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254 THREE DUKES
intermarrying of " parishes " for a long series of years necesÂsarily resulting in close inter-relationship. One curious effect of this is that no one is counted as a M relation " beyond first cousins; for if " relationship " went further than that it might 44 almost as well include the whole parish." The old proverb (also from East Anglia) :
44 To change the name, and not the letter, Is a change for the worse, and not for the better; " that is, it is unlucky for a woman to marry a man whose surname begins with the same letter as her own, also indicates a survival of the necessity of marrying into another clan or tribal family.
Another interesting point in the game is the refrain, "With a rancy, tancy, tay," which with variations accompanies all versions, and separates this game from some otherwise akin to it. There is little doubt that this refrain represents an old tribal war cry, from which "slogans" or family "cries" were derived. These cries were not only used in times of warfare, tribes were assembled by them, each leader of a clan or party having a distinguishing cry and blast of a horn peculiar to himself, and the sounding of this particular blast or cry would be recognised by men of the same party, who would go to each other's assistance if need were. The refrain is sung by all the players in Oxfordshire and Lancashire, and in some verÂsions the players in this game put their hands to their mouths as if imitating a blast from a horn, and a Lancashire version (about 1820-1830), quoted by Miss Burne, has for the refrain, "With a rancy, tancy, terry boys horn, with a rancy, tancy, tee." "The burden," says Miss Burne, "evidently represented a flourish of trumpets." The Barnes version, "With a rancy, tancy, terrimus hey!" and many others confirm this.
An interesting article by Dr. Karl Blind (Antiquary\ ix. 63-72), on the Hawick riding song, " Teribus ye Teri Odin," points out that this slogan, which occurs in the " Hawick Common-Riding Song," a song used at the annual Riding of the Marches of the Common, is an ancient Germanic war-cry. Dr. Blind, quoting from a pamphlet, Flodden Field and New Version of the Common Riding Song, says, " It is most likely |
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