Grampian Club > Scotland, social and domestic

Social Customs. 121
grants me to have receaved all and hail the scrame
of two pound, auchteine shillings Scotts money, for
singing at umquill Sir Robert Farquhar of Monnay his
Lyk be this my tikit of resset subscryvit with my
hand, at Aberdeene the 13 day of Januaris 1666 yeers.
Thomas Davidsone."
In some of the outlying districts the proceedings
of the latewake culminated in a festival, at the chesting
of the corpse. This took place on the night preceding
the funeral, the festivity being known as the dargies or
dirgies. The occasion was often attended with bois-
terous levity and merry-making. When the apart-
ment became crowded, some of the company would
seat themselves in front of the bed in which the
corpse lay uncoffined. On such occasions the company
looked upon the remains of mortality without feelings
other than those which would prompt the merry laugh
or excite the ill-timed jest.
Persons whose education might have led society to
expect becoming behaviour at their hands, indulged in
practical jesting at the latewake. About the close of
the last century a dargies was held in the parish of
Monifieth, Forfarshire. A large gathering took place
in the chamber of the deceased. Among the number was
Mr. William Craighead, the parish schoolmaster, a man
of some literary attainments, and author of a popular
system of arithmetic. There had been much romping
and giggling on the part of the female portion of the
watchers, and Mr. Craighead unwisely judged that an
alarm which he planned with a confederate would check
the evil. Having induced the watchers to leave the
apartment for a little, he hastily removed the corpse
into the barn, while his confederate lay down in the