Folklore as an Historical Science

Folklore as an Historical Science,
by

George Laurence Gomme This eBook is for the use of anyone
anywhere at no cost and with almost no restrictions whatsoever. You
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Title: Folklore as an Historical Science
Author: George Laurence Gomme
Release Date: June 18, 2007 [EBook #21852]
Language: English
Character set encoding: ISO-8859-1
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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
[Illustration: "PEDLAR'S SEAT," SWAFFHAM CHURCH]

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 Archæologia) 43
7. SKETCH OF LITLINGTON FIELD (reprinted from Archæologia)
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 archæological
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