Context:

Location: East Hendred, Berkshire, England (SU4688)
Year: Perf. early 1840s
Time of Occurrence: Christmas
Collective Name: Mummers

Source:

Rose Kimber
The Mummers: East Hendred
James Madison Carpenter Collection, https://www.vwml.org/record/VWMLCustomsIndex/PL271

Cast:

Text:

FATHER CHRISTMAS:

In comes Old Father Christmas,
Welcome or welcome not,
I hope Old Father Christmas will never be forgot
A room a room I do presume, (with me, broom)
Please give me room to rhyme
This merry Christmas time.
Come in, King George!

KING GEORGE:

In comes King George, this noble knight,
He lost his blood by an English fight,
An English fight it was the reason
That makes me car' dark weepon.

BOLD SLASH:

In comes a soldier stout an brave,
Bold Slash was his name;
----- England's fame,
I swear I'll win the game.
A battle a batttle thee an I'll try
To see which on the ground shall lie,

{They fight; King George falls}

FATHER CHRISTMAS:

Doctor, doctor, where bist thee,
King George is wounded through the knee ,
Doctor, doctor, play thy part,
King George is wounded throug the heart.
{-----}

DOCTOR:

----- Here am I with a box O pills,
That'll cure all ills,
The itcch the stitch, the paulsey an the grout,
Honeygrubs, moneygrubs, funnygrubs ,
All these little tantorium things
I can't mention to you this night or any other night,
Jack bring me my spectacles - {gives him a pill and draws out a tooth}

JACK:

Yessir, here am I!

DOCTOR:

I've played my part an brough the from dead,
Now give me thy right hand an rise up thy head.
Come in Jack Vinney!

JACK:

My name aint Jack Vinney,
My name is Mr Vinney -----
Do as much --

FOREMAN:

What can's thee do, then Jack?

JACK:

Cure a magpie with the tuthache,

FOREMAN:

Lord, pray how can's thee do that?

JACK:

Cut his head off, a throw his body in the ditch.

{They fight a second time; Bold Slash falls}

HAPPY PAT:

In comes little Happy Pat
with me pack at me back
Me head's so small,
Me wit's so small,
I brought me fiddle to plese thee all.

Notes:

Carpenter's Metadata

THE MUMMERS, Mrs. Rose Kimber, New Cottages, East Hendred;
Learned from father, Isaac Shailer, 82 when he died; been dead 34 years; lived all his life at East Hendred.

Indexer's Notes

Rose Kimber (née: Shailor, Shayler, Shailor or Shailer); Born: East Hendred c.1869; Married: 1880; Died: 1955
Isaac Shayler, Shaylor, Shailor or Shailer (Theiler in 1861 census); Born: East Hendred c. 1820-1826 (census records are not consistent, agricultural labourer; 1841 census, aged 20; Married Harriet Smith: 1848; Died: 1899, aged 74
Taking 1823 as an average date of birth from census data, and assuming he performed in the play in his late teens and/or before he married, the date of performance is likely to be early 1840s.

File History:

2024-02-22 - Transcribed and encoded by Peter Millington
2024-02-22 - TEI-encoded by Peter Millington

Extras:

TEI-encoded File

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