Annesley (SK5053), Nottinghamshire

P.T.Millington Collection (1972, K.Smith)

Mr. K. Smith (Inf.)
[Christmas, Guysers play from Underwood, Notts.]
P.T.Millington Collection, Com. 15th Jan. 1972

Text of a Christmas Guysers play from Underwood, Notts. performed about 1943. This was also performed at Felley Priory, Bagthorpe and Annesley, Notts. The characters are Opener, St. George, Slasher, Doctor, Belzebub and Little Devil Doubt.

P.T.Millington Collection (1991, G.S.Bennieston)

Mr. G. S. Bennieston (Perf.)
UNDERWOOD GUYSERS PLAY
P.T.Millington Collection, Col. Feb.1991

Information about a Guysers play performed in Underwood, Notts., between 1953 and 1958 or 1959. The characters were; Opener, Little Devil Doubt, Saint George, Doctor Brown and Beelzebub. The fight was between Little Devil Doubt and Saint George, and Saint George lost. There were three teams operating in Underwood at the time. The itinerary (on foot) covered Underwood, Annesley, Moorgreen, Newthorpe, Kimberley, Eastwood, Jacksdale and Selston. They performed Christmas Eve, Christmas Night and Boxing Night. They had a standing engagement on Christmas Night at Felley Priory.

P.Millington (1991b)

Peter Millington (Auth.)
Do Guysers still exist? [West Notts., plays]
Eastwood & Kimberley Advertiser, 20th Dec.1991, Vol.94, No.5099, p.14 a-b

Description of accounts communicated following an appeal for information on Christmas Guysers earlier in 1991. There is a description of the play performed by Mr. Tom Thorpe in Bagthorpe in the 1930s. This had the characters; Opener In, St. George, Slasher, Doctor, Belzibub and Devildowt. Belzibub's speech is quoted. In the 1950s, Mr.G.S.Bennieston performed in a team in Underwood. They also went to Annesley, Moorgreen, Newthorpe, Kimberley, Eastwood, Jacksdale, Selston and Felley Priory. There is a long description of Mrs. Barbara Faulconbridge's experiences with Bullguysers in Selston, in which she also mentions one of her sons seeing Guysers performing in Awsworth in 1990. The Selston teams eventually took to going to Somercotes, Derbys. Finally, there is a mention of the annual Guysing performed by the Ripley Morris Men in Ripley, Derbys. Syd Barber collected their play from Mr. Percy Cook of Ripley.

P.Millington (1991c)

Peter Millington (Auth.)
*Do Guysers still exist? [West Notts., plays]
*Ripley & Heanor News, 21st Dec.1991, Vol.102

Syndicated article - see P.Millington (1991b).

* indicates data that not yet been validated against the original source and/or has yet to be completely indexed.