In the Regency era, All Hallows Eve or Nutcrack night would have largely been celebrations of the working class, and particularly the Irish and Scottish. I have written a bit about All Hallows Eve and its history, but wanted to present some additional primary sources to give a bit of flavor for what Halloween was like in the Regency era. Its easy to see in the early traditions threads of the traditions still prevalent in American celebrations of Halloween–sweets, apples, tricks, spells, and going to neighbors for both tricks and treats.
The Repository of Arts, Literature, Fashions, Manufactures, &c, Volume 4 August 1817
Dictionary of Phrase and Fable: Giving the Derivation, Source, Or Origin of…, 1898
The London Magazine, 1826
A glossary of North country words, 1825
Observatins on Popular Antiquities, 1813
