Hucknall (SK5349), Nottinghamshire

L.Jewitt (1853)

Llewellynn Jewitt (Auth.)
ON ANCIENT CUSTOMS AND SPORTS OF THE COUNTY OF NOTTINGHAM
*Journal of the British Archaeological Association, 1853, Vol.8, pp.229-240

A rambling general summary of customs in Notts. It followed two similar papers concerning Cheshire and Derbyshire, and a certain amount of extrapolation from these counties is evident.

Among the customs covered are; drawing lots for Valentines near Mansfield, the blessing of St. Ann's Well, Nottingham on Easter Monday and of another well at Newark, a May-pole at Hucknall Folkard [presumably meant to be Hucknall Torkard], divination on All Hallows at Lenton, the perambulation of crib called a Wassail Cup at Christmas, and Groaning Cakes & Cheeses - a birth custom.

He quotes Deering's description of the Midsummer's Eve watch at Nottingham.

The description of Christmas says "... the mummers, or guisors, pass from house to house, and still perform their play of St. George..."

Also; "On Plough Monday, as well as during the Christmas holidays, the plough bullocks are still to be seen in various parts of the country. This extremely picturesque and popular custom, - with its plough, drawn by farmer's men, gaily dressed in ribbands, its drivers, with their long wands and bladders, its sword-dancers, its fool and its celebrated Bessy, and hobby-horse, - I have described in my Derbyshire paper; it will therefore be sufficient to say, that amongst other places the neighbourhoods of Newstead, Mansfield, and Southwell, are still famous for its observance, and that it has been well described by Washington Irving in his Newstead Abbey."

"J.Granby" (1951)

"John Granby" (Auth.)
*LOCAL NOTES AND QUERIES: Poor owd 'oss
*Nottinghamshire Guardian, 15th Dec.1951

Source states:

"RUSTIC wassailing was not yet extinct, but the excesses of disgruntled plough-bullockers had put them out of favour. Mummers or guisers entertained villagers with their play of St. George into the later years of the century.

At Mansfield, the hobby-horse performance was represented by the 'Poor old 'oss' until about 1870. Still later at Sutton-in-Ashfield a man was accustomed to parade the streets at four o'clock in the morning ringing a bell to summon people to awake and prepare for Christmas.

Children at Hucknall continued to carry about a glass-topped box in which dolls representing the Virgin and infant Babe lay among ivy and holly.

At each house of call the covering cloth was withdrawn, the images viewed, and it was deemed unlucky to let the children depart without a gift.

The Education Act of 1870 helped to put an end to old customs, but some struggled on to disappear completely during the war of 1914-18.

It is significant of the hold Christmas customs obtained upon the public that present conditions of life have not killed them all. Some of the more domestic celebrations still exist. Others have lately been revived."

P.T.Millington Collection (1971, L.Platt)

Lawrence Platt (Col.)
MISCELLANEOUS NOTES ON NOTTINGHAMSHIRE AND DERBYSHIRE FOLK DRAMA RECORDED BY PETER T. MILLINGTON: HUCKNALL Notts SK 5349
P.T.Millington Collection, Col. 1970

Brief note as follows:-

"Lawrence Platt of the Nottingham Traditional Music Club stated that a 'travesty' of a plough play was still performed in Hucknall (1970)."

[At the time this record was noted, we were not really aware of non-play Plough Monday customs. So it is possible that this custom could have been a simple house visiting custom.]

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