Old Superstitions (1961)
L, S of a rocky bay in Cornwall; possibly Veryan. Various nice shots of round houses in the village of Veryan. Commentator tells us they are built like that to keep the devil away. The idea is that the devil gets dizzy, running round and round trying to find a corner to hide in; they also have a cross at the top of the roof. L, S of a modern house (a home for seaman s widows) that has incorporated two round houses into the architecture. At Newlyn, 10yearold twins Joanna and Clare Harman (dressed identically except one wears glasses) demonstrate the custom of girls baptising a new doll at a wishing well (really a hole in the foundation stone of a Christian cross that dates back to the Third Century). The girls sprinkle water on their doll s head and then drop a pin into the water for luck to complete the ceremony. At Madron we see Mrs Nash (the twin s grandmother) showing her daughter Mrs Harman (the twin s mother) the tradition of standing stones used as a cure for rheumatism. Mrs Har
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