Rural Sports of Old England. 
BY FRANK S. FINN. 
Number XI. 
November must have been the month in 
which the poet penned the memorable 
lines: 
“The melancholy days have come, 
The saddest of the year,” 
for, few there are who hail the coming of 
this month with pleasure, or feel any deep 
regret at its departure. Possibly, this 
month is more dreary to the Londoners on 
account of the thick fogs perpetually hang¬ 
ing over it. So desolate does the prospect 
seem there, that an Episcopal Bishop wrote 
to a friend: “I am now got here to pass the 
month of November: that dreadful month 
when the little wretches hang and drown 
themselves, and the great ones sell them¬ 
selves to the court and the devil.” 
But, Leigh Hunt, who could find roses 
where others only discovered thorns, and 
loved nature in all its moods, has these 
good words to say of, and for, this eleventh 
month: “There are many pleasures in Nov¬ 
ember, if we will lift up our matter-of-fact 
eyes, and find there are matters-of-fact we 
seldom dream of. It is a pleasant thing to 
meet the gentle, fine days that come to con¬ 
tradict our saying for us; it is a pleasant 
thing to see the primrose come back again 
in woods and meadows; it is a pleasant 
thing to catch the whistle of the green 
plover, and to see the greenfinches con¬ 
gregate; it is a pleasant thing to listen to 
the deep, loving note of the wood-pigeons, 
who now come back again; and it is a 
pleasant thing to hear the deeper voices of 
the stags, making their triumphant love 
amid the fallen leaves.” 
Among the rural population, “Martin¬ 
mas,” or Feast of St. Martin, (Nov. 11,) is 
the time generally selected for the killing 
of cows, oxen, swine, etc., which are cured 
for winter use, when fresh provisions are 
seldom to be had. These “killing times” 
come under the classification of “sports,” 
as neighbors take turns in helping each 
other at the business, and close the same 
with some happy and harmless festivities. 
We are told that, in the “good old times,” 
rustic families in Northumberland were 
accustomed to club together at Martinmas 
to buy a cow or other animal; the union 
for this purchase was called a mart. After 
the animal was killed, they filled the en¬ 
trails with a kind of pudding meat, con¬ 
sisting of blood, suet, etc., which, being 
formed into little sausage links, were boil¬ 
ed and sent about as presents. These were 
called “black puddings.” 
There used to be some peculiar sports 
that scarcely came under the heading of 
fair, pastime or festival, or anything else, 
and so they were given the name of “Rev¬ 
els,” and these were quite popular. Some 
of these revels were calculated to test skill 
and strength, and bring into full play the 
development of the muscle, among which 
was broads wording, or single stick: “At 
this game, there are several rules observed. 
The strong, hardy and robust men play 
with a large round stick, which must be 
three feet long, with a basket prefixed to 
one end as a guard for the hand. The com¬ 
batants throw off their hats and upper gar¬ 
ments. with the exception of the shirt, and 
have the left hand tied to the side, so that 
they cannot defend themselves with that 
hand. They brandish the stick over the 
head, guarding off the adversary’s blows, 
and striking him whenever an opportunity 
occurs. Great skill is often used in the de¬ 
fense. Some men play for upwards of half 
an hour without hitting each other. The 
blood must flow an inch from some part of 
the head, before either party is declared 
the victor.” There were races for the girls, 
for prizes of dresses; climbing the greased 
pole, and hunting the pig with a soaped 
tail, for young men and boys; old women 
were not forgotten, as a premium of a 
package of snuff was awarded to her who 
could drink a cup of hot tea, the hottest 
and quickest; and there was usually a race 
between twenty and thirty old women for 
a pound of tea. A chronicler, adds: “It 
was sometimes astonishing to see with 
what agility the old dames ran, in order to 
obtain their favorite beverage.” It is said 
that a prize was bestowed on the person 
who could make the ugliest face, while 
holding a horse collar before it, as a sort of 
picture frame; and that, though this sport 
was intended for the masculine sex, the 
