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In: History - British·Sports/Hobbies·Archaeology & Anthropology
Public-domain ebook sourced from Project Gutenberg #41727.
The work is a scholarly compilation of traditional children’s games from England, Scotland and Ireland, assembled by Alice Bertha Gomme in the late‑Victorian era. It opens with a detailed transcriber’s note explaining the typographic conventions used throughout, then presents a prefatory essay that situates the collection within the broader project of a Dictionary of British Folklore. Gomme explains that the games are drawn chiefly from oral testimony and correspondence, with each entry accompanied by the original rhyme, a musical transcription, and, where relevant, diagrams by J. P. Emslie. The volume is organized alphabetically, and each entry is annotated with references to earlier authorities such as Halliwell, Chambers and the Folk‑Lore Society publications, underscoring the author’s intent to provide a scientific, comparative record of the surviving variants.
The tone is that of a meticulous Victorian antiquarian, combining earnest description with a hint of nostalgic affection for childhood pastimes. The prose is formal, dense with footnotes and citations, and the layout is richly illustrated with decorative borders and full‑page drawings. Readers with an interest in folklore, historical games, ethnomusicology, or Victorian scholarship will find the book rewarding, as will educators and reenactors seeking authentic material for recreating historic play.
The opening · free to read
Both volumes contain some uncertain references to (other) games, caused by the naming and/or spelling of game names. Where these differences were trivial (for example, Wolf and Lamb versus Wolf and the Lamb), their identity has been assumed silently. Following is a list of less trivial references.
The game Stag is often referred to as Stag Warning, but occasionally they are listed as thought they were separate games.
Volume I.
Page 51: reference to Wind Up Jack: this game is not mentioned separately, but under Wind Up the Bush Faggot.
Page 120: reference to Wind up the Watch, which is not listed as a separate game, but as a local name for Wind up the Bush Faggot.
Page 137: reference to Crosspurposes: according to the description and Vol. II, this could be Cross-questions.
Page 300: reference to How many miles to Barley Bridge?, which is not listed as a separate game; the phrase occurs in some of the versions of How many miles to Babylon?
Page 318, section (c): The author refers to the Belfast version, but describes the Isle of Man version. This has not been changed.
Page 328: reference to the game Spanish Fly, which does not occur in either volume (nor does the phrase).
Page 402: reference to Ghost in the Garden and Ghost in the Copper. Neither is described as a separate game; probably the reference is to Ghost at the Well.
At least some of the quotations presented by the author are not verbatim quotations, they have been edited by the author (for example Aubrey on cockle-bread).
Volume II.
In the Addenda, the original work uses Arabic rather than Roman numerals for different variants; this has not been changed.
The original work uses both 2-4 and 2/4 to indicate musical time; this has not been standardised.
Page 199: Love another like sister and brother is probably a mistake (Love one another like sister and brother).
Page 336/7: The original work does not give a source or authority for variation XXV.
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