38o
Catalogue of Brand Material.
II. General Observances.
(a) Visiting Mother Church (obso- lete) - - - - Church-going generally
[h) Visiting Parents ^ -
(c) Taking Gifts to Parents -
[d) Special Cakes for Presentation
by Visitors.^
Mothering Cakes (iced and
ornamented) made and
sold) 3 . . . .
LOCALITY.
Lichfield (Cath'l Reg.).
Herefordshire Worcester- shire (Stoulton).
Devon, Gloucester (Bris- tol, Haresfield, Rand- wick, Stroud and dis- trict, Wotton-under- Edge), Hants (?), Here- fordshire, Lanes. (Alt- car), Leics., Monmouth (Chepstow), Northants. (partially observed), Notts., South Salop (Aston Botterel, Lud- low, Church Stretton, and all county as far north as Tong), Somer- set, South Staffs. (Bre- wood, Shenstone, Black Country), Worcester- shire (Alvechurch, Stoulton, Worcester), Warwickshire, Yorks.
Devon, Gloucester (Bris- tol, Randwick, Stroud, St. Briavel's), Lanes. (Altcar), Monmouth (Chepstow), Somerset, Worcestershire (Stoul- ton), Yorks.
Bristol, Stroud, Hereford,
1 " On Midlent Sunday above all other
Every good child should dine with its mother."
— Baker's Northants Glossary. - The " correct " usage was for the donor personally to make the cake, but naturally this has fallen greatly out of use ; and one authority (Mrs. Hewett) even describes a Devonshire mother as herself preparing the "mothering cake" for her children.
S Readers interested in the influence of commerce on folklore will note that the icing of the cakes can only have become customary since sugar ceased to be a rarity, and
