 | |
| Alternative names | Birky |
|---|---|
| Type | Adding-up-type |
| Players | 2 [1] |
| Skills | Observation, quick reactions |
| Cards | 52 |
| Deck | French-suited |
| Rank (high→low) | Assumed natural ranking, Aces low |
| Play | Alternate |
| Chance | High |
| Related games | |
| Beggar my Neighbour • Battle | |
Birkie or Birky is an historical Scottish west coast card game for two players that is first recorded by Sir Walter Scott in 1819. It has been equated to Beggar my Neighbour, however, its rules are different.
Birkie is first recorded in Scott's Bride of Lammermoor in 1819 where he writes "But Bucklaw cared no more about riding the first horse and that sort of thing, than he, Craigengelt, did about a game at birkie." [2]
In 1820, John Galt alludes to the game in his Ayrshire Legatees thus: "It was an understood thing that not only Whist and Catch-Honours were to be played, but even obstreperous Birky itself for the diversion of such of the company as were not used to gambling games." [3]
In 1824, Birkie is listed as one of the most popular card games in Galloway alongside "catch the ten, or catch honours, lent for beans, brag and pairs for slaes, [lower-alpha 1] Beggar my Neebour... Love after Supper, and Wha to be married first." They are described as "rustic games", unlike "Whist, Cribbage and other genteel nonsense." [4]
Although recorded initially in the west coast regions of Ayrshire and Galloway, by the 1850s it appears the game had reached Glasgow, being played by print workers alongside catch the ten and all fours. [5]
Jamieson derives the name 'birkie' from the Icelandic berk-ia, to boast. [1]
The only description of the rules are two brief accounts by John Jamieson in his dictionaries of the Scottish language. The first runs as follows: [1]
BIRKIE, BIRKY, s[ubstantive]. A childish game at cards, in which the players throw down a card alternately. Only two play; and the person who throws down the highest takes up the trick, S[cotland]. In England it is called Beggar-my-neighbour. Of this game there are said to be two kinds, King's Birkie and Common Birkie. From the Islandic berk-ia to boast; because the one rivals his antagonist with his card.
Later editions change "childish" to "trifling" and add that "he who follows suit [with a higher card] wins the trick, if he seizes the heap before his opponent can cover his card with one of his own". [6]
Despite its equation to the English game of Beggar my Neighbour, it is different because a) it is listed separately by John Mactaggart; [4] b) no pay cards (A K Q J) are mentioned i.e. cards which, when played, require the opponent to play a specified number of further cards which, if all are numerals, are captured by the player of the pay card; and c) there is a requirement to follow suit, unlike Beggar my Neighbour. However, the aim is similar: to win by acquiring all the cards. It may be that the above rules describe common birkie and that, in king's birkie, the king was perhaps the highest card and also a pay card. [7]
A card game is any game that uses playing cards as the primary device with which the game is played, whether the cards are of a traditional design or specifically created for the game (proprietary). Countless card games exist, including families of related games. A small number of card games played with traditional decks have formally standardized rules with international tournaments being held, but most are folk games whose rules may vary by region, culture, location or from circle to circle.
Sir Walter Scott, 1st Baronet, was a Scottish historian, novelist, poet, and playwright. Many of his works remain classics of European and Scottish literature, notably the novels Ivanhoe (1819), Rob Roy (1817), Waverley (1814), Old Mortality (1816), The Heart of Mid-Lothian (1818), and The Bride of Lammermoor (1819), along with the narrative poems Marmion (1808) and The Lady of the Lake (1810). He had a major impact on European and American literature.
Whist is a classic English trick-taking card game which was widely played in the 18th and 19th centuries. Although the rules are simple, there is scope for strategic play.
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This article contains information about the literary events and publications of 1821.
This article contains information about the literary events and publications of 1819.
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The Bride of Lammermoor is a historical novel by Sir Walter Scott, published in 1819, one of the Waverley novels. The novel is set in the Lammermuir Hills of south-east Scotland, shortly before the Act of Union of 1707, or shortly after the Act. It tells of a tragic love affair between young Lucy Ashton and her family's enemy Edgar Ravenswood. Scott indicated the plot was based on an actual incident. The Bride of Lammermoor and A Legend of Montrose were published together anonymously as the third of Scott's Tales of My Landlord series. The story is the basis for Donizetti's 1835 opera Lucia di Lammermoor.
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Robert Mudie (1777–1842) was a newspaper editor and author.
Thomas ThomsonFRSE FSA Scot was a Scottish advocate, antiquarian and archivist who served as Principal Clerk of Session (1828–1852) and as secretary of the literary section of the Royal Society of Edinburgh (1812–20).
The following is a glossary of terms used in card games. Besides the terms listed here, there are thousands of common and uncommon slang terms. Terms in this glossary should not be game-specific, but apply to a wide range of card games played with non-proprietary packs. It should not include terms solely related to casino or banking games. For glossaries that relate primarily to one game or family of similar games, see Game-specific glossaries.
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Scottish literature in the nineteenth century includes all written and published works in Scotland or by Scottish writers in the period. It includes literature written in English, Scottish Gaelic and Scots in forms including poetry, novels, drama and the short story.
Events from the year 1821 in Scotland.
The Compleat Gamester, first published in 1674, is one of the earliest known English-language games compendia. It was published anonymously, but later attributed to Charles Cotton (1630–1687). Further editions appeared in the period up to 1754 before it was eclipsed by Mr. Hoyle's Games by Edmond Hoyle (1672–1769).
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