The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1895-10-23
DID CUSTOMS KEPT ALIVE.
Quaint Antique FormaIities Still Strictly
Observed in England.

Quaint Antique FormaIities Still Strictly
Observed in England.
There are some exceedingly quaint
and curious customs which are yet OBJ.
served in England. some daily and
others only at certain seasons of the
year, whose origin is SO ancient as to
be unknown.
In the tower of London every night,
for example, a little before eleven
o'clock, the yeoman warder on duty
calls to the main guard for the escort
Of the keys" The main guard imme.
diately turn out under charge OF
an officer. and on their approach
the sentry challenges: Who is
there?' The yeoman warder an.
swers, Keys" Whose keys?" the
sentry then demands, and the reply
is: Queen Victoria's KEYS" The SEN
try then calls out: Advance, Queen
Victoria's keys. Guard. turn out!'
The guard then present arms, the
warder advances, and. standing in
front of the guard, holding the keys
DIP in his hand, calls out, God pre-
bCINC SuCCh W WHICH lu6
guard respond with a chorus of
"Amens." The yeoman warder then
proceeds to the apartments of the gov
ernor of the Tower and there deposits
the keys.
1t is in the provinces, however, in
the secluded villages, where time
seems to have stoed still for centuries,
that the most interesting observances
are to be met with. In Wiltshire a
favorite form of sale is the auction
by candle" No one knows the origin
of this method of sale, but
it has been kept up for hun
dreds of years. The auctioneer lights
a bit of candle about half an inch in
length, and while it burns extols the
merits of what he has to sell. As the
candle sputters and is about to expire
the bidding begins. and the article is
knocked down to the purchaser whose
bid is received the instant the candle
goes out.
The institution known as the Dun
NOW fitch" has been in existence for
over nine hundred years. Early in the
eleveth century Robert Fitzwalter
made beauest that whatever mar
ried couple shall go to the priory, and,
kneeling on two sbarp-pointed stones,
will swear that they have not quar-
relied nor repented of their marriage
within a year and day after its cele-
bration, shall receive a fitch of
bacon" 1t is interesting to note that
this fitch Of bacon was not claimed
until some two hundred years after
the death of the legator, but that
nowadays there are frequent claim
ants for it.
Pancake Day, at the Westminster
school is another ancient custom. On
this day at eleven o'clock, the senior
verger of the abbey. silver wand in
hand, ushers the cook of the school
carrying a silver frying pan in which
reposes a pancake" of substantial
assembled school. Then the cook steps
forward and losses the pancake high
in air and the boys make a grand
scramble for it. The one who gets Ii.
or the largest piece of it, secures the
prize from the dean. The prize is a
guinea. and the cook receives two
guineas for his part in the affair.
At Hungerford there is a quaint Gus
tom which has not been allowed to fall
into disuse since il was originated in
the days of John of Gaunt. Two
townsmen are chosen each year, and,
carrying a pole decorated with flowers.
they go about the town, visiting every
house and demanding kiss from every
lady.
In several of the sea port towns of the
eastern coast of England every Good
Friday the ''castigation of Judas" is
INDUCED in. An eftigy of the betrayer
is hoisted TO the rigging of ship. then
lowered and ducked three times in the
sea II is then hoisted on board and
soundly logged by the sailors, who
keep up a continuous rude chant The
custom is said to date from soon after
the introduction OF Christianity iHto
Britain--N. Y. World.