Abstract
ABOUT seven years ago, Rough Music was made for a certain family at Copthorne, in Sussex. One Saturday night about 11 p.m., I heard the sound of shouting and banging on metal coming from about half a mile from where I then lived. I did not know what it was all about at the time, but soon afterwards I heard that the family in question were being shunned by the villagers, and demonstrations made against them. The reason for this was that the father had smacked the little boy next door for hitting his own little girl with a brick. The boy developed pneumonia shortly afterwards, and his mother claimed that it was the result of the man's blow. There was a court case about it, but it was dismissed. However, the villagers were determined to have their 'pound of flesh', and started 'rough musicking' the family. I only heard it once myself, but I understand that the demonstration was repeated on several successive Saturday nights. There was a procession and the traditional noise on each occasion, but no effigy was carried. The victims tried to stick it out, but it was too much for them in the end, and eventually they sold their cottage and moved from the district.
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