NOTE1850
FOLK LORE. ST. VALENTINE IN NORWICH—COOK-EELS
By JOHN WODDERSPOON. (Norwich)
The day appropriated to St. Valentine is kept with some peculiarity in the city of Norwich. Although "Valentines," as generally understood, that is to say billets sent by means of the post, are as numerously employed here as in other places, yet the *custom* consists not in the transmission of a missive overflowing with hearts and darts, or poetical posies, but in something far more substantial, elegant and costly—to wit, a goodly present of value unrestricted in use or expense. Though this custom is openly adopted among relatives and others whose friendship is reciprocated, yet the secret mod…
Topics: Folk Lore, St. Valentine, Historical Customs, Cook-Eels
Locations: Norwich, Norfolk, East Anglia