The Traditional Children's Games of England Scotland
& Ireland In Dictionary Form - Volume 2

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

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196
SHUVVY-HAWLE—SILLY OLD MAN
One, two, three, four, Mary at the cottage door, Eating cherries off a plate, Five, six, seven, eight.
Up the ladder, down the wall, A twopenny loaf to serve us all ; You buy milk and I'll buy flour, And we'll have pudding in half an hour. One, two three, four, five, six, &c.
This year, next year, some time, never, repeated.
A, B, C, D, E, &c, repeated for the initial letter of the future husband's name.
Tinker, tailor, soldier, sailor, apothecary, ploughboy, thief, for future husband's vocation.
Monday, Tuesday, &c, for the wedding day.
Silk, satin, cotton, rags, for the material of the wedding gown.
Coach, carriage, wheelbarrow, dungcart, for conveyance on wedding day.
Big house, little house, pigsty, barn, for future home.—(A. B. Gomme.)
It will be seen that many of these divination formulae are used in other connections than that of "Shuttlecock," but this rather emphasises the divinatory character of the game in its original form.—See " Ball," "Teesty-tosty."
Shuvvy-Hawle
A boys' game at marbles. A small hole is made in the ground, and marbles are pushed in turn with the side of the first finger; these are won by the player pushing them into the shuvvy-hawle.—Lowsley's Berkshire Glossary.
Silly Old Man