14 REPORTS. 



Report of the Folklore Section, 1921. 



Some months ago I went through the Report, dated 

 1844, of the evidence relative to the charges of conspiracy 

 and sedition, in the days when General Napier was Governor, 

 made against various residents in Guernsey. 



Among the legal and personal details embodied in this 

 Report I found evidence of a curious old custom which was 

 not included in Sir Edgar MacCulloch's ''Guernsey Folk- 

 lore." It transpired in the evidence of various countrymen, 

 while being questioned as to certain firing on the night in 

 question, that it was the custom for the neighbours to fire off 

 their muskets, charged with powder, not wrth ball, at vil- 

 lage festivals. Mr. G. Torode (p. 12) was asked "Est-on 

 dans Thabitude, de tirer ainsi dans les festins de com- 

 pagne?" And replied that he had known this firing to occur 

 in the Forest Parish twice during the year 1843, once at the 

 marriage of the son of Sieur Jean Lucas, and once at the 

 Douzenier's feast, "traite de douzenier," given by Mr. George 

 Allez on being elected to the Douzaine. Jean Priaulx, of 

 the Hatnaye, deposed (p. 18) that, after supper, his cousin, 

 Thomas Bourgaize, asked him to come and fire some shots 

 outside the house where Mr. Allez's feast was being 

 held, "comme c'est la coutume en pareilles occasions, " which 

 they accordingly did, and the result was, also according to 

 custom, that some of the party were invited by Mr. Allez to 

 come in and finish the evening at his entertainment, and the 

 others were sent out a glass of wine. Mr. Allez, at whose 

 house the festival took place, was asked (p. 19) : "Quand 

 on donne des festins a la Foret est-on dans Thabitude de 

 tirer?" And replied yes, that it was the custom in the Forest 

 Parish. He deposed that the shooting, which began about 

 half-past nine, continued at intervals for about an hour, and 

 he thought that it was "Sieur Thomas Bourgaize, qui fait la 

 cour a la fille de mon. voisin Pierre Priaulx" who fired the 

 last shot. 



