The guisers and Bessie

In Lowland Scotland the guisers went out at the New Year, faces hidden behind a sheet of paper with holes for the eyes, nose and mouth. Each singing guiser had a humble partner dressed as an old woman with a cap and a broomstick, called Bessie, who opened the doors and swept the floor during the song. They were usually given a halfpenny, though some churlish householders beat them out. Bands of three to six also acted a rough play much like the English mummers’ play, and Scott had guisers perform it for his family at Ashestiel and Abbotsford.