Manx Folklore: Fairy Legends, Customs & Superstitions...Manx Folklore: Fairy Legends, Customs and...

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A.M. Crellin Manx Folklore: Fairy Legends, Customs & Superstitions chiollagh books mannin

Transcript of Manx Folklore: Fairy Legends, Customs & Superstitions...Manx Folklore: Fairy Legends, Customs and...

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A.M. Crellin

Manx Folklore: Fairy Legends, Customs & Superstitions

chiollagh booksmannin

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Manx Folklore

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CHIOLLAGH BOOKS

[] William Cashen, William Cashen’s ‘Manx Folk-Lore’ () ---

[] Thomas H. Kinrade, Life at the Lhen, Kirk Andreas: ‘Notes on the Lhane Mooar and LargaghDistricts of Kirk Andreas’ () ---

[] Charles Roeder, Skeealyn Cheeil-ChioleeManx Folk-Tales () ---

[] W.W. Gill, Customs and Traditions, Cures and Charms, Fairies and Phantoms () ---

--

[] A.W. Moore, Manx Folk-Songs () ---

[] Mona Douglas, Manx Folk-Song, Folk Dance, FolkloreCollected Writings () ---

[] A.M. Crellin, Manx FolkloreFairy Legends, Customs and Superstitions () ---

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A.M. Crellin

Manx Folklore: Fairy Legends,

Customs and Superstitions

Edited by

Stephen Miller

Chiollagh BooksIsle of Mann

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This edition first published in by

Chiollagh Books Central Drive

OnchanIsle of MannBritish Isles

This Edition © by Chiollagh Books

Introduction © by Stephen Miller

All Rights Reserved

---

British Library Cataloguing-in-Publication DataA catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library

‘Print-on-Demand’

Titles in this series are prepared with the same editorial care and attention as with all titlesfrom Chiollagh Books. However, they are produced in a much smaller number than othertitles. As a result it is only economically feasible to reproduce them in a ‘copy-shop’ format.The down-grade in quality is unfortunate, but this is not in any way a reflection upon theworth or value of the material published in this format.

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₍ ₎ Fairies stopping the Churning, ₍ ₎ Fairieswashing their Clothes, ₍ ₎ Fairy Fight, ₍ ₎ Smellingthe Fairies and receiving Harm, ₍ ₎ Fairy Music, ₍ ₎A Skeptic

₍ ₎ Two Fairies spotted in Daylight, ₍ ₎ Harm fromthe Fairies

₍ ₎ Horse seeing the Fairies at Night, ₍ ₎ Fairyseen in Ballaugh Glen ₍ ₎ A Crowd of Fairiesspotted near Gob-e-Volley, ₍ ₎ Fairies disturbed atNight, ₍ ₎ Fairies seen at Night in Tellets Wood

₍ ₎ Fairies trying to steal the Sleeping Girls

₍ – ₎ How to stop the Fairies from stealing theBaby

₍ ₎ Harm given to the Farmer begrudging theFairies some Potatoes

₍ ₎ Fairies angry at finding no Cake, ₍ ₎ GivingBonnag to the Fairy, ₍ ₎ Fairies stopping forDinner

-

₍ ₎ Leaving out Bread and Clean Water for theFairies

₍ ₎ Fairy Fleet a Warning of Stormy Weather

₍ ₎ Fairy Dogs

Contents

₍ ₎ Fairies bothering the Miser

₍ ₎ Meeting Two Glashtins

₍ ₎ Meeting a Buggane at Night, ₍ ₎ The Soundof the Buggane

₍ ₎ Haunts of the Phynodderee

₍ ₎ Sight of Ghosts a sign of Death, ₍ ₎ HeadlessGhost haunting the Highway, ₍ ₎ Ghost hauntingthe Highway

₍ ₎ Meeting the Devil at Night

₍ – ₎ Herb Doctors, ₍ ₎ Fasting Spittle, ₍ –₎Herb Doctors, ₍ – ₎ The Dead Hand, ₍ ₎ Birth-marks, ₍ – ₎ Warts, ₍ ₎ Curing Fits

₍ – ₎ The Evil Eye

₍ ₎ Miscellaneous

₍ ₎ The Witch of Cranstal

, ,

₍ ₎ Birth, ₍ ₎ Baptism, ₍ – ₎ Weddings, ₍ – ₎ Wakes, ₍ – ₎ Funerals

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₍ – ₎ Corpse Light, ₍ ₎ Sounds of PsalmSinging, ₍ ₎ Bees a Sign of Death, ₍ ₎ MissingSleeve taken for a Sign

₍ – ₎ Candlemas Day, ₍ ₎ Good Friday, ₍ ₎August the First

₍ ₎ First Footing

₍ – ₎ Saturday

₍ ₎ Hatching Eggs

₍ – ₎ Disturbing a Keeil

₍ ₎ Saying about the Frost

₍ – ₎ Fisherfolk Beliefs

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Manx Folklore: Fairy Legends, Customs andSuperstitions brings together material collected bymembers of the ‘Folk Lore Committee’ of the Isle ofMan Natural History and Antiquarian Society whichappeared in the Society’s journal, Yn LioarManninagh (‘The Manx Book’) in a series of annualreports. The Secretary of the Committee was MissA.M. Crellin together with the Reverends Kermode,Harrison, and Savage, with the membershipcompleted by Dr Tellet.

The Secretary evidently had a difficult timepursuading other members of the Antiquarians tocollect material. The Report starts with thecomment that ‘the following recent instances are ofsome interest, and may serve to show what collectorsmay expect if they will only be on the look-out forthem.’ This is a first hint of the frustration thatCrellin was to feel with members of the Society andwhich was to be amplified in her introduction to thenext annual report‘Year by year the old people, whoalone are the store houses of these tales andtraditions, are dying out. I am convinced that there isstill very much left for us to learn from them andgather together, which must be done now or not atall.’ (Report for )

The Report for mentions the failure of her ideathat members of the Society could club together tosubscribe to the Folklore Society. Again she calls formembers to collect‘I cannot help thinking thatmany interesting little items are lost through sheerindifference; and I am afraid, too, that that most fatalof Manx proverbs, “Traa-dy-lioar,” [Time Enough]has far too great a fascination for many of us.’

The Report for continues again in this vein.Most of the report was contributed by ReverendJohn Quine, Vicar of Lonan. ‘I only wish they [theAntiquarians] would follow his plan of making notes,and either send them to me or let the Society havethe benefit of them in one way or another. There is, Iam sure, still much to be gleaned.’

The Report asked ‘… I do wish other of ournumerous members would exert themselves and do alittle more while the old people are still living …superstition still lingers, and is dying hard in manyparts of the Island.’

The Report for was the last that appeared underher name (the Folklore Section survived her death

but only produced one further report) and to the endshe revealed her frustration with the Society. ‘Havingonly a few Folklore notes … and in the absence ofany other matter of that nature, I propose giving ashort account of the “Qualtagh”.’

It was to be largely left to Charles Roeder, a Germannational resident in Manchester, together withEdward Faragher (Ned Beg Hom Ruy) of Cregneash,to collect what we have extant today from the closingdecades of the th century.

Although only a small corpus of material wascollected by Crellin and her colleagues, it isnevertheless worthy of reproduction. There is avaluable focus both on fairy legends and medicalfolklore.

Stephen Miller

The material here has been re-arranged underheadings proposed by myself. The titles of the fairylegends are likewise of my own devising. Thetypography has been brought into line with housestyle. Editorial matter has not been reproduced.

“Report of the Anthropological Section (Folklore).”Yn Lioar Manninagh, (): .

“Report of the Folklore and Place-Name Section.”Yn Lioar Manninagh, (): ‒.

No material relevant to this collection appeared

“Report of the Anthropological Section ()Folklore.” Yn Lioar Manninagh, , No ():‒.

Introduction

i

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“Report of Anthropological Section. (.) Folk-Lore.” Yn Lioar Manninagh, , No (): ‒.

“Report of Anthropological Section (). Folk Lore.”Yn Lioar Manninagh, , No (): ‒.

“Report of Anthropological Section. Folk-Lore ().”Yn Lioar Manninagh, , No (): ‒.

“Folk Lore Report—March, .” Yn LioarManninagh, , No (): ‒.

The volume numbers and dates of publication givenabove are correctYn Lioar Manninagh has acomplex history of appearance.

See also, A.M. Crellin, “On some Things Manx nowObsolete.” Yn Lioar Manninagh, (): ‒.Notes on weaving, rushlights, spoon-making, theflail, household furnishings and utensils.

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THE FAIRIES

₍ ₎

When butter would not come they would beat thechurn with fresh nettles then lay them on the top.

₍ ₎

N— (Arbory) could often hear the fairies beetling andbleaching their clothes down at the stream.

₍ ₎

The old ‘trammans’ (elder trees) at Ballakoig havingbeen cut down, the fairies came every night to weepand lament. So many met that a fight ensued, and thefollowing morning the people of the house found the‘sthreet’ strewn with fairies’ thumbs.

₍ ₎

Mrs C— (Arbory), about December , going to thestream for water, passed through a terriblestink–‘between a burnt rag and a stink.’ Again, at thestream the stink was so ‘thick’ she could scarcelybreathe. She said nothing till she got home, then shetold them she had ‘smelled the fairies.’

She knew a case ( or years ago) of a girl who,when walking with her sister, said ‘O, Lord! what astink!’ The sister smelled it, but said nothing. Sincethen this other has lost her sense of smellnever smeltanything since. And she is alive yet!

₍ ₎

Old Bill Pherick was coming home late one nightacross the mountains from Druidale, and heard thefairies singing, just as he was going over the river bythe thorn tree that grows therethe tune they had was‘Bollan Ven,’ and, as he wanted to learn it from them,he went back three times before he could pick it upand remember it, but the third time he was successful;just then the sun got up, and the fairies immediatelydispersed, for they always to at sun-rise. He camehome whistling the tune, and since then it has alwaysbeen very popular, and very much played on the fiddle;the words of the song ‘Yn Bollan Bane’ are sung to it.Many people think that Bill Pherick invented thetune; but he didn’t, he got it straight from the fairies.

₍ ₎

A few years ago, when the Manx Northern Railwaywas being made, a Manxman who was working on italong with Scotch navvy, informed the latter that the‘fairies was taken in his house every night, sure as life,’they were ‘Singin’ and noisin,’ and making a terriblerow.’ The navvy said he would like to hear them, soone evening he repaired to the Manxman’s cottage. Atmidnight the host said he was going to bed, ‘he’ wasn’tgoing to sit up and hear ‘them things,’ not he: so off hewent, leaving the canny Scotchman in possession ofthe kitchen. Before long a cheerful chirping sound washeard: evidently the ‘fairies’ were coming! and, shortlyafter, a little army of crickets was seen emerging fromthe holes and crannies round the hearth. It was toomuch for the navvy; he could not resist killing themall, and, laying their little dead bodies side by side onthe hearthstone, went and woke up the Manxman andtold him that in the morning he would find the ‘fairies’lying there dead. Need it be added that after thatnight, no more fairies were ever ‘taken’ in that house!

FAIRIES MET BY DAY

₍ ₎

John Radcliffe, of Sulby told me that he was oneafternoon, sometime during the winter of or ,shooting in Tellets Wood (Lezayre), and he saw twolittle figures of very diminutive proportions, peering athim from behind a tree. He thought at first they werethe children of a man who was cutting timber furtherup the wood, and he took no more notice of them. Ongetting up to the man he asked him who the childrenwere, and the man said he could not tell. He had beenworking most of the day and saw no children in thewood. Radcliffe said the figures he saw were verysmall, and appeared to be clothed in some brownmaterial. He believes firmly they were fairies.

₍ ₎

K— (Andreas), when a lad, went with another boyafter birds’ nesses. At — there was a very large briar,uncut for years. The other lad was peering through,with his face almost touching the briar, when his face,which was ‘as straight as yours,’ suddenly slipped all toone side, and was never right again. The people said itwas the fairies.

Manx Folklore—Fairy Legends, Customs and Superstitions

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FAIRIES MET BY NIGHT

₍ ₎

One day this winter we had no bread for tea, atOrrisdale. On inquiring the reason the next time thebaker’s cart came, the boy who drove it said that thehorse saw fairies after dark, and so, as it was gettingdusk, he had gone home instead of coming on withthe bread!

₍ ₎

There was a spot in Ballaugh Glen which had a verybad name. A young man and his sister were comingdown there late one night, when, just as they werepassing the place, something came up against her,she touched her brother’s arm to draw his attention,but he whispered her to say nothing, and then theyboth saw a fairy, with a red hat and red jacket, crossthe road before them, and disappear into some oldbuildings.

₍ ₎ --

Thomas Radcliffe, of Sulby village, shoemaker, toldme that, ‘a few years back,’ he was walking homefrom Ballaugh one moonlight night, in the month ofDecember, with a man named Quayle, and, ongetting near Gob-e-Volley ₍near midnightEd.],they distinctly saw or little people in front ofthem running across the road, and as they looked,the figures ran into the quarry. At first they tookthem to be some little children; but, on secondthoughts, they considered it strange that childrenshould be about so late at night. So Radcliffe and hisfriend went into the opening off the road, where theysaw the figures go, in order to ascertain who theywere, and what they were doing; but, on getting intothe quarry, no trace of them could be found, nor anysound heard. They looked and searched everywherefor some considerable time with no success! Radcliffesays he is quite sure they were fairies.

₍ ₎

On another occasion this same man was returningfrom Snaefell, and, coming down into a ravine wherethere were trees, he disturbed a crowd of creatures,whose voices were like turkeys, but mostundoubtedly, supernatural. Going a little further on,he saw in some fields the circling dances of ‘will o’the wisps,’ and a little further on they appeared againas darting and gambolling lights. This same man saidthat, in the field behind their house, his father hadseen strange supernatural figures moving about, andcrying in unearthly voices, ‘Eternity! Eternity! howlong thou art,’ or the like words.

₍ ₎

John Radcliffe also told me the following veryinteresting tale. It appears that one moonlight nighthe was shooting pigeons in Tellets Wood, some yearsago, toward the end of November, when most of theleaves had fallen from off the trees. He had his dogwith him, and was also accompanied by a mannamed Kewley. The light was fairly good in thewood, and just as they were about preparing to returnhome, a strange sound reached their ears as ifnumbers of cattle were galloping toward them fromthe top of the wood. Radcliffe and Kewleyimmediately separated some distance apart in orderto let, what they supposed to be cattle, pass. Thenoise was terrific, and the dog crouched down on theground beside Radcliffe. Both men felt as if numbersof cattle were rushing past them at a furious rate, butthey could see nothing. They went home, and nextday Radcliffe revisited the exact spot where he andhis friend had been standing the previous night, inorder to ascertain if he could find the tracks or marksof any animals amongst the leaves on the ground, butcould only see footmarks of himself, his friend, andhis dog. No other leaves appeared disturbed. He isquite unable to account for the strange sound, andalthough he is a man of strong nerve and finephysique he cannot never be induced again to visitthat wood after dark.

FAIRY ABDUCTIONS

₍ ₎

When Mrs C—’s mother was ‘a lump of a girl,’ shewas sitting one night with her sister, waiting on asick sow. The two girls fell asleep at the door.Suddenly the old granny heard ‘tremendous noisingof murther,’ etc. Thenin Manx ‘But I will,though.’ ‘But you won’t though.’ ‘But I will.’ ‘But youwon’t.’ Then a scream, and a rushing sound, as ofsomething ‘blown downstairs and out of the house.’The granny, frightened, called out to the girls, whowere asleep. Next morning a large pool of blood wasfound outside the door of the cottage. ‘The fairieshad tried to steal the sleeping girls, but a person whohad been carried off by them prevented them; this soangered the fairies that they killed her. It could nothave been a fairy they killed, as they have no blood.’

..

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FAIRY CHANGLINGS

₍ ₎

Bread and cheese must be left out at night for thefairies, lest they should take the baby and change it.

₍ ₎ ₍ ₎

The belief in fairies was very strong; there was nolimit to the things that the little people could do, andmany and strange were the precautions taken againstthem. On going into a workingman’s cottage, someten years ago, the baby was found alone an asleep inthe cradle, the mother having gone for water. ABible and a pair of tongs were lying in the cradle;these had been put there by the mother to preservethe child from harm during her absence.

FAIRY REWARDS AND PUNISHMENTS

₍ ₎

The following story is told by a woman still living.Her father had a field of potatoes, and he noticedthat some of them were often taken during the night.He thought it was the work of the fairies, so heresolved to sit all night in the field and watch. Hisfamily tried hard to dissuade him from so doing, forthey feared some harm would happen to him,However, he would, and he did. Next morning hecame back to the house, white and trembling withfear, but would not tell anyone what had happenedor what he had seen. He took to his bed, and shortlyafter died in great agony. Then it was believed thatthe little people had revenged themselves upon himfor his meanness in grudging them a few potatoes.

FAIRIES AND FOOD

₍ ₎

E.C— (Bride) remembers a girl baking at his house,and forgetting to break the ‘thollag rheiny’ (‘sallagrhenny,’ ‘dividing cake’). When she got into bed shereceived a blow in the eye which knocked sparks out.This she knew to be from the fairies, and she wentdown and baked another cake and broke it for them.

₍ ₎

At the limekilns by the mouth of Ballaugh river awoman was baking ‘bonnags,’ and a little childappeared, to whom she gave a ‘bonnag.’ As soon asit touched her hand, the child disappeared.

₍ ₎

Not many years ago a man of the name of ‘Gill-y-Currie,’ living in Jurby, was accustomed always onSundays, when he came from church and waspreparing for his own dinner, to put spoons underthe table for the fairies in order that they might helpthemselves.

FAIRIES AND HOUSE-WATER

₍ ₎

The old people used always to leave bread and waterin the house for the fairies when they went to bed atnight, and if there was no water in the house theywould even go out and fetch some rather thanneglect doing this.

FAIRIES OF SEA AND SHORE

₍ ₎

The fishermen say that fairy boats sometimes cameout among the herring fleet. When seen, the mensaid to each other that it was time for them to goashore, as there was sure to be a storm.

FAIRY DOGS

₍ ₎

C— (Arbory), returning home one night (February), passed through a great thickness of FairyDogsthe road being covered with small blackthings. He cried, ‘O! Lord! whatever is this!’ and theydisappeared.

FAIRIES BANISHED

₍ ₎

A man living near byvery miserlywas botheredwith noise every night, and could get no sleep. Hecame down and threw something to them, saying‘Here, take it, you little devils.’ He was no moretroubled.

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GLASHTINS

₍ ₎

He saw two (about years ago) with ‘tails threeyards on the ground.’ He ran and got to the house,which received a blow that shook it!’’

BUGGGANES

₍ ₎

Margaret Ester Christian, an old woman living inSulby, told me last week, that one night she wascoming from Ramsey late ₍after midnight—Ed.],when she was a girl of years of age, and near theCrossag’s Road she saw a figure in the road besideher which looked like a ‘cat’ but as she walked alongthe figure also walked, and gradually it grew largerand larger, until it assumed the proportions of a ‘bighorse.’ She ran along as fast as she could, and after alittle time the figure, whatever it was, vanished. Shewas very much alarmed.

₍ ₎

C— (Maughold) describes its cry as being somethingbetween the bellowing of a bull and a man beingchoked!

THE PHYNODDEREE

₍ ₎

There seem a number of places which have thetradition of having had a Phynodderee, it would beinteresting if a complete list could be made. InLonan there are three, namely, Ballalheaney, inGlenroy; Ballamilgyn, overlooking Laxey Gardens,between the valleys; and Ballayolgane, in Agneish.There was also one at Gorden, in Patrick.

GHOSTS

₍ ₎

A. and his son, living in a cottage (now ruinous) inGlenroy, were seafaring men: the father skipper andthe son a hand on a Douglas and Whitehaven coal-schooner. The lane from the cottage is along theriver bank to join the highroad at the ford over theGlenroy river. As A.’s father was passing the fordcoming Douglas way one night, he heard behind himthe gate at the end of this cottage lane click as ifopened, and click again as if being closed, by someone coming through. Presently he discovered that

two men, who had seemingly come from the cottage,were following him. He wished to get clear of theglen, and walked faster up Cronk-a-Thona hill; butthe two men overtook him, and passed in a greathurry, and without speaking; and he noticed apeculiar thing, discernible notwithstanding thedarkness, that their faces were as black as coal. Thatsame night the father and son, who lived in theGlenroy cottage were lost at sea, on the passagebetween Whitehaven and Liverpool.

₍ ₎

The old entrance to West Hill House, Castle-townnow closedwas said to be haunted by a headwithout a body, which moved up and down andtravelled along the top of the wall alongside the oldroad. So strong was the belief in this, that no onewould willingly pass up that way after nightfall.

₍ ₎

T. E— was returning from L— after midnight, on aclear still night, when he heard a groan in the roadahead of him. He then saw a dark patch muchresembling the shadow of a man’s head, as thrown onthe grown by moonlight; but there was no moon.The road was dry and white, and it was not shadow;there was nothing there only a dark space. As he didnot like the look of it, and could not explain it, hethought it wisest to pass by on the other side! Soonafter, a man driving along the road was thrown fromhis trap and killed. ‘Well, it was strange uncommonwhat the thing was; but there was something thereanyway!’

THE DEVIL

₍ ₎

A small farmer, who lived near Orrisdale, wasreturning home late one night, across the fields nearBishop’s Court, when, so he said, the Devil came upto him, and, to rid himself of this most undesirablecompany, he repeated aloud the verse of a well-known hymn. The Devil immediately took to hisheels, and, with a hiss, went off with his bag in thedirection of Orrisdale; where, as the neighboursremarked, he would not get much, as John ChristianCrellin, formerly of the th Dragoons, was livingthere at the time.

..

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CHARMERS AND CURES

₍ ₎

The belief in these people was and still is very strong;both men and women have practised the art, andthey generally would be consulted in preference tomedical men. Doubtless there was much virtue in theherbs they gathered and prepared, but theythemselves would confess that there was a great dealof imagination about the power which they weresupposed to possess. The herbs were chopped up fineand boiled in milk for the patient, and great care hadto be taken that the remains were never thrown away,they must either be burned in the fire or thrown inthe river.

₍ ₎ ₍ ₎

A man charmer could not teach another woman,neither could a man teach a man; it must always belearned from the opposite sex. It is very difficult tolearn the exact formula used, as great reticence isshown on this point.

₍ ₎ ₍ ₎

There was a famous woman charmer a few years agoin the north of the Island. People came to hear fromfar and near, and they brought their sick inwheelbarrows. She would keel down before the sickperson, make the sign of the cross on the floor withher finger, and then on the sore of the patient, sayingover to herself some words in Manx perhaps theLord’s Prayer backwards.

This woman’s daughter-in-law had frequently seenher charming sick persons, but of course for thereasons given above had not tried to learn the charmfrom her. This daughter-in-law has a sister livingwho, some or years ago, had a lump begin toform outside her throat which distressed her verymuch, as it continued to grow, and none of thedoctors appeared to understand or be able to cure it.When the lump was about the size of a walnut thesister went to see her, and found her in tears, andvery unhappy. She examined it closely, andpronounced it to be a tumour, telling her it mightgrow to be lbs in weight. She offered a cure, onlyshe must have faith in God that she would be cured,or it was no use trying. So she told her to go downon her knees every morning when she got up, and totake ‘fasting spittle’ on her finger, and to draw herfinger three times each way across the lump, saying‘In the same of the Father,’ etc, and on no account tomiss a single morning, but continue to do this daily,and the lump would disappear. The woman did asshe was told, and soon the lump began to witheraway, and before long it had disappeared entirely.

She is now hale and hearty, without a mark or signwhere the lump had been.

₍ ₎

‘Fasting Spittle,’ moisture taken from the mouthwhen awakening in the morning, is looked upon as agrand cure for any lump or growth of any kind.

₍ ₎ ₍ ₎

The lad s suffering from enlarged tonsils, so theycommunicated with a man, clever at doctoring cows,etc, some miles off, asking him to cut a certain herb,which, if he would do, the herb and the tonsils wouldboth wither away together.

₍ ₎ ₍ ₎

Not very my years ago a young girl was takenseriously ill; no one could make out what was amisswith her, and her case was said to have completelybaffled the doctors. She almost lost all power ofarticulate speech, would bark like a dog, foam at themouth, and was in very great pain. So her parentstook her to an old woman who was considered clever,no doubt she was a ‘Charmer’; and she said to them,‘Go and dig a lot of large worms and put them in abag, and put them on her as a poultice, and she willrecover.’ And they did so, and put on the poultice,and immediately she began to feel relief. It appearedthat she had been suffering from tape-worm, or somespecies of Entozoa, and the outward application ofthose in the bag was supposed to stir up and attractthose within. She did get rid of them, and recoveredher health entirely.

₍ ₎ ₍ ₎

Had seen cure by a woman muttering in Manx ‘Inthe Name,’ etc, with her thumb on her eye.

₍ ₎ ₍ ₎

Mrs K— had performed a cure she had often seenher mother perform. She used nine pieces of iron(nails etc) which were arranged crosswise on the sore.There was no rubbing or anything, but the usualinvocation.

₍ ₎ ₍ ₎

On July th, one of the cows at BallachurryAndreas, was very seriously ill, and there seemed nochance of her recovering. One morning, when ‘theMasther’ was from home, the head man put the mareinto the dog-cart and drove off on his own account tofetch the ‘Charmer’ from Kirk Bride. On the returnof ‘the Masther’ that evening, the following was the

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account given to him of what had taken place in hisabsence by those who were looking on: When the‘Charmer’ arrived he went into the cowhouse, wherethe cow was lying ill. He first went to her right side,and kneeling down, muttered some words whichthose standing around could not catch, then, takingsome of the straw from under her, began to makewith it a ‘thumb rope.’ After a while he got up, andwent to the other side of the cow, and kneelingdown, took some more straw, with which hecontinued making the ‘thumb rope.’ When it wasfinished he hung it round her neck, telling thosearound him that it was to be left there until it fell off.He gave the cow nothing to eat, nor did he doanything else to her. For a short time she got up andlooked about her, and seemed better. In a very fewdays after this she quite recovered, and soon wasperfectly strong and well.

₍ ₎ ₍ ₎

Mr Quine says that the belief in charms to stopbleeding is very strong; what the particular charm is Ido not know. He says that people still procure earthfrom new graves in the churchyard, but he does notknow how it is used.

₍ ₎ ₍ ₎

A poor woman in a neighbouring parish having achild suffering from some strumous affection, tookthe little one to the churchyard and sprinkled it withthe earth from a new-made grave. This, however, notproving a perfect cure, she next took the child to ahouse where an old man was ‘laid out’ preparatory tohis being put in the coffin, and she drew the hand ofthe corpse over the features of the child two or threetimeswith what effect were are not told.

₍ ₎ ₍ ₎

A woman in this parish a short time ago, took a childof her sister’s who had a trifling blemish or‘birthmark’ on its face, to three different houseswhere she heard of a corpse, and had the markstroked with the dead hand, expecting the operationto be effectual in removing the blemish.

₍ ₎

Mrs H—, when an infant, was cured by hergrandmother, who closed doors and windows, andsealed the keyholes, then roasted the heart of afreshly-killed sheep, which was stuck full of pins, to aperfect cinder. When this was done she opened thefront door. (The beast must be newly killed.)

₍ ₎ ₍ ₎

Had used knotted thread (tied round hand or fingers,etc), which was then buried, and as it decayed thewarts disappeared.

₍ ₎ ₍ ₎

A black slug was rubbed on the warts, then a thornrun through the slug: when withered, the wart wouldbe gone.

₍ ₎ ₍ ₎

On the first Wednesday of the new moon cause thepatient to look at the moon on his bended knees;then, from under his right foot, take some mould andrub it over the warts. Before the end of that moonthe warts will have disappeared.

₍ ₎

Lace, Ballacreggan, and another man said that someyears ago lights were seen frequently at night in JurbyChurch, and that he and his friend, being out late atnight, saw the light and made up their minds to goand see what was the cause. They went. Lace pushedthe door, which opened easily, and went in. Hisfriend, being afraid, stood at the door. On entering,he (Lace) saw at the Clerk’s desk a man reading theBible, with a candle in a skull on a stick. Onquestioning him as to what brought him there at thathour, he said his daughter was subject to fits, and hewas advised by a wise man to read certain chapters atmidnight in church, with a skull and candle. It wassaid she gradually got better.

DROGH HOOIL—THE EVIL EYE

₍ ₎ ₍ ₎

The belief in the ‘Evil Eye’ (‘Drogh Hooil’) was verystrong in the Island, even until quite recently, thoughnow we hear little about it. This power for evil wasconsidered to run in families, so that certain familieswere held in terror and visits from them receivedwith fear. It was considered best, at their departure,to follow and gather up some of the dust from theirfootprints, and scatter this over any animal uponwhich it was feared they had cast an ‘evil eye.’ Thedust had to be gathered at once, and before theperson had crossed a stream of water, otherwise itwould be of no use. Many instances can be given.

One woman told, how many years ago, her motherkept poultry; another woman, who was supposed tohave the ‘drogh hooil,’ came to buy eggs from her,but she refused to sell to her, and gave them to

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someone else; on leaving the house, she with the ‘evileye,’ passing the fowls, made some remark aboutthem; a few moments later the woman of the housewent out and found one of the fowls dead, with itshead twisted round; she brought it into the house,and going out again, found another in the same state.

Then she knew that the ‘evil eye’ had been put uponthem by that other woman when she passed them.She, therefore, put them at once on the top of thefire and burnt them, for anything that has died of the‘evil eye’ must be burnt, it must never be eaten orused in any way. This same woman had also a youngpig, and a cousin of the above mentioned woman,who had also a bad reputation, came to buy eggs, butwas refused like the other. So she went away, but hadhardly gone when the pig fell ill, foamed at themouth, and died.

Soon afterwards the woman got another; in a fewdays the same person passed by the house with afriend, and wondered whether this pig would bebewitched like the last. The relator of this story wassitting in her own cottage, a few yards off the other,when she heard her fowls flying up on the roof,making a great noise as if much frightened; she ranout and found that her mother’s new little pig hadjumped out of its stye, and was rushing wildly about,foaming at the mouth, apparently ill in the samemanner as its predecessor had been.

She was very much alarmed, and called loudly to hermother to come out, which she did, and otherneighbours soon collected. The mother said shewould go off to a man, more than three miles away,who was a clever ‘Herb Doctor,’ and would get a curefrom him, the neighbours thought it was no use, asthe pig would not live that long; however, she went.Meanwhile, the narrator had caught up the pig bythe hind leg, and, running into the road where thewoman with the ‘evil eye’ had passed, covered the pigwith dust from her footprints, saying, at the sametime, ‘In the name of the Father, and of the Son, andof the Holy Ghost.’ This seemed to have a beneficialeffect.

The mother ran on and found the herb doctor, whoat once assured her that the pig would not die; hegave her some herbs for it, telling her that it wouldeat them greedily. Hardly believing him, shehastened back, and when she had arrived near home,called out, ‘Is the pig alive?’ And they said, ‘Yes.’ Andshe ran on, and boiled the herbs according to thewise man’s direction, and the pig eat them greedilyand recovered.

₍ ₎ ₍ ₎

Here is a case of the ‘evil eye’ which happened solately as in December, last year ().

A young calf of some three months old, whichbelonged to Ballachurry, in Andreas, was verysuddenly taken ill, it rushed wildly about is stall,shouting and bellowing, with its eyes starting out ofits head, and altogether behaving in a wild and mostextraordinary manner, almost as though possessed.

In an hour’s time it was dead. On making inquiriesof a neighbouring farmer, who has a large stock ofcattle, as to the nature and cause of this peculiarillness, the owner of the dead calf was told that onlyonce in his long experience of farming had thisfarmer had a calf so afflicted, and upon that occasionit was said to be suffering from the ‘evil eye.’ Somedust from the road leading to the cowhouse wasswept up into a shovel, and sprinkled over the calf,the result being that the animal shortly recovered.This is the best known cure for the ‘evil eye,’ and Ibelieve that is very commonly done in the Island atthe present time, especially in the north. The ownerof the dead calf (J.C. Crellin) was only sorry that hedid not know about the cure in time, that he mighthave tried it, and so, according to the usual results,have saved its life!

₍ ₎ ₍ ₎

A sheep was taken very ill ₍March ] whichbelonged to a man in the north of the Island. Inorder to cure it he swept up some of the dust and dirtfrom the highroad close by in a shovel; this hesprinkled over the back of the sheep. Shortly afterdoing so the sheep recovered, and very soon wasperfectly strong and well again! This sheep,evidently, had suffered from the ‘evil eye!’ However,it shows that there is still a certain amount of faith inthese kind of charms.

₍ ₎ ₍ ₎

A man with the ‘evil eye’ went to see a woman, butshe was out working in a field near by. She saw himgo from her house to the cow-house, and wonderingwhat he wanted there, so soon as he had left, went tosee. Under the cow she found three eggs placed inthe form of a triangle. She knew that his wasunnatural and meant harm; so she took them awayand destroyed them. That same night the cow fell ill,and never properly recovered, and before very longhad to be killed.

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₍ ₎ ₍ ₎

Another old man tells a story. His father, C—, wasgoing to Ballaugh Old Church, and a neighbourcalled to go with him. C—’s cow was eating crushedgorse from a wooden tub in the cow-house, and theneighbour looked in and said, ‘Fine cow that, C—.’They went to church and came back together, partingat the door. C— went into his house and found hiswife distracted, for the cow had stopped eating themoment the man spoke about her, and would notnow touch her food. The wife thought she was sick,and C— seeing that something was wrong, followedafter the man, and taking a handful of snow from hisfootprints, sprinkled it over the food in the tub, themthe cow recovered, and began to eat againcontentedly.

₍ ₎ ₍ ₎

This man tried on another occasion to work harm.He asked a neighbour who was killing a pig to givehim a bait of fresh pork, to bait, as he said, a very longline on the shore. It was given to him, but the otherfound next morning that, instead of using it for baitas pretended, he had taken it into his cowhouse andhidden it under the cows, in order to do them someinjury. He was a notorious character in this sort ofway. The power these people were supposed to wieldwas enormous. At Orrisdale, in January, , abeautiful brood of early chickens were hatched. Fortwo or three weeks they throve and were strong andhealthy, then one by one they all died off, and it wasremarked at the time that it seemed as though someone who owed a grudge had put the ‘evil eye’ uponthem. Then an instance was given of a woman whohad a fine, healthy baby, until a neighbour came inone day who owed the mother a grudge. She saw it,and from that time the child grew sick and weakly,and it was supposed that she had put the ‘evil eye’ onit.

₍ ₎ ₍ ₎

The Irish ever have been disliked by the Manxpeople. One old woman told me how, one day, whenshe had her baby of about six weeks old in her arms,an old Irish woman and her daughter came in; theywere strangers to her, but they took up the baby andmade a great fuss and ado about it, which at the timethe mother very much disliked; she feared they wouldbe doing it harm. They had hardly gone when thebaby began to scream, and it screamed and screamed,nothing would pacify it; it screamed until it was fairlytired out. The child’s mother was greatly alarmed, andwished her mother to go out and ‘sweep up the dust’after the woman, but she ridiculed the idea and wouldnot do so. Every day at the same hour the baby beganto scream, and this continued for nearly a fortnight.

At last the poor woman told her husband that hereally must go to a herb doctor not far off, and getsomething from him to cure the child. So he went,but as it was after sunset the herb doctor declinedcutting anything that evening, but told him to comeagain next day, when they should be ready, for theherbs must always be gathered before sunset.However, the child’s father was not able to go forthem the following day, and that evening the baby’sscreams ‘bet all,’ the mother had never hard such atime with it. So the next day her husband went forthe herbs, and found the ‘doctor’ in great wrath. Hetold him never to do that again, but to come at oncefor the herbs and not appear so indifferent aboutthem; no wonder the baby was so much worse thatevening, when the herbs were lying cut and waiting tothe fetched.

The husband rather shamefacedly took home theherb, which were all cut up fine; the mother was toboil them in new milk and give the baby teaspoonful.This she did, and immediately the baby becamebetter. To make doubly sure, she repeated the samethe following day, and, on the third day, she boiledthe herbs in water, gave her baby a teaspoonful, andthen washed him all over in the decoction. After thisshe had no more trouble with him, as he was perfectlywell.

With regard to the ‘sweeping of the dust’ tocounteract the ‘evil eye,’ the first question the herbdoctor put to the father was whether his wife haddone this, and he said she had done very wrong inomitting it, for, had the dust been sprinkled over thebaby, with the word ‘In the name of the Father, andof the Son, and of the Holy Ghost,’ the child wouldnever have suffered as it did.

₍ ₎ ₍ ₎

There was a woman who had a most troublesomecow, which, after it had its first calf, refused to bemilked, so that its legs had to be tied, and it had to beheld to prevent its kicking and crushing the womanwhen she milked it. Having told a neighbour whattrouble she had every day with it, he said to her, ‘Goto the High Bridge (Ballaugh), at one o’clock atnight, when all is still, and take some one with you,and sweep all the dust off the bridge, and bring itback with you; then go into the cowhouse, and, if thecow is quiet and ‘chewing the cud,’ do not disturb her,but sprinkle the dust round about her.’ So she wentand did as she was told. Next morning when she wentas usual to milk, the cow seemed quieter though tiedand held by the men, so she said to the men, ‘Loosethe ropes,’ and they did so, and she said, ‘Let heralone,’ they let her alone, and the cow stood still. Everafterwards they cow was gentle and docile as could be.

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₍ ₎ ₍ ₎

I have heard of several instances of a calf having beenburnt to avert the influence of the ‘evil eye,’ orprevent a man’s cattle from being bewitched. I havealso heard of a cock having been sacrificed by a manwho imagined that he was under the influence ofwitchcraft.

₍ ₎

The people have a strange dislike to bury an animal,assigning as a reason that by so doing they would becheating the fowls of the air and the beasts of thefield of their rightful food, and fearing lest theyshould cause more to follow. The body is to be lefton the surface of the ground to decay away, and, asmay be imagined, the result is sometimes notagreeable. Some twelve years ago a farmer inBallaugh who had lost a calf caused it to be buried ina field. When his wife and daughter heard of thisthey went and had the carcass dug up, and placed onthe sands of the sea shore. The late Dr Wood, somefew years ago, saw the carcass of a dog on the railwayline near Michael, and had the greatest difficulty ingetting it buried, though he insisted that it wasdangerous to health.

WITCHCRAFT

₍ ₎

The ‘Witch of Cranstal’ having dipped her stick insome filthy mixture, drew it across a field, and put acow to graze in the other part of the field. Althoughthere was no fence, other than the charmed line,neither was the cow tethered, yet the hay grew andwas cut in the half where the cow was not put by her.

BIRTH MARRIAGE DEATH

₍ ₎

It is considered unlucky for a child to carry a babydown stairs before it has been taken up, and to thisday a Manx nurse will see that the newly-born istaken up at the first opportunity.

₍ ₎

It was in former days considered very unlucky not tohave every child baptized, and parents were mostcareful see that this was always doneof course, inthose days, only by the ‘parson.’

₍ ₎ ₍ ₎

The custom still prevails of blowing horns in theevening before a wedding outside the house wherethe bridge and bridegroom live. These dreary sounds,produced generally from cow’s horns, continue forseveral hours.

₍ ₎ ₍ ₎

Sometimes, also, a large boulder held in the twohands would be rolled backwards and forwardsagainst the gable of the cottage.

₍ ₎ ₍ ₎

It was always customary, when paying a first visit to abride, to bring some little present in the hand. Thismight be instead of, or in addition to, anything givenbefore the wedding.

₍ ₎

‘Wakes’ were commonly kept in a house whereanyone lay dead. Three or four of the neighbourstaking it in turn to sit up at night in the room withthe corpse, all the family retired to rest exceptingone, who would sit up to provide for the wants ofthose who were watching. They were provided withbooks, and tobacco, and candles, and so passed thenight, the house being for the time spoken of as ‘thewake house.’

₍ ₎ ₍ ₎

Some years ago I happened to be present one eveningin the death chamber when the corpse of thedeceased was about to be placed in the coffin. As Iwas standing by the bed I heard the undertaker say ina whisper to the nurse, who was there, ‘Have youloosed everything?’ She announced that all was right.The body was then placed in the coffin. Beingcurious to know what this conversation referred to, Iasked, and was told that it was an old custom here toloose everything before putting a body into thecoffin, so that there might be no impediment orhindrance at the Resurrection.

₍ ₎ ₍ ₎

It was the custom at funerals for the mourners whowere near relations and wore crepe hatbands to keeptheir hats on during the service in church, and on thesecond Sunday after the funeral the relations wouldcome to the morning service in church, and sitduring the whole of the service. Mourners always sat.

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₍ ₎ ₍ ₎

It is unlucky for a funeral to be straggling, as itindicates another soon to follow. Also, that a funeralwill not take a route that involves going away fromthe church; and, in the case of a Nonconformistfuneral, a family would not have their service in thechapel, as, the house lying between the chapel andthe church, it involved turning their backs on thechurch if they went to the chapel first.

DEATH SIGNS AND OTHERS

₍ ₎ ₍ ₎

It is commonly believed by those sufficientlycredulous in such matters, that sparks or flames offire seen, or imagined to be seen, passing a dwellingis a sure sign of death or disaster to some of theinmates.

₍ ₎ ₍ ₎

Another story of the same kind was told me by anold woman, who remembers well having heard in heryouth of some neighbours of hers who were comingup through Ballaugh village late one night, and theysaw, as they thought, fire coming out of one of thechimneys of a house, which blazed up quickly andthen went out. The inmates of the house knewnothing at all about it, as they were all fast asleep inbed. A short time after, one of them died. Light andsparks are also often seen moving about a roomshortly before a death in a house.

₍ ₎ ₍ ₎

The belief in mysterious lights appearing about thetime of a death in the neighbourhood is not by anymeans exploded, though it is difficult to get thepeople to speak of them except among their morecredulous neighbours. The lights are said by some togo from the house where the corpse lies, direct to thechurchyard before the interment had taken place. Inother cases they merely hover about the house. MrC—, of Balla—, in Ballaugh, told the writer that hewas looking out about three o’clock one morningfrom his bedroom window, about a year ago, and sawa light in the field by R—’s housethe nearest to hisownthat he put on his clothes and went downstairs,when he saw the light go towards the high-roadthat he went in the same direction, but by thetime he got to the road it had disappeared, and henever saw it after. That he said to his wife, ‘R—’swife, who is now lying ill, will be gone within amonth.’ She died very shortly afterwards. He hadprobably seen an ‘ignis fatuus,’ as the ground belowR—’s house is wet and marshy.

₍ ₎ ₍ ₎

J. R— who recently resided in the parish of Andreas,but who now lives in Sulby, told me that one night, afew years back, he was walking home from Ramseyand, on getting close to Regaby gate, he saw a brightlight (like a ball of fire) in front of him travellingalong the road. The light suddenly turned towardsthe hedge on the right hand side, adjoining the road,and rested upon the hedge for some little time. Thelight then went into the field. He followed it and sawit going over the field for some distance. It then tooka semi-circular route and again went on to thehighroad further up and disappeared. When J. R—arrived home he told his wife what he had seen, andsaid he felt sure that a neighbour, who was seriouslyill at the time, would die. The neighbour died twodays afterwards, and that week J. R— was invited toattend the funeral. He said that he attended thefuneral, and that, owing to the bad state of the road,the coffin had to be taken over the hedge into theadjoining field (this was at the exact spot he had seenthe light a few night previously). The coffin wascarried over the field and taken again into the high-road at the very place the light disappeared. He said‘this was one of the most curious sights he had everseen.’

₍ ₎ ₍ ₎

The same informant says he has often seen this in hisyounger days (he is now years of age): That if youkicked up a sod of turf with the foot a bright lightimmediately showed itselfthat it would quicklydisappear, and then show itself again several yardsawaythat if you followed it, it would go further on,and you might chase it for hours, and it would stillskip away and elude you. Though people were wontto regard this in more ignorant times superstitiously,it plainly enough proceeds from natural causes. Wedo not hear of ‘will o’ th’ wisps’ now-a-days, for thegood reason that the Curragh is so much betterdrained than formerly.

₍ ₎

The same informant told me he had on severaloccasions distinctly heard the singing of the funeralpsalm as if by the Parish Clerk and others, before aburial. This used to be a very common superstition inthe Island. I have often heard of it from old people.

₍ ₎

It’s a sign of death, min; yes, it is, for there was threeswarms came them three years, one after another,into the chimley of the house, an’ I lost three, oneafter the other; a big lump of a boy, and two gells, itwas terrible loss. Do you remember the year Parson

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died? Well, Tom was goin’ to work one morning,and he toul (‘told’) me as he was goin’ along he saw aswarm of bees go down the Parson’s chimley. I saidto him, there’ll be a death there soon. Sure enough,the Parson died that year.

₍ ₎

It happened that the sleeve of a dress which wasbeing made disappeared, and, though search wasmade everywhere, could not be found. This was saidto be ‘a sign,’ ‘a sign’ meaning a coming death ordisaster; needless, perhaps, to say, the sleeve turnedup again all right, and nothing terrible happened!

CALENDAR CUSTOMS

₍ ₎

The th day of February is called ‘Caillagh-ny-Groamagh’s Day.’ The story is as follows: ‘Caillagh-ny-Groamagh,’ the gloomy or sulky witch, was saidto have been an Irish witch who had been throwninto the sea by the people of Ireland with theintention of drowning her. However, being a witch,she declined to be drowned, and floated easily untilshe came to the Isle of Man, where she landed on themorning of February th. It was a fine, bright day,and she set to work to gather ‘brasnags’–sticks tolight a fire, by which she was able to dry herself. Thespring that year was a wet one. It is said that everyth Feb-ruary morning she still goes out to gather‘brasnags’ to make a fire by which to dry herself; thatif it be fine up to noon, and she succeeds in doing so,then a wet spring will follow. But, if the morning bewet and she cannot get dry, then the spring will be adry one.

₍ ₎ ₍ ₎

On this day the old people say, ‘Laa fadther, Laa ail’(‘Half of the Fodder, Half of the Fire’)–meaningthat, as the winter is only half over, there should beas much straw, hay, and turnips for the cattle, andturf for the fires, unconsumed, as had already beenused.

₍ ₎

I recollect any old lady, who always put away hersewing on Good Friday, and gave as her reason thatno needle or any pointed piece of iron should be usedon the day of Our Saviour’s Passion in remembranceof the nailing to the cross.

₍ ₎

There was a custom in this parish, and elsewhere inthe Island, for the young people, on the first Sundayin August, to go in companies to the highestmountains.

THE QUAALTAGH

₍ ₎

I purpose giving a short account of the ‘Quaaltagh’ or‘First Foot,’ a subject which I think may be very fitlydealt with by this section.

It is gratifying to be able to say that the ‘quaaltagh’ isstill to the fore, and has lived to usher in anothercentury. Of all the events of the years, few played amore important part than the ‘first foot’ that crossedthe threshold of any dwelling after the old year hadexpired and the new year begun. The first personwho entered the house, was to bring good or ill tothe inmates. A fair haired person was considered abetter omen than a dark, [a] man was moreacceptable as the ‘quaaltagh’ than a woman; but, be itwho it might, the ‘first foot’ was to be warmlywelcomed, brought in and fed; cake and wine andother dainties were generally in readiness, be the timewhat it might, after the midnight hour, or when themorn of New Year’s Day was far advanced. OnJanuary lst of this year I heard of a fair-haired‘quaaltagh’ being warmly welcomed and fed in one ofour northern parishes, where he was visiting severalhouses for the purpose of collecting a rate, and,though the rate had to be paid, still he happened tobe the ‘quaaltagh,’ and ill-luck to the inmates if theyneglected their duty to make him welcome. And, inanother house in another parish, the cook was highlypleased because the ‘quaaltagh’ was a fine, strong,healthy, ‘genal’ man, who was sure to bring goodlucktrue, he was darkand his good qualities wereso pronounced, that the colour of his hair becamequite a trivial matter.

Originally the ‘quaaltagh’ were Carol Singers, whocame at midnight on December st to usher in thenew year. Until quite recently I cannot remember thetime when a quaint carol, with an equally quainttune, was not sung under my bedroom window. Ihave written down the words of the carol, as far as Ican recall them; other verses there were, which I haveforgotten; the tune I have had harmonized, and amnot aware of ever having seen it in print, or the caroleither. That carol was succeeded at least in thisdistrict, by an adaptation of the hymn ‘WhileShepherd’s Watch,’ with the following refrain aftereach verse:

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Happy New Year, happy New Year, A bright and happy New Year. May the Stars shine bright With their heavenly light And, God bless the glad New Year

The melody of the hymn and refrain were quaint andpretty. I have also had them harmonized, and hopethat if they are not already in print, it may be possibleto publish them in this magazine. As far as I knowthey have both entirely died out, but it would be apity if they should be lost altogether. In the presentday, at Christmas and the New Year, there are‘Singers,’ far too many of them, but carol singers are Ifear gone, certainly we hear now only hymns ofvarious sorts sung to us; a very poor substitute, to mythinking, for the old carols and the old times.

When you go to your stable,

your mind is on your horse; Your mind is not on Jesus Christ,

who died upon the Cross; Who died upon the Cross,

and so happy may we be, For we never did for Jesus Christ,

as he has done for we. May the Lord send you a joyful New Year,

New Year, New Year May the Lord send you a joyful New Year.

When you go to your dining-room, your mind is on your dinner;

Your mind is not on Jesus Christ, who died to save the sinner;

Who died to save the sinner, and so happy may we be, etc

When you go to your cellar,

your mind is on your beer; Your mind is not on Jesus Christ,

who shed the bitter tear; Who shed the bitter tear,

and so happy may we be, etc.

God bless the master of this house, and bless the mistress too,

And all the little children, that circle round his knee;

That circle round his knee, and so happy may we be,

For we never did for Jesus Christ, as he has done for we.

May the Lord send you a joyful New Year, New Year, New Year.

May the Lord send you a joyful New Year.

DAYS OF THE WEEK

₍ ₎ ₍ ₎

The last day of the week seems to have been held inconsiderable reverence. Many of the old womenwould put away their spinning at noon, and do nomore that day. This was evidently in preparation forthe Sunday, and it was said to be in accordance withthe injunction, ‘the evening and morning,’ etc.Others would not ‘cast on’ stitches for a new stockingduring the day, supposing the old one were finished.

₍ ₎ ₍ ₎

Fishermen would not put to sea in their small boats.

LUCKY TIME OF DAY

₍ ₎

Always put eggs to hatch under a hen at high tide:‘Full tide brings full eggs,’ i.e., chickens.

DISTURBING KEEILS BRINGS HARM

₍ ₎ ₍ ₎

A man in Algare had about the place a stone orstones from Keill Abban (St Luke’s) built into a wallor walls. One nightperhaps the night first after thesacrilegeas he lay in his bed, he became aware thattwo men were in his room; but whether visible by acandle that was burning or by moonlight the narratorcould not say. Anyhow, he heard them inconversation about himself. One proposed to killhim. ‘No,’ said the other, ‘but let’s ‘straake’ (strike)him unmarciful.’ The man became ill, and spent histime very poorly all the rest of his days; in fact, it wasnot very long he lived after that any way.

₍ ₎ ₍ ₎

A treen chapel occupied the side of a field on TheRheyn, in West Baldwin. Blackthorn, gorse, briars,etc, grew on the precincts; and the place was used todry linen on the bushes. Kewley, the purchaser,rooted up the bushes, and removed the stones offoundations, the grave slabs, and some inscribedstones to build into fences and farm buildings. Oneinscribed stone is in the Government Office; but theothers were lost. He levelled and ploughed over theground, incorporating the area into the field. Thestory of the consequences, including the statementthat he was warned by neighbours not to touch theold chapel and the graves. Anyway:

..

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His son who ploughed the place took anunaccountable pain in his arms, and eventually diedbefore his father.

The Kewley children were always ailing, and severalof them died.

Everything went wrong with the prosperity of thefamily:

He heard disturbing noises: e.g., in the dead hours ofthe night all his horses seemed to have been let looseout of the stable, and to be galloping furiouslyaround the farmyard as if terrified or lashed by adriver; but, on his getting up and going out, he coulddiscover nothing, the horses being found standingquietly in the stable, but a sound of hoofs was heardgalloping away past the haggart and the chapel field.

A windmill into which the stones of the graves werebuilt became a source of such constant anxiety that itwas ultimately taken down. One version of the storyimplied that the mill was unaccountable andmysteriously set going at night, with the risk, ofcourse, of its getting on fire and burning the wholefarmstead. He took down the mill and re-buried allstones as near their original as possible.

Kewley, in conclusion, was a Methodist localpreacher, and an ‘uncommon good Manx scholar.’ Inthe end, they sold the place, having gone back in theworld.

WEATHER SAYINGS

₍ ₎

There is an old saying about the weather, that if frostbegins with the moon on the wane, there will not bemuch of it.

FISHING SUPERSTITIONS

₍ ₎ ₍ ₎

Fishermen will send to a well-known charmer forherbs before putting out to sea. This to give themluck.

₍ ₎ ₍ ₎

They spit on their bait for luck.

₍ ₎ ₍ ₎

They will steal any small article from a lucky boat inorder to get the luck.

₍ ₎ ₍ ₎

They deem it unlucky to leave the harbour in thethird boat; or, on a Friday; or, to take a white stoneas ballast; as an illustration of this last: a few yearsago one who had constant ill-luck in fishing obtainedthe nick-name ‘Clash Bane’ (‘White Stone’).

₍ ₎ ₍ ₎

To whistle at sea, or to speak of a ‘mouse,’ or anyother supposed noxious ‘vermin,’ is consideredunlucky. To avert the ill, scratch the mast.

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This electronic edition first published in by

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OnchanIsle of MannBritish Isles

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Page 26: Manx Folklore: Fairy Legends, Customs & Superstitions...Manx Folklore: Fairy Legends, Customs and Superstitions brings together material collected bymembers of the ‘Folk Lore Committee’

This electronic edition first published in by

Chiollagh eBooks Central Drive

OnchanIsle of MannBritish Isles

This Electronic Edition © by Chiollagh eBooks

Electronic Database Rights © Chiollagh eBooks

All Rights Reserved

This Electronic Edition is made available only under Licence

This page constitutes an extension of the copyrightnotice of the original printed edition