Catalogue of Brand JMaterial.
73
Young men —
,, Wassailing band carried wooden bowl decorated with evergreens and small dolls, Gloucestcrsh. agri- cultural toast sung ^ (?) 5. The Vessel-cup, Bezzle-cup, Milly-box 2 or Wassail-box.
Martmmas to Christmas Eve. (Women and children ex- hibit doll or dolls in box decorated with apples, oranges, sprigs of box, holly, etc.)
LOCALITY.
Glos. (Cotswold villages).
Singers must cross the thres- hold . . - -
Durham, Derbysh. (Eck- ington, Whittington.) Notts., Leic. (Clay- brook), Lines. (Grims- by), Yorksh. (N., W. and E. Ridings, Welton, Leeds, Normanton, Aberford, Swaledale, Richmond, Scarboro', Whitby, Filey, Holder- ness, Hull, Pontefract, Mirfield).
Yorksh. (Whitby, North- allerton).
' " Wassail, wassail, all over the town !
Our toa.st it is white, our ale it is brown,
Our bowl it is made of a maplin tree,
We be good fellows all, I drink to thee ! " " Here's to our horse and to his right ear,
God send our master a happy New Year,
A happy New Year as e'er he did see
With my wassailing bowl I drink to thee. " Here's to our mare and to lier right eye,
God send our mistress a good Christmas pye," etc. " Here's to Fill pail and to her long tail," etc.
'-'See Folk- Lore, vol. xiii. pp. 94-96 ; vol. xvi. p. 419, and vol. xvii. p. 349, and plate iii. The favourite carols accompanying the box are :
" God rest you merry gentlemen, let nothing you dismay ! " and the benedictory song :
" God bless the master of this house and the good mistress too," etc.
