CABDIL VIII

CLIAGHTYN BENTYN RISH POOSEY AS BAASE

VA’N oie roish y vannish va cayrnyn sheidit fud ny hoie.

Haink sheshaght yn ven-phoosee voish yn thie eck as yn dooinney poosee voish yn thie echeysyn, as va’d dy mernick goll dagh raad gys y cheeill derrey yinnagh ad meeiteil y cheilley, as eisht craa laueyn as croymmey nyn ghing. .

Hie yn ven-phoosee marish yn vraar eck, ny fer faggys mooinj erys j'ee gys y cheeill, as y dooinney-poosee marish y chuyr echey myr va lheid echey, ny yn chinney sniessey.

Paart dy cheayrtyn veagh queig jeig ny feed gigyn. Va’n feallagh va ayns ny gigyn imneagh dy yeeaghyn jeh ny cabbil oc.

Ny vud ny labreeyri va fainey dy mennick yeeassit son yn laa, as paart dy cheayrtyn veagh ad jannoo ymmyd jeh ogher dorrys y cheeill.

Ta mee er chlashtyn jeh fainey va yeeassit son poosey as caillit, as feddynit lane bleeantyn lurg shen.

CHAPTER VIII

CUSTOMS CONNECTED WITH MARRIAGE AND DEATH

THE night before a wedding horns were blown during the night.

The bride’s party came from her house, and the bridegroom from his house, and they often went each a different road to the church until they would meet one another, and then shake hands, and bow their heads.

The bride went with her brother, or nearest relation, to the church, and the bridegroom with his sister, if the like was at him (if he had one), or the nearest of kin.

Sometimes there would be fifteen or twenty gigs. Persons in the gigs would be anxious (desirous) of showing off their horses.

Among the labouring people the ring was often lent for the day, and sometimes they would use the key of the church door.

I have heard of a ring that was lent for a marriage and lost, and found many years after.

Cha row eh coontit aigh vie dy choayl yn fainey, ny lhiggey da tuittym er yn thalloo.

Ayns shenn hraaghyn haink sleih hug yn vannish er dreeym cabbil, as paart dy keayrtyn veagh whilleen as three feed cabbil.

Va ny shelleeyn Manninee feer veg, as ren ad ymmyd jeh pollanyn jeant jeh eaddagh as coonlagh er nyn ghreeymyn. Ny keayrtyn veagh yn yen phoosee soie chooyl yn dooinney poosee er yn phollan.

Tra va’n poosey harrish ren ad lhiggey thie cha tappee as oddagh ad gys thie yn yen phoosee. Quoi roshtagh gys y thie hoshiaght v’ad dy mennick eabey quoi yinnagh tayrtyn braag feayshtey jeh’n yen phoosee, ny yn chryss ghlioon eck, tra v’ee goll stiagh ayns y thie.

Va paart dy soddag banshey brisht ayns meeryn veggey, as skeaylt harrish kione yn yen phoosee tra v’ee gentreil y thie cheet voish y cheeill.

It was not considered good luck to lose the ring, or let it fall on the ground.

In old times people came to the wedding on horseback, and sometimes there would be as many as sixty horses.

The Manx ponies were very small, and they used a pack-saddle made of cloth and straw on their backs. Sometimes the bride would sit behind the bridegroom on the pack-saddle.

When the wedding was over they galloped home as quickly as they could to the bride’s house. Who(ever) would reach the house first would often try who would catch the slipper off the bride, or her garter, when she was going into the house.

A portion of the wedding cake was broken in little pieces, and scattered over the head of the bride when she was entering the house coming from the church.

Va’n viol cloieder coontit kiart wheesh as va’n saggyrt, as hooar eh yn unnysup. Va daunsin freaylt seose gys oor anmagh, as va paichey lhune da dy chooilley nane.

My va’n chuyr saa poost roish y chuyr shinney, va’n chuyr shinney dy ghaunsey ayns trie oashyryn.

Tra va ny goaldee goll thie eç yn oie va’n oashyr jeh cass chiare jeh’n yen phoosee currit trooid yri uinnag, as yn yen aeg nagh row poost yinnagh tayrtyn ee va coontit yn nah nane dy ye poost. Va meer jeh soddag vanshey currit trooid yn fainey, as currit da ny ‘neenyn aegey as ny guillyn aegey dy chur fo ny clooiesagyn oc dy yeeaghyn jinnagh ad fakin ny graihderyn ayns ashlish.

Va ben ainshter H—— poost ayns eaddagli varkee dimmity vane.

The fiddler was valued just as much as the parson was, and he got the " deserving " (what he deserved *) Dancing was kept up until a late hour, and there was plenty of ale for every one.

If a younger sister was married before an elder one, the elder sister had to dance in her " stocking feet " (with her slippers taken off). When the guests were going home at night the stocking of the left foot of the bride was put through the window, and the young woman that was unmarried who would catch it was reckoned the next one to be married. A piece Of the wedding cake was put through the ring and given to the young girls and the young boys to put under their pillows, to see would they see their lovers in a dream.

Mistress H—— was married in a riding habit of white " dimity."

* I.e. his fee.

Va shenn yen seyr ginsh dou tra v’ee ny lhiannoo v’ee ec bannish, as ven-phoosee veih Glion Sulby, as va’n dooinney poosee veih Jurby.

Va mysh keead goaldagh ayn, deiney, mraane, as paitchyn, paart er dreem cabbil, paart ayns gigyn, as paart elley ayns kartyn, as v’ad lhiggey gunnaghyn ooilley yn raad gys yn cheeill.

Va’d cummal ad ny keayrtyn lesh tedd tessen yn raad, dy chur orroo geeck leagh, red va cadjin ec bannish.

Va stoandey dy lhune currit er mullagh y chleigh cheu-mooie jeh’n thie, da sleih nagh row ec y vannish.

An old lady told me that when she was a child she was at a wedding, and the bride was from Sulby Glen, and the bridegroom from Jurby.

There were about one hundred guests, men, women, and children, some on horseback, some in gigs, some others in carts, and they were firing guns all the way to the church.

They kept them sometimes with a rope across the road, to make them pay a reward (a footing), a thing common at a wedding.

A barrel of ale was put on the top of a hedge outside of the house, for the people who were not at the wedding.

My yinnagh dooinney tranlasse noi ennaghtyn dy leih liorish brishey poosey, va’d dy mennick goaill yn leigh ayns ny laueyn oc hene.

Ta cooinaght aym er dooinney enmyssit "—— yn Ollick," jeh Beemakem. Haink mysh jeih as feed ny daeed dooinney geiyrt er gys Ballanorris, er laa feailey. Ren ad goaill giat jeh ny jeushanyn, as cur eh er y vullagh, as hug ad lesh yn yiat lesh eshyn er y vullagh gys thie y yen echey.

Va’d gyllagh, as kiaulleeagh, as gyllagh far-enmyn da, as briaght jeh c’red v’eh er ye jannoo. Va’n eaddagh echey raipit, as v’eh bunnys rooisht, roish hooar eh thie hug yn yen echey. Va paart jeu bwoailley eh lesh maidjyn. Eisht hie ad ooilley gys yn thie oast dy gheddyn lhune harrish. Red va dooinney ny jees agglagh ad-hene dy yannoo, cha row ad agglagh tra va’d ooilley cooidjagh. Ye enmyssit "Cur dooinney er y stang."

If a man would offend against public opinion by committing adultery, they would often take the law into their own hands.

I remember a man who was called "—— the Christmas," of Beemakem. About thirty or forty men came after him to Ballanorris, on a holiday. They took a gate off the hinges, and they put him on the top of it, and they brought the gate with him on the top to the house of his wife.

They were shouting, and singing, and calling him nicknames, and asking what he had been doing. His clothes were torn, and he was almost naked before he got home to his wife. Some of them were beating him with sticks. Then they all went to the tavern to get ale over it. A thing that one or two men were themselves afraid to do, they were not afraid when they were all together. They called it "putting a man on the stang."

Va’n stang lorg liauyr, va sleih va jannoo tranlaase currit dy varkiagh, er cabbyl fuygh, as eisht v’ad kippit er yn lorg.

Ayns yn traa shoh va giat jeant ymmyd jeh, er yn oyr dy row mooarane deiney son shassoo fo dy chur lesh yn dooiney thie.

Ayns shenn hraaghyn va ny kirp ny merriu coodit lesh brelleein verriu, as v’ee freaylt ayns y thie son yn oanluckey. V’ee dy kinjagh aarloo, as v’ee ny keayrtyn freaylt ayns y thie son bleeantyn.

Va claare lesh sollan currit er yn chorp marroo, as dy mennick va foaid geayney as sollan currit fo yn lhiabbee.

Va lane credjue oc ayns sollan, son dy row eh smooinit dy reayll eeast as feill voish goll mow. V’ad cur sollan ayns bainney tra v’eh creckit, ny ayns cooid erbee elley veagh yeeassit, ny currit ersooyl.

Va’d credjal dy row reddyn va goll dy haghyrt cur caslys jeh reddyn va goll dy haghyrt.

The stang was a long pole on which people who transgressed were put to ride, on a wooden horse, and then they were whipped on the pole.

On this occasion a gate was used, because many men could stand under it to bring the man home.

In old times corpses were covered with a sheet for the dead (winding-sheet), and it was kept in the house for the funeral. It was always ready, and it was sometimes kept in the house for years.

A dish of salt was put on the dead body, and often a green sod and salt were put under the bed.

They had great belief in salt, for it was thought to keep fish and flesh from going rotten. They put salt into milk when it was sold, or in any other goods that would be lent, or given away.

They believed that things that were going to happen gave a sign of the things which were going to happen.

Va paart dy caslysyn baase myr shoh. Va ushag getlagh noi yn uinnag.

Kellagh kiark gerrym ayns yn ole, as ny cassyn echey feayr. My veagh ny cassyn echey cheh ye monney bannish.

Yn chiag merriu ayns yn chamyr.

Smarageyn cheet seose trooid yn chymlee cheumooie yn thie.

Brishey gless erbee choud as va pyagh ching.

Kiark gerrym.

Tra va brelleein-verriu er yn chainle.

Pohnnaryn cloie ec jannoo oanluckey.

Cur mysh ny boandyrys oikan ayns ashlish.

Va ny ashlishyn smooinit dy gholl noi.

Tra va corp marroo, va ny uinnagyn coodit, as freaylt myr shen derrey veagh yn chorp goll ersooyl voish yn dorrys, as eisht va ny coodaghyn er ny ghoaill jeh. V’ad dy ye goit jeh er aggle dy beagh oanluckey elley ayns traa gerrid.

Some of the signs of death were thus:

A bird flying against the window.

A cock crowing in the night, and his feet cold. If his feet were warm it meant a wedding.

The dead bell (watch) in the room.

Sparks coming up through the chimney out-side of the house.

Breaking any glass as long as a person was sick.

A hen crowing.

When a winding-sheet was on the candle.

Children playing at making a funeral.

Dressing or nursing a child in a dream.

Dreams were thought to go against (by contraries).

When a body was dead, the windows were covered, and kept so until the body would be going away from the door, and then the coverings were taken off. They were to be taken off lest there should be another funeral in a short time.

Va arrey ny farrar freaylt er dy chooilley chorp, as va feailley dy chooilley oie choud as veagh yn chorp ayns y thie.

Dy chooilley oie va ny nabooyn as sleih mooinjerey yn phyagh marroo cheet dy chur stiagh yn oie maroo. Veagh lhune as bee, piobyn as tombaghey, son pyagh erbee yinnagh jannoo ymmyd jeu. Veagh mennick viol-cloieder ayn, as veagh ad kiauleeaght as dole fud-ny-hoie. Ny keayrtyn veagh yn chiauleeaght feer hrimsagh. Veagh cainleyn freaylt loshtey marish yn chorp marroo, as veagh gless-huarystal as dy chooilley horch dy ghless coodit lesh coodagh bane. Ec traa yn oanluckey veagh ooilley sleih harragh raad liauyr, ny ny nabooyn, geddin bee as feeyn ny lhune, as ye chebbit da sleih cheumooie jeh’n thie, nagh darragh ad stiagh.

A watch or wake was kept over every body, and there was a feast every night as long as the corpse would be in the house.

Every night the neighbours and relations of the dead person came to spend the night with them. There would be ale and food, pipes and tobacco, for any one who would make use of them. There would often be a fiddler, and they would sing and play through the night. Some-times the singing would be very mournful. Candles would be kept burning with the dead body, and the looking-glass, and every kind of glass (vessel) would be covered with a white cover. At the time of the funeral all the people who would come from a long distance, or the neighbours, would get food, and wine or ale, and it was offered to people outside of the house, if they would not come in.

Tra va’n choir verriu currit er yn charbyd, va caayn oanluckee kiauleeit, as freaylt seose tra va’n cheshaght faagail yn dorrys. Va shoh jeant ec y toshiaght dy reayll ersooyl drogh spyrrydyn. Veagh ad kiauleeagh ooilley yn raad gys y cheeill. Shoh va’n oyr dy row clag bwoailt tra va pyagh erbee marroo, as myrgeddin yn oyr v’eh bwoailt tra va’n oanluckey cheet gys y cheeill, dy eiyrt ersooyl drogh spyrrydyn. Mannagh row yn kiaulleeaght mie, ye smooinit dy row eh cowrey jeh oanluckey elley ayns traa gerrid. Ye ymmyrchagh da’n oanluckey dy gholl er y raad va’n fer cliaghtey goll gys y cheeill. Beign da’n oanluckey goll er raad killagh, as ragh ad trooid lhionteenyn roish harragh ad raad erbee elley.

When the box of the dead (coffin) was placed on the bier, a funeral tune was sung, and kept up when the company was leaving the door. This was done at the beginning to keep bad spirits away. They would sing all the way to the church. This was the reason the bell was tolled when any one was dead, and also the reason it was struck (tolled) when the funeral was coming to the church, to drive away evil spirits. If the singing was not good, it was thought to be a sign of another funeral in a short time. It was necessary for the funeral to go on the road the person used to go to church. The funeral must go on a church road, and they would go through valleys before they would go any other road.

Bollagh eh ye yn leigh ayns Mannin, my va lhiannoo ec ben roish v’ee poost, my yinnagh yn dooinney poosey ee ec traa erbee lurg shen, veagh yn lhiannoo eirey hug yn thalloo ny cooid erbee veagh echey.

Te foast yn leigh, dy vod yn lhiannoo ye eirey my veagh yn jishig as moir poost cheusthie jeh daa vlein lurg da’n lhiannoo ye ruggit.

Ta —— er yannoo assee da Mannin, liorish nagh vel eh er hoilshaghey yn leigh shoh ayns yn hoar echey. Ren eh cur da sleih ayns ayrnyn elley jeh’n reeriaght Hostyn baght aggairagh jeh ellynyn Vannin, son lhisagh soilshey ennagh jeh’n leigh shoh er ye currit ayns y hoar, son ta’n leigh shoh er-lheh bentyn gys yn ellan shoh.

V’eh leigh dy chairys.

It used to be the law in the Isle of Man, if a woman had a child before she was married, if the man would marry her at any time after, the child would be heir to the land or any goods he might have.

It is yet the law, that the child can inherit if the father and mother are married within two years after the child is born.

——^[*] has done wrong to the Isle of Man, since he has not made clear this law in his book. It gave people in other parts of the realm of England a wrong view of the morals of the Isle of Man, for some explanation of this law should have been given in the book, for this law especially belongs to this island.

It was a law of justice.

[*fpc: - almost certainly a reference to Hall Caine and his novel the Deemster]

Any comments, errors or omissions gratefully received The Editor
HTML Transcription © F.Coakley , 1999