British Populre Customs. By the Rev. T. F. Thiselton Dyer,
M.A. (Bell and See.,.)—The extension and progress of education, the conse- quent der :me of superstition, and the non-observance of several Church holy?..ys have given the coup de grace to many customs which had been observed from time immemorial in nearly all towns and villages of Great Britain. To the antiquarian and social historian the records of them are valuable, as illustrating a past age, while they are exceed- ingly interesting to the general reader. A. great number of them had already been collected and discussed in "The Every-day Book" and " The Book of Days," the cream of which has been transferred to the pages of Mr. Dyer. Besides these, he has ransacked a host of archasologieak authorities and county histories to render his subject as complete as possible. The result of this is an account of popular customs which far surpasses anything of the kind hitherto attempted. Not only have we here given the etymological significance of the name, its origin—if it can possibly be got at—and the general observances of it, but he par- ticularises those of the different counties, arranged for facility of refer- ence in alphabetical order. The minor customs and fairs are treated, as carefully as May-day or Christmas, and present some curious- features. We recommend those who talk so much about the good old customs to study this book, and see if they are worth preserving by- intelligent people.
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