Burning of the Clavie 2018

Burning of the Clavie. Account given by Chambers (1869): A common fir prop, some four feet in length, called the spoke, being then procured, a hole is bored through the tublike machine, that, as we have already said, is to form the basis of the unique structure, and a long nail, made for the purpose, and furnished gratuitously by the village blacksmith, unites the two. Curiously enough, no hammer is allowed to drive this nail, which is sent home by a smooth stone. The herringcask is next demolished, and the staves are soon undergoing a diminution at both extremities, in order to fit them for their proper position. They are nailed, at intervals of about two inches all round, to the lower edge of the Claviebarrel, while the other ends are firmly fastened to the spoke, an aperture being left sufficiently large to admit the head of a man. By this time the shades of evening have begun to descend, and soon the subdued murmur of the crowd breaks forth into one loud, prolonged cheer, as the youth who