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.

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	68                      CHOW—CHUCK-FARTHING (Northamptonshire, Baker's Glossary). Clare mentions the game in one of his poems. Chow A game played in Moray and Banffshire. The ball is called the Chow. The game is the same as " Shinty." The players are equally divided. After the Chow is struck off by one party, the aim of the other is to strike it back, that it may not reach the limit or goal on their side, because in this case they lose the game, and as soon as it crosses the line the other party cry Hail! or say that it is hail, as denoting that they have gained the victory. In the beginning of each game they are allowed to raise the ball a little above the level of the ground, that they may have the advantage of a surer stroke. This is called the "deil-chap," perhaps as a contraction of "devil," in reference to the force expended on the stroke. It may, how­ever, be "dule-chap," the blow given at the "dule" or goal.— Jamieson. See " Hockey." Chuck-farthing Strutt says this game was played by boys at the commence­ment of the last century, and probably bore some analogy to " Pitch and Hustle." He saw the game thus denominated played with halfpence, every one of the competitors having a like number, either two or four; a hole being made in the ground, with a mark at a given distance for the players to stand, they pitch their halfpence singly in succession towards the hole, and he whose halfpenny lies the nearest to it has the privilege of coming first to a second mark much nearer than the former, and all the halfpence are given to him; these he pitches in a mass toward the hole, and as many of them as remain therein are his due; if any fall short or jump out of it, the second player—that is, he whose halfpenny in pitching lay nearest to the first goer's—takes them and performs in like manner; he is followed by the others as long as any of the halfpence remain (Sports, pp. 386, 387). There is a letter in the Spectator, supposed to be from the father of a romp, who, among other complaints of her conduct, says, " I have catched