Each Year as Christmas approaches the strains of Street
musicians are heard in Great Britain. The origin of the custom
is to be traced through eight centuries and it throws many
sidelights on manners and customs of the past. For the origin of
the word a score of variants can be cited. Originally a noun
from the Anglo-Saxon wacian - to watch or guard – the word
became altered by the Normans to gaite (Fr. guet), although it
is not certain that the noun form may not be an adoption from
the Teutonic Wahta, (German, Wacht). The word “waits ” gave rise
to two curious errors. One, that the word did not occur in the
singular and the other, that the performers took their name from
their instruments. Both errors are found in Busby’s Dictionary
of Music’ (2nd ed. 1806, s.v.Wayghtes or Waits). The survival of
occupational names such as Gait, Wait (e), or Wakeman serves to
indicate the use of such word-forms in the singular. The lists
of freemen of York (Surtees Society, 1896-1900) record between
1272 and 1759, no fewer t