. Rush-bearing: an account of the old custom of strewing rushes; carrying rushes to church; the rush-cart; garlands in churches; morris-dancers; the wakes; the rush. rtles fromdust. Rushes be olde courtiers, and when they benothing worth then they be cast out of the doores ; sobe many that do treade upon them. In Somersetshire, the name of bulrush is applied tothe common rush (Juneus), and this is quite intelli-gible, if we understand the name to be the same asPole-rush or Pool-rush, which is said to be found in oldwriters. This was given to the plant from its growingin pools, like the French
. Rush-bearing: an account of the old custom of strewing rushes; carrying rushes to church; the rush-cart; garlands in churches; morris-dancers; the wakes; the rush. rtles fromdust. Rushes be olde courtiers, and when they benothing worth then they be cast out of the doores ; sobe many that do treade upon them. In Somersetshire, the name of bulrush is applied tothe common rush (Juneus), and this is quite intelli-gible, if we understand the name to be the same asPole-rush or Pool-rush, which is said to be found in oldwriters. This was given to the plant from its growingin pools, like the French Jonc deatc, and the Anglo-Saxon Ea-risce, only that the Scirpus is to be under-stood in these cases. \ The rush in most frequent use was probably theAcorns calamus, or sweet flag, which though, botanic-ally speaking, not a rush at all, would be thus looselyclassed by a rustic gatherer. Rush-chairs.—The use of rush-bottomed chairs,says Tuer, § which are again coming into aesthetic * Ilampsons Medii .-Evi Kalendarium, 1S41, p. 343. t Bulwarke of Defence, 1579, fol. 21. X Friends Flowers and Flower Lore, 18S6, p. 475. § Old London Street Cries, 1885, p. Q S o Httj 172 RUSH-BEARING. fashion, cannot be traced back quite a century and ahalf. The chairs in the time of Elizabeth were wood,with the seats and backs stuffed. In that of QueenAnne, they were seated and backed with cane. In thecountry districts the cry of chairs to mend is fre-quently heard, the stock-in-trade of the travellingchair-mender consisting of a thick bundle of pliant driedrushes, generally six feet long, and a few tools, and,in some cases, a smaller bundle of split canes. Thecharge for re-bottoming a chair runs from is. 6d. to2s. 6d., and they are more comfortable to sit upon thancane ones. Rush-charms.—In Devonshire, the rush is used ina charm for the thrush, as follows : Take three rushesfrom any running stream, and pass them separatelythrough the mouth of the infant, then plunge the rushesagain into
Size: 1300px × 1922px
Photo credit: © The Reading Room / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No
Keywords: ., bo, bookcentury1800, bookdecade1890, bookidrushbearingaccou00burt
