IW Natural History & Archaeological Society Bulletin, 2023
A short survey of sites with the name Black Barrow, mainly in southern England and especially on ... more A short survey of sites with the name Black Barrow, mainly in southern England and especially on the Isle of Wight, in order to throw some light on the cultural context of their possible meanings.
Once known in Welsh as Calan Haf, 'the calend of summer', the first day of May later transmuted i... more Once known in Welsh as Calan Haf, 'the calend of summer', the first day of May later transmuted into Calan Mai and was the half-yearly counterpart to Calan Gaeaf, the first of November. Just as the latter heralded the formal beginning of winter, so Calan Mai was considered to be the formal beginning of summer, when the annual rejuvenation of plant life was well advanced. i As one half of the year transformed to
Cock & Bull Stories: Animals in Isle of Wight Folklore and Dialect, 2008
A wide collection of references to animals, birds and insects which have featured in Isle of Wigh... more A wide collection of references to animals, birds and insects which have featured in Isle of Wight folklore, cultural tradition, dialect and place-names. The result is a very mixed bag culled from many different sources, ranging from dialect stories and individual words to the leisure pursuits of royalty, from oral reminiscences to folklore snippets and place-name origins.
This thesis aims to explore a wide variety of customs and practices associated with the tradition... more This thesis aims to explore a wide variety of customs and practices associated with the traditional harvest in Wales, principally during the nineteenth century; with a particular focus on south-west Wales, where the evidence survives most strongly. This includes an examination of the practice of harvest migration to destinations both within and outside Wales, the traditions associated with it, and the social stresses which it engendered; with particular attention to the practice of cyflog y groes, or cross wages, in the Vale of Clwyd. The customs and symbolism surrounding the last sheaf, or caseg fedi, are scrutinised in some detail, together with their long-standing Frazerian interpretation, and an alternative approach is proposed. An exploration of a range of harvest folklore demonstrates in particular the constant personification of sheaves as animals or people. The essay concludes by tracing the traditional supper at the end of harvest, the merrymaking associated with it, and the reasons for its eventual replacement by the Christian harvest festival. Throughout the study attention will be drawn to the social and ritual tensions accompanying these customs, including tensions in the harvest field, and the contrast between co-operation among farms on the one hand and aggressive competitiveness on the other; as well as the prevailing context of subsistence or borderline deprivation in which they take place.
IW Natural History & Archaeological Society Bulletin, 2023
A short survey of sites with the name Black Barrow, mainly in southern England and especially on ... more A short survey of sites with the name Black Barrow, mainly in southern England and especially on the Isle of Wight, in order to throw some light on the cultural context of their possible meanings.
Once known in Welsh as Calan Haf, 'the calend of summer', the first day of May later transmuted i... more Once known in Welsh as Calan Haf, 'the calend of summer', the first day of May later transmuted into Calan Mai and was the half-yearly counterpart to Calan Gaeaf, the first of November. Just as the latter heralded the formal beginning of winter, so Calan Mai was considered to be the formal beginning of summer, when the annual rejuvenation of plant life was well advanced. i As one half of the year transformed to
Cock & Bull Stories: Animals in Isle of Wight Folklore and Dialect, 2008
A wide collection of references to animals, birds and insects which have featured in Isle of Wigh... more A wide collection of references to animals, birds and insects which have featured in Isle of Wight folklore, cultural tradition, dialect and place-names. The result is a very mixed bag culled from many different sources, ranging from dialect stories and individual words to the leisure pursuits of royalty, from oral reminiscences to folklore snippets and place-name origins.
This thesis aims to explore a wide variety of customs and practices associated with the tradition... more This thesis aims to explore a wide variety of customs and practices associated with the traditional harvest in Wales, principally during the nineteenth century; with a particular focus on south-west Wales, where the evidence survives most strongly. This includes an examination of the practice of harvest migration to destinations both within and outside Wales, the traditions associated with it, and the social stresses which it engendered; with particular attention to the practice of cyflog y groes, or cross wages, in the Vale of Clwyd. The customs and symbolism surrounding the last sheaf, or caseg fedi, are scrutinised in some detail, together with their long-standing Frazerian interpretation, and an alternative approach is proposed. An exploration of a range of harvest folklore demonstrates in particular the constant personification of sheaves as animals or people. The essay concludes by tracing the traditional supper at the end of harvest, the merrymaking associated with it, and the reasons for its eventual replacement by the Christian harvest festival. Throughout the study attention will be drawn to the social and ritual tensions accompanying these customs, including tensions in the harvest field, and the contrast between co-operation among farms on the one hand and aggressive competitiveness on the other; as well as the prevailing context of subsistence or borderline deprivation in which they take place.
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3 Papers by Alan Robert Phillips