Bulcote (SK6544), Nottinghamshire

M.W.Barley Collection (1952, P.M.Underwood - a)

P. M. Underwood (Comp.)
THE PLOUGH MONDAY PLAY: Bulcote, 1952-3.
M.W.Barley Collection, Dated Nov.1952, Ref.Ba P 1/13

Full text (163 lines) of a Plough Monday play revived in Bulcote, Notts., in 1952 and 1953. The cover has been annotated "Made up in 1952 from various other plays, mainly Scarle and Walesby." The characters are; Tom Fool/Bold Tom, Farmer's Man, Lady, Recruiting Sergeant, Dame Jane, Beelzebub/Devil and Doctor. Optional extra characters were another Farmer's Man [equivalent to Ribboner in other plays], and Hobby Horses to draw the plough.

Nottingham Guardian (1953)

[Anon.] (Auth.)
WHEN NEW SPIRIT COMES INTO VILLAGE LIFE
Nottingham Guardian, 6th Jan.1953, No.30124, p.5 c-e

Describes the revival of a Plough Monday play at Bulcote, Notts., and produced by Mrs. Phyllis Underwood. She compiled the text from several Notts., versions; South Scarle (from Mr.J.G.Holmes), Gunthorpe (from Mr. John Barker), and Scarrington. The performers were; Arthur Clay (Beelzebub), Brian Mowbray (Lady Bright and Gay), Harold Adams (Tom Fool/Bold Tom), Ted Knight, Tom Snaith, Jack Whitworth, and Cyril Brookes. Other characters were; Old Dame and Doctor.

Nottinghamshire Guardian (1953)

[Anon.] (Auth.)
A new reign starts in Bulcote [Plough Monday play photos]
Nottinghamshire Guardian, 17th Jan 1953, No.5618, p.2 a-d

Report of a Plough Monday play, performed at a dance held to raise funds for Coronation celebrations at Bulcote, Notts. There are four photos:- (1) Tom Fool, (2) Dance Hall, (3) Dame Jane showing a baby doll to Tom Fool (with a plough in the background), and (4) Lady Bright and Gay. The captions include fragments of the text.

M.W.Barley Collection (1953, P.M.Underwood - a)

Phyllis M. Underwood (Producer); Mr. Holmes (Inf.)
[Plough Boys Play at Bulcote, Notts.]
M.W.Barley Collection, Com. 15th Mar.1953, Ref.Ba P 1/13

Letter describing a revival of a Plough Boys "Plough Play" at Bulcote, Notts., in 1953. This was repeated for old people from Burton Joyce and Stoke Bardolf. It acknowledges the help of Mr. Holmes [who performed the play at South Scarle, Notts.] in getting the performance to look authentic.

M.W.Barley Collection (1953. P.M.Underwood - b)

Phyllis M. Underwood (Inf.)
[Photo of Plough Play Revival at Bulcote, Notts.]
M.W.Barley Collection, Com. 18th Apr.1953, Ref.Ba P 1/13

Photo of a Plough Play revival in 1953 at Bulcote, Notts. The characters are; Farmer's Man, Recruiting Sergeant, Doctor, Dame Jane, Beelzebub, Tom Fool and Lady. A list of individual names on the back of the photo looks like a list of people requiring reprints, and is known from press reports to include the names of performers.

I.T.Jones Collection (1981, W.Morley - a)

Mrs. Winifred Morley (Inf.)
Bulcote, Notts: Notes on phone call from Mrs Winifred Morley 5/1/81
I.T.Jones Collection, Col. 5th Jan.1981, Ref.K2-1

Notes on phone call from Mrs Morley, 3 Crowpark Drive, Burton Joyce, Notts., a member of Burton Joyce W.I. She has a script of a Plough Monday play performed in 1952 in the granary of Corporation Farm, Bulcote. The play was pieced together by Mrs Underwood, who now lives in Goring-by-Sea. It was performed by 7 farm workers, 2 of whom are still alive.

I.T.Jones Collection (1981, W.Morley – b)

Mrs. Winifred Morley (Inf.); Mr. Idwal Tudor Jones (Col.); Mr. Bob Baron (Col.)
Bulcote, Notts: Notes on visit to Mrs Morley by ITJ and Bob Barron 7/1/81
I.T.Jones Collection, Col. 7th Jan.1981, Ref.K2-2

Notes on a visit to Mrs Morley, 3 Crowpark Drive, Burton Joyce, Notts., by Idwal Jones and Bob Baron. The Plough Monday play was performed in Bulcote in 1953 and they did it on Plough Monday for about 3 years, The Plough Monday dances at which it was performed continued for about 10 years. Mrs Morley had in her possession a script identical to that in the Barley Collection but in a different typeface. She had borrowed it a few days previously from Harold Adams who had played the Fool and who now works at the Corporation Farm, Gunthorpe. Still alive are also Cyril Brookes (Doctor) who lives in the Corporation Cottages in Bulcote, Ted Knight and Brian Mowbray (Lady) who now runs a homosexuals' club in Nottingham.

I.T.Jones Collection (1981, H.Adams)

Mr. Harold Adams (Inf.)
Bulcote, Notts: Notes on phone call to Mr Harold Adams 9/1/81
I.T.Jones Collection, Col. 9th Jan.1981, Ref.K2-3

Notes on phone call to Harold Adams, Grange Farm, Gunthorpe, Notts., performer in the Plough Monday play in Bulcote. He had no idea where Mrs Underwood had got the text of the play from but just said "She was a student of Shakespeare and that sort of thing and we left it to her"

I.T.Jones Collection (1981, W.Morley - c)

Mrs. Winifred Morley (Inf.)
Bulcote, Notts: Letter to Mrs Morley 13/1/81
I.T.Jones Collection, Com. 13th Jan.1981, Ref.K2-4

Transcript of letter to Mrs Morley thanking her for our visit and enclosing various pieces of information found in the Barley Collection.

I.T.Jones Collection (1981, W.Morley - c)

Mrs. Winifred Morley (Inf.)
Bulcote, Notts: Notes on phone call from Mrs Morley 26/1/81
I.T.Jones Collection, Col. 26th Jan.1981, Ref.K2-5

Notes on phone call from Mrs Morley who phoned to say that she had written to Mrs Underwood following our visit. She gave the names of Mrs Machin senior and Mrs Flinders who may have information about the Scarrington play.