God’s Kitchel

‘God’s Kichel, a cake given to godchildren at their asking a blessing.’ This is the meaning given in Dunton’s Ladies’ Dictionary 1694.

Cowell, in his Law Dictionary on the word ‘Kichell,’ says: ‘It was a good old custom for godfathers and godmothers, every time their godchildren asked them a blessing, to give them a cake, which was a God’s-Kichell. It is a still proverbial saying in some countries: “ask me a blessing, and I will give you some plum-cake”.’