Wiltshire Snail Folklore

Snail Broth.
I knew two persons who were dosed with snail broth; it was used as a cure for consumption and wasting complaints. One of the patients was a young woman living at Bishopstrow, the other was a lad whose home was in Wales.

The black, shell-less slugs that come out at night when the dew falls on the grass were also recommended to be eaten for the same disease, and I have been told by old folks now living in South Wilts that they have known many who partook of them.

But for the snail broth I can myself vouch. The broth was made by boiling the nails, shells and all, in milk, straining it, and giving it to the sick person fasting, generally before breakfast. It was very slimy and jellified when cold.

As children, we used to amuse ourselves by picking up the snails and singing -
"Snail, snail, put out your horns,
Or else I'll kill you."
or
"Snail, snail, come out of your hole,
Or else I'll beat you as black as a coal."

In Wiltshire Notes and Queries volume 1 (1894-5), p315.


In the neighbourhood of Swindon, Wilts, it is a common thing to see men snail hunting in the road-side hedges - filling sacks with the dainty mollusc, for which they find a ready market in the town, where the snail is regarded as a delicacy. One man has told me he remembers some 30 years ago a doctor ordering snails, stewed, as a strengthening medicine after scarlet fever. The process generally adopted for cooking them is to put them on a hot iron, and when the shell is crumbled to pieces the snail is ready to eat. The Spectator published an interesting discussion on this subject a few months ago.

As above, p370.