Easther (_Almondbury Glossary_) describes it as played with a wooden ball, a spel, and a pommel. Two may play, or two sides. When a player goes in he drives the knor for, say, 100 yards, _i.e._, five score, and he reckons five. Each person has the same number of strokes previously agreed upon, but generally only one innings. The "spell" is a kind of stage with three or four feet, to drive it into the ground. On the top of this stage is a spring made of steel, containing a cup to receive the "knor," which is about one or two inches in diameter, and is made of holly or box. The spring is kept down by a sneck, which is tapped by the pommel when the knor is intended to be struck. The pommel is thus formed-the driving part is frequently of ash-root or owler, in shape like half a sugar-loaf split lengthwise, but only three or four inches long, and the handle is of ash, wrapped with a wax band where held, which is in one hand only.
See "Kibel and Nerspel," "Trap Ball," "Trippit and Coit."
Nuts in May
[Music]
-Shropshire (Miss Burne).
I. Here we come gathering nuts in May, Nuts in May, nuts in May, Here we come gathering nuts in May, On a fine summer morning.
Whom will you have for nuts in May, Nuts in May, nuts in May?
Whom will you have for nuts in May, On a fine summer morning?
We"ll have -- for nuts in May, Nuts in May, nuts in May, We"ll have -- for nuts in May, On a fine summer morning.
Who will you send to fetch her [or him] away, To fetch her away, to fetch her away?
Who will you send to fetch her away, On a fine summer morning?
We"ll send -- to fetch her away, Fetch her away, fetch her away, We"ll send -- to fetch her away, On a fine summer morning.
-Liphook and Winterton, Hants (Miss Fowler).
II. Here we come gathering nuts and May [Nuts and May, nuts and May], Here we come gathering nuts and May, On a cold and frosty morning.
Pray who will you gather for nuts and May, Pray who will you gather for nuts and May, On a cold and frosty morning?
We"ll gather -- for nuts and May, We"ll gather -- for nuts and May, On a cold and frosty morning.
Pray who will you send to take her away, Pray who will you send to take her away, On a cold and frosty morning?
We"ll send -- to take her away, We"ll send -- to take her away, On a cold and frosty morning.
-Penzance (Mrs. Mabbott).
III. Here we come gathering nuts in May, Nuts in May, nuts in May, Here we come gathering nuts in May, May, May, May.
Who will you have for nuts in May, Nuts in May, nuts in May?
Who will you have for nuts in May, May, May, May?
[Bessie Stewart] for nuts in May, Nuts in May, nuts in May, [Bessie Stewart] for nuts in May, May, May, May.
Very well, very well, so you may, So you may, so you may, Very well, very well, so you may, May, may, may.
Whom will you have to take her away, Take her away, take her away?
Whom will you have to take her away, Way, way, way?
-- -- to take her away, Take her away, take her away, -- -- to take her away, Way, way, way.
-Belfast (W. H. Patterson).
IV. Here we come gathering nuts in May, Nuts in May, nuts in May, Here we come gathering nuts in May, On a cold and frosty morning.
Where do you gather your nuts in May?
On Galloway Hill we gather our nuts.
Who will you gather for nuts in May?
We"ll gather -- for nuts in May.
Who will you send to fetch her away?
We"ll send -- to fetch her away.
-Bocking, Ess.e.x (_Folk-lore Record_, iii. 169).
V. Here we go gathering nuts away, Nuts away, nuts away, Here we go gathering nuts away, On a cold and frosty morning.
[Then follow verses beginning-]
Whose nuts shall we gather away?
We"ll gather [Minnie Brown"s] nuts away.
Whom shall we send to fetch them away?
[And the final verse is-]
We"ll send [Johnny Cope] to fetch them away, Fetch them away, fetch them away, We"ll send [Johnny Cope] to fetch them away, On a cold and frosty morning.
-Newbury, Berks (Mrs. S. Batson).
VI. Who will go gathering nuts in May, Nuts in May, nuts in May?
Who will go gathering nuts in May, At five o"clock in the morning?
-N.-W. Lincolnshire (Rev. -- Roberts).
VII. Here we come gathering nuts in May, Nuts in May, nuts in May, Here we come gathering nuts in May, On a cold and frosty morning.
Who will you have for your nuts in May, Nuts in May, nuts in May?
Who will you have for your nuts in May, On a cold and frosty morning?
We will have a girl for nuts in May, Nuts in May, nuts in May, We will have a girl for nuts in May, On a cold and frosty morning.
-Earls Heaton, Yorks. (Herbert Hardy).
VIII. Here we come gathering nuts in May, Nuts in May, nuts in May, Here we come gathering nuts in May, This cold frosty morning.
Who will you have for your nuts in May, Nuts in May, nuts in May?
Who will you have for your nuts in May, This cold frosty morning?
We will have -- for our nuts in May, Nuts in May, nuts in May, We will have -- for our nuts in May, This cold frosty morning.
Who will you have to pull her away, Pull her away, pull her away?