Interesting Book

[RayandCarole]

http://www.edp24.co.uk/news/victorian_guidebook_to_the_broads_warned_that_norfolk_people_believe_in_goblins_1_4546849

looks like being an interesting purchase

Ray & Carole

[JennyMorgan]

Yep, goblins and fairies and most notably ones that pass wind, hence the Norfolk term 'Roger's Blast'

[Poppy]

1 minute ago, JennyMorgan said:

Yep, goblins and fairies and most notably ones that pass wind, hence the Norfolk term 'Roger's Blast'

Good for you 

[JennyMorgan]

A quote from the article that is well worth highlighting:

But Mr Green added: “He warns you what to expect from the natives and says they’re a lot cleverer than you think - don’t take them for fools.”  (As if any of you would!)

 

[TheQ]

The EDP article is not quite correct because in the "Pound End" part of Hoveton Little Broad (Black Horse Broad) there are Islands

[quackers]

7 hours ago, JennyMorgan said:

Yep, goblins and fairies and most notably ones that pass wind, hence the Norfolk term 'Roger's Blast'

That's interesting, Peter. Suffling describes this blast simply as a 'roger'. I have enquired elsewhere (although I wouldn't dream of doing so in these respectable portals) whether any modern sailies on the broads have ever experienced a roger.

Bill Saunders

[JennyMorgan]

Hi Bill, over the years I have heard the term both as 'roger' and 'roger's blast, one presumably as an abbreviation of the other or quite simply a clarification of  detail. Both terms are in various Norfolk books & dictionaries.

Robert Malster, in his book 'The Norfolk & Suffolk Broads' writes thus:

Roger, Sir or Rodges blast, A sudden, violent whirlwind. Forby, in his Vocabulary of East Anglia (1830) gives 'Roger's Blast', a sudden and local motion of the air.

Christopher Davies in his book 'The Norfolk Broads and Rivers (1883) also refers to the phenomenon as 'Rodge's Blast.

Malster goes into some detail as to the origin, tracing its use back to 15th century.

As to whether I have been Rogered, comprehensibly or otherwise, I admit to one such occurrence when from absolutely nowhere such a blast hit a fleet of racing Waveneys. Several were dismasted or swamped, one actually sunk, sails were ripped and from being last in the fleet I survived and became first, actually the only one still sailing. Trouble is the race was then abandoned so I missed out on a very rare occurrence, one of actually winning a race. 

[Warp]

Here in the concisely and bravely titled

THE VOCABULARY OF EAST ANGLIA

AN ATTEMPT TO RECORD THE VUlGAR TONGUE OF THE TWIN SISTER COUNTIES,

NORFOLK AND SUFFOLK,

AS IT EXISTED,

In the last Twenty Years of the Eighteenth Century,

AND STILL EXISTS

WITH PROOF OF ITS ANTIQUITY FROM ETYMOLOGY AND AUTHORITY

Antiquam exquirite matrem.- Virgil

By the late Rev. ROBERT FORBY

RECTOR OF FINCHAM NORFOLK

IN TWO VOLUMES

VOL. II.

(I would venture that he became late after the first volume or taking Virgil too literally and enquiring of the wrong ancient mother) printed in 1830, you will find the following handy definition:

"ROGER'S BLAST s. a sudden and local motion the air no otherwise perceptible but by its whirling up the dust on a dry road in perfectly calm weather somewhat in the manner of a water spout It is reckoned a sign of approaching rain."

To the modern anglophone mind of course, this equivocates roughly with a 'whirlwind'. While those with a meteorological bent are of course put in mind of Wade Szilagyi. 

 

[Warp]

Bah the link did not work correctly try this...

[JennyMorgan]

A bit more interesting reading:

http://neviditelnypes.lidovky.cz/norfolk-broads-a-arthur-ransome-dni-/p_zviretnik.aspx?c=A160517_212030_p_zviretnik_kosa

[JennyMorgan]

Lots of pictures here:

http://likalika.rajce.idnes.cz/Ve_stopach_Arthura_Ransoma_-_Norfolske_reky_Broads_3/

[Warp]

46 minutes ago, JennyMorgan said:

A bit more interesting reading:

http://neviditelnypes.lidovky.cz/norfolk-broads-a-arthur-ransome-dni-/p_zviretnik.aspx?c=A160517_212030_p_zviretnik_kosa

This is actually a rather good diary. Especially the bit about it being a sailors dream to sail down the street made real near potter. Looks like following the book really got them a lot out of their holiday.

[JennyMorgan]

Have never thought of sailing along between the posh sheds of Potter as sailing along the street but it is a valid and amusing comment. Just one thought though, cars and lorries don't normally tack (zig zag) down the high street!