[A custom formerly prevailed amongst the people of Burford to hunt deer in Whichwood Forest, on Whitsunday. An original letter is now in the possession of the Corporation, dated 1593, directing the inhabitants to forbear the hunting for that year, on account of the plague that was then raging, and stating that an order should be given to the keepers of the forest, to deliver to the bailiffs two bucks in lieu of the hunting; which privilege, was not, however, to be prejudiced in future by its remittance on that occasion.] THE BOY'S BAILIFF. [AN old custom so called formerly prevailed at Wenlock, in Shropshire, in the Whitsun week. It consisted, says Mr. Collins, of a man who wore a hair-cloth gown, and was called the bailiff, a recorder, justices, and other municipal officers. They were a large retinue of men and boys mounted on horseback, begirt with wooden swords, which they carried on their right sides, so that they were obliged to draw their swords out with their left hands. They used to call at the gentlemen's houses in the franchise, where they were regaled with refreshments; and they afterwards assembled at the Guildhall, where the town clerk read some sort of rigmarole which they called their charter, one part of which was— "We go from Bickbury, and Badger, to Stoke on the Clee, The three first-named places are the extreme points of the franchise; and the other two are on the return to Much Wenlock. Mr. Collins supposes this custom to have originated in going a bannering.] TRINITY, OR TRINITY SUNDAY, EVEN. THE observance of Trinity Sunday is said to have been first established in England by Archbishop Becket, soon after his consecration." Hic post consecrationem suam instituit festivitatem principalem S. Trinitatis annis singulis in perpetuam celebrandam, quo die primam Missam suam celebravit." Whart. Anglia Sacra, P. i. p. 8. In Lysons's Environs of London, i. 310, among his extracts from the Churchwardens' Accounts at Lambeth are the following: "1519. Item, for garlonds and drynk for the chylderne on Trenyté Even To Spryngwell and Smyth for syngyng with the Item, for four onssys of garnesyng rebonds, at £ s. d. 0 12 0 3 0" In the Mémoires de l'Académie Celtique, iii. 447, in "Notice sur quelques Usages et Croyances de la ci-devant Lorraine," we read,- "Le jour de la fête de la Trinité, quelques personnes vont de grand matin dans la campagne, pour y voir lever trois soleils à la fois." In a Letter to Aubrey (Miscellanies, 1714), dated Ascension Day, 1682, is an account of Newnton, in North Wiltshire; where, to perpetuate the memory of the donation of a common to that place, by King Athelstan and of a house for the hayward, i. e. the person who looked after the beasts that fed upon this common, the following ceremonies were appointed : "Upon every Trinity Sunday, the parishioners being come to the door of the hayward's house, the door was struck thrice in honour of the Holy Trinity; then they entered. The bell was rung; after which, silence being ordered, they read their prayers aforesaid. Then was a ghirland of flowers (about the year 1660 one was killed striving to take away the ghirland) made upon an hoop, brought forth by a maid of the town upon her neck; and a young man (a bachelor) of another parish, first saluted her three times, in honour of the Trinity, in respect of God the Father. Then she puts the ghirland upon his neck, and kisses him three times, in honour of the Trinity, particularly God the Son. Then he puts the ghirland on her neck again, and kisses her three times, in respect of the Holy Trinity, and particularly the Holy Ghost. Then he takes the ghirland from her neck, and, by the custom, must give her a penny at least, which, as fancy leads, is now exceeded, as 2s. 6d., or &c. The method of giving this ghirland is from house to house annually, till it comes round. In the evening every commoner sends his supper up to this house, which is called the Eale House; and having before laid in there equally a stock of malt which was brewed in the house, they sup together, and what was left was given to the poor." COVENTRY SHOW FAIR. [THIS celebrated Fair commences upon the Friday in Trinity week, and continues for eight days. It is of very high antiquity, the Charter being granted by Henry III. in 1218, at the instigation of Randle, Earl of Chester. For many centuries it was one of the chief marts in the kingdom for the sale of the various articles of merchandise in general consumption. Of late years, it has been principally celebrated for the Show or procession, which is exhibited at intervals of from three to seven years, on the first day of the fair, and on that account has acquired a great degree of notoriety and interest. This procession is believed to have been first instituted in 1678, or at least the procession of Lady Godiva was then first introduced into the pageant, thus laying the foundation of that splendid cavalcade usually designated the Procession of Lady Godiva, and to the same period must be referred the first public exhibition of the far-famed Peeping Tom of Coventry. Leofric, Earl of Mercia, Lord of Coventry, imposed certain hard and grievous services upon the place, which his Countess Godiva, out of feelings of compassion for the inhabitants, frequently and earnestly implored her husband to free them from, but without effect; and unwilling to give up an exaction which tended so much to his profit, he at length commanded her to urge him no more on the subject. Godiva was not thus to be diverted from her purpose, and, resuming her importunities, he thought to silence her at once, by declaring that he never would accede to her wishes, unless she would consent to ride naked from one end of the town to the other, in the sight of the inhabitants. To this extraordinary proposal, however, he heard with astonishment her reply in these words, "But will you give me leave to do so?" and being compelled to answer Yes," the good Countess soon afterwards, upon a day appointed for that purpose, got upon her horse, naked, her loose and flowing tresses forming a complete covering down to her legs, and having achieved her undertaking returned with joy and triumph to her husband, who faithfully redeemed his pledge, by granting to the inhabitants a Charter of Freedom, in the words of an old chronicler, "from servitude, evil customs, and exactions." Until of late years, in a window of Trinity Church, a memorial of this event was preserved in ancient stained glass, representing the portraits of Leofric and Godiva, the former holding in his hand, as in the act of presenting to his Countess, a scroll or charter, inscribed thus: "I, Luriche, for the love of thee, The city legends relate that before their good patroness performed her task, an order was issued requiring all the inhabitants, on pain of death, to remain within their houses during her progress; but that a tailor, whose curiosity was not to be restrained by this denunciation, was resolved to have a peep at the fair Countess, and paid for his presumption and inquisitiveness by the immediate loss of his sight. In commemoration of this incident, and in proof of the veracity of the tradition, a figure, whose name and fame are widely spread, called Peeping Tom, is still to be seen at the corner of Hertford Street, in an opening at the upper part of a house. The figure itself is of considerable antiquity, and in size rather exceeds the usual proportions of a man: it is formed from a single piece of oak, hollowed out in the back to render it less weighty, and in its original state represented a man in complete plate armour with skirts, the legs and feet also armed, and a helmet on the head, the crest of which has been cut away to make room for a flowing wig, that, until of late years, formed a part of the dress of this figure, which, upon being brought forth from some unknown receptacle, to personify the celebrated Peeping Tom, underwent a considerable degree of alteration in its external appearance, by the application of paint, so as to show the resemblance of clothing; this, with a large and long cravat, shoulder-knots, and other ornaments, and a hat of corresponding fashion, clearly pointed out a perfect agreement in his dress with that of the period when the enlarged procession was instituted, in 1678. Of late years the wig has been discontinued, as well as the long cravat and shoulder-knots; and a hat of military fashion has been introduced, with some alterations in the manner of painting the figure. In its original state, the effigy called Peeping Tom had the lower part of the arms (now wanting) fixed to the trunk by pegs, the indications of which are still visible; and the position of the body and legs show that the figure was in a posture of attack, having, probably a shield and spear or ancient bill. The first persons in the Godiva procession are the City Guards, the representatives of a once important class of men, who were trained and armed at the costs of the Corporation and various trading companies, and in days of yore formed an aggregate body of considerable numbers' and importance; from whence were furnished from time to time, as need required, reinforcements to the national forces. The armour consisted of corslets, with and without skirts, back pieces, and morions, and their offensive weapons, either the English long-bow, or the variously-formed bill, of which several different specimens may be observed in the procession; the whole being an interesting display of the ancient city armour.2 The next character in the procession is that of St. George, completely armed; the helmet, to which the vizor only is attached, is of considerable antiquity, and the whole suit is a fine specimen of entire body armour. St. George, it will be remembered, was a native of Coventry, according to the old ballad- "Where being in short space arriv'd, Unto his native dwelling-place; And fortune did his nuptials grace; They many years of joy did see, The City Streamer and two City Followers are the next processioners. The streamer bears the arms of Coventry, being 1 So recently as 1710, no less than forty armed or "harnessed" men attended the mayor and aldermen at the fair. 2 This armour has been cleaned and restored, and is now arranged in front of the Minstrel Gallery at St. Mary's Hall. |