Weather and Folk Lore of Peterborough and District | Page 7

up her pen
And then she sits and calls
for all her royal men.
And a spinning we will go, etc.
All that want employment though spinning is but small,
Come list
and don't stand still, but go and work for all.
And a spinning we will go, etc.
If we set a spinning we will either work or play,
But if we set a
spinning we can earn a crown a day.
And a spinning we will go, etc.
And if there be some young men, as I suppose there's some, We'll
hardly let them stand alone upon the cold, cold, stone.
And a spinning we will go.
Spinning was the employment for the females in the old Work house,
and in the Dean and Chapter's accounts of payments there are entries of
payments on St. Catherine's Day for wheels and reels for the children
of the Workhouse.
DECEMBER.
ST. ANDREW'S DAY.
December 11th, commonly called "Tander," used to be kept by the

Lace-makers as a feast day. St. Andrew was their Patron Saint. On that
day men and women used to go about dressed in each other's clothes,
and calling at various houses and drinking hot elder wine. On this day
the Morris Dancers or Mummers began their visits. There were from
four to eight people who took part in the Mummery. The King,
Beelzebub, Doctor, Doctor's man and Jack, the fool. Sometimes one
took the part of the Doctor's horse and the Doctor made his entry riding
on the horse, who was on his hands and knees but he generally had a
small stool in his hands to make him a little higher, when moving about.
This is described in Old Customs.
On St. Andrew's Day it was a custom called "Tander" at Easton on the
Hill, about 12 miles from Peterborough, and other places, of the boys
locking the village Schoolmaster out of School and demanding the rest
of the day as a holiday, before the door was reopened. If the
Schoolmaster could obtain an entrance to the School before giving his
consent, the holiday was not given.
ST. THOMAS'S DAY, 21ST DECEMBER.
The practice of women going Gooding is fast passing away. Very few
bands of women are seen now in the towns, but at Farcet last year
(1910) the widows received about two shillings each for their share.
CHRISTMAS.
For a few weeks before Christmas Day the Waits and Singers still come
round during the night time and on Boxing Days they call for their
Christmas Boxes. The singers have now degenerated into two or three
children who huddle together on the doorsteps of houses and sing
through the keyhole and letter box as fast and as loud as they can utter
the various hymns of which, "When shepherds watched their flocks by
night." As soon as they receive a halfpenny away they trot to the next
house to repeat the performance.
A Green Christmas makes a fat Churchyard.
If a Christmas Day on a Thursday be,
A windy winter we shall see.

If the sun shines on Christmas day for however short a time, the
following year will be good for fruit.
INNOCENTS DAY, DECEMBER 28TH.
Called "Dyzemass Day," it is considered very unlucky to begin
anything on this day and about sixty or seventy years ago many old
people kept this day more sacred than an ordinary Sunday.
COUNTRY DANCES.
In the old County families the Christmas or New Year's dances in
which tenants and servants all united together are still kept up in this
district and anticipated and enjoyed as heartily as ever. The up-to-date
dances are divided by the old Country dances which go with a vim and
are enjoyed by all. In these dances the Master, Mistress, family and
friends dance with the servants to the mutual good will and good
feeling of all concerned. The dance is generally opened by a Country
dance in which the Lady has the Butler for a partner and the Master the
Housekeeper, and it is generally a handsacross and down the middle so
that everyone meets during the dance. "The triumph" is a great
favourite and opens with the lady being taken down the centre by the
gentleman next to her partner who follows them to the bottom of the
room and the two bring her back, each holding her by one hand and
their other hands clasped and held over the ladys head with a very
pretty effect.
"La Tempête" for noise and merriment takes a lot of beating and would
suit the modern dancing as it partakes more of a romp than a dance.
The "Ribbon Dance" when each couple holds the end of a ribbon (red,
white, or blue). This is very pretty when the ribbons are held up in the
dance. There are many