Nottingham (SK5739), Nottinghamshire

Creswell's Nottingham Journal (1763a)

[Anon.] (Auth.)
[Advert for date of Nottingham's Epiphany Fair]
Creswell's Nottingham Journal, 24th Dec.1763, Vol.II, No.152, p.3 c

Advert, reading;

" NOTTINGHAM, Dec.23, 1763
NOTICE is hereby given,
THAT the next FAIR for this Town, called the EPIPHANY-
FAIR will be held upon Friday the Twentieth Day of January
next, the same Fair being every Year held on Friday next after
the Thirteenth Day of January."

Creswell's Nottingham Journal (1763b)

[Anon.] (Auth.)
[Advert for date of Nottingham's Epiphany Fair]
Creswell's Nottingham Journal, 31st Dec.1763, Vol.II, No.153, p.3 b

Advert, reading;

" NOTTINGHAM, Dec.23, 1763
NOTICE is hereby given,
THAT the next FAIR for this Town, called the EPIPHANY-
FAIR will be held upon Friday the Twentieth Day of January
next, the same Fair being every Year held on Friday next after
the Thirteenth Day of January."

Nottingham Review (1820)

[Anon.] (Auth.)
[Plough Day Fair at Nottingham]
Nottingham Review, 21st Jan.1820, Vol.XII, No.603, p.3 a

"At our plough day fair held last Friday, there was but a moderate show of horses; those of superior qualities fetched high prices, while those of the inferior kind could scarcely find any purchasers. Horned cattle of the store kind, declined in price, and buyers were shy, owing to the inclement season."

Nottingham Review (1822)

[Anon.] (Auth.)
[Plough Day Fair at Nottingham]
Nottingham Review, 25th Jan.1822, Vol.XIV, No.711, p.3 c

"Our plow-day fair, on Friday, was the thinnest of stock we ever saw; there was not a sufficient supply of stores, and fat beasts were sold at better prices. Pigs also experienced an advance. Real good horses sold well, but inferior ones, and especially those calculated for agricultural purposes, hung very heavily on hand, and could not be sold at any price."

W.Howitt (1838)

William Howitt (Auth.)
THE RURAL LIFE OF ENGLAND: IN TWO VOLUMES - VOL. II [Christmas and Plough-Monday]
London: Longman, Orme, Brown, Green & Longmans, 1838, pp.217-218

Page 217 mentions a Christmas play witnessed at Calden-Low, Staffs. This included the characters; St. George, King of Egypt, Saba and Doctor. Page 218 gives the following details of Plough Monday - cited several times by W.E.Doubleday.

"New Year's Day is yet a day of salutations; Valentine's-Day has yet some sportive observance amongst the young; and Plough-Monday, here and there, in the thoroughly agricultural districts, sends out its motley team. This consists of the farm-servants and labourers. They are dressed in harlequin guise, with wooden swords, plenty of ribbons, faces daubed with white-lead, red-ochre, and lamp-black. One is always dressed in woman's clothes and armed with a besom, a sort of burlesque mixture of Witch and Columbine. Another drives the team of men-horses with a long wand, at the end of which is tied a bladder instead of a lash; so that blows are given without pain, but with plenty of noise. The insolence of these Plough-bullocks, as they are called, which might accord with ancient license, but does not at all suit modern habits, has contributed more than anything else, to put them down. They visited every house of any account, and solicited a contribution in no very humble terms. If refused, their practice was to plough up the garden walk, or do some other mischief. One band ploughed up the palisades of a widow lady of our acquaintance, and having to appear before a magistrate for it, and to pay damages, never afterwards visited that neighbourhood. In some places I have known them to enter houses, whence they could only be ejected by the main power of the collected neighbours; for they extended their excursions often to the distance of ten miles or more, and where they were most unknown there practised the most insolence. Nobody regrets the discontinuance of this usage."

William Howitt (1792-1879) was born in Heanor, Derbys., of Quaker parents, but was educated away from home. He spent his early adult life in Nottingham, becoming an Alderman, before moving to Surrey.

T.Miller (1849)

Thomas Miller (Auth.)
THE ILLUSTRATED LONDON ALMANACK, 1849 [Plough Monday]
London: The Office of the Illustrated London News, pp.6-7,illus.

The chapter headed "January. - Plough Monday" give a long and somewhat poetic account of plough trailing on Plough Monday over 20 years before, during Miller's "boyish youth". The illustration shows a plough being drawn by men, accompanied by "Betsy" (a man in a dress) with a collecting box, a fiddler and a drummer, and several men carrying raised farm hand tools.

Miller was born in Gainsborough, Lincs., in 1807 and spent time on local farms before becoming a basket maker. He spent his early manhood in Nottingham, before moving to London in 1835. His account could relate to Nottingham but is more likely to relate to his youth in Gainsborough in the years around 1820.

Given the publisher, is is probably that the account was published earlier in the "Illustrated London News". It was much reproduced afterwards in other books and publications.

"John Granby" (1953) quoted a later reproduction of this account but misidentified his source as Miller's "Country Year Book" (1847 & 1856), which does not mention Plough Monday.

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."

T.Miller (1855)

Thomas Miller (Auth.)
THE YEAR-BOOK OF COUNTRY LIFE
London: Houlston and Stoneman; Wm. S. Orr and Co., 1855, pp.7-10

A long account of plough trailing on Plough Monday, first published in T.Miller (1849) q.v.

It seems likely that "John Granby" (1953) quoted from this book, but misidentified it as Miller's "Country Year Book" (1847 & 1856), which does not mention Plough Monday.

W.Howitt (1862)

William Howitt (Auth.)
THE RURAL LIFE OF ENGLAND: THIRD EDITION [Plough-Monday]
London: Longman, Green, Longman, Roberts & Green, 1862, pp.471-472

Among a fair volume of folklore material, there is a brief description of Plough Monday;

"We have now made a hasty sketch of those old festivals which still retain more or less of their ancient influence. We have endeavoured to shew what is the present state of custom and feeling in these particulars by contrasting it with the past. New Year's Day is yet a day of salutations; Valentine's-Day has yet some sportive observance amongst the young; and Plough-Monday, here and there, in the thoroughly agricultural districts, sends out its motley team. This consists of the farm-servants and labourers. They are dressed in harlequin guise, with wooden swords, plenty of ribbons, faces daubed with white-lead, red-ochre, and lamp-black. One is always dressed in woman's clothes and armed with a besom, a sort of burlesque mixture of Witch and Columbine. Another drives the team of men-horses with a long wand, at the end of which is tied a bladder instead of a lash; so that blows are given without pain, but plenty of noise. The insolence of these Plough-bullocks, as they are called, which might accord with ancient license, but does not at all suit modern habits, has contributed more than anything else to put them down. They visited every house of any account, and solicited a contribution in no very humble terms. If refused, it was their practice to plough up the garden walk, or do some other mischief. One band ploughed up the palisades of a widow lady of our acquaintance, and having to appear before a magistrate for it, and to pay damages, never afterwards visited that neighbourhood. In some places I have known them to enter houses, whence they could only be ejected by the main power of the collected neighbours; for they extended their excursions often to a distance of ten miles or more, and where they were most unknown they practised the greatest insolence. Nobody regrets the discontinuance of this usage."

William Howitt (1792-1879) was born in Heanor, Derbys., of Quaker parents, but educated away from home. He spent his early adult life in Nottingham, becoming an Alderman, before moving to Surrey.

Nottingham Evening Post (1879)

[Anon.] (Auth.)
NOTTINGHAM PLOUGH-DAY FAIR
Nottingham Evening Post, 17th Jan.1879, No.222, p.3 e

"The annual Plough-Day Fair in connection with the Nottingham Cattle Market was held to-day, when a large quantity of stock was disposed of both by auction and private contract, considering the somewhat meagre supply of cattle last year. The show of horses, however, was not so good as on previous occasions, either in point of quantity or quality, many of which remained unsold, there being only a small number of buyers present. Messrs. Bausor, Abbott and Smith, auctioneers, sold, as usual, a large number of horned stock, which generally sold at high prices, there being a number of Sheffield and Lincoln buyers in attendance. In-calf cows sold at from `20 to `30 each, while barren cows were disposed of at from `10 to `12. The same firm also sold a number of horses, which, however, were generally bought at the following prices:- Cart horses sold at from `25 to `80 each, while nag horses fetched from `20 to `30 each. In addition to the ordinary cattle sales, Mr. John Bailey, auctioneer, sold a large quantity of poultry, fish, oranges, apples, &c. His mart seemed a great centre of attraction to buyers of this class of provisions."

J.Granger (1904)

James Granger (Auth.)
OLD NOTTINGHAM: Its Streets, People, &c.: SECOND SERIES [Recruiting officer's speech]
Nottingham: Nottingham Daily Express Office, 1904, pp.59-60

This book is a collected reprint of a series of articles first published in the Nottingham Daily Express between 3rd Oct.1903 and 9th July 1904.

In describing a campaign to raise troops for the Loyal Nottinghamshire Foresters in 1796 - a year of rioting in Nottingham in 1796 - he gives the following passage, which closely resembles the Doctor's travels of some Nottinghamshire folk plays. The quotation marks are Granger's;

"As a specimen of the extravagant misrepre-
sentations held forth to recruits entering regi-
ments of the line, the local newspaper supplies
the following evidently satirical address, 'said'
to have been given by an English Officer:- I
will lead you into a country where the rivers
consist of fine nut-brown ale - where the houses
are built of hot roast beef, and the wainscots
papered with pancakes. There, my boys, it
rains plum-pudding every Sunday morning, the
streets are paved with quartern loaves, and nice
roasted pigs run about with knives and forks
stuck in them, and crying out, 'Who will eat
me? Who will eat me?"

Unfortunately, Granger gives neither the name of the paper nor a more precise date. It is conceivable that even the year may only approximate.

Corporation of Nottingham (1914)

Corporation of Nottingham (Comp.)
RECORDS OF THE BOROUGH OF NOTTINGHAM: BEING A SERIES OF EXTRACTS FROM THE ARCHIVES OF THE CORPORATION OF NOTTINGHAM: VOL.VI. 1702-1760 [includes records relating to the Plough Day Fair]
Nottingham: Thos. Forman & Sons, 1914

The extracts include the following records relating to Nottingham's Plough Day Fair;

The original Latin text of Queen Anne's Grant for the January and Easter fairs, dated 30th Aug.1712, is given on pages 2-7, with a parallel English translation.

The Minutes of the Common Council for 16th Jan.1709-10 (pp.47-48) read;

"Grant of two fairs. - Ordered That this Corporacions Members of Parliament be wrote to about getting a Grant for two Faires more in the Yeare within this Town. and to know the Charge and Difficulty. And 'tis ordered That if the said Faires be obtained; The one of them shall be on the Friday before Plow Monday and ye other on Friday before Easter."

Further minutes dated Friday 28th Dec.1711 (p.53) read;

"The New Fairs - Memorandum. Itt is agreed that applicacion be made for this town to have two new Faires on the Fryday before Plow-Monday and on the Thursday before Easter every Yeare and this Applicacion be made to our Parliament men."

Lastly, minutes dated Friday 7th March 1711-12 (p.54) read;

"Fairs - Memorandum this day Itt was agreed That the Faire which was appointed to be held on the Fryday before Plow-Monday be Described for more certainty to be kept on the Fryday imediately preceding the Tuesday next after Epiphany And that both the Faires be held on the dayes agreed on by this and the former order and for 8 dayes after."

E.B. (1921)

E. B. (Auth.)
LOCAL NOTES &.QUERIES: Origin of Plough Monday
*Nottinghamshire Guardian, 14th Jan.1921

Source states:

"I do not know if the plough is still drawn about Notts. and Derbyshire villages on Plough Monday but I remember the time when 'plough bullocks' with blackened faces, used to come round like carol singers and collect money in Nottingham streets.

The first Monday after Twelfth Day is commonly said to have been called Plough Monday because ploughing was resumed on that day. But this is only part of the origin. Blomefield's 'History of Norfolk' explains that in old times the church 'plough light' was maintained by husbandmen and on Plough Monday they went about with a plough and dancers in procession to get money to maintain the light which was kept burning in the church before some saint.

'Money for light' was the old demand of the 'plough bullocks' but in later times their chief object was 'money for beer' - E.B., Nottingham"

While E.B. cites F.Blomefield's (1775) views on plough trailing and Plough Lights. This would probably have been taken from a secondary source, rather than the original.

"Old Timer" (1925)

"Old Timer" (Auth.)
LOCAL NOTES AND QUERIES: Notts. and Derbyshire "Guisers."
Nottinghamshire Guardian, 7th Feb.1925

Description of Plough Monday plough trailing, similar to W.Hone (1837), and highlighting the characters Bessy and Fool. The play text published by G.Richardson (1925) is mentioned. Concerning Nottingham it states;

"... in some streets of Nottingham in the early '80's men with blackened faces calling themselves 'Plough Bullocks' went from yard to yard threatening to plough up doorsteps, although they had no plough, and demanding money for ale."

P.Herring (1926)

Paul Herring (Auth.)
PLOUGH MONDAY REVELS IN THE MIDLANDS
Nottinghamshire Guardian, 9th Jan.1926, No.4208, p.1 a-b,e-f

This extensive feature article describes Plough Monday activities of Plough Bullocks, Guisers and Plough-licks in Notts., the East Midlands and Norfolk using information derived from published sources.

A Notts. Plough Bullocks' play is described, with textual fragments, and the characters; [an Introducer], St. George, Turkish Knight, Doctor, Old Squire, Beelzebub. This seems to be taken from C.Brown (1891) and W.Hone (1837).

Plough Bullocks collecting money in Nottingham are mentioned.

S.R.Hole's (1902) account of morris dancers at Caunton, Notts. is extensively quoted. including the play with characters; Robin Hood, Little John, Maid Marion and Fool.

A description of the trailing of a Fool Plough, with its attendant dancers and Bessy, also seems to be taken from W.Hone (1837).

Finally there is a brief account of the plough boys' daily life, taken from Gervase Markham's (1653) "Farewell to husbandry", and J.Prior's novel "Forest Folk"

[I recollect having seen the actual newspaper containing this article at one time, and thought I saw two illustrations taken from W.Hone (1837). However, these are lacking from the clippings in Notts. County Library's folklore box. On the other hand these illustrations are included with clippings of M.W.M. (1926a & 1926b) where they appear to be a little out of context. I suspect a mix up.]

F.Collingwood (1933)

Frances Collingwood (Auth.)
Folk Lore of Nottinghamshire
Nottinghamshire Magazine, 1933, Vol.1, No.3, pp.187-188

Despite its general title, half of this article is devoted to Plough Monday plays. Brief descriptions are given of versions from Clayworth, Notts., and Blidworth, Notts., and there is an unlocated photograph of a team of actors. No text is quoted however. The Clayworth play had the characters; Soldier, Old Eezum Squeezum, Clown and Doctor, although sometimes King George or Saint George appeared instead of Soldier, and Beelzebub replaced Eezum Squeezum. The Blidworth "Plough-Bullocking" play had; King George, Doctor and a Pressgang, and is described as being extant. It was collected by Rev. Edward Dunnicliff of Ollerton. Cecil Sharp's theories on the dualistic nature of the play, and their supposed pagan origins are reiterated. The rest of the article discusses the Eakring Ball Game played on Easter Tuesdays, and Maypoles at Wellow, Edwinstowe, Linby, Farnsfield, Stapleford and Nottingham.

D.H.Brooksbank (1936)

Dora H. Brooksbank (Auth.)
*Memories Of Old World Village: Sliding Down Bannisters Of Life (Part 2)
*Nottinghamshire Guardian, 29th Aug.1936, pp.1,6

This two-part article concerns Caunton, Notts. The first part gives anecdotes concerning the authoress's move to the village, and mentions some of the village characters. The second part gives details of some village customs and an adventure in the floods. The customs mentioned include; giving an egg, bread and salt to a baby on its first visit to another house, Plough Monday mummers, St. Thomas's Day "a-begging", the Passing bell, and visits to Nottingham's Goose Fair. The mummers had a repertoire of two plays - "Alexander and the King of Egypt" and a mock trial of Sir John Barleycorn.

C.Arnot (1974)

Chris Arnot (Auth.)
It's the Owd Ossers - MUMMERS KEEP ALIVE AN OLD TRADITION
Evening Post [Nottingham], 19th Jun.1974, No.29868, pp.1,15 a-f

Article about the Owd Oss Mummers of Nottingham, and including a photo showing; Musician, Doctor, Dame, Farmer's Man, Tom Fool, Beelzebub, Recruiting Sergeant and Horse.

Nottingham Evening Post (1974c)

*[Anon.] (Auth.); *Mr. Peter Millington (Col.)
*OWD OSS MUMMERS [Appeal for information on Plough Monday plays]
*Nottingham Evening Post, 27th Nov.1974

Appeal for information by Nottingham's Owd Oss Mummers for the play they planned to take round Arnold on Plough Monday 1975.

Nottingham Evening Post (1976)

[Anon.] (Auth.)
OWD OSS MUMMERS PRESENT ...
*Nottingham Evening Post, 9th Dec. 1976

Source states;

"THE Owd Oss Mummers, presenting a traditional play of St. George and the Dragon, were a feature of a Christmas evening at the International Community Centre, Mansfield Road, Nottingham, last night."

Nottingham Evening Post (1979)

[Anon.] (Auth.)
*Omoro Theatre Co. perform Mummers' Play
*Nottingham Evening Post, 26th Feb. 1979

Photo of five actors dressed in costumes made from paper strips. The caption reads;

"NO, IT wasn't that five people were afflicted by heady illnesses brought on by exposure to that rare-for-1979 experience, sunshine.

Members of the Omoro Theatre Company, of Rectory Road, West Bridgford, were all suitably garbed for a performance of a traditional mummers' play.

And the appropriate venue was outside the Trip to Jerusalem pub, Nottingham ... by tradition, the oldest inn in England."

J.Whitelaw & P.Barber (1980)

'Squire' John Whitelaw (Auth.); 'Bagman' Phil Barber (Auth.)
Who are the owd 'oss mummers?
*Nottingham Topic, Jul.1980

Profile of the Nottingham revival folk play side the Owd Oss Mummers. It including 3 photos of them performing a Gloucestershire play with the characters Tom Pinney, Doctor, Maid Marion, Tanner, Little John and Robin Hood. A further photo shows them in the costumes of a St. George play. The article mentions plays being performed at Christmas and Plough Monday in the East Midlands, and also mentions the Owd 'Oss play from Mansfield after which they were named. The article recounts the revival of a play in Cropwell Bishop and Cropwell Butler in 1975. It also gives one or two anecdotes of performances.

L.Hanna (1981)

Lynn Hanna (Auth.)
*Owd Oss Mummers
*Nottingham News, 16th Jan. 1981

Report of the Plough Monday tour of Nottingham's Owd Oss Mummers around Gunthorpe and East Bridgford. There are two photos. One shows Tom Fool arguing with Dame Jane over the baby, and the other show the Doctor restoring Dame Jane to life. Other characters were; Ribboner, Recruiting Sergeant, Lady Bright and Gay, and Beelzebub. The article also recounts some of the groups research activities, and anecdotes of their performances.

P.Howat (1991)

Polly Howat (Auth.); Don Osmond (Illus.)
Tales of Old Nottinghamshire
Newbury: Countryside Books, 1991, 1-85306-160-3, pp.113-115

A book of miscellaneous Nottinghamshire facts and folklore, with the following chapter headings; The Nottingham Goose Fair, The Battle Of East Stoke, Footpads And Highwaymen, The Wrestling Baronet, The Shepherd's Race, The Bramley Apple, Robin Hood, The Fools From Gotham, Ned Ludd, Twist Fever, The Gypsy And The Lady, Old Sherwood Forest, Cries Of Old Nottingham, Pins And Kitty Hudson, The Rufford Mine Disaster, One Month With Nurse Thatcher, The Mothering Sunday Revival, Putting The Pig On Harrison, Mad Bad And Dangerous To Know, Of Flood And Tempest, Beating The Bounds, The Whipping Judge, Riding The Stang, The Roeites Of Calverton, The Miller Of Mansfield, Plough Bullocks, The Bessie Sheppard Stone, The Boy of Nottingham.

Material for this book appears to have been almost solely taken from previously published sources - particularly those of J.P.Briscoe.

The chapter on Plough Bullocks quotes a verse on Plough Monday by the poet Thomas Tusser (1524-1580), and mentions house visiting, mummers plays and malicious ploughing. It quotes J.P.Briscoe - probably his 1876 description of Shelford Plough Bullocks. The word of a verse of the final song of a Plough Bullock Day play are given.

Eastwood & Kimberley Advertiser (1994a)

Anon. (Auth.)
Guisers entertain Nottingham folk [play from Underwood, Notts.]
Eastwood & Kimberley Advertiser, 21st Jan.1994, Vol.95, No.5208, p.15b-d

Photo and description of the Underwood Guisers' performance at the Brewhouse Yard Museum, Nottingham. The actors are all named, five of whom originally performed the play as children in the 1940s. Their characters were; Slasher, Opener In, St George, Beelzebub, Devil Doubt and Doctor. They had performed in the Underwood area during the 1993 Christmas period.

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