FOLK LORE.
The Baker's Daughter.
—Ophelia (Act IV. Sc. 5.) says that
"The owl was a baker's daughter."
This reminds me of a Welsh tradition concerning the female who refused a bit of dough from the oven to the Saviour "when He hungered," and was changed into Cassek gwenwyn, for לִילִית, lilish[TR: Lilith], lamia, strix, the night spectre, mara, or screech-owl.
G. M.
"Pray remember the Grotto" on St. James's Day (Vol. i., p. 5.).
—The interesting note with which MR. WILLIAM J. THOMS presented the firstborn of "NOTES AND QUERIES," may perhaps admit of a postscript, borrowed from one of Mr. Jerdan's well-deserving pupils, the Literary Gazette for 1822:
"I am inclined to believe that the illuminated grottos of oyster-shells for which the London children beg about the streets, are the representatives of some Catholic emblem which had its day, as a substitute for a more classical idol. I was struck in London with the similarity of the plea which the children of both countries urge in order to obtain a halfpenny. The 'It is but once a year, sir!' often reminded me of the
'La Cruz de Mayo
Que no come ni bebe
En todo el ano.'
'The Cross of May,
Remember pray,
Which fasts a year and feasts a day.'"
Letters from Spain. By Don Leucadio Doblado.
This to prove that I did remember the grotto.
* & ?
Manpadt House.
The King's Evil.
—One Mr. Bacon of Ferns, being an one-and-twentieth son born in wedlock, without a daughter intervening, has performed prodigious cures in the king's evil and scrofulous cases, by stroking the part with his hand. (The Gentleman's Magazine for December 1731, p. 543.)
* & ?
Bees.
—Being at a neighbour's house about a month ago, the conversation turned upon the death of a mutual acquaintance a short time prior to my visit. A venerable old lady present asked, with great earnestness of manner, "Whether Mr. R.'s bees had been informed of his death?" (Our friend R. had been a great bee-keeper.) No one appeared to be able to answer the old lady's question satisfactorily, whereat she was much concerned, and said, "Well, if the bees were not told of Mr. R's death they would leave their hives, and never return. Some people give them a piece of the funeral cake; I don't think that is absolutely necessary, but certainly it is better to tell them of the death." Being shortly afterwards in the neighbourhood of my deceased friend's residence, I went a little out of my way to inquire after the bees. Upon walking up the garden I saw the industrious little colony at full work. I learned, upon inquiring of the housekeeper, that the bees had been properly informed of Mr. R.'s death.
I was struck with the singularity of this specimen of folk-lore, and followed up the subject with further inquiries amongst my acquaintance. I found that in my own family, upon the death of my mother, some five-and-twenty years ago, the bees were duly informed of the event. A lady friend also told me, that twenty years ago, when she was at school, the father of her school-mistress died, and on that occasion the bees were made acquainted with his death, and regaled with some of the funeral cake.
I wish to know whether this custom prevails in any other, and what part of England, and to what extent?
L. L. L.
North Lincolnshire.