Originally prepared for textual analysis during his PhD research on the 'Origins and Development of English Folk Plays' by Peter Millington (2002).
Original spelling and typography is retained, except that superscripts, long s and ligatured forms are not encoded.
Line identifiers are those used for line types in the Folk Play Scripts Explorer.
"The dresses are white shirts, worn over the men's ordinary clothes, and ornamented with horses cut out in black and red, and ribbons of any colour. The dialogue that follows was written down by one of the players at Cropwell"
This play text was appended to a historical novel published in 1890 by Mrs. Chaworth Musters of Wiverton Hall, near Bingham.
The Chaworth Musters family used to encourage the Cropwell and Tithby Ploughboys by inviting them to perform their play to hunting parties at the Hall. For the Ploughboys, this was the high point of the year, especially as they were wined and dined and given 7/6 each as a reward. In those days, seven shillings and sixpence were riches.
Several Notts village sides used Mrs Chaworth Musters' book as a source for their play text.