The Traditional Children's Games of England Scotland
& Ireland In Dictionary Form - Volume 1

With Tunes(sheet music), Singing-rhymes(lyrics), Methods Of Playing with diagrams and illustrations.

	BRANKS—BROTHER EBENEZER
	it occurs in a very ancient MS., but does not give any reference to it. Halliwell quotes the four first lines, the first line reading " Boys and girls/' instead of " Boys, boys," from a curious ballad written about the year 1720, formerly in the possession of Mr. Crofton Croker (Nursery Rhymes). Chambers also gives this rhyme (Popular Rhymes, p. 152). Branks A game formerly common at fairs, called also " Hit my Legs and miss my Pegs."—Dickinson's Cumberland Glossary. Bridgeboard A game at marbles. The boys have a board a foot long, four inches in depth, and an inch (or so) thick, with squares as in the dia­gram ; any number of holes at the ground edge, numbered irregularly. The board is placed firmly on the ground, and each player bowls at it. He wins the number of marbles denoted by the figure above the opening through which his marble passes. If he misses a hole, his marble is lost to the owner of the Bridge-board.—Earls Heaton (Herbert Hardy). [The owner or keeper of the Bridgeboard presumably pays those boys who succeed in winning marbles.] See " Nine Holes." Broken-down Tradesmen A boys' game, undescribed.—Patterson's Antrim and Down Glossary. Brother Ebenezer Ebenezer is sent out of the room, and the remainder choose one of themselves. Two children act in concert, it being understood that the last person speaking when Ebenezer goes out of the room is the person to be chosen. The medium left in the room causes the others to think of this person without letting them know that they are not choosing of their own free will. The medium then says, " Brother Ebenezer, come in," and asks him in succession, " Was it William, or Jane," &c, mentioning