S.R. (1947)
Source:
S. R. (Auth.)
PLOUGH MONDAY AND THE MUMMERS' PLAY: NOTTINGHAMSHIRE SURVIVALS
Nottinghamshire Guardian,
18th Jan.1947, No.5305, p.3 c-e
A review of the origins of Mummers' Plays and Plough Monday Plays. Race
regards as fanciful the idea that the Mummers' Plays were a survival from pagan
times, on grounds of lack of evidence. Although it may have originated in the
18th century, it really became popular in the early 19th century, under the
influence of such books such as "Hone's Year Book for 1826". Chapbooks were an
important factor later in the century. He cites a chapbook published in Belper
in 1846, and chapbooks published by Heywoods of Manchester in the 1860s to
1880s. The Plough Monday play evolved from the Mummers' Play in the mid 19th
century. He cites E.K.Chambers' (1933) feeling that the Plough Monday plays
were confined to Lincs., and adjacent districts.
Texts from Clayworth (R.J.E.Tiddy, 1923) and Cropwell (Chaworth Musters, 1890)
are compared. The characters for the Clayworth play are given as; Bold Tom,
Recruiting Sergeant, Farmer's Man, Lady Bright and Gay, old Eazum Squeezum and
the Doctor. The Cropwell characters are given as; Tom the Fool, Recruiting
Sergeant, Ribboner, Doctor, Lady, Beelzebub, Dame Jane and the Farmer's
Men. The text from Chaworth Musters (1890) is also compared with another text
from Cropwell Bishop collected later by Race (S.Race Collection, 1924,
E.R.Granger). In the latter play, the Lady had been lost, and Beelzebub had
been replaced by Easem Squeasem. Other plays mentioned include a team from
Harby, Leics., which used to visit Cropwell Bishop regularly, and a Retford
troupe in the 19th century, one of whose members wore an animal's head.
Race concludes by posing the question, "Why should the observance of Plough
Monday be so general in the countryside, and its play confined to an area
comparatively small?"
Main variant
Transcript
PLOUGH MONDAY AND THE
MUMMERS' PLAY
NOTTINGHAMSHIRE SURVIVALS
By S.R.
THE Mummers' Play, having
See full transcript...
Variant: a
Scan/Image
Index Terms:
| Locations: |
Belper, Derbys. (SK3447); Manchester, Lancs. (SJ8397); Harby, Leics. (SK7431); Cropwell Bishop, Notts. (SK6835); Clayworth, Notts. (SK7288); Retford, Notts. (SK7080); Lincs.; Cropwell, Notts. (SK6836)
|
| Years: |
Publ. 1947; Perf. 19th Century
|
| Subjects: |
Plays; Animal Disguise; Plough Monday; Mummers; Hone,W. (1837); Chaworth-Musters (1890); Origins; Hone's Year Book (1826); Chapbooks; Belper (1846); Heywoods, Manchester (1860s-1880s); Chambers,E.K. (1933); Tiddy,R.J.E. (1923); Bold Tom; Recruiting Sergeant; Farmer's Man; Lady Bright and Gay; Eazum Squeezum; Doctor; Tom the Fool; Text Fragments; Ribboner; Lady; Beelzebub; Dame Jane; Race,S. Collection (1924, E.R.Granger); Easem Squeasem
|
| People: |
Sydney Race (Auth.)
|
| Archives: |
TDRG Archive, Ref. TD00202;
Notts. County Library, County Folklore Box, L39.9
|
Last Updated Jan 1992 by Peter Millington.
|
