Mischief Night

[OldShep]

It looks like Mischief Night on the night before bonfire night is a northern English thing... as is calling a swede a turnip.

But then again, a friend who's the same age as me who grew up near Kendal always did Mischief Night on the 30th Oct... but folk are weird up in Westmorland.

I agree with the confusion of turnips and swedes. They were always turnips to me and only discovered there were also swedes when I went to agricultural college. Something to do with where the leaves started from on the stem. I must have been nearly 30 before I ever saw the little white things known as turnips.
Back in the sixties in my North Yorks village mischief night was about a week before bonfire night so that ties with 30th. Garden gates shuffled about and golden syrup on car handles.

 

[Archie_tect]

Mischief Night on 4th Nov, where I was in Leeds... it certainly didn't involve dressing up and demanding sweets with menaces.

+ if the gangs of lads managed to either pinch the best bits of, or as a last resort set fire to, the opposition's bonfire then that was considered a bonus...

 

[Drago]

Nothing here so far.

 

[oldwheels]

Never heard of mischief night. Nobody has mentioned so far the trick probably more common in rural areas where houses were not so tall of climbing up and putting a slate over the top of the living room chimney.

 

[MontyVeda]

Never heard of mischief night. ...

To help with our research, may i take your age and location please? 📊

... Nobody has mentioned so far the trick probably more common in rural areas where houses were not so tall of climbing up and putting a slate over the top of the living room chimney.

🤣 ...until someone does it to you 🤬

 

[keithmac]

"Miggy night" was a thing in Yorkshire in the late 80's, think it's died a death nowadays though.

 

[CanucksTraveller]

We never used to break anything but we were the bane of local topiarists. There was a straight run of about 16 semi detached houses on our road which all had gorgeous, trimmed privet hedges of about 3 feet on the upper side of the slopes and a 5 foot drop the other side, one after the next. We called it the Winter Grand National and it had as many runners as its namesake, and equal chances of breaking your leg and getting shot.

 

[oldwheels]

To help with our research, may i take your age and location please? 📊

🤣 ...until someone does it to you 🤬

I never give my age but have mentioned in various posts I live on Isle of Mull which is not really relevant in this context as the prank mentioned is probably more like Ayrshire or Angus or Aberdeenshire with large rural areas.

 

[DRM]

We never used to break anything but we were the bane of local topiarists. There was a straight run of about 16 semi detached houses on our road which all had gorgeous, trimmed privet hedges of about 3 feet on the upper side of the slopes and a 5 foot drop the other side, one after the next. We called it the Winter Grand National and it had as many runners as its namesake, and equal chances of breaking your leg and getting shot.

View attachment 556098

Funnily enough we also had a hedge hopping highlight called the grand national, one hedge with a steep drop on the far side was known as beeches brook too, and mischief night was the night before bonfire night, tying all the dustbins to the door handles, knocking on the doors and scarpering etc, also collecting the chumps for the bonfire and raiding any other bonfire we came across too.

 

[Accy cyclist]

Mischief night to us as kids was about buying bangers then letting them off. That was about it. Was that mischievous enough?

 

[MontyVeda]

Mischief night to us as kids was about buying bangers then letting them off. That was about it. Was that mischievous enough?

How very middle class... the only bangers we could afford were our fists, banging on doors and legging it

 

[figbat]

49 years old, grew up in various places (Shrops, NE Scotland, W Germany but mostly in W Oxon) and more recently have lived in W Berks and now S Oxon. Until a few days ago, never heard of it.