Before the calendar change of 1752, St Barnabas’s Day on 11 June fell close to the summer solstice, and country people still called it the longest day. Hone records the rhyme they kept long after the dates had moved, and notes that the light nights began about now and lasted into July.
Barnaby Bright
11 June
Lore and belief
Barnaby Bright, Barnaby Bright, The longest day and the shortest night.
From Hone's Every-Day Book, vol. 1, col. 771. Read the original
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