Weather and Folk Lore of Peterborough and District | Page 5

go into the country and wait
to hear the cuckoo.
An old adage is:--Don't change your clothes until the cuckoo picks up
dirt.
JUNE.
The oak's slow opening leaf, of deepening hue,
Bespeaks the power
of Summer once again. Clare.
JUNE ROSES.
The two June sayings are very optimistic:
A fine June, puts all things in tune.
A rainy June, sets all things in tune.
ST. PETER'S DAY, 29TH JUNE.
The gates of the Minster Precincts are still closed on this day to
maintain the right of privacy.
The Proclamations of St. Peter's and Bridge Fair by the Town Crier, in
the presence of the Mayor and Corporation, is still continued.
A copy of the proclamation was fortunately obtained for me before the

old Beadle died. He had not a copy but used to repeat it from memory.
SHEEP SHEARING. (JUNE).
It was the custom, when the shearing was finished, for the Shepherds
and Shearers to be entertained at supper by the Farmer. The Farmer's
Daughter used to tie up posies of roses with ribbons and give a posy to
each man, but the Head Shepherd always had the largest and best posy.
It was considered by the girls to be great fun to put a quantity of pepper
in the roses for the Head Shepherd, so that the poor Shepherd had
severe fits of sneezing. Being expected, the joke never failed to cause a
tremendous noise of sneezing, both natural and mock.
June was the month during which the feast was held and it was held as
recently as 1856.
In some parts of Northamptonshire the last sheep to be sheared had a
garland of roses placed round its neck.
MIDSUMMER EVE CHARMS.
As the clock strikes Midnight take some hempseed and go into the
garden and begin to throw the hempseed on the ground, repeating these
words:--
Hempseed I sow,
Hempseed I hoe,
He that is my true love,
Come
after me and mow.
After this, look over your left shoulder and you will see your future
spouse.
In some places the sower goes round the house.
Another is to go into the garden backwards, in silence, and gather a
rose and keep it in a clean sheet of paper without looking at it, until
Christmas Day, when it will be as fresh as in June, and if it is worn on
that day on the bosom he that is to be the husband will come and take it
out.

Just before twelve o'clock at night take a clean chemise, wet it and turn
it inside out and put over a chair before the fire, and when the clock
strikes midnight your future spouse will come and turn the chemise.
This must be done in perfect silence as a single word will break the
spell.
DUMB CAKE.
On Midsummer Eve three girls are required to make a dumb cake. Two
must make it, two bake it, two break it, and the third put a piece under
each of their pillows. Strict silence must be preserved. The following
are the directions given how to proceed: The two must go to the larder
and jointly get the various ingredients. First they get a bowl, each
holding it and wash and dry it together. Then each gets a spoonful of
flour, a spoonful of water and a little salt. When making the cake they
must stand on something they have never stood on before. They must
mix it together and roll it. Then they draw a line across the middle of
the cake and each girl cuts her initials each on opposite sides of the line.
Then both put it into the oven and bake it. The two take it out of the
oven, and break it across the line and the two pieces are given to the
third girl who places a piece under each pillow and they will dream of
their future.
Not a word must be spoken and the two girls after giving the pieces to
the third girl have to walk backwards to bed and get into bed backwards.
One word or exclamation by either of the three girls will break the
charm.
Should a gale arise and the wind appear to be rustling in the room,
during the baking or latter part of the preparation, if they look over
their left shoulder they will see their future husbands.
In some districts the pieces of cake are eaten in bed and not put under
their pillows but nothing must be drank before breakfast next morning.
Another variation is that two only make the cake and go through the
same form as the preceding, only they divide it themselves, then each
eats her portion and goes to bed backwards as in the first case and

nothing must be drank or a word spoken.
An uncooked