Chambers's Book of Days

Robert Chambers, The Book of Days: A Miscellany of Popular Antiquities in Connection with the Calendar (2 vols, 1862-1864).

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Two volumes, 1862 to 1864. Facsimile reprints are easy to find, and original sets turn up second-hand.

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301 to 325 of 439 entries

10 August

16 August

22 August, not tied to the day

23 August, not tied to the day

24 August

29 August, not tied to the day

31 August, not tied to the day

1 September

3 September, not tied to the day

4 September

7 September, not tied to the day

Folklore from the old calendars

Barton Mere and the Price of Corn Lore and belief SuffolkBarton Mere, about four miles from Bury St Edmunds, swells to twelve or fourteen acres in some years and shrinks to a pond or dries out in others.
Cutting the Nails Lore and belief East AngliaAn East Anglian rhyme gave a meaning to cutting your nails on each day of the week: health on Monday, wealth on Tuesday, news on Wednesday and a new pair of shoes on Thursday.
Giving Away the Cradle Lore and belief SuffolkA mother who gave away all her baby's clothes, or the cradle, was sure to have another baby.
In by the Back Door Lore and belief ScotlandIt was unlucky to go into a house you were about to live in by the back door.
Mushrooms Once Seen Lore and belief SuffolkIt was said in Suffolk that mushrooms will not grow any more once they have been seen.
Never Count the Catch Lore and belief West CountryIn the west of England it was believed that if you counted the fish you had caught, you would catch no more.
Stockings Inside Out Lore and belief EnglandIt was thought lucky to put on a garment inside out by accident, especially a stocking.
The Apple on the Stream Lore and belief West CountryIn the same western district, to find the body of someone drowned in a river, people sent an apple floating down from above the spot where the body was thought to lie.
The Clothes of the Dead Lore and belief SuffolkWhen a dead person's clothes were given away to the poor, people would say that however good they looked they would not last.
The Elder and the Lightning Lore and belief SuffolkA Suffolk child told Chambers's correspondent that it was quite safe to shelter from a thunderstorm under an elder tree.