Kimberley (SK4944), Nottinghamshire

M.W.Barley Collection (No Date, E.Paling)

Miss Paling (Inf.)
[Plough Plays in Notts., and Hunts.]
*M.W.Barley Collection, No Date

"Plough Play formerly done at Girton & Besthorpe S.W. Hunts Kimberley Miss Paling E. Bridgford."

P.T.Millington (1972b)

Peter T. Millington (Auth.)
CORRESPONDENCE CORNER: Local Guysers' Plays
Eastwood & Kimberley Advertiser, 4th Feb.1972, Vol.75, No.4067, p.8 i

This letter summarises information received following an article published by the author three weeks earlier. The replies gave information on; Christmas, Guysers' plays performed at Underwood and Brinsley, Notts., and Heanor and Pinxton, Derbys., a Christmas, Bull Guysers' play from Selston, Notts., and a Plough Monday, Plough Bullockers' play from Kimberley, Notts. Information was also received concerning a Scottish play [Tillicoultry, Clack.].

The form of the name "Plough Bullockers" was probably copied from a respelling introduced by the newspaper editor into the original article, which in manuscript used the form "Plough Bullocks".

P.T.Millington Collection (1972, G.E.Walker)

Garnet E. Walker (Perf.)
[Plough Monday Night play from Kimberley, Notts.]
P.T.Millington Collection, Com. 17th Jan.1972

Full text (40 lines) of a play performed on Plough Monday Night from 1900 to 1906 in Kimberley, Notts. The characters were No.1 Actor [Introducer], No.2 Actor/King George, No.3 Actor [Lamenter], No.4 Actor/Doctor and No.5 Actor/Beelzebub. The informant's brother Harry Walker also performed.

I.T.Jones Collection (1982, I.T.Jones & A.Cockburn)

Mr. Idwal Jones (Col.); Miss Ann Cockburn (Col.)
Radio Nottingham Phone-In: Tape and Notes
I.T.Jones Collection, Com. 8th Jan.1982, Ref.L1-1

Tape and notes of a live phone-in on Radio Nottingham on Plough Monday 8/1/82 with the topic Plough Monday and Folk Customs. In the studio were Anne Cockburn and Idwal Jones with the interviewer Ms.Freddie Gaunt

Tape Counter (10 = ca.35 seconds):

93-114: Introduction and discussion in studio

180-196: Discussion in studio on the ancient society of horsemen

196-242: Discussion in studio on mummers plays and IJ singing the Owd 'Oss song.

242-294: Fred Buckley phoning in re the Plough Monday play in Blidworth.

294-347: Ethel Glossop phoning in re the Plough Monday play in Cotgrave.

375-425: Charles from Long Eaton phoning in re customs in Norfolk relating to the ancient society of horsemen.

425-432: Announcement about the Calverton Plough Boys performing in Oxton and Epperstone on 9th and 10th January 1982.

437-472: IJ singing the version of Good Master and Good Mistress used by the Owd 'Oss Mummers and discussion in studio.

472-505: George from Nuthall phoning in re guising in Brinsley and Underwood.

505-535: Gerry Fearnley phoning in re an Old Horse play in Bulwell.

535-551: Studio discussion on New Year customs.

551-572: Ann Frett phoning in re play from Scotland.

572-575: Closing remarks.

I.T.Jones Collection (1982, G.Fearnley)

Mr. Gerry Fearnley (Inf.)
Radio Nottingham Phone-In: Gerry Fearnley
I.T.Jones Collection, Com. 8th Jan.1982, Ref.L1-5

Gerry Fearnley from Beeston rang the phone-in. About 60 years previously his father took him to see a mummers play with a horse at the Commercial Inn in Bulwell. He thought the people doing it came from Kimberley. There was a black and white horse and they sang a song very similar to the Owd 'Oss song that IJ sang earlier. He remembers that they used to feed the horse with beer. It had various antics; it used to lie on the floor trying to drink the beer rather than having it thrown over him and at the end horse manure came out on the floor. He remembered that the words included the horse going over ditches, his legs buckling and his back going and how he went over fences.

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.