and Village a.s.semble themselves together, bothe men women and children, olde and yong, ... and either goyng all together or diuidyng themselues into companies, they goe some to the Woodes and groves where they spend all the night in plesant pastimes; and in the morning they return bringing with them birch and branches of trees to deck their a.s.semblies withall ... and then they fall to daunce about it like as the heathen people did... . I have heard it credibly reported (and that _viva voce_) by men of great grauitie and reputation, that of fortie, threescore or a hundred maides going to the wood ouer night, there haue scaresly the third part of them returned home againe undefiled." Herrick's _Hesperides_ also describes the festival, and the custom of courting and marriage at the same time.

The tune sung to this game appears to be the same in every version.

END OF VOL. I.