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A sluggard waker was an 18th-century job undertaken by a Peak Experience – Castleton
The actual tapping was not done by hand, nor was it done particularly gently or subtly. The sticks (or wands) used to do the tapping were usually long straight poles of stout local woods, and were sometimes tipped with either brass knobs, forks (both added and natural in the wood), or fox tails. In some regions of England there was a clear definition of which tips were for what purpose, sometimes to the extent of the stick having two ends. A brass tip or fork would usually be used for waking the men, while the fox tail was used for waking the female congregants.
A sluggard waker was an 18th-century job undertaken by a parishioner
A parish is a territorial entity in many Christian denominations, constituting a division within a diocese. A parish is under the pastoral care and clerical jurisdiction of a priest, often termed a parish priest, who might be assisted by one or m ...
(usually the parish clerk
A parish is a territorial entity in many Christian denominations, constituting a division within a diocese. A parish is under the pastoral care and clerical jurisdiction of a priest, often termed a parish priest, who might be assisted by one or ...
), in British
British may refer to:
Peoples, culture, and language
* British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories, and Crown Dependencies.
** Britishness, the British identity and common culture
* British English, ...
churches. The sole task of the sluggard waker was to watch the congregation during the services and tap anyone who appeared to be falling asleep sharply on the head.The actual tapping was not done by hand, nor was it done particularly gently or subtly. The sticks (or wands) used to do the tapping were usually long straight poles of stout local woods, and were sometimes tipped with either brass knobs, forks (both added and natural in the wood), or fox tails. In some regions of England there was a clear definition of which tips were for what purpose, sometimes to the extent of the stick having two ends. A brass tip or fork would usually be used for waking the men, while the fox tail was used for waking the female congregants.
See also
*Keisaku
In Zen Buddhism, the ''keisaku'' (Japanese: 警策, Chinese: 香板, ''xiāng bǎn''; ''kyōsaku'' in the Soto school) is a flat wooden stick or slat used during periods of meditation to remedy sleepiness or lapses of concentration. This is ac ...
– a similar tool used in Zen meditation
References