I.T.Jones (1981b)
Main Variant |
Transcription
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The Bramley, Apr.1981, No.68, p.6e-f
The Owd Oss Mummers: PLOUGH MONDAY
Dear Editor:
Following my letter in the January edition of
the Bramley, I have had a number of replies
from readers who remember some of the old
customs that were carried out in Nottinghamshire
villages on Plough Monday.
Plough Monday, the first
Monday after Twelfth Night,
was one of the highlights of
the farming year. It was the
day when the plough boys
resumed their work after the
Christmas holiday and there
were great festivities to en-
courage the fertility of the
soil during the coming year.
Often a plough was, gaily
bedecked and pulled through
the village by the plough
boys dressed in fancy
costumes. Sometimes they
performed a play and
sometimes they just went
from house to house asking
'Please remember the
Plough Boys'
Mr. Steemson from
Halloughton can still recall a
lot of the words his father
had taught him of the play
his uncle and other lads in
Oxton performed up until the
1890's. Mr. Ralph Brooke
from Kirklington has in his
possession a scrap-book of
village life compiled by Miss
L. F. Milner in 1955. It gives
the text of the Plough Mon-
day play that was performed
in Kirklington up to the first
war.
Mrs. Olifent and Mr.
Robinson from the Farn-
sfield Residents' Association
have sent me a copy of their
play. They think it was last
performed between the wars
by the young men of the
village and they have recent-
ly revived the play at annual
Plough Monday suppers.
Mrs. Marshall from
Southwell put me in touch
with her father, Mr. Jack
Smith. He and a number of
the old folk in B1idworth
revived their local Plough
Bullocking play on Plough
Monday last year, the play
was performed right up until
the last war by a number of
different teams who went
touring the area.
I have found a text in
Mansfield Library of the
Edingley Plough Boys play.
Mr. Ernest Parkin can
remember his father telling
him about Plough Bullocking
night in Edingley about 90
years ago. I have also got a
copy of the text of the play
that was performed in
Caunton until about 1945. I
understand that something
used to happen in Averham,
Kneesall, Norwell and
Southwell on Plough Monday
but unfortunately I can find
no detailed information.
You will see that Plough
Monday was' celebrated
quite widely in
Nottinghamshire but I am
sure there are many more
people who can remember
what happened in their own
particular village. If so, I
would be very pleased to
hear from anyone who can
remember any information,
no matter how small, about
Plough Monday before these
old customs, that were once
such a vital part of village
life, are completely
forgotten.
Yours sincerely
I. T. Jones
16, Wensley Road.
Woodthorpe.
Nottingham. Phone Nott'm
201541 |
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