88 Ancient Wiltshire Customs. 
had no reference to the harvest, and was evidently of a religious 
character. I have not the words, but I believe that they are in 
the possession of the Rev. J. Biss, the vicar of that place. 
4.—_THE WOOSET. 
In the villages near Marlborough, this is a mock procession got 
up by the village lads, when conjugal infidelity is imputed to any 
of their neighbours. 
At a little before dusk, a blowing of sheeps’ horns and a sound- 
ing of cracked sheep bells may be heard about the village, and 
soon afterwards the procession is formed. I saw two of these 
Woosets; one in the year 1835, at Burbage, the other about five 
years after at Ogbourn St. George. The procession was in each 
instance headed by what is called “a rough band,” which in the 
latter instance was numerous. Some beat old frying pans, others 
shook up old kettles with stones in them; some blew sheeps’ horns, 
others rang cracked sheep bells, and one of the performers was 
trying to extort music from a superannuated fish kettle, by beating 
its bottom with a marrow bone. Four more carried turnips on 
long sticks, each turnip being hollowed out very thin, and the 
features of a face cut thinner still on it, and a lighted candle put 
in the inside. These were followed by a person bearing a cross of 
wood of slight make, and seven feet high; on the arms of which 
was placed a chemise, and on the head of it a horse’s scull, to the 
sides of which were fixed a pair of deer’s horns, as if they grew 
there; and to the lower part of the horse’s scull the under jaw 
bones were so affixed, that by pulling a string, the jaws knocked 
together as if the scull was champing the bit; and this was done 
to make a snapping noise during pauses in the music. 
This procession is repeated on three nights following, when it 
goes past the houses of the supposed guilty parties ; it is then dis- 
continued for three nights; resumed for three nights more—dis- 
