| PART I. |
| SUPERSTITIOUS BELIEFS AND PRACTICES. |
| PAGE |
| Introduction | [1] |
| Lancashire Alchemists | [23] |
| Lancashire Astrologers | [33] |
| Bells | [41] |
| Beal-tine or Beltane Fires; Relics of Baal Worship | [45] |
| Boggarts, Ghosts, and Haunted Places | [49] |
| Boggart Hole Clough | [50] |
| Boggarts or Ghosts in Old Halls | [51] |
| House Boggarts, or Labouring Goblins | [56] |
| Hornby Park Mistress and Margaret Brackin | [59] |
| Boggarts in the Nineteenth Century | [61] |
| CHARMS AND SPELLS. |
| Charms and Spells against Evil Beings | [62] |
| A Charm, written in Cypher, against Witchcraft and Evil Spirits | [63] |
| The Crow Charm and the Lady-bird Charm | [70] |
| Pimpernel | [71] |
| The Mountain Ash, or Wicken or Wiggen Tree | [72] |
| Charms to Cure Sickness, Wounds, Cattle Distemper, etc. | [74] |
| Charms for the Toothache | [75] |
| Vervain, for Wounds, etc. | [76] |
| Charms to Stop Bleeding | [77] |
| Touching for the King's Evil | [77] |
| Cures for Warts | [78] |
| Cure for Hydrocephalus in Cattle | [79] |
| Cattle Disorders.—The Shrew Tree in Carnforth | [79] |
| Charms for Ague | [80] |
| Stinging of Nettles | [80] |
| Jaundice | [80] |
| To Procure Sleep by Changing the Direction of the Bed | [80] |
| THE DEVIL, DEMONS, &c. |
| The Devil | [81] |
| Raising the Devil | [83] |
| The Devil and the Schoolmaster at Cockerham | [83] |
| Old Nick | [84] |
| Demonology | [86] |
| Demon and Goblin Superstitions | [88] |
| Dispossessing a Demoniac | [92] |
| Demoniacal Possession in 1594 | [92] |
| Demoniacal Possession in 1689 | [98] |
| DIVINATION. |
| Divination | [102] |
| Divination at Marriages | [103] |
| Divination by Bible and Key | [103] |
| Another Lancashire form of Divination | [104] |
| Divination by the Dying | [104] |
| Second-sight | [105] |
| Spirits of the Dying and the Dead | [105] |
| Casting Lots, &c. | [106] |
| MISCELLANEOUS FOLK-LORE. |
| Druidical Rock Basins | [106] |
| Elves and Fairies | [110] |
| Folk-Lore of Eccles and the Neighbourhood | [113] |
| Tree Barnacles; or, Geese hatched from Sea-shells | [116] |
| Warts from Washing in Egg-water | [121] |
| Fortune-telling.—Wise Men and Cunning Women, &c. | [121] |
| Magic and Magicians | [126] |
| Edward Kelly, the Seer | [126] |
| Raising the Dead at Walton-le-Dale | [128] |
| An Earl of Derby charged with keeping a Conjuror | [129] |
| MIRACLES. |
| Miracles, or Miraculous Stories | [131] |
| Miracles by a Dead Duke of Lancaster and King | [132] |
| A Miraculous Footprint in Brindle Church | [134] |
| The Footprint at Smithells of George Marsh, the Martyr | [135] |
| A Legend of Cartmel Church | [137] |
| The Prophet Elias, a Lancashire Fanatic | [138] |
| OMENS AND PREDICATIONS. |
| Omens and Predications | [138] |
| Cats | [141] |
| Dogs | [142] |
| Lambs | [142] |
| Birds | [142] |
| Swallows | [143] |
| Magpies | [143] |
| Dreams | [145] |
| The Moon | [149] |
| Hæver or Hiver | [149] |
| Deasil or Widersinnis | [151] |
| Omens of Weather for New Year's-day | [151] |
| Death Tick or Death Watch | [152] |
| SUPERSTITIONS, GENERAL AND MISCELLANEOUS. |
| Popular Superstitions | [153] |
| Bones of St. Lawrence, at Chorley | [157] |
| The Dead Man's Hand | [158] |
| Nineteenth Century Superstition | [164] |
| Pendle Forest Superstition | [164] |
| East Lancashire Superstition | [165] |
| Superstitious Fears and Cruelties | [167] |
| Superstitious Beliefs in Manchester in the Sixteenth Century | [168] |
| Wells and Springs | [169] |
| WITCHES AND WITCHCRAFT. |
| Witchcraft in the Fifteenth Century | [174] |
| The Famous History of the Lancashire Witches | [176] |
| Dr. Dee charged with Witchcraft | [178] |
| The Lancashire Witches | [179] |
| Superstitious Fear of Witchcraft | [182] |
| A Household Bewitched | [184] |
| The Lancashire Witches of 1612 | [185] |
| The Samlesbury Witches | [194] |
| Witchcraft at Middleton | [195] |
| Witchcraft in 1633-34 | [195] |
| The Lancashire Witches of 1633-4 | [200] |
| Lancashire Witch-finders | [200] |
| The Forest of Pendle—The Haunt of the Lancashire Witches | [202] |
| Pendle Hill and its Witches | [204] |
| Witchcraft about 1654 | [206] |
| A Liverpool Witch in 1667 | [206] |
| The Witch of Singleton | [207] |
| Witchcraft at Chowbent in the Eighteenth Century | [207] |
| Killing a Witch | [208] |
| A Recent Witch, near Burnley | [209] |
| "Lating" or "Leeting" Witches | [210] |
| PART II. |
| LOCAL CUSTOMS AND USAGES AT VARIOUS SEASONS. |
| Church and Season Festivals | [212] |
| New Year's-day | [214] |
| Fire on New Year's Eve | [214] |
| New Year's Luck | [214] |
| New Year's First Caller | [215] |
| New Year's-day and Old Christmas-day | [216] |
| Auld Wife Hakes | [216] |
| New Year's Gifts and Wishes | [216] |
| Shrovetide | [217] |
| Shrove-Tuesday, or Pancake Tuesday | [218] |
| Cock-throwing and Cock-fighting | [218] |
| Cock-fighting about Blackburn | [220] |
| Cock-penny at Clitheroe | [220] |
| Cock-fighting at Burnley | [220] |
| Shrovetide Customs in the Fylde | [221] |
| Lent.—Ash-Wednesday | [221] |
| Mid-Lent Sunday, or "Mothering Sunday" | [222] |
| Simnel Cakes | [223] |
| To Dianeme | [223] |
| Bury | [224] |
| Bragot-Sunday | [225] |
| Fag-pie Sunday | [226] |
| Good Friday | [226] |
| Easter | [227] |
| Pasche, Pace, or Easter Eggs | [228] |
| Pace Egging in Blackburn | [228] |
| Pace or Peace Egging in East Lancashire | [231] |
| Easter Sports at the Manchester Free Grammar School | [231] |
| "Lifting," or "Heaving" at Easter | [233] |
| Easter Game of the Ring | [234] |
| Playing "Old Ball" | [234] |
| Acting with "Ball" | [235] |
| Easter Customs in the Fylde | [236] |
| May-day Customs | [238] |
| May Songs | [239] |
| May-day Eve | [239] |
| May-day Custom | [240] |
| Pendleton and Pendlebury May-pole and Games | [240] |
| May Custom in Spotland | [242] |
| May-day Customs in the Fylde | [242] |
| The May-pole of Lostock | [243] |
| Robin Hood and May-games at Burnley, in 1579 | [244] |
| May-day in Manchester | [245] |
| Queen of the May, &c. | [246] |
| Whitsuntide | [246] |
| Whit-Tuesday.—King and Queen at Downham | [248] |
| Rogations or Gang Days | [248] |
| Oatmeal Charity at Ince | [249] |
| Names for Moons in Autumn | [250] |
| "Goose-Intentos" | [250] |
| All Souls'-day | [251] |
| Gunpowder Plot and Guy Fawkes | [251] |
| Christmas | [252] |
| Creatures Worshipping on Christmas Eve | [253] |
| Christmas Mumming | [253] |
| The Hobby Horse, or Old Ball | [254] |
| Christmas Customs in the Fylde | [254] |
| Celebration of Christmas at Wycoller Hall | [256] |
| Carols, &c. | [257] |
| EATING AND DRINKING CUSTOMS. |
| Various | [258] |
| The Havercake Lads | [258] |
| Wooden Shoes and Oaten Bread or Jannocks | [259] |
| Pork Pasties | [260] |
| BIRTH AND BAPTISMAL CUSTOMS. |
| Presents to Women in Childbed | [260] |
| Tea-drinking after Childbirth | [261] |
| Turning the Bed after Childbirth | [261] |
| An Unbaptized Child cannot die | [262] |
| Gifts to Infants | [262] |
| BETROTHING AND BRIDAL OR WEDDING CUSTOMS. |
| Betrothing Customs | [263] |
| Curious Wedding Custom | [263] |
| Courting and Wedding Customs in the Fylde | [264] |
| Ancient Bridal Custom.—The Bride's Chair and the Fairy Hole | [265] |
| Burnley | [265] |
| Marriages at Manchester Parish Church | [265] |
| DYING, DEATH-BED, AND FUNERAL CUSTOMS. |
| Dying Hardly | [268] |
| Burying in Woollen | [269] |
| Funeral Dole and Arval Cake | [270] |
| Dalton-in-Furness | [271] |
| Old Funeral Customs at Warton | [271] |
| Funeral Customs in the Fylde | [272] |
| Mode of Burial of a Widow who had taken Religious Vows | [273] |
| Funeral Customs in East Lancashire | [273] |
| Bidding to Funerals | [274] |
| Situation and Direction of Graves | [275] |
| CUSTOMS OF MANORS. |
| The Honour of Knighthood | [277] |
| Maritagium | [278] |
| Peculiar Services and Tenures | [278] |
| Manor of Cockerham—Regulations for the Sale of Ale | [281] |
| Manorial Customs in Furness | [281] |
| The Lord's Yule Feast at Ashton | [286] |
| Riding the Black Lad at Ashton-under-Lyne | [289] |
| Boon Shearing | [292] |
| The Principal or Heriot | [293] |
| Denton Rent-boons | [294] |
| A Saxon Constablewick | [295] |
| Talliage or Tallage | [296] |
| Rochdale Tithe, Easter-dues, Mortuaries, etc. | [297] |
| Farm and Agricultural Celebrations in the Fylde | [298] |
| Dalton-in-Furness | [299] |
| Letting Sheep Farms in Bowland | [300] |
| Mediæval Latin Law Terms | [300] |
| Customs [Dues] at Warrington | [301] |