6 
9 
Rural Sports of Old England. 
BY FRANK S. FINN. 
Number VIII. 
August ! This month was the sixth in 
the old Roman Calendar, and was original¬ 
ly named Sextilis; but was afterward called 
Augustus, in compliment to the Emperor. 
Our Saxon ancestors called it “Arn-monat” 
(more rightly barn-moneth) because it vvas 
the month they filled their barns with 
corn. 
Leigh Hunt, who knew and loved all 
seasons, and who so well described them, 
writes of this month as follows: 
‘ This is the month of harvest. The crops 
usually begin wuh rye and oats, proceed 
with wheat, and finish with peas and beans. 
Harvest Home, is still the greatest rural 
holiday in England, because it includes, at 
once, the most laborious and most lucrative 
of the farmers’ employments and unites re¬ 
pose and profit. Our ancestors used to 
burst into an enthusiasm of joy at the end 
of harvest, and appear even to have ming¬ 
led their previous labor with considerable 
merry-making, in which they imitated the 
equality of the earlier ages. They crowned 
the wheat sheaves with flowers, they sang, 
they shouted, they danced, they invited 
each other, or met to feast, as at Christmas, 
in the halls of rich houses; and what was 
a very amiable custom, and wise beyond 
the commoner wisdom that may seem to 
lie on the top of it, every one that had been 
concerned—man, woman and child—receiv¬ 
ed a little present; ribbons, laces or sweet¬ 
meats.” 
Even away back among the isolated ham¬ 
lets, this festival was not passed by, and 
great preparations were made for the same. 
The old May pole, that had been erected 
the previous Spring, was again called into 
requisition and was garlanded and fes¬ 
tooned and wore its brightest, gayest colors. 
The wagon, filled with corn and flowers, 
and surmounted at a giddy height with 
men, women and children, halted under 
this same pole; horses were decorated gaily 
and gaudily, and they seemed to enjoy 
their share of the merriment. On the fore¬ 
most of one of these animals sat a young 
maiden dressed as the goddess of the feast— 
“Ceres.” Of course, the goddess could not 
wear the costume such as she is represented 
in in pictures and statues; but as some of 
our lady friends may like to know how she 
was costumed, we will tell you: white 
dress, straw bonnet and broad yellow 
sash, were the principal articles of apparel. 
This may be of some use to the lad es who 
assume the same character in the Granges. 
An old author tells us there was an old 
woman informed him that, not a half a 
century ago, they used everywhere to 
dress up a figure in great finery, crowned 
with a wreath of flowers, a sheaf of corn 
put under one arm, and asickle in her hand,, 
at the end of every harvest, and which they 
called a harvest doll, or kern baby. This 
northern word can be plainly seen to be a 
corruption of corn-baby or image, as is the 
kern supper, of corn supper. An ancient 
writer speaks of, “an ill kerned or saved 
harvest.” 
At Werington in Devonshire, the clergy¬ 
man informed Mr. Brand who was search¬ 
ing for just such information, that when 
a farmer finishes his reaping, a small quan¬ 
tity of the ears of the last corn are twisted 
or tied together into a curious kind of a 
figure, ■which is brought home with great 
acclamations, hung up over the table and 
kept till the next year. The owner would 
think it extremely unlucky to part with 
this, which is called “a knack.” The reap¬ 
ers whoop and holloed, “a knack ! a knack! 
well cue! well bound! well shocked,” and, 
in some places, in a sort of mockery it is 
added: “well scattered on the ground.” A 
countryman gave a somewhat different 
account, as follows: “When they have cut 
the corn, the reapers assemble together; 
‘a knack’ is made, which one, placed in the 
middle of the company, holds up, crying 
thrice: ‘a knack!’ which all the rest re¬ 
peat; the person in the middle then says— 
‘Well cut! well bound ! 
Well shocked ! well saved from the 
ground.’ 
He afterwards cries, ‘whoop!’ and his 
companions hollo as loud as they can. TT 
No one seems to know what the etymology 
of “a knack” is. A gentleman once en¬ 
deavored to procure one of these; but he 
