[Not located], Leicestershire

W.Antliff (1885)

W. Antliff (Auth.)
LOCAL NOTES AND QUERIES No.CCLVI: NOTES: THE LEICESTERSHIRE PLOUGH-BULLOCKS
Nottingham Guardian, 7th Jan.1885, No.9028, p.6c

Description of the missioning of Leicestershire by Primitive Methodists. Article states that "There prevailed, among other practices, a system of going round the country on what is called Plough Monday, and in the most fantastic and ridulous costumes, performing the most absurd and foolish exhibitions." Money was collected. The participants were called "plough bullocks". Reference is made to a drummer, a fifer, a man who played a German flute, a man dressed in women's clothing and "old Johnny Hubbard that had a black stocking on one leg and a white one on the other."

J.B. (1886)

J. B. (Auth.)
SUPERSTITIONS AND CUSTOMS OF LEICESTERSHIRE
Nottingham Guardian, 13th Jan.1886, No.9344, p.3 g

Listing of various superstitions and customs including:

"Plough boys, plough bullocks or plough witches (for by all these names they are known), grotesquely dressed, blowing horns and drawing ploughs, perambulate on the first Monday in the new year (Plough Monday), and collect money for a feast. Mummers (now nearly extinct) perform a play in which is introduced the King of Egypt's daughter. Morrice dances are now almost a thing of the past."

Also mentioned are various omens of bad luck or future events, "shittles" (plum buns) made on Saint Valentine's Day in east Leics., Pancakes on Shrove Tuesday, women begging corn from farms on Saint Thomas's Day, customs relating to death, on the 28th May - King Charles' Day - wearing oak leaves, and at Narborough, placing oak boughs over doors. Further calendar customs: Kattern cakes baked at Caldecott on Saint Catherine's Day, May garlands and songs taken from house to house, wakes, and wrestling matches at Kibworth.

"Lester" (1894)

"Lester" (Auth.)
LOCAL NOTES AND QUERIES No.663: NOTES: THE LEICESTERSHIRE PLOUGH-BULLOCKS
*Nottinghamshire Guardian, 27th Jan.1894

Article taken verbatim from W.Antliff (1885) - TD00002 - describing how the Primitive Methodists when missioning Leicestershire encountered 'Plough Bullocks' going round on Plough Monday.

J.B. (1898)

J. B. (Auth.)
*LOCAL NOTES AND QUERIES: LEICESTERSHIRE SUPERSTITIONS AND CUSTOMS
*Nottinghamshire Guardian, 12th Aug.1898

Listing of various superstitions and customs including:

"Plough boys, plough bullocks or plough witches (for by all these names they are known), grotesquely dressed, blowing horns and drawing ploughs, perambulate on the first Monday in the new year (Plough Monday), and collect money for a feast. Mummers (now nearly extinct) perform a play in which is introduced the King of Egypt's daughter. Morrice dances are now almost a thing of the past."

Also mentioned are various omens of bad luck or future events, "shittles" (plum buns) made on Saint Valentine's Day in east Leics., Pancakes on Shrove Tuesday, women begging corn from farms on Saint Thomas's Day, customs relating to death, on the 28th May - King Charles' Day - wearing oak leaves, and at Narborough, placing oak boughs over doors. Further calendar customs: Kattern cakes baked at Caldecott on Saint Catherine's Day, May garlands and songs taken from house to house, wakes, and wrestling matches at Kibworth.

Article with identical text to J.B. (1886)

T.F.Ordish Collection (1901, M.Peacock)

Mr. Bell (Inf.); Miss Kirby (Inf.); [Mabel Peacock] (Col.)
Mummers in South Nottinghamshire and Derbyshire [Plough Monday - also in Northants.]
T.F.Ordish Collection, c.1901, Vol.III, pp.146-149

Transcript of two letters originally sent to Mabel Peacock;

The first letter from Mr. Bell of Epworth, Lincs., relates to mummers called Plough-Bullocks in South Notts., South East Derbys. and Leics.

From his own recollections of his youth in Notts. (probably mid 19th Century), Mr. Bell remembered that the customs consisted of plough trailing, with singing, dancing and horse-play in costume, but without dialogue. If people did not give money, gardens might be ploughed up or other retribution taken.

He describes a particular incident involving his niece, Mrs. H.N. She was stopped by a party in about 1881 when returning from school at Long Eaton to her home at Toton. They made her give up all the money she had on her (eightpence) under threat of being thrown into the canal.

Mentions enclosure of a copy of J.P.Briscoe's 'Nottinghamshire Gleanings', which contains notes on the subject.

One of the mummers wore a top-hat and frock-coat (the "old lord") and another was dressed as a woman, the rest had no distinctive dress, but were covered with bright-coloured ribbons stitched to their clothes.

Boys were still going round at Stapleford, with whitened faces, and singing a song which ended -

"If you haven't got a penny a halfpenny will do.
If you haven't got a halfpenny, God help you."

At one time they used to carry a plough round, - as at Hickling and if money was not given them would jag up the ground round the door (hence, it is conjectured locally the name of 'plough-jaggers.')

It is not easy to tell which of Mr. Bell's statements relate to which location. In particular, because it is not a usual Notts term, the explanation of "Plough-Jaggers" may relate to Epworth, Lincs.

The second letter from Miss Kirby, Oxendon, Northants., says that there;

"The mummers used to come on Christmas Eve and go through some performance. On Plough Monday the boys came to the door with masks on, but there was no acting. In some villages, I have been told they took a plough round to the houses. The custom has almost died out, though a few little boys still come for money."

A.H. (1926)

A. H. (Auth.)
PLOUGH BULLOCK NIGHT: A Merry Old Village Custom of Bygone Days
Nottingham Journal, 8th Jan 1926, No.31232, p.4 d-f

Mention of Plough Bullocks in records of the Old Mansfield Society, evidently meaning A.S.Buxton (1922/23). Also gives the usual general guff about plough trailing and the ploughing up of doorsteps in Notts., Lincs., and Leics., and about plough lights, taken from W.Hone (1837) by way of Chaworth-Musters (1890).

The full text is reprinted of the play from Cropwell, Notts., published by Mrs. Chaworth-Musters. This gives the characters as; Tom Fool/Bold Tom/Tommy, Recruiting Sergeant, Ribboner, Lady, Threshing Blade, Hopper Joe/Sanky-Benny, Farmer's Man, Dame Jane, Beelzebub and Doctor.

E.B. (1932)

E. B. (Auth.)
*LOCAL NOTES AND QUERIES: Plough Monday Play
*Nottinghamshire Guardian, 12th Mar.1932

*Description of plays and plough trailing from Wiverton Hall, Notts., Lincs., Leics., and Northants. Taken from T.F.Ordish (1893)

M.W.Barley (1953)

M. W. Barley (Auth.)
PLOUGH PLAYS IN THE EAST MIDLANDS
Journal of the English Folk Dance & Song Society, Dec.1953, Vol.7, No.2, pp.68-95

This is the most important single paper ever written on East Midlands folk drama. Starting from the base of E.K.Chambers (1933) "English Folk Play", he discusses 41 additional texts and other information from Lincs., Notts., Leics. and Rutland. The approach is very methodical and academically sound - as one would expect from a trained archaeologist.

There is an excellent review of early records of Plough Monday, Plough Lights and related customs from various archives. He draws particular attention to the cast of a play from Donington, Lincs. Concerning the much studied play from Revesby, Lincs., he adds that Sir Joseph Banks, the famous botanist, must have had some involvement. This is followed by details of a number of large households who were visited by Plough Monday teams. He compares the early nineteenth Century Lincs., plays published by C.R.Baskervill (1924) and modern plays from the same areas, noting marked differences in the "wooing" scenes. Comparative details are enumerated of; rewards received by the teams, malicious ploughing, trailed ploughs, and costumes. Regarding music, Barley notes the lack of recorded tunes, but is able to give three variants (including one from South Scarle, Notts.) There is brief description of the vestiges of dances present, and of Hobby Horses in North Lincs. He extensively discusses regional variations in the plays, noting differences in characters and lines, much in the manner of E.K.Chambers.

The Appendix lists around 70 records of plays. There is also a distribution map. The list does not include a number of references in the text, and these too are not to be found in the Barley's collection. Notts., examples are; Averham, Orston, and Sutton-on-Trent.

It was very commendable that Barley did not attempt to speculate on the origins of the plays, except for an unsuccessful search for possible links with Denmark. It is unforgivable therefore that P.D.Kennedy felt obliged to add a massive and patronising footnote giving the E.F.D.S.S. Establishment doctrine about the supposed ritual and symbolical origins of the plays.

M.W.Barley (1955)

M. W. Barley (Auth.)
VARIA ATQUE BREVIORA: PLOUGH PLAYS IN THE EAST MIDLANDS: FURTHER NOTES
Journal of the English Folk Dance & Song Society, Dec.1955, Vol.7, No.4, pp.249-252

This supplement to M.W.Barley (1953) gives an additional list of sources for East Midlands Plough Monday plays, Morris Dancers and plough trailing customs. These cover; 4 Leics. villages, 12 Lincs. villages, 8 Notts. villages, and Oakham, Rutland. There are also extracts on costumes from the manuscripts of Mabel Peacock

I.Jones (1980)

Idwal Jones (Auth.)
PLOUGH MONDAY AND PRIMITIVE METHODISTS IN LEICESTERSHIRE
Roomer, Dec.1980, Vol.1, No.2, pp.7-8

Article discussing W.Antliff (1885) and H.B.Kendall (1906) and the influence of Primitive Methodists on efforts to suppress Plough Monday customs in Leicestershire.

R.Palmer (1985)

Roy Palmer (Auth.)
The Folklore of Leicestershire and Rutland
Wymondham: Sycamore Press Ltd., 1985, 0-905837-22-3, 288pp.

*This book contains an extensive survey of Plough Monday customs in Leicestershire and Rutland (pp.86-90). Places mentioned include Glenfield, Fleckney, Arnesby, Ridlington, Woodhouse Eaves, Claybrooke, Bagworth, Willoughby Waterless, Grimston, Melton, Belgrave, Elmesthorpe, Broughton Astley, Markfield, Kings Norton, Leicester, and Ab Kettleby, Leics., and Greetham, Bisbrooke, Ryhall, Preston, and Seaton, Rutland.

The text of a Ploughboy Night play from Sproxton, Leics., is given on pp.157-164 together with musical scores. This was performed until the 1890s, and the characters were; Fool/Tommy, Recruiting Sergeant, Farmer's Man, Lady, Beelzebub/Bellzie, and Doctor. Other places mentioned as having had plays are; Oakham & Clipsham, Rutland, and Market Bosworth & Ratby, Leics.

Christmas Mummers plays are described on pp.153-157, including the text of a play from Caldecott, Rutland, also including musical scores. This "Mummiers' Play" was performed about 1905, and included the characters; Open Your Door, Guier, King George, Slasher, Doctor, Belzebub and the Miser.

Other Christmas plays are mentioned from Leicester, Lutterworth, Kibworth, Belgrave, Bosworth, Burbage, Gilmorton, Glaston, Ibstock, Knossington, & North Kilworth, Leics., and Edith Weston, Rutland

A photograph show a Plough Sunday church service at Great Easton, Leics., which took place in 1978.

* indicates data that not yet been validated against the original source and/or has yet to be completely indexed.