Folklore as an Historical Science

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                           FOLKLORE AS AN
                         HISTORICAL SCIENCE


                                 BY
                       GEORGE LAURENCE GOMME


                  WITH TWENTY-EIGHT ILLUSTRATIONS


                             METHUEN & CO.
                         36 ESSEX STREET W.C.
                               LONDON




                     _First Published in 1908_


[Illustration: "PEDLAR'S SEAT," SWAFFHAM CHURCH]




CONTENTS


CHAPTER

I. HISTORY AND FOLKLORE                             _pages_  1-122

      INTRODUCTORY                             _pages_  1-13

      HISTORY AND LOCAL AND PERSONAL TRADITIONS        13-46

      HISTORY AND FOLK-TALES                           46-84

      TRADITIONAL LAW                                 84-100

      MYTHOLOGY AND TRADITION                        100-110

      HISTORIANS AND TRADITION                       110-120


II. MATERIALS AND METHODS                                  123-179

      TRADITIONAL MATERIAL                           123-129

      MYTH, FOLK-TALE, AND LEGEND                    129-153

      CUSTOM, BELIEF, AND RITE                       154-179


III. PSYCHOLOGICAL CONDITIONS                              180-207


IV. ANTHROPOLOGICAL CONDITIONS                             208-302

      PRIMITIVE INFLUENCES                           211-238

      EARLIEST TYPES OF SOCIAL EXISTENCE             238-261

      AUSTRALIAN TOTEM SOCIETY TESTED BY THE
          EVIDENCE                                   262-274

      TOTEM SURVIVALS IN BRITAIN                     274-296

      SYNOPSIS OF CULTURE-STRUCTURE OF SEMANGS
          OF MALAY PENINSULA                         297-302


V. SOCIOLOGICAL CONDITIONS                                 303-319


VI. EUROPEAN CONDITIONS                                    320-337


VII. ETHNOLOGICAL CONDITIONS                               338-366


INDEX                                                      367-371




LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS


                                                                  PAGE
1. PEDLAR'S SEAT, SWAFFHAM CHURCH, NORFOLK.             _Frontispiece_

2. CARVED WOODEN FIGURE OF THE PEDLAR IN SWAFFHAM
         CHURCH                                                      8

3. CARVED WOODEN FIGURE OF THE PEDLAR'S DOG IN SWAFFHAM
         CHURCH                                                      8

      Nos. 1-3 are taken from photographs, and show how the
    story of the Pedlar of Swaffham has been interpreted in
    carving. The costume of the Pedlar is noticeable.

4. THE PEDLAR OF LAMBETH AND HIS DOG, FIGURED IN THE
         WINDOW (NOW DESTROYED) OF LAMBETH CHURCH (from
         Allen's _History of Lambeth_)                              20

5. THE PEDLAR OF LAMBETH AND HIS DOG AS DRAWN IN 1786
         FOR DUCAREL'S _History of Lambeth_                         22

      Nos. 4 and 5 illustrate the traces of the Pedlar legend
    in Lambeth, and the costume of the Pedlar, though later
    than that shown in the Swaffham carving, exhibits analogous
    features which are of interest to the argument.

6. PLAN OF THE SITE OF THE "HEAVEN'S WALLS" AT LITLINGTON,
         NEAR ROYSTON, CAMBRIDGESHIRE (reprinted from
           _Archæologia_)                                           43

7. SKETCH OF LITLINGTON FIELD (reprinted from
         _Archæologia_)                                             44

      Nos. 6 and 7 show the site and general appearance
    of this interesting relic of the Roman occupation of
    Britain.

8. STONE MONUMENTS ERECTED AS MEMORIALS IN A KASYA
          VILLAGE (reprinted from _Asiatic Researches_)             55

9. STONE SEATS AT A KASYA VILLAGE (reprinted from _Asiatic
         Researches_)                                               55

10. VIEW IN THE KASYA HILLS, SHOWING STONE MEMORIALS
          (reprinted from _Asiatic Researches_)                     56

      No. 8 shows the practice among the primitive hill-tribes
    of India of erecting memorials in stone to tribal heroes,
    and No. 9 is a curious illustration of the stones used as
    seats by tribesmen at their tribal assemblies. No. 10 is a
    general view of the site occupied by these stone monuments.

11. THE AULD CA-KNOWE: CALLING THE BURGESS ROLL AT
          HAWICK (reprinted from Craig and Laing's
          _Hawick Tradition_)                                       98

12. THE HAWICK MOAT AT SUNRISE (reprinted from Craig and
          Laing)                                                    99

      The tribal gathering is well illustrated by No. 11, and
    the moat hill is shown in No. 12.

13. ONE OF FIVE STONE CIRCLES IN THE FIELDS OPPOSITE THE
          GLEBE OF NYMPHSFIELD (reprinted from Sir William
          Wilde's _Lough Corrib_)                                  101

14.