a practice there called 'chumming-up.' That practice had existed ever since he had been there, and a very long time before; it was an old custom. He could not tell when the custom of 'chumming-up' first began in the Court of Requests prison; it might be termed a time-immemorial custom. Mr. Miller. Be good enough, Mr. Boot, to describe the ceremony of chumming-up.' Boot. When a new prisoner comes in, he is welcomed by the prisoners, who are in the prison, and beat round with the chumming instruments. Mr. Miller. What are those chumming instruments? Boot. Old swords and staves. Mr. Miller. Is there a little music? Boot. They generally have a fife. Mr. Miller. Are there any masks? Boot. Yes; the prisoners put on masks. Mr. Miller. And after this ceremony of 'chumming-up' is over, do the prisoners demand from their new brotherprisoner any money? Boot. Yes; they demand half-a-crown from him. Mr. Miller. And if he cannot pay the half-crown demanded of him, do they take his coat and waistcoat off him? Boot. I believe they do. Mr. Miller. And they keep it as a sort of pledge? Mr. Miller. So, if a poor man comes into your prison so poor that he cannot pay half-a-crown, his coat and waistcoat are taken from him, and he is compelled to remain without those garments to cover him? Boot. I have seen prisoners without their coats and waistcoats. Mr. Miller. They are not very nice whom they chum up? Boot. Not very; they would as soon chum you up as anybody else. (Loud laughter.) Mr. Miller. They caught Mr. Weale, the Poor-Law Commissioner, the other day at this place? Boot. Mr. Weale visited the prison a few weeks ago. Mr. Miller. And they were going to chum him up, but he paid the half-crown? Boot. No: I don't think they would have chummed him."] 453 FAIRS. A FAIR is a greater kind of market, granted to any town by privilege, for the more speedy and commodious providing of such things as the place stands in need of. They are gene. rally kept once or twice in a year. Proclamation is to be made how long they are to continue, and no person is allowed to sell any goods after the time of the fair is ended, on forfeiture of double their value. Warton tells us, that before flourishing towns were established, and the necessaries of life, from the convenience of communication and the increase of provincial civility, could be procured in various places, goods and commodities of every kind were chiefly sold at fairs: to these, as to one universal mart, the people resorted periodically, and supplied most of their wants for the ensuing year. Gay's account of the different articles exposed at fairs is a pleasant one, Past. vi. : "How pedlars' stalls with glitt'ring toys are laid, And rows of pins and amber bracelets shine. Here the tight lass, knives, combs, and scissors spies, The mountebank now treads the stage, and sells His pills, his balsams, and his ague-spells; And pockets pick'd in crowds, and various cheats." In Poems by the Rev. Henry Rowe, 1796, i. 115, is another description of a rustic fair: "Next morn, I ween, the village charter'd fair, The bridles dotted o'er with many a flow'r, Punch loudly squeaks, the drum proclaims the play. Sam with broad smile, and Poll with dimpled face, Sir Frederick M. Eden, State of the Poor, 1797, i. 32, tells us in a note: "In Gloucestershire, Oxfordshire, Wiltshire, and Berkshire, servants continue to attend the mopp or statute, as it is called (i. e. Michaelmas fair), in order to be hired. Each person has a badge, or external mark, expressive of his occupation. A carter exhibits a piece of whip-cord tied to his hat: a cow-herd has a lock of cow-hair in his: and the dairymaid has the same descriptive mark attached to her breast. So in the north of England, at the spring hiring term, the servants to be hired, who are almost always persons to be employed in husbandry, are to be distinguished from others who attend the market, by their wearing a large posie, or bouquet of flowers at their breasts: which is no unapt emblem of their calling.2 Even in London, bricklayers, and other house A whimsical custom at a country fair. 2 The following is from Flecknoe's Epigrams, p. 74: "As horse-coursers their horses set to sale, With ribands on their foreheads and their tail; Is in the prologues and epilogues of their plays." The author of the Character of a Quack Astrologer, 1673, speaking of "Itch of picture in the front," says: "This sets off the pamphlet in a country fair, as the horse sells the better for the ribbon wherewith a jockey tyes up his tail." The custom of attaching brooms to the mastheads of ships, or other vessels, on sale (inquired after in the Gent. Mag. for August, 1799, p. 653), has been before noticed. iabourers, carry their respective implements to the places where they stand for hire: for which purpose they assemble in great numbers, in Cheapside and at Charing-Cross, every morning at five or six o'clock. So, in old Rome, there were particular spots in which servants applied for hire. In Tusco vico, ibi sunt homines qui ipsi se venditent.' Plauti Cur culio, act iv." Dr. Plott, speaking of the statutes for hiring servants, says, that at Banbury they called them the Mop. He says, that at Bloxham the carters stood with their whips in one place, and the shepherds with their crooks in another; but the maids, as far as he could observe, stood promiscuously. He adds that this custom seems as old as our Saviour, and refers to Matth. xx. 3. In the Statistical Account of Scotland, xxi. 457, parish of Wamphray, we read: "Hiring fairs are much frequented: those who are to hire wear a green sprig in their hat: and it is very seldom that servants will hire in any other place." [The following account of the custom still prevalent in the north of England, may appear somewhat strange to southern readers. The Preston Guardian, 1846, says: "Thursday last was the hiring-day,' at Kendal. The street was well supplied with young men, whose want of situations was indicated by a bit of straw, paper, or leaf, exhibited under their hatband. The hiring of them was not quite so brisk as last year—the wages for the six months generally averaging about 87. though some few fetched as much as 101. The show of female servants at the Cross' was unusually small, and the demand much greater than the supply. The girls were all ages, from thirteen to thirty, looking remarkably healthy, and fully maintaining the compliment of the bonny lasses of Westmoreland.' Most of them were well dressed, some in a superior manner, and a few had boas round their necks. They carried a very independent air, and were exceedingly cheerful. More good temper could not be wished than was exhibited betwixt buyers and sellers. The females carry no signal of 'wanting a place,' like the males; and hence persons who wanted servants pressed through the crowd, and kept asking, 'Are you to hire? are you to hire?? for numbers of lasses remain in the crowd who are already engaged. Most of the inquirers for servants appeared to be farmers; and sometimes the giddier sort of girls would rebuff the inquirer with-Yes! for life.' The bargaining appeared to be on the same principle as you see in a cattle market. A number of questions are asked as to age, family, last service, what they can do, and wages. 'What do you ask?' said a farmer to a smart-looking girl. Five pound.' 'Ah! that's above my cut' and after some further inquiries as to where she had lived, he added, "That's o'er fine a place for me.' Another was haggling a long time with a young woman, presenting a shilling to her, as cattle-dealers do to each other, consenting to give what she asked, but wanting 'five shillings out.' Stick up tull him,' replied a motherly old woman who stood near; and, shortly after, the bargain was struck for the whole amount, by the shilling being placed in her hand. Such was the competition, that so soon as negociations were broken off with one wanter, another stepped up, and made inquiries. 'What do you want?' asked a farmer of a girl that seemed left at last. Three guineas-but say three pounds, I'll not take less.' 'Ye're four or five and twenty, arn't you?' 'Me!' was her tart reply, I am just turned sixteen.' One man, boasting to a neighbour how well he had succeeded, observed, "Ay! she is a fine lass-I ken the breed of her.' The girls showed great freedom in asking the applicants numerous questions:- - Where is your house? How many kye do you keep? What is there to do? One man thought he would secure his end; and, in answer to the last question, said, Oh, we have nothing to do.' Then I'll not hire with you,' was the reply. In a few instances the mothers were there, setting off the claims of a daughter. They would say: • She is a lisle (little) 'un, but she is a good 'un.' Are you a milker?' cried a strapping farmer to a young woman: 'my wife is on her last legs, and I'll take you for good.' 'Aw can milk nin-an' ye're auld enough to be my grandfather. I am not gawn (going) to hire for life just noo,' replied the buxom wench. As much as 67. was given for the best servants for the half-year, and in one instance 67. and half-a-crown; and we believe all were cleared off."] 6 The display of merchandise, and the conflux of customers, at these principal and almost only emporia of domestic commerce, were prodigious; and they were therefore often held on open and extensive plains. One of the chief of them was that of St. Giles's Hill or Down, near Winchester. the |