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I 
Rural Sports of Old England. 
BY FRANK S. FINN. 
Number Four. 
Of course, as every one knows, the first 
•f the fourth month brings with it April 
Fool’s Day: or, “All Fool's Day.” as some 
designate it. The origin of this title seems 
to be lost in obscurity; but with England’s 
rural population—as well as with that of 
many other countries—and even with the 
higher classes, it has long been a custom 
t* make fools of other people on this day, 
and of being fooled themselves. People 
have been sent on what have been styled, 
“sleeveless errands;’’ such as asking one to 
get the “History of Eve’s Mother,” from 
the librarv, and such like absurdities. The 
French call the person imposed upon, a 
“Poisson (V Avril ,” which means an “April 
fish;” and from thence we get the more 
common “April fool.” In the north of 
England, persons who were made fools of 
were called “April Gawks,” Gawk being 
the word for cuckoo: metaphorically, a 
fool. The sports of this day are so much 
like these olden modern ones, we will pass 
them by for something more interesting. 
Easter brought with it so many sports, 
pastimes and customs, that it will be some¬ 
what difficult to know which ones to select 
for comment. To take them all, would 
fill more than one article; and there are 
other occasions to be noticed ere this essay 
comes to a conclusion. It would seem as 
though the long pent up feelings of the 
people, through Lent, had gone beyond all 
bounds, and any way they could celebrate 
the gladsome season they strived to. 
In an old work we find a letter from a 
gentleman, who relates an account of the 
curious custom of “Lifting,” at Easter, in 
which he participated, thus: “I was sitting 
alone last Easter Tuesday, at breakfast, 
at the Talbot in Shrewsbury, when I was 
surprised by the entrance of all the female 
servants of the house, handing in an arm¬ 
chair, lined with white and decorated with 
ribbons and favors of different colors. I 
asked them what they wanted, and they 
answered that they came to heave me; it 
was the custom of the place on that morn¬ 
ing, and they hoped I would take a seat in 
their chair. It was impossible not to com¬ 
ply with their request—very modestly 
made, and to a set of nymphs in their best 
apparel, and several of them under twent}'. 
I wished to see all the ceremony and seated 
myself accordingly. The group then lifted 
me from ihe ground, turned the chair 
about and I had the felicity of a salute 
from each. T told them I supposed there 
was a fee due upon such an occasion; and 
wasanswered in the affirmative. Ofcourse. 
I paid the fee, and they retired to lift 
others. At this time, I had never heard «f 
such a custom; but, on enquiry, 1 found 
that on Easter Monday, between nine and 
twelve, the men lift the women in the same 
manner as on Tuesday, between the same 
hours, the women heave the men.” In the 
country, the same ceremony was enacted, 
although in a little different manner. 
Sometimes the men were lifted in the arms 
of the women, without the accompaniment 
of a chair; the salute not forgo.ten and 
the fee most rigidly exacted. 
“Clipping the Church at Easter” was 
always hailed with delight, and throngs 
came to witness the sport, ceremony or 
custom, which was performed by the chil¬ 
dren of the different charity schools,, 
amidst the shouts of joy from the assembled 
people. “The first comers placed them¬ 
selves hand in hand, with their backs 
against the church and were joined by their 
companions, who gradually increased in 
numbers, till at last the chain was of suffi¬ 
cient length to completely surround the 
sacred edifice. As soon as the hand of the 
last of the train had grasped that of the 
first, the party broke up and walked in 
procession to another church, where the 
ceremony was repeated.” What it meant 
is more than I can tell; unless it signified 
the chidren held the church in an embrace 
of love and affection. An old-time sport 
for young rustics was “Catching the Hare.” 
If the young men of a certain town could 
catch a hare and bring it to the parson of 
the parish, before ten o’clock on Easter 
Monday, the parson w^as bound to give 
them a calf’s head and a hundred eggs for 
their breakfast and a groat in money. 
Easter Monday had a curious ceremony 
called “Riding the Black Lad,” and con- 
