One of the great things about Britain is the diversity of its inhabitants. Our communities form a patchwork quilt, where each ‘square’, so to speak, is unique and different whilst remaining part of a cohesive, unified whole. Each community has certain quaint traditions and ways of life which may appear a little odd to those outside of it; but they are nevertheless meaningful and help keep life interesting. In my study of Yorkshire traditions, I have found a combination of customs which are similar to those practiced elsewhere in the country, those unique to Yorkshire as a whole, and those practiced only in certain towns or villages. In this blog post, I present a handful of these weird and wonderful Yorkshire customs which were practiced at the time around New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day.

Though we may assume that Hogmanay is an exclusively Scottish term for New Year’s Eve, it appears to have been used outside of Scotland as well. The ‘Fragment of the Hagmena Song’, as published in The Ballads and Songs of Yorkshire in 1860, was said to be sung in Richmond on New Year’s Eve, and is as follows:

To-night it is the New-year's night, to morrow is the day,
And we are come for our right, and for our ray,
As we used to do in old king Henry's day.
Sing, fellows, sing, Hagman-heigh.

If you go to the bacon-flick, cut me a good bit;
Cut, cut and low, beware of your maw;
Cut, cut and round, beware of your thumb,
That me and my merry men may have some.

Sing, fellows, sing, Hagman-heigh.
If you go to the black-ark, bring me X mark;
Ten mark, ten pound, throw it down upon the ground,
That me and my merry men may have some.

Sing, fellows, sing, Hagman-heigh.

~

One major custom for New Year’s Day was that of ‘first-footing’, which was practiced widely outside of Yorkshire. It varied considerably depending on the place, but generally it was believed that a ‘Lucky Bird’ (or ‘Bod’) must be the first visitor to one’s home. He must be a man with dark hair, and he must carry with him specific items to ensure good fortune for the rest of the year - such as coal, bread, money, and salt. These ‘gifts’ would be given to the household and exchanged for some food and drink. This custom seems to have fallen out of popularity in Yorkshire, but is still practiced elsewhere.

At Hutton Conyers, near Ripon, there was a much more elaborate New Year’s Day ritual, as food historian Peter Brears described:“At the annual meeting of the manorial court of Hutton Conyers near Ripon, the shepherds representing local townships came before the Lord of the Manor’s steward and bailiff to obtain their grazing rights for the coming year. Each shepherd brought to court a large apple pie, about 16-18 inches in diameter, a twopenny sweetcake (except for one shepherd who provided ale instead), and a wooden spoon. Having measured and divided the pies with the aid of ruler and compasses, the bailiff proceeded to cut them in two, one half being shared between the steward, bailiff and tenant of the coney-warren, and the other divided among the six shepherds. The bailiff then gave each shepherd a slice of cheese and a penny roll and prepared the frumenty. This was done by mixing it with mustard and placing it in an earthenware pot buried up to its rim in a hole dug in a field near the bailiff’s house. The party then ate the frumenty, dipping in their wooden spoons in strict order of precedence, the steward being followed by the bailiff, the tenant, and then the shepherds. Refusing to take the frumenty was considered to be an act of disloyalty to the lord, so that any shepherd who forgot his spoon was forced to lie down and eat directly from the pot, some of his fellows always ensuring that his face was plunged into the glutinous yellow mass. Finally, the ale was served out, and the business of the court concluded in the bailiff’s house.”

~

In Driffield, in East Yorkshire, one custom which is still practiced today is 'penny scrambling’, in which coins (or sweets) are thrown into the air and collected by children. This was traditionally accompanied with the rhyme “Eere we are at oor town end, a shoulder o’ mutton an’ a croon ti spend.”

‘Riding the Stang’ has often been described as a New Year’s Day custom, but there is little evidence to suggest that it was exclusively performed on that day. It was a form of community justice reserved for wife-beaters, and there were a number of rules to it. A witness of the custom practised in Guisborough in 1891 reported that:

• The culprit’s name must not be mentioned
• The stang must be ridden in three separate parishes each night
• The stang-master must knock at the door of the person they were holding up to ridicule and ask for fourpence.

An effigy of straw and old clothes was sat in an upright position on a cart along with the stang-master. The villagers, armed with pan lids, tin cans, and anything else which could make a noise, would then process to the front of the culprit's house where the stang-master would recite a rhyme. The crowd would then raise a “tumult of sound, to which the wildest ravings of Bedlam would seem insignificant.” This would last for three nights, and at the end of the third night the effigy was burnt in front of the culprit's house.

The first new moon after New Year’s Day was an opportunity to discover the identity of your future lover. As John Aubrey wrote in 1696, you must go outside, look up at the moon, and say:

“All hail to the moon, all hail to thee,
I prithee good moon reveal to me,
This night, who my husband must be.”

You must then go to bed. Aubrey reassures the reader that he personally knows two women who did this and later dreamt of their future husbands!

~

Though these are only the customs of one English county, they open a window into the past and allow us to glimpse the ways of life which were meaningful to that community at that time. Though some traditions endure, or evolve, whilst others dwindle into obscurity, what is important is ensuring that each and every community in Britain has an opportunity to record, revive, and practice their own unique and historic customs and traditions.

The views and opinions expressed in this blog are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of the British Association for Local History (BALH). Any content provided by our contributors is of their own opinion and is not intended to malign any individual, group, organisation, or entity.