428 Tan Hill Fair. 



mostly — an older feast held on that day in honour of Lug, and was the 

 continuation of a Celtic custom of old days." 



"The birthday of Augustus auspiciously for him and the celebrity of his 

 day fell in with the great day of the god Lug in the Celtic world." 



The feasts and fairs held in ancient Wales at the same season 

 went by the name of Givyl Awst, and this is still a time for fairs 

 in Wales — though the first of August has given way to the first 

 holiday or Church feast in the month. 



" The great importance attaching to Lammas (August 1st) among the 

 AVelsh admits of another kind of proof, namely the fact that the Welsh term in 

 the modified form of Gula Augusti passed into the Latinity of the chronicles 

 and even into a statute of Edward III." ' 



"The widely-spread observance of the festival of Augustus would be 

 satisfactorily accounted for on the supposition that it was the great Celtic 

 feast continued under a new name." 



In England this season is called Lammas. The word has been de- 

 rived from Laith mas, the day dedicated to the sacrifice of first fruits 

 (ith = grain), and also from hlaf-ma^sse ; (lilaf=panis, msesse=: 

 festum)."' At this time it was customary in Anglo-Saxon days to 

 make a votive offering of the first fruits of the harvest. In the 

 Sarum manual the day was called " Bcnedidio novorum fruchcum," 

 and it was then the people paid their Peter's pence. The change 

 of the dedication from Augustus to St. Peter is accounted for in 

 the following story of Eudocia, wife of Theodosius (441 A.D.). She 

 is said to have obtained a decree that August 1st should henceforth 

 be observed in honour of St. Peter ad Vincula instead of Augustus 

 Csesar as before, on her presenting to Pome the chains worn by 

 St. Peter, which had been sent to her from Jerusalem.^ 



This brings us down to a later period of time, but serves to 

 connect several of the otherwise divergent interests associated 

 with the date in August when Tan Hill fair is held. 



' Walter W. Skeat, in Notes and Queries for July 7th, 1906, says "the Welsh 

 ffwi/l was an attempt at explaining Gida by popular etymology. Gula Augvsti 

 (origin unknown) occurs as early as 1204 (Ducange), and was sipelt gule ffoule, 

 in old French." 



-' Vallencey. 

 ^ F. Arnold Forster. Church Dedications under St. Peter ad V. 



