Old English Customs Extant at the Present Time

Download or read book Old English Customs Extant at the Present Time written by Peter Hempson Ditchfield and published by Lulu.com. This book was released on 2014-11-06 with total page 188 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Many customs have vanished, quietly dying out without giving a sign. The present generation has witnessed the extinction of many observances which our fathers practised and revered, and doubtless the progress of decay will continue. We have entered upon a diminished inheritance. Still it is surprising to find how much has been left; how tenaciously the English race clings to that which habit and usage have established; how ancient customs hold sway in the palace, the parliament, the army, the law courts, amongst educated people as well as unlearned rustics; how they cluster around our social institutions, are enshrined in religious ceremonial, and are preserved by law; how carefully they have been guarded through the many ages of their existence, and how deeply rooted they are in the affections of the English people.