by Peter Hill
FOLKLORE
of
NORTHAMPTONSHIRE
FOLKLORE
of
NORTHAMPTONSHIRE
PETER HILL
Frontispiece: The county of Northamptonshire as it is today. At one time, part of Stamford, and the Soke of Peterborough, were within its boundaries. Changes have been made since the nineteenth century, the last being those which took place in the 1970s. It is still unique in being surrounded by eight other counties.
First published 2005
This edition first published 2009
Reprinted 2012
The History Press
The Mill, Brimscombe Port
Stroud, Gloucestershire, GL5 2QG
www.thehistorypress.co.uk
This ebook edition first published in 2013
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Peter Hill, 2005, 2009, 2013
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EPUB ISBN 978 0 7524 9987 1
Original typesetting by The History Press
CONTENTS
Acknowledgements
Introduction
One
Rose of the Shires
Two
What’s in a Name?
Three
A Cornucopia of Customs
Four
Stranger than Fiction
Five
Natural or Supernatural?
Six
Legends and Tales
Seven
Things That Go Bump in the Night: Ghosts, Witches et al
Eight
Superstition and Belief
Nine
Everyday Life
Ten
Music, Song and Dance
Dialect and Glossary
Field Names
Wood Names
Bibliography
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
I am grateful to the many people who have helped in getting the material for this book. In addition to those named in context for answering my many questions, allowing me access to various archives, private correspondence, diaries, research notes and information intended for publication which never made the final hurdle, I wish to thank Rachel Watson, Sue Groves, Sarah Bridges and the other archivists at the County Record Office for their assistance over the years; the Public Record Office; the Law Society; the staff at Northampton Museum and Peterborough Museum; Rothwell Heritage Centre and Wellingborough Heritage Centre. A word of special thanks is given to Terry Bracher and Colin Eaton of the Local Studies Collection at Central Library, Northampton for access to relevant parts of the John Clare collection and permission to use extracts from the manuscripts; Jo Langley at Corby Library; the staff at Daventry, Brackley, Towcester and Oundle Libraries; Oundle Museum; Manor House Museum at Kettering; Cambridgeshire Record Office; Leicestershire Record Office; and my former associates at the University of East Anglia.
The work of John Clare, Anne Elizabeth Baker, Thomas Sternberg, Christopher Markham and John Askham, all of whom recorded vital aspects of folklore and life, both current and fast disappearing at the time they were writing, is also duly recognised.
I would like to express a particular word of thanks to the following individuals for their help past and present: Gareth Fitzpatrick on behalf of the Duke of Buccleuch, Hugh de Capell Brooke, Gertrude Bagshaw, Jack Bailey, Harold Bazely, Annie Beaver, Burl Bellamy, Mia Butler, Rose Clark, John Clarke, Flo Colyer, George Deacon, Colin Elliott, Frank Ellis, Edna Essex, Norah Field, Alan Fookes, Maurice Goodwin, John Green, Dorothy Grimes, Jim Harker, Elsie Harrison, Audrey Harwood, John and Gwen Hay, Carl Hector, Robin and Hilary Hillman, Judy Hopkins, Elizabeth Jordan, Pat Kimmons, Matthew Kirk, R.C. Lambeth, Adela Lock, Lance Lock, Mavis Maltby, Norman Mason, Bob Mears, Ron Mears, Alan Milton, Robert Newman, C.J. Ough, David Pain, Edith Palmer, Tom and Jane Parker, Sue Payne, Charles Peach, Connie Pickford, Marian Pipe, Mary Pittam, Harry Pywell, Monica Raine, Bill Richardson, Paul and Yasmin Rogers, Peter Rowney, Elvin Royall of the Rothwell Spoken Archive, Mabel Sculthorp, Beryl and Bill Simon, Audrey Singlehurst, Michael Smith, Reg Sutton, Commander Michael Saunders Watson, Alice Thomas and Mervyn Wilson.
I would like to mark my appreciation and admiration for the unknown photographers and illustrators of the past whom I have been unable to contact, who in many cases recorded something which has long since vanished. My gratitude also goes to Ron Mears, R. Lambeth, Carl Hector, Charles Herbert, Monica Raine and others whose work I have used in this book.
A debt of gratitude is also owed to the many local history societies around the county for whom I have given lectures, and the students on my courses who have given imput from their own experiences, family memoirs and other sources.
A special mention must be given to the many people I have interviewed over the years, most of whom were open and warm in their recollections to someone they hardly knew at first meeting, especially those who were in their eighties and nineties (though even in their time, much had already disappeared), and in particular to one special lady, who was born in the 1870s and died in 1969, who many years ago inspired my interest in folklore and history when I was very young. They were the last links with a world we have lost and it was a special privilege to share those priceless memories with them and to record their experiences, which might never have been written down and would have remained irretrievable. In some cases, they were inspired to personally write down their memoirs for members of their family both present and future, a task that in some ways rolled back the years, and gave them a chance to relive their youth.
Last but not least, my sincere thanks to Katherine Burton of Tempus Publishing for her interest in getting this, my fourth book for the company, into print; and to my family for their patience and understanding while I turned the home into a press office until the project came to fruition.
INTRODUCTION
If such an appliance as a time machine existed and we could go back to the past and see the county as it was 100, 200 or more years ago, most visitors would find it hard to come to terms with what they saw, heard and experienced. Accustomed to having a wide variety of consumables to choose from and the ability to afford them, having a substantial home with a range of utilities and a personal means of travelling from place to place as and when they want, it would not be an exaggeration to say they would be unable to tolerate or survive the lifestyle of our ancestors. Equally, if our ancestors could visit our world, they would also be shocked, not so much at the way the world has changed visually and made progress in science, medicine and technology, but by seeing the modern emphasis on money and success, the number of cars and the fast, stressful pace of life. They worked hard but they played hard too – they were survivors – and they had a vivid, colourful vocabulary, a superstitious mind and a range of customs, all of which helped them through the good and bad times of life.
Northamptonshire lies almost in the centre of England, stretching north-east to south-west, its shape likened variously to an oak leaf or a deflated balloon. Being surrounded by eight other counties has left it open to so many influences, which have affected its vocabulary and folklore. It is a county of contrasts, w
ith miles of green and well-watered rolling countryside and river valleys punctuating the landscape, making it an attractive proposition for settlement ever since mankind came on the scene. Two of the county’s rivers rise in the Naseby area: the Nene, which flows eastwards into The Wash, and the Avon, which meanders westwards through Shakespeare country and beyond. The older dwellings in the county have been constructed either with golden or honeycomb-coloured ironstone or the more durable grey Jurassic limestone, celebrated also for its use in the construction of the original St Paul’s Cathedral and King’s College Chapel in Cambridge, among other great buildings.
Events of early history within the county’s boundaries have left an indelible mark, giving it such a distinctive character – it has been said that no other English county has so much contrast as Northamptonshire (Cox, 1933). Its division in the ninth century and the establishment of the Danelaw over nearly two-thirds of its area initiated the shaping of its character. Much of the county has been devastated in the past: Northampton was destroyed by King Sweyn of Denmark in 1010 and in 1065 the county suffered in the rebellion of Morcar, who swept down from Northumberland to assert his rights as its earl, meeting the King’s emissary at Northampton but destroying county settlements en route. Northamptonshire was also one of the last counties to succumb to industrialisation; even today it seems to resist change and retain its rural character, despite the threats to the countryside posed by the need to accommodate new roads, housing and places of work and commerce.
The county has made a great contribution to English literature. The list of Northamptonshire writers is headed by poet John Clare, followed by dramatist and Poet Laureate John Dryden, metaphysical poet Thomas Randolph, novelist H.E. Bates, country life author Denys Watkins-Pitchford (known as BB) and, to a lesser degree, author Charles Kingsley, who spent six years of his early life at Barnack. To the list must also be added a literary figure, now almost forgotten, who had considerable influence on contemporary writers. This was Thomas Percy, who was vicar of St Peter and St Paul at Easton Maudit from 1753 to 1782, during which time he compiled Reliques (published in 1765), one of the bestselling literary works of the century. This collection of 195 ancient ballads is, in some ways, of major significance in the field of folklore and encouraged writers like Sir Walter Scott and Robert Burns to refashion old ballads into their own poetry, and inspired John Clare.
Of John Clare, little needs to be said. So much has been written about the great man and his wonderful nature poetry, which evokes all the sights, sounds, scents and activities of the countryside he loved, expressed in local dialect and using a rich vocabulary, much of which has long been obsolete. However, his poetic achievements overshadow his other activities as a collector of folk songs and dances and recorder of customs and games. There are brief glimpses of these features of life in the county in his poems and he described them in some detail in three very important sources for students of folklore: part of the introduction to The Village Minstrel, his autobiographical The Cottage Festival and a letter to William Hone, a London antiquarian and editor of The Every-day Book. These were brought together, with Clare’s songs and tunes, by George Deacon in John Clare and the Folk Tradition (1983), from manuscripts held at Northampton Central Library, Peterborough Museum and the Carl H. Pforzheimer Library in New York.
We are indebted to other early pioneers in recording the county’s folklore, such as the Northampton antiquarian and musician Thomas Sternberg, whose The Dialect and Folklore of Northamptonshire, published in 1851, was followed by Anne Elizabeth Baker’s Glossary of Northamptonshire Words and Phrases (1854). Baker was given generous help and information by John Clare when he was at the asylum in Northampton. In many ways, John Askham of Wellingborough (1825-1894) continued the work of Clare, with wonderfully evocative nature poetry and glimpses of life past and present. Something of a Thomas Hardy-like character in his reaction against the changes around him, his Sketches in Poems and Verse (1893) were a milestone in the literature of the county. He also produced several other volumes of verse between 1863 and 1893, including a tribute to Clare.
Charles Montagu-Douglas-Scott published a collection of legends in Northamptonshire Songs (1904/1906), which was followed several years later by Tales of Old Northamptonshire (1936), which focused on legends from the north of the county in ballad form. Christopher Markham (d.1937) brought out a collection of sayings from around the county in The Proverbs of Northamptonshire (1897). More recently, the late Dorothy Grimes of Northampton brought out the first modern overview of past Northamptonshire life and lore in her privately published book, Like Dew Before The Sun (1991), which contains a wealth of material gleaned from a variety of sources around the county.
Although Northamptonshire is a county that has surprised and entranced visitors for generations, not all comments have been favourable. In a UK travel survey in the 1990s, Northamptonshire was placed in the lower reaches of a table of counties worth visiting, causing considerable outrage among locals, who rightly asserted that detractors have either not made a proper exploration and discovered its many charms, or have never been to the county and so do not know what they are missing! In some ways, this is due to the county having been bypassed in modern times, with the M1 on its western boundary and the A1 to the east.
In the past, however, some renowned visitors have been scathing. In 1763, author Horace Walpole, the son of Prime Minister Robert Walpole, stayed at the White Swan in Wellingbrough and wrote:
Never stay in Wellingborough, the beastliest inn on earth is there... We were carried into a vast bed chamber which I suppose is the club room, for it stank of tobacco, like a Justice of the Peace! I desired some boiling water for tea – they brought me a sugar dish of hot water on a pewter plate.
Charles Dickens, as a young reporter for the Morning Chronicle, also had one traumatic visit in December 1835, when he stayed at the White Hart Hotel while covering a by-election in Kettering. In a letter to his wife, Kate, he described the chaos he experienced:
The noise and confusion here in Kettering this morning – the first day of polling here – is going to my head. The voters here are drinking and guzzling, howling and roaring, in every house of entertainment ... such a ruthless set of bloody-minded villains have I never set eyes on in my life ... they were perfect savages ... if a foreigner was brought here on his first visit to England I am quite satisfied he would never set foot in England again.
This was obviously a one-off view, for, like the majority of other visitors, he was entranced by what he saw in the county and was later inspired to use locations within it for his famous books. He used the Saracen’s Head at Towcester in The Pickwick Papers and the local landscape and grounds of Rockingham Castle, the home of Richard and Lavinia Watson, were the inspiration for Bleak House. He stayed at Rockingham Castle on several occasions and he wrote and produced his playlets in the Long Gallery for small gatherings. He also dedicated David Copperfield to the family.
Every county has its own folklore and Northamptonshire is especially rich in traditions, dialect and vocabulary, legends and wondrous stories that have come down to us through the ages. Much has either vanished or has been ignored, hidden away in different places, awaiting rediscovery. This book sets out to redress the balance.
Peter Hill
January 2005
One of the many colourful village signs that can be seen in Northamptonshire. Most of these were designed and erected in preparation for the Millennium.
one
ROSE OF THE SHIRES
Northamptonshire is an apple without a core to be cut out, or a rind to be pared away.
These words by one of the county’s renowned literary sons, Thomas Fuller of Aldwincle, in his 1662 book, The Worthies of England, sum up the affection and protectiveness felt by Northamptonshire folk over the centuries, a process that still continues relentlessly today. And yet, as each year goes by, so much of our everyday way of life – because of its very familiarity – has not been considered
important, something to be valued, and has not been properly documented for future generations. Roy Paine of Rushden, whose family ancestry in the county stretches far back into the mists of time, sums up the attitude of many folk:
This county is thickly clad in the vestments of the ages, and we locals wear the dialects, lore, deeds and happenings, like a comfortable suit of clothes. We know where to go to walk with the shades of the past ... you could say we have taken it all for granted.
Until recently, only a few interested individuals or local history societies were recording or researching the heritage of their communities. With the dawn of the new millennium, all this has changed and the county now has a fine network of enthusiasts and websites. Allied to this is the growth of interest in Northamptonshire’s folklore.
So what is folklore? It is a study of the traditional beliefs, stories, events and customs of the common people. It is a never-ending process, as this store of traditions from the past is still being added to today, for as time goes on what is a normal part of life for us will gradually change and be forgotten, or become a distant memory. In other words, something that is modern now will, within a relatively short time, be seen as old-fashioned. Our way of life will join that of our ancestors as part of antiquity as new ideas and advances change the world.
Events that have determined the course of England’s history in some way have taken place in the county, giving rise to certain connections and colourful, if fanciful, traditions that have become part of folklore. Thomas à Becket’s Well in Northampton is where he is said to have paused to slake his thirst and rest during his flight from the town after his trial at the castle in 1164 for the misappropriation of funds and breach of Constitutions of the Realm. The Queen’s Oak in Salcey Forest is said to be the tree where Edward IV met his future wife and consort, Elizabeth Woodville, whom he later secretly married at Grafton Regis, her family home, in May 1464. The tree was described in an early account as ‘an oak so hollow, huge and old, it look’d a tower of ruin’d masonwork’.
