Nottingham Journal (1952)

Main Variant

Transcription
Three Plough Monday characters from Tollerton's version of the
traditional play. From left : Tom Fool, the Recruiting Sergeant
and Dame Jane.

Plough Monday

TODAY is Plough Monday
- a day which was once
marked by rural revels,
and the appearance of a team of
fantastic characters including
the Doctor the Devil, the Recruiting
Sergeant, and, in earlier
versions, a Turkish Knight who
fought with a Crusader.

They toured the farms, where
they performed Plough Monday
play, in return for which they
were rewarded with copious
draughts of ale.

[-- column break --]

Several attempts have been
made in recent years to revive
the custom, with varying success.

Each village, or district of Not-
tinghamshire had its own play,
There was, for example, the
Calverton Play. One character
in this introduced himself as
follows:

  "In comes I, the Eezum Squeezum
  On my back I carry a beasom,
  In my hand a whit leather pan
  Don't you think I'm a funny old
  man?"

Dialogue preserved

THANKS to 89-year-old
Mr. G. W. Holmes, of
Thurgarton, who took
part in one of these Plough
Monday plays at South Scarle,
in the Newark area, about
70 years ago, the Notts. Rural
Community Council has been
able to record the actual dialogue
of the "South Searle Play" and
this is reproduced in the current
issue of "The Nottinghamshire
Countryside," together with a
description of the costumes
which were worn by the prin-
cipal characters.

A notable feature of this play
is the raciness of the dialogue.
Dame Jane, one of those who
figure in this play, describes her-
self as "dib-dabbing over the
meadow," and there are many
other happy touches.