Newark Advertiser (1896)

Main Variant

Transcription
BALDERTON.- PLOUGH MONDAY. Last Monday,
being the first after twelth day, was Plough Monday,
and the customary observances of this day were as
usual, carried out in the village with a considerable
amount of enthusiasm. Although this rustic festival
has now become shorn of many of its attractions, such
as the plough procession, when a plough was dressed
with ribbons and other decorations and dragged along
from house to house by a number of the peasantry,
still there is sufficient of the festival left to amuse the
older and terrify the younger. And perhaps it is as
well the that the custom of dragging round the decorated
plough has fallen into disuse, for what with Parish
Councils, County Council, and other governing bodies.
the "plough bullocks" might get into serious trouble,
if they ventured make ridges or furrows in front of
the door of an unsympathetic and not very generous
householder. Not that there was very much occasion
for such a proceeding, but still it has been done in the
full belief that "they could stand by it," to use their
own words, and they were quite convinced that "no
law in the world could touch 'em" for so doing.
However, those are things of the past, and what was
to be witnessed during the early part of the day in the
village last Monday were of lot of youngsters with
grimy faces and other disfigurements, stopping the
passers by and visiting houses with a request to
"Please remember the poor owd plough boy!" The
"owd" seemed to be somewhat of a misnomer, seeing that
some of them would scarcely have been nine or ten,
consequently it was no wonder they were drifted
from many doors with a threat to box their ears. It
is at night, however, when genuine plough boys
begin their perambulations and receive a welcome in
many of the houses. The performances these morris
dancers go through, if nonsensical, is hight amusing,
and a considerable amount of time must have been
spent in rehearsals. The caste consists of a clown, a
soldier, a waggoner, a lady(?) and a doctor, besides
one or two others. To those who admit them into
their houses they willingly go through their perfor-
mance, which lasts about ten minutes. First comes
the clown, who, after reciting in verse, as a sort of pro-
logue, to the tune of "Billy Barlow," he is quickly
followed by the soldier, in scarlet uniform, with forage
cap jauntily worn on the side of the head and from
which hang recruiting ribbons. Next comes the
waggoner with whiip in hand, and plentifully bedecked
with ornamental harness brasses. After being enlisted
by the solder, the "lady" appears on the scene, and
an altercation ensues, when she is laid prostrate by a
whack from the waggoner. A scene ensues
and a doctor is sent for who arrives clad
in a black tailed coat, with very much tail, a silk hat,
and kid gloves. After reciting the numerous wonder-
ful cures he has wrought, he essays to try his hand on
the prostrate lady, and feeling the pulse, which he
discovers somewhere near the nape of the neck, he
declares her to be very low, in fact, he says she could
not be any lower unless there was a hole (pronounced
"hoal") dug underneath her. Upon the administra-
tion of a whole box of pills - box included - she re-
covers, and the whole join in a song and dance, which
concludes with a solicitation for a "little of your
money and a drink of your good beer." All ends
happily, and the dancers depart with a song, in which
is expressed the wishes the host my have "a happy
new year, a pocket full of money, and a cellar full of
beer." A visit is then made to another house, and it is
seldom, if not admitted, they are turned away without
a contribution being placed in the cap.