The Emporia news. [volume] (Emporia, Kan.) 1859-1881, 1874-05-29
SOME OLD ENGLISH CUSTOMS.
THE nARLEYcoRN AND THE YARD
MEASURE.

had no definite way OF weighin.
or measuring; when there was n
such thing as pound-weight or
yard stick. To meet the first dill
liculty, they began 10 reckon b,
grains of wheat or barley. Tia
is why our lowest weight is
grain. So many grains, twenty
four, equal the weight Of silye
penny in the reign Of Edward 1
and the table now in use starte,
from this very simple method.
Again, that mystery to littl'
children first learning arithmetic
isThree barleycorns make on
inch," is solved in the same way
Three grains, laid in order length
wise. expressed the shortest dis
lance. The standard of Inca
measure was early fixed upon in
England; and as the crown laG
the right to decide about it, King
Henry l one day, stretching out
his stalwart right arm, ordained
that what we call the yard should
be established at just the length
of it. The measure known as q
"naif'' represents Il certain dis,
lance from the Ihumb-nail, and
the foot correspondent to the
length Of human foot.
THE NICK sFIcK.
In those primitive times the ba-
kers had an equally simple way OF
keeping accounts with their Gus
toners, which was to have a stick
for each one, and for every loaf OF
bread he bought, a notch was cut
in it; so that instead of presenting
a bill, this stick was brodght for
ward, and the amount reckoned
up by the "nicks'' in it. Sir
Walter Scott refers to this usage
in The Antiquary."
HEARTH MONEY, OR SMOKE FAEFH-
INGS.
This was money paid for every
chimney in the house-a tax
which went to the king and made
a part of his revenue. After
wards the rate was two shilIings
for hearth; and Il mans dwell
ing was entered once q year by an
officer whose duty it was to in
spect. In time, however, it came
to be considered a disgraceful
law, and was abolished, and a
family could have as many fires
as they thought proper with no
fear of paid official coming to
count them.
BoNFIRES
Were long the favorite mode of
expressing joy at some great
event, such as victory, i royal
marriage, or a coronation. Often
twenty or thirty were blazing in
one street or lane on some festive
occasion, so that it was like 4 line
of fire, and the heat was so great
that people could hardly pass by.
The night after the coronation of
Charles III. there were so many
bonflres that PePys, who kept a
minute diary of all that was going
on, says that the great city
seemed in such Il circle of light as
if it had glory round it.
QUEEN MONEY, OR QUEEN GOLD,
One of the ancient perquisites of
the queen consorts of England
entirely from the rights
of the king. A certain proper
ton of the rents due to the crown
went to her, and were used for
her wood, or her oil, or for other
purposes. Among these were
tolls upon all the goods landed ut
one particular wharf, called
Queen-wharf, or Queen hythe.
Some OF the queens were involved
in continual trouble with the Lon
don merchants about this matter,
Eleanor of Provence,
wife of Henry ii, who endeavored
to compel vessels to unload their
cargoes at her wharf or quay that
she might enrich herself by the
duties. The tolls and the queen
gold were claimed by most of the
queens up to the time of Eliza
beth, who, being queen regnant,
had no right to them.
And somewhat connected with
this subject there may be men
toned other curious customs and
regulations. For instance, all the
whales taken in the neighboring
seas belonged to the crown; the
head to The king, the tail to the
~ 4
taxes in the several counties were
supplies for the royal table, in
poultry, fish, cattle, and the like,
by fixed regulation. One place
sent hens, another GELS, which
seem to have been a favorite dish,
and another "herringpies."
THE FIRST SKATING IN ENGLAND.
That garrulous writer, Pepys,
who gives us so many glimpses
into the ways of the English peo-
pie of his day, says that there had
been a very hard frost, more Sc
we're than for three years, and on
the first day OF December, 1862,
he went to the park, and for the
first time in his life "did see peo-
pie sliding with their skeats,
which is a very pretty art The
fashion had just been introduced
into England by the gentlemen
who had been with Charles II in
Holland, where he spent some
portion of his period of exile, al
the court of his sister Mary, mar.
ried to the Prince of Orange
The Duke of York, afterwards
James II, was one of the skaters
he to having learned in that coun-
try, where the people are so IA
nous for journeying and market
ing and pleasqring on skates.
BELL-MEN AND LINK-BoYs
Before the streets of LondoI
we're lighted, and while as ye
there was no police regula tioni
and no tower-clocks, a man with
a bell used to go on a certain
beat, ringing it and crying tn
time under the windows, making
such comments on the weather a:
he saw fit, as Past IL O'Clock
and a stormy night almost
O'Clock, and a cloudy morningp
"a custom rather cheerful thai
otherwise to those who chances
to bs lying awake. It is this II
which Milton refers in the even
ing sounds in "Penseroso,"
ssSave the crleFe ct on the hearth,
Or the bell-man's drowsy charm,
To bless the doors from nightly harm,
abiding in the last line to tn
benediction or good wish whiel
this Yatchman Of the night wa
wont to utter as he passed by
The link-boys carried lights
called "Iinks'' from the way i
which they we're connected to
gether. being made of some com