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Question
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I would like to stage a mummers' play, as a change from the school nativity play, but I can't find much in the way of background, nor indeed the texts of any of the plays. Can you help, please?
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Question asked on
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04 July 2011
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Answer
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Mummers' plays would make a interesting variation to the usual Christmas entertainments. They are quite short, so they would suit juniors or the early years of secondary schools' students. They have only a few characters, and they are quite action-packed. In some stagings they concluded with a wassailing song, so they might take the part of a sketch in a Christmas revue.
Writing in 'Wiltshire Folklife' Norman Rogers identified the following communities as having mummers' plays, in addition to the Shrewton play which he transcribes in full: Alton Barnes, Avebury, Cricklade, Horningsham, Maiden Bradley, Potterne, Quidhampton, Stourton, Woodford and Wootton Rivers. To these must be added Limpley Stoke, whose play Felicity Gilmour edited and published in 1990, and the Inglesham Christmas play, acted by mummers, and those at Amesbury and Woodford mentioned in 'Moonrakings', edited by Edith Olivier and Margaret Edwards.
Full texts are available for the mummers' plays at Alton Barnes and Inglesham (at the website of the Traditional Drama Research Group - see below), Potterne (at the website of the Traditional Drama Research Group, and in the 'Wiltshire Archaeological and Natural History Magazine, vol. 27, 1893-4), Quidhampton (reproduced in 'Moonrakings'), Shrewton (reproduced in 'Wiltshire Folklife, no. 18, 1989), Limpley Stoke (reproduced in 'Wiltshire Archaeological and Natural History Magazine, vol. 83, 1990). There is a fragment of the Horningsham play in 'Moonrakings', a composite - and simplified - version, which might suit younger players, in 'Wiltshire Archaeological and Natural History Magazine', vol. 1, 1853, and the wassailing song sung by the mummers of Wootton Rivers, in 'Moonrakings'.
As for background information, please see the bibliography below, which gives full references for the resources mentioned above. The resource for on-line researchers is that of the Traditional Drama Research Group at Sheffield University, which includes a database of over 180 British and Irish traditional plays, searchable by county and play type, compiled by Peter Millington, originally as part of his Ph.D. It is at www.folkplay.info/Texts.htm (and note the capital T!), with background information at www.folkplay.info ; also the Potterne Mummers have a page on the Potterne Community website, at www.potterne.net/potterne/mummers.html. Finally, if you log on to www.google.co.uk and enter: allinurl:mummers and limit your search to UK sites you will have just over 260 hits, of which only the first 70-odd are worth following up.
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Bibliography
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Buchanan, W.: ‘The Christmas Boys, or Mummers’ in “Notes, archaeological and historical†in Wiltshire Archaeological and Natural History Magazine, vol. 27 (1893-4), pp. 311-314 – only the text of the play.
Carrington, F.A.: “On certain Wiltshire customs, 2: mummers†in Wiltshire Archaeological and Natural History Magazine, vol. 1(1854), pp. 79-85. This article contains a composite text amassed from enquiries of several troupes of mummers in the late 1830s, and extracts from plays performed elsewhere in the country to indicate their common origins.
Gilmour, F.: “A mummers’ play from Limpley Stoke†in Wiltshire Archaeological and Natural History Magazine, vol. 83 (1990), pp. 155-162 – includes text of play on pp. 157-160.
Helm, A.: Eight mummers’ plays; edited by Alex Helm. Ginn, 1971. – ISBN 0 602 21770 9.
Helm, A.: The English mummers’ play. D.S. Brewer for the Folklore Society, 1981. – ISBN 0 85991 067 9. – (The Folklore Society mistletoe series, vol. 14).
Morris, W. “The mummers†in Chandler, J., compiler: A Wiltshire Christmas. Stroud: Alan Sutton Publishing, 1991. – ISBN 0 86299 929 4, pp. 25-27 – background article by William Morris, founder of the Swindon Advertiser.
Olivier, E. and Edwards, M.K.S., editors: Moonrakings: a little book of Wiltshire stories told by members of Women’s Institutes. Warminster: Coates and Parker, 1979 (reprint). – includes text of Quidhampton mummers’ play, pp. 94-98; fragment of Horningsham mummers’ play, pp. 61-2, wassailing song, pp. 65-6.
Rogers, N.: “The Shrewton mummers’ play†in Wiltshire Folklife, no. 18 (Spring 1989), pp. 3-10 – includes text of play on pp. 7-10.
