ON THE ETHNOGRAPHICAL SURVEY OF THE UNITED KINGDOM. 645 
together on Christmas eve, and the members of the household hold them 
in their fingers alight for about ten minutes, when all but one are extin- 
guished, and the one is left to cut the cheese by. After dark no person 
must take a light out of doors, as it is considered unlucky to do so.' In 
the North Riding of Yorkshire a large tire, known as yule clog, is made on 
Christmas eve, a piece of the clog being carefully preserved by the house- 
wife, and on New Year’s eve no one will suffer a light to be taken from 
his fire.2. We now turn to the simplest form of this group. In Cornwall, 
the Christmas log was lighted by a portion saved from the last year’s 
fire.? 
-Of the second group the most remarkable example is the South Yorkshire 
practice at Penistone. When the yule log was burnt on Christmas eve 
the fire was not allowed to go out during the night, and in the morning 
whatever burning ashes were left in the grate were carefully collected and 
taken down into the cellar and put under the ‘milk benk’ [stone bench 
where the milk vessels stood]. These ashes were supposed to ‘keep the 
witch away ’ during the following year and bring good luck to the house ; 
they were kept for years, forming a great pile in the cellar, and were not 
allowed to be taken away.‘ Although in this example we for the first time 
lose the element of annual renewal which has hitherto been present in all 
the examples, it is remarkable that other important elements remain. Not 
only do we get here the symbolism of continued life in the burning from 
Christmas eve to Christmas morn, but in the sacred character of the ashes 
preserved from year to year; and once again the connection of the house- 
fire with the prosperity of the family is contained in the survival. In 
Derbyshire exactly the same custom obtains, but it has reached its last 
stage of decline, as it is not in an absolute form, but only permissive. Jf 
the yule log is not burnt away on Christmas eve, the ashes or embers must 
on no account be taken out of the house.* 
Next we note some customs where the Christmas log is kept alight 
during the whole season of Christmas and New Year, and the continuity 
of life in the fire is expressly made a solemn act of ritual, while the 
element of annual renewal has almost, if not entirely, disappeared. In 
Shropshire, half a century ago, the scene of lighting the hearth-fire 
on Christmas eve to continue burning throughout the Christmas season 
might have been witnessed in the hill country, from Clunbury and Worthen 
to Pulverbatch and Pontesbury. A great trunk of seasoned oak, holly, 
yew, or crabtree was drawn by horses to the house door, and thence by the 
aid of rollers and levers placed at the back of the wide open hearth. The 
embers were raked up to it every night, and it was carefully tended that 
it might not go out during the whole season, during which time no light 
might either be struck, given, or borrowed.® On all fours with the other 
1 Lucas, Studies in Nidderdale, pp. 43, 44. Mr. Lucas distinguishes between the 
yule log and the Christmas candle, and it is possible that we have here the meeting of 
two influences, northern ano southern, upon the waning archaism of the Christmas 
festival. \ 
2 Gent. Mag. 1811, part i. p. 424. 
8 Whitcombe, Bygone Days in Devonshire and Cornwall, p. 194. 
4 Addy, Household Tales, p. 103. 
5 Thid. p. 104. 
§ Burne’s Shropshire Folklore, pp. 397-401. Miss Burne’s evidence should be care- 
fully read throughout, for although it adds no more details than those I have quoted 
above, it emphasises the country conception of, the sacred fire during the Christmas 
season. 
