The Last Sheaf and Harvest Home

In Devon …

 last a tale of Mrs. A. E. Bray letter Xix to Rob. Southey lvs. 329 to 332 of Legends, Superstitions and Sketches of Devonshire on the borders of the Tamar and the Tavy (1844) Volume i:

“  One evening, about the end of harvest. I was riding- out on my pony, attended by a servant who was born and bred a Devonian. We were passing near a field on the borders of Dartmoor, where the reapers were assembled. In a moment the pony started nearly from one side of the way to the other, so sudden came a shout from the field, which gave him this alarm. On my stopping to ask my servant what all that noise was about, he seemed surprised by the question, and said "It was only the people making their games as they always did, to the spirit of the harvest”.  Such a reply was quite sufficient to [in]duce me to stop immediately; as I felt certain here was to be observed some curious vestige of a most ancient superstition; and I soon gained all the information I could wish to obtain upon the subject.  The offering to the spirit of the harvest is thus made.

  When the reaping is finished, toward evening the labourers select some of the best ears of corn from the sheaves ; these they tie together, and it is called the nack. Sometimes, as it was when I witnessed the custom, this nack is decorated with flowers, twisted in with the reed, which gives it a gay and fantastic appearance. The reapers then proceed to a high place (such, in fact, was the field on the side of a steep hill where I saw them) and there they go, to use their own words, to "holla the nack." The man who bears this offering stands in the midst, elevates it, whilst all the other labourers form themselves into a circle about him ; each holds aloft his hook, and in a moment they all shout, as loud as they possibly can, these words, which I spell as I heard them pronounced, and I presume they are not to be found in any written record. ' Arnack, arnack, arnack, wehaven, wehaven, wehaven.'—This is repeated three several times; and the firkin is handed round between each shout, by way, I conclude, of libation. When the weather is fine, different parties of reapers, each stationed on some height, may be heard for miles round, shouting, as it were, in answer to each other. …”

And another from William Hone The Every-Day Book and Table Book (1827) in 3 vols. Vol. 2, LF.1170 DEVON:

To the Editor of the Every-Day Book.

Sir, As the harvest has now become very general, I am reminded of a circumstance, which I think worthy of communicating to you. After the wheat is all cut,on most farms in the north of Devon, the harvest people have a custom of "crying the neck." I believe that this practice is seldom omitted on any large farm in that part of the country. It is done in this way. An old man, or some one else well acquainted with the ceremonies used on the occasion, (when the labourers are reaping the last field of wheat,) goes round to the shocks and sheaves, and picks out a little bundle of all the best ears he can find ; this bundle he ties up very neat and trim, and plats and arranges the straws very tastefully. This is called "the neck" of wheat, or wheaten-ears. After the field is cut out, and the pitcher once more circulated, the reapers, binders, and the women, stand round in a circle. The person with " the neck" stands in the centre, grasping it with both his hands. He first stoops and holds it near the ground, and all the men forming the ring, take off their hats, stooping and holding them with both hands towards the ground.  They then all begin at once in a very prolonged and harmonious tone to cry" the neck !"at the same time slowly raising themselves upright, and elevating their arms and hats above their heads ; the person with " the neck" also raising it on high. This is done three times. They then change their cry to " wee yen !" "way yen !" which they sound in the same prolonged and slow manner as before, with singular harmony and effect, three times. This last cry is accompanied by the same movements of the body and arms as in crying " the neck." I know nothing of vocal music, but I think I may convey some idea of the sound, by giving you the following notes in gamut.

 

Let these notes be played on a flute with perfect crescendos and diminuendoes, and perhaps some notion of this wild sounding cry may be formed. Well, after having thus repeated " the neck" three times, and " wee yen" or “way yen" as often, they all burst out into a kind of loud and joyous laugh, flinging up their hats and caps into the air, capering about and perhaps kissing the girls.

One of them then gets " the neck," and runs as hard as he can down to the farmhouse, where the dairy-maid, or one of the young female domestics, stands at the door prepared with a pail of water. If he who holds " the neck" can manage to get into the house, in any way unseen, or openly, by any other way than the door at which the girl stands with the pail of water, then he may lawfully kiss her ; but, if otherwise, he is regularly soused with the contents of the bucket. On a fine still autumn evening, the "crying of the neck" has a wonderful effect at a distance, far finer than that of the Turkish muezzin, which lord Byron eulogizes so much, and which he says is preferable to all the bells in Christendom. I have once or twice heard upwards of twenty men cry it, and sometimes joined by an equal number of female voices. About three years back, on some high grounds, where our people were harvesting, I heard six or seven " necks" cried in one night, although I know that some of them were four miles off. They are heard through the quiet evening air, at a considerable distance sometimes. But I think that the practice is beginning to decline of late, and many farmers and their men do not care about keeping up this old custom I shall always patronise it myself, because I take it in the light of a thanksgiving. By the by, I was about to conclude, without endeavouring to explain the meaning of the words, " we yen !" I had long taken them for Saxon, as the people of Devon are the true Saxon breed. But I think that I am wrong. I asked an old fellow about it the other day, and he is the only man who ever gave me a satisfactory explanation.  He says, that the object of crying " the neck" is to give the surrounding country notice of the end of harvest, and that they mean by " we yen !" we have ended. it may more probably mean " we end," which the uncouth and provincial pronunciation has corrupted into "we yen !" I am, Sir,

Your obedient servant,

July, 1826. R. A. R.

P. S. In the above hastily written account, I should have mentioned that " the neck" is generally hung up in the farmhouse, where it remains sometimes three or four years. I have written " we yen," because I have always heard it so pronounced; they may articulate it differently in other parts of the country.

Robert Herrick was the vicar of Dean Prior in the South Hams of Devonshire, and what he saw there may have gone into his poem “The Hock-Cart, or Harvest Home” (from his Hesperides (1648)).

THE HOCK-CART, OR HARVEST HOME:
TO THE RIGHT HONOURABLE MILDMAY, EARL OF WESTMORLAND

Come, Sons of Summer, by whose toil
We are the lords of wine and oil:
By whose tough labours, and rough hands,
We rip up first, then reap our lands.
Crown'd with the ears of corn, now come,
And, to the pipe, sing Harvest Home.

Come forth, my lord, and see the cart
Drest up with all the country art.
See, here a maukin, there a sheet,
As spotless pure, as it is sweet:
The horses, mares, and frisking fillies,
Clad, all, in linen white as lilies.
The harvest swains and wenches bound
For joy, to see the Hock-Cart crown'd.
About the cart, hear, how the rout
Of rural younglings raise the shout;
Pressing before, some coming after,
Those with a shout, and these with laughter.
Some bless the cart; some kiss the sheaves;
Some prank them up with oaken leaves:
Some cross the fill-horse; some with great
Devotion, stroke the home-borne wheat:
While other rustics, less attent
To prayers, than to merriment,
Run after with their breeches rent.
--Well, on, brave boys, to your lord's hearth,
Glitt'ring with fire; where, for your mirth,
Ye shall see first the large and chief
Foundation of your feast, fat beef;
With upper stories, mutton, veal
And bacon, which makes full the meal,
With sev'ral dishes standing by,
As here a custard, there a pie,
And here, all tempting frumenty.
And for to make the merry cheer,
If smirking wine be wanting here,
There's that which drowns all care, stout beer:
Which freely drink to your lord's health
Then to the plough, the common-wealth;
Next to your flails, your fanes, your vats;
Then to the maids with wheaten hats:
To the rough sickle, and crookt scythe,--
Drink, frolic, boys, till all be blythe.
Feed, and grow fat; and as ye eat,
Be mindful, that the lab'ring neat,
As you, may have their fill of meat.
And know, besides, ye must revoke
The patient ox unto the yoke,
And all go back unto the plough
And harrow, though they're hang'd up now.
And, you must know, your lord's word's true,
Feed him ye must, whose food fills you;
And that this pleasure is like rain,
Not sent ye for to drown your pain,
But for to make it spring again.

West Somerset

 F. T. Elworthy The Dialect of West Somerset (1875-76) Lvs. 504 to 505:

NECK [naek], sb. It is still the custom at the cutting of the last field of wheat on a farm, to take a large handful of ears and plait the straws into a fanciful shape, very much like the fantastic constructions of plaited palm leaves, carried by Roman canons on Palm Sunday. This is called the neck, and is still to be seen in many West country farm-houses, usually hanging to the kitchen ceiling or the bacon-rack until supplanted by a new one at the next harvest. In parts of N. Devon and the Exmoor district there was quite recently a kind of ceremony at the completion of the cutting, called "crying" or "hollaring the neck" but in many places the neck is preserved, while the words and the custom are lost or forgotten. Neck is no doubt nick or nitch (q. v.), a sheaf.

For the following I am indebted to the Rev. W. C. Loveband, Rector of West Down :
" Tom Dobb of West Down, who has cried ' neck ' for more than sixty years, is my informant.

"The ' neck' should be made of bearded wheat with four lissoms or plaits. Size of sheaf (neck) ‘big's your hand-wrist.' Two rows of the lissoms at least. Cried at the finishing of reaping. One man stands in the middle of the ring of reapers, holding it up. The words begun very low [Wee ... ae’... un], we have un (twice). We . , . e . . e . . . ae . . . a . . . a . . . a  neck (third time), (we have a neck), crescendo throughout. Repeated three times, and ending with cheers, or rather, Wooroa !

"The neck must be kept dry, and put on the supper-table dry.  The 'maids or women' of the house endeavour to 'souse water' over the one who carries the neck, and if he allows it to become wet, he is not allowed to have anything to drink for the rest of the evening. Tom has been ' wet droo ' many a time, but some one else in the mean time slipped in with the neck."

The Rev. Rowland Newman of Hawkridge says that "the old custom of crying a neck is still continued in the neighbourhood of Molland," and he substantially repeats the same account as the above respecting the maids and the water. As a boy I remember seeing the neck cried near South Molton, but I do not recollect the water business, though that may have occurred. What I saw was done in the harvest-field.

My recollection is clear that the shout was given as an antiphon by two sets ; one began "We . . . ae . . . un !" answered by
" Hot-ave-ee?" repeated twice.
The third time,
" We ... ae ... a neck!" answered by "A neck ! a neck ! a neck!" all in chorus, followed by Hurrahs.

There seem to be several variations in the mode of performing this ancient rite, and during a visit in 1765, that statesman (Lord North) was so scared by the cries of a body of reapers, who were "crying the neck" at the close of harvest, with upraised hooks, and the traditional shout, "We have un!" that he thought his life was threatened. His friend, Sir Robert Hamilton, seizing a sword, rushed out to repulse the "enemy," when the time-honoured custom was explained and all fears allayed.

1886. R. N. Worth, History of Devonshire (Axminster), p. 67.

 Dorset

  John Symonds Udal ‘Dorsetshire Folklore’ (1922) lvs. 68 to 73 gives forebisenings from West Dorset:

“In 1873 I contributed an article to Notes and Queries (Ser. iv, xii, 491), describing ” A Dorsetshire Harvest-Home ” in West Dorset, which I had recently attended, and this I now reproduce :

It was my very good fortune to be present in September last at one of those old-fashioned gatherings in the West of Dorset, a ‘harvest home’ and I thought that perhaps an account of such a quaint and time-honoured custom might not be unacceptable to some among the readers of ‘N. and Q.’ , especially as these congenial meetings are becoming scarcer year by year and ere long bid fair to rank among the things that have been.  ...

On the day appointed for the celebration of the harvest, the labourers from the several farms attended afternoon service in the parish church, dressed in their best clothes, the church being decorated in the usually seasonable manner. The entrance-gates of the principal farms were likewise decorated with an arch of evergreen, flowers, corn, etc., crowned with a sickle and scythe swathed in bands of wheat barley, the whole surmounted by appropriate mottoes.

In the evening tables were laid out in the kitchen of a size sufficient to accommodate the men, women, boys and girls employed on the farm, the ‘ master ‘, assisted by such members of his family as might be, sitting at their head and carving a grand rump of Old English beef.

As soon as the company had partaken of as much beef and plum-pudding as was considered desirable an adjournment was made to a large tree that stood near the homestead, where the following quaint custom—peculiar, I was informed, to the west of Dorset—took place. (it would seem to be somewhat similiar to the custom of ‘crying the knack’, which obtains to Devon and Cornwall)

The men formed themselves into a circle, and each taking off his hat and holding it out in front of him, stooped to the ground; then, led by one standing in the centre, chanted the words : ‘We have ’em ‘ (or ‘ ‘en’). The first word, ‘We’ is commenced in a very low tone, the men the while slowly and gradually raising themselves up, and so prolonged till they have almost reached their full height. They close the sentence by saying ‘ have ’em ‘ more quickly. This is done three times. They then shout ‘Huzza!‘ once. Again they stoop down and go the same performance ; finishing up this time with two ‘ huzzas’. This is repeated once more, and finally wound up by huzzaing three times. As soon as the men have finished the women come forward and go through the same ceremony. This, when well performed, a not altogether unimpressive or unmusical effect. The words, I believe, bear reference to the conclusion of the harvest and the sheaves of corn being satisfactorily ‘ had ‘ in.

The discharge of small cannon, (the peculiar care of the boys) likewise gave considerable éclat to the whole proceeding. This over, the party returned to the house and entered upon a course of singing and drinking, not unmixed with dancing in the back kitchen.

“The first song was, of course, in honour of the ‘ meäster ‘, and unenriched by the Dorset vernacular indulged in by the toast-master, was in the following words :—

‘Here’s a health unto our master,

The founder of the feast,

And when that he is dead and gone,

I hope his soul may rest.

I wish all things may prosper,

Whatever he takes in hand.

For we are all his servants

And serve at his command.
So drink, boys, drink!

And see that you do not spill.
For if you do,
You shall drink two,

“Tis by your master’s will.’

“This song is repeated till everybody present has drunk the health.

‘Here’s Mrs’ (or Mr’s) good health !

Let the glass go roundAnd the trumpet sound,—

Huzza ! huzza ! huzza ! Down fall all the re-bels,

We long to see the day,—

Con-fusion unto themThat set ’em up again !

Huzza I huzza i huzza !Confusion etc.’

“This, like the last, was repeated till all had drunk.

“Then followed the curious and laughable custom of’ drinking to your love over the left arm ‘. Each man, while the following verse was being sung, was obliged to drain his mug or horn-cup of ale by holding it in his right hand, and passing it outside of and over his left arm, which would be thrown across the chest. Great merriment was afforded when some of the older hands, through age or other infirmities failed to accomplish this in a satisfactory manner. The words sung were the following :—

‘ As I was a-riding over a mountain so high

I saw a pretty girl that plea-sed my eye,

She plea-sed my eye, but pla-gued my heart;

From this cup of liquor we never will part;

’Twill do us no good,—’twill do us no harm.”

Here’s a health to my love, over left arm, over left arm!

“Here’s a health etc.’

“This was continued till all had satisfactorily passed the crucial test. Songs of a more general character and sundry speeches followed; and eventually the proceedings were brought to a close about midnight by the whole company joining in the National Anthem, ‘ God Save the Queen.’ ”

The following version, similar but less ornate, of the ” whooping ” ceremony,—as it was called in the district,—was given me as having been performed at a farmhouse in the same neighbourhood as the last. At the end of the harvest a jar of cider or ale and two small cups were taken just outside the yard, when all the labourers would gather in a circle round the jar, which is presided over by the oldest man amongst them, and, taking off their hats and standing in a stooping position, would bow slowly down to the ground, whilst singing in a low, guttural, drawling tone, ” We-e-e-e have ‘en ! ” They then stand upright again and holloa ” hurrah ” once. This is gone through a second time, when the ” hurrah” is given twice. Again, a third repetition, when three ” hurrahs ” are given. They then have a drink all round; after which they return mostly for songs or dances after supper. I have been told that these cheers were often heard at a distance of a mile or two!”

Herefordshire

J. O. Halliwell  A Dictionary of Archaic and Provincial Words (1878) Vol. II, Lvs. 542 to 543. Under Mare (3):

 The sport of crying the mare has been already mentioned. It is thus more particularly described in [Thomas] Blount's Glossographia, ed. 1681, p. 398 :—" To cry the mare is an ancient custom in Herefordshire, viz. when each husbandman is reaping the last of his corn, the workmen leave a few blades standing, and tye the tops of them together, which is the mare, and then stand at a distance and throw their sickles at it, and he that cuts the knot has the prize; which done, they cry with a loud voice, 

I have her, I have her, I have her.
Others answer,
What have you, what have you, what have you ?
A mare, a mare, a mare.
Whose is she, whose is she, whose is she?
 J. B. (naming the owner three times).

Whither will you send her ? To John-a-Nokes, (naming some neighbor who has not all his corn reapt). Then they all shout three times, and so the ceremony ends with good chear. In Yorkshire upon like occasion they have a Harvest Dame, in Bedfordshire a Jack and a Gill."

Elisha Coles (c. 1640 – 1680)  An English Dictionary: Explaining the Difficult Terms that are used in Divinity, Husbandry, Physick, Phylosophy, Law, Navigation, Mathematicks, and Other Arts and Sciences (1676)

"Cry the Mare, (in Herefordshire) the reapers tye together the tops of the last blades, and at a distance throw their sickles at it, and he that cuts the knot hath the prize, with shouting and good cheer."

It would seem this is behind the mistaken write up in John Brand's Popular Antiquities (1854) Vol. 2, lf.24, of a "Crying the Mare" in Hertfordshire. 

Like it is this from  The Academie of Armorie (1688) of Randle Holme III (1627–1700):

"Cutting the Neck, is the last handful of standing Corn, which when it is cut down, the Reapers give a shout, and fall to Eating and Drinking; it being the end of that Mans' Harvest for that year."

Shropshire

Charlotte Burne and Georgina Jackson say the last sheaf known as  “Cutting the Gander’s neck” in Shropshire (see Shropshire Folk-Lore (1883) lf.371) but these also mark a “Crying the Mare” which is given by Frazer in his Golden Bough chap. VIII,  lvs. 293 to 4 thus :

" Crying, calling, or shouting the mare is a ceremony performed by the men of that farm which is the first in any parish or district to finish the harvest. The object of it is to make known their own prowess, and to taunt the laggards by a pretended offer of the ' owd mar' [old mare] to help out their ' chem ' [team]. All the men assemble (the wooden harvest-bottle being of course one of the company) in the stackyard, or, better, on the highest ground on the farm, and there shout the following dialogue, preceding it by a grand ' Hip, hip, hip, hurrah !'

" ' I 'ave 'er, I 'ave 'er, I 'ave 'er !’

" ' Whad 'ast thee, whad 'ast thee, whad 'ast thee ?'

" ' A mar' ! a mar' ! a mar' !'

" ' Whose is 'er, whose is 'er, whose is 'er ?'

" ' Maister A.'s, Maister A.'s, Maister A.'s !' (naming the farmer whose harvest is finished).

'"W'eer sha't the' send 'er? w'eer sha't the' send 'er? w'eer sha't the' send 'er ?'

"'To Maister B.'s, to Maister B.'s, to Maister B.'s' (naming one whose harvest is not finished).

" ‘ 'Uth a hip, hip, hip, hurrah !' (in chorus)."

The farmer who finishes his harvest last, and who therefore cannot send the Mare to any one else, is said " to keep her all winter." The mocking offer of the Mare was sometimes responded to by a mocking acceptance of her help. Thus an old man told an enquirer, " While we wun at supper, a mon cumm'd wi' a autar [halter] to fatch her away." But at one place (Longnor, near Leebotwood), down to about 1850, the Mare used really to be sent.

" The head man of the farmer who had finished harvest first was mounted on the best horse of the team—the leader—both horse and man being adorned with ribbons, streamers, etc. Thus arrayed, a boy on foot led the pair in triumph to the neighbouring farmhouses. Sometimes the man who took the ' mare ' received, as well as plenty of harvest-ale, some rather rough, though good-humoured, treatment, coming back minus his decorations, and so on."  …”

Berkshire

At Windsor in 1598C.E. Paul Hentzer marked (on lf. 151 of his Itinerarium (1612):

“Cum hinc ad diversoriu[m] nostrum reverteremur, forte fortuna incidimus in rusticos spicilegia sua celebrantes, qui ultimam frugum vehem, floribus coronant, addita imagine splendide vestita, qua Cererem forsitan significare volentes, eam hinc inde movent, & magno cum clamore Viri juxta ac mulieres, servi atq[ue] ancillae, currui insidentes per plateas vociferantur, donec ad horreum deveniant; ...”

“We happened to meet some country people celebrating their Harvest home; their last load of corn they crown with flowers, having besides an image richly dressed, by which perhaps they would signify Ceres; this they keep moving about, while men and women, men and maidservants, riding through the streets in the cart, shout as loud as they can till they arrive at the barn.” 

A "Harvest-home" from Chambers' Book of Days.

Hampshire.

The English Dialect Dictionary (1902), Vol. III H-L, Under Hollo lf.211

"At the end of harvest, some forty years ago, it was the custom to have what was called the Hollowing Bottle. This was a bottle of strong beer containing seven or eight gallons, which was sent out to the field. The head carter then recited these lines :

' Well ploughed—well sowed.
Well reaped—well mowed.
Well carried and never a load overthrowed.'

After which he gave the sign and all cheered, N. & Q. (1872) 4th S. X. 408; It was understood that if one load or more had been overthrown the last line was altered to suit the circumstances, ib. 524."

And this is from Glossary of Hampshire Words and Phrases. By Rev. Sir W. H. Cope, Bart. E.D.S., 1883.

Kent

 John Brand in his Observations of Popular Antiquities (1853) vol.2, lvs. 21 to 22:

“This Peruvian Pirva, says my learned and ingenious friend Mr. Walter, Fellow of Christ's College, Cambridge, bears a strong resemblance to what is called in Kent an Ivy Girl, which is a figure composed of some of the best corn the field produces, and made as well as they can into a human shape; this is afterwards curiously dressed by the women, and adorned with paper trimmings, cut to resemble a cap, ruffles, handkerchief, &c. of the finest lace. It is brought home with the last load of corn from the field upon the waggon, and they suppose entitles them to a supper at the expense of their employers.”

Suffolk

The Works of Robert Bloomfield (1867), in the foreword to his poem The Horkey lf.165 he writes thus:

“In Suffolk husbandry the man who (whether by merit or by sufferance I know not) goes foremost through the harvest with the scythe or the sickle, is honoured with the title of Lord, and at the Horkey or harvest-home feast collects what he can, for himself and brethren, from the farmers and visitors, to make a " frolic" afterwards, called "the largess spending." By way of returning thanks, though perhaps formerly of much more, or of different signification, they immediately leave the seat of festivity, and with a very long and repeated shout of " A largess," the number of shouts being regulated by the sums given, seem to wish to make themselves heard by the people of the surrounding farms. And before they rejoin the company within, the pranks and the jollity I have endeavoured to describe, usually take place. These customs, I believe, are going fast out of use ; which is one great reason for my trying to tell the rising race of mankind that such were the customs when I was a boy.”

 J. O. Halliwell  A Dictionary of Archaic and Provincial Words (1878) Vol. II, lf. 505:

LARGESS. A bounty. The reapers in the Eastern counties ask passengers for a largess, and when any money is given to them, all shout together, Largess ! Largess ! Largesse is not uncommon in early English, meaning bounty, liberality. " Crye a larges when a rewarde is geven to workemen, stipem vociferare," Huloet, 1552. It was anciently the cry of minstrels at feasts.

  Norfolk

William Hone The Every-Day Book and Table Book (1827) in 3 vols. Vol. 2, lvs. 1166 to 1170:

To the Editor of the Every- Day Book. Norfolk, August, 14, 1826.

Sir, In this county it is a general practice on the first day of harvest, for the men to leave the field about four o'clock, and retire to the alehouse, and have whatis here termed a " whet ;" that is, a sort of drinking bout to cheer their hearts for labour. They previously solicit any who happen to come within their sight with,

" I hope, sir, you will please to bestow a largess on us?" If the boon is conceded the giver is asked if he would like to have his largess halloed; if this is assented to, the hallooing is at his service.

At the conclusion of wheat harvest, it is usual for the master to give his men each a pot or two of ale, or money, to enable them to get some at the alehouse, where a cheerful merry meeting is held amongst themselves.

The last, or "horkey load" (as it is here called) is decorated with flags and streamers, and sometimes a sort of kern baby is placed on the top at front of the load. This is commonly called a "ben;" why it is so called, I know not, nor have I the smallest idea of its etymon, unless a person of that name was dressed up and placed in that situation, and that, ever after, the figure had this name given to it. This load is attended by all the party, who had been in the field, with hallooing and shouting, and on their arrival in the farmyard they are joined by the others. The mistress with her maids are out to gladden their eyes with this welcome scene, and bestir themselves to prepare the substantial, plain, and homely feast, of roast beef and plumb pudding.

On this night it is still usual with some of the farmers to invite their neighbours, friends, and relations, to the "horkey supper."  Smiling faces grace the festive board ; and many an ogling glance is thrown by the rural lover upon the nutbrown maid, and returned with a blushing simplicity, worth all the blushes ever made at court. Supper ended, they leave the room, (the cloth , &c. are removed,) and out of doors they go, and a " hallooing largess" commences thus

  

The men and boys form a circle by taking hold of hands, and one of the party standing in the centre, having a gotch* of horkey ale placed near him on the ground, with a horn or tin sort of trumpet in his hand, makes a signal, and " halloo ! lar-r-r-r-r-r-r-r-r-r-r-ge-ess" is given as loud and as long as their lungs will allow, at the same time elevating their hands as high as they can, and still keeping hold.  The person in the centre blows the horn one continued blast, as long as the "halloo-largess."  This is done three times, and immediately followed by three successive whoops; and then the glass, commonly a horn one, of spirit-stirring ale, freely circles. At this time the hallooing-largess is generally performed with three times three.

This done, they return to the table, where foaming nappy ale is accompanied by the lily taper tube, and weed of India growth; and now mirth and jollity abound, the horn of sparkling beverage is put merrily about, the song goes round, and the joke is cracked. The females are cheerful and joyous partakers of this "flow of soul."

When the "juice of the barrel" has exhilarated the spirits, with eyes beaming cheerfulness, and in true good rustic humour, the lord of the harvest accompanied by his lady, (the person is so called who goes second in the reap, each sometimes wearing a sort of disguise,) with two plates in his hand, enters the parlour where the guests are seated, and solicits a largess from each of them. The collection made, they join their party again at the table, and the lord recounting to his company the success he has met with, a fresh zest is given to hilarity, a dance is struck up, in which, though it can hardly be said to be upon the "light fantastic toe” the stiffness of age and rheumatic pangs are forgotten, and those who have passed the grand climactric, feel in the midst of their teens.

Another show of disguising is commonly exhibited on these occasions, which creates a hearty rustic laugh, both loud and strong. One of the party habited as a female, is taken with a violent pang of the tooth ache, and the doctor is sent for. He soon makes his appearance, mounted on the back of one of the other men as a horse, having in his hands a common milking stool, which he bears upon, so asto enable him to keep his back in nearly a horizontal position. The doctor brings with him the tongs, which he uses for the purpose of extracting the tooth : this is a piece of tobacco pipe adapted to the occasion, and placed in the mouth ; a fainting takes place from the violence of the operation, and the bellows are used as a means of causing a reviving hope.

When the ale has so far operated that some of the party are scarcely capable of keeping upon their seat, the ceremony of drinking healths takes place in a sort of glee or catch ; one or two of which you have below. This health-drinking generally finishes the horkey. On the following day the party go round among the neighbouring farmers (having various coloured ribands on their hats, and steeple or sugar-loaf formed caps, decked with various coloured paper, &c.,) to taste their horkey beer, and solicit largess of any one with whom they think success is likely. The money so collected is usually spent at the alehouse at night. To this "largess money spending," the wives and sweethearts, with the female servants of their late masters, are invited ; and a tea table is set out for the women, the men finding more virtue in the decoction of Sir John Barleycorn, and a pipe of the best Virginia.

I have put together what now occurs to me respecting harvest-home, and beg to refer you to Bloomfield's "Wild Flowers," in a piece there called the "Horkey ;" it is most delightfully described.

The glee or catch at the health-drinking is as follows :

Here's a health unto our master,

He is the finder of the feast :

God bless his endeavours,

And send him increase,

And aend him increase, boys,

All in another year.

Here's your master's good health

So drink off your beer ;

I wish all things may prosper,

Whate'er he takes in hand ;

We are all his iservants,

And are all at his command.

So drink, boys, drink,

And see you do not spill ;

For if you do,

You shall drink two,

For 'tis your master's will.

Another Health Drinking.

Behold, and see, his glass is full,

At which he'll take a hearty pull ,

He takes it out with such long wind,

That he'll not leave one drop behind.

Behold and see what he can do,

He has not put it in his shoe ;

He has not drank one drop in vain,

He'll slake his thirst, then drink again.

Here's a health unto my brother John,

It's more than time that we were gone ;

But drink your fill, and stand your ground,

This health is called the plough-boys round.

To this may be added the following.

A Health Drinking.

There was a man from London came,

With a rum-bum-bum-bare-larum ;

Drink up your glass for that's the game,

And say ne'er a word, except Mum.

The great object is to start something which will catch some unguarded reply in lieu of saying " Mum," when the party so unguardedly replying, is fined to drink

two glasses.

For the beginning of Harvest there is this

Harvest Song.

Now Lammas comes in,

Our harvest begin,

We have done our endeavours to get the

corn in ; We reap and we mow

And we stoutly blow

And cut down the corn

That did sweetly grow.

The poor old man

That can hardly stand,

Gets up in the morning, and do all he can,

Gets up, &c.

I hope God will reward

Such old harvest man.

But the man who is lazy

And will not come on,

He slights his good master

And likewise his men ;

We'll pay him his wages

And send him gone,

For why should we keep

Such a lazy drone.

Now harvest is over

We'll make a great noise,

Our master, he says,

You are welcome, brave boys ;

We'll broach the old beer,

And we'll knock along,

And now we will sing an old harvest song.

I shall be happy if this will afford the readers of the Every-Day Book any information concerning the harvest customs of this county. I am, Sir, &c. G.H.I.

Derbyshire

Francis Grose's A Glossary of Provincial and Local Words Used in England  (1787, lf.79 of 1839 outlaying)):

"HARE-SUPPER, the harvest-home. Derb."

Holderness

 
F. Ross, R. Stead, and Th. Holderness, A Glossary of Words used in Holderness in the East Riding of Yorkshire (1877). From The English Dictionary Volume III. H— L Under Hockey:

 The last load in harvest ; formerly in use about Hornsea, but not much used now. It was followed by the men and boys shouting at intervals :
 

' We hev her; we hev her;
A coo in a tether ;
At oor toon end ;
A yow an a lamb ;
A pot an a pan
May we get seeaf in 

Wiv oor harvest yam;
Wiv a sup o' good yal.
 An sum haupence ti spend.'

Mark "We have her; we have her" not "wehaven"/"We have ’em" of the south-west, or "I 'ave 'er " of Shropshire.

   

Cleveland

William Henderson Notes on the folk-lore of the northern counties of England and the borders (1879) Chapter 2:

 “In Cleveland, the mell-supper is still kept up, though with less ceremony than formerly. “Guising” was practised there thirty years ago, but is now discontinued. On forking the last sheaf in the harvest-field they shout in chorus:

Weel bun and better shorn,

Is master (——’s) corn;

We hev her, we hev her,

As fast as a feather.

Hip, hip, hurrah!”

As Holderness “We hev her, we hev her”.

J. O. Halliwell  A Dictionary of Archaic and Provincial Words (1878) Vol. II, lf. 548 under Mell (4):

 "In Yorkshire, at carting in of the last corn, the labourers and servants by way of triumph cry, Mel, Mel, and 'tis a proverbial question among them, When do you get mel ? i.e. when do you bring harvest home," Kennett, MS. Lansd. 1033. The harvest-home supper is called the mell-supper."

"The North?"

R. Chambers’ Book of Days vol.2, lvs. 377 to 378 under Sep.24^th.:

“In the north, there seem to have been some differences in the observance. It was common there for the reapers, on the last day of their business, to have a contention for superiority in quickness of dispatch, groups of three or four taking each a ridge, and striving which should soonest get to its termination. In Scotland, this was called a kemping, which simply means a striving. In the north of England, it was a mell which, I suspect, means the same thing (from Fr. mélée). As the reapers went on during the last day, they took care to leave a good handful of the grain uncut, but laid down flat, and covered over; and, when the field was done, the 'bonniest lass' was allowed to cut this final handful, which was presently dressed up with various sewings, lyings, and trimmings, like a doll, and hailed as a Corn Baby. It was brought home in triumph, with music of fiddles and bagpipes, was set up conspicuously that night at supper, and was usually preserved in the farmer's parlour for the remainder of the year. The bonny lass who cut this handful of grain, was deemed the Har’st Queen.”

 Chambers' "Corn Baby" is of course the "Kern Baby".  Thus Francis Grose's A Glossary of Provincial and Local Words Used in England  (1787, (lf.91 of 1839 outlaying)):

"KERN-BABY, an image dressed up with corn, carried before the reapers to their mell-supper, or harvest-home. Northern."

 Harvest Festivals?

R. Chambers' Book of Days (1864) vol.2, Lf. 380:

“Such was formerly the method of conducting the harvest-feast; ...  but there is a growing tendency in the present day, to abolish this method and substitute in its place a general harvest-festival for the whole parish,... This festival is usually commenced with a special service in the church, ...”.