[Not located], Cornwall

A.Helm Collection (No date, J.Harrop-White - b)

*J. Harrop-White (Inf.)
*Mummers Play, Mansfield
*A.Helm Collection, Vol.2, pp.331-332

Partial text of a Mummers Play from Mansfield, Notts. The characters are; Father Xmas, Doctor and St. George. Sub-heading reads; "Tune of St. George and Dragon (Cornish)"

W.Hone (1837)

William Hone (Auth.)
THE EVERYDAY BOOK AND TABLE BOOK: VOL.II
London: Thomas Tegg & Son, 1837, pp.122-126

*Cornish play probably used as a source by C.Brown (1891)

"Uncle Jan Treenoodle" (1846)

"Uncle Jan Treenoodle" (Auth.)
*Specimens of Cornish Dialect [Account of a Cristmas Play]
London: John Russell Smith, 1846, pp.53-57

*Incomplete text of a Christmas Guize Dancers' play from Cornwall. It is given as part of a narrative story, written in Cornish dialect. The Characters are: Father Christmas/Feyther Crestmas, Turkish Knight/Toorkish Knight, St. George, Doctor, Dragon, and Sabra/King of Egypts Daughter.

A.S.Buxton (1922/23)

Mr. A. S. Buxton (Auth.)
PLOUGH MONDAY
Reprints of Papers of the Old Mansfield Society, Winter Session 1922-1923, pp.3-4

This is a short paper read to introduce a revived performance of a Plough Bullocks' Plough Monday play from Mansfield, Notts., arranged by Councillor Beazley. The original custom had died out about 1890, and the characters St. George, Slasher, Beelzebub and Doctor are mentioned. A brief history of Plough Monday, Plough Lights, plough trailing and plays is given alluding to Mansfield, and stylistic parallels are drawn between mediaeval mystery plays and modern folk plays. Comparing the Mansfield text with one from Selston, Notts. (collected by Miss Manners), and an unidentified Cornish version, the author notes their overall similarity. Only fragments of text are quoted.

C.Lewsen (1971)

Charles Lewsen (Auth.)
The Arts: The English Mummers' Plays
*Financial Times, 24th Dec.1971

A long generalised article about the mummers' play, containing several, usually unlocated quotes from plays. The description seems to rely on E.K.Chambers (1933) and A.Brody (1971). The article contains three of Alison Helm's drawings - from Meir, Staffs, Stockport, Ches. and Cornwall. Other plays specifically referred to are Swords, Dublin, Bassingham, Lincs. and Ampleforth, Yorks.

A.S.Buxton & D.J.Bradbury (1987)

A. S. Buxton (Auth.); D. J. Bradbury (Comp.)
Early Mansfield [including Plough Monday plays]
Mansfield: Wheel Publications, 1987

This book is compilation of the writings on the history of Mansfield, Notts., by A.S.Buxton, mostly published in the 1920s. Appendix 1 covers Mansfield customs, dialect and folklore. Customs mentioned include; "Going a Gooding" or "Going a Corning" on St. Thomas' Day, drawing lots for Valentines on Valentine Day, and the Cheese and Statute Fairs. There is also a glossary explaining some 40 dialect terms.

Most of the appendix is taken up with a description of Plough Bullocks' Plough Monday plays, [taken from A.S.Buxton (1922).] This includes a brief history of Plough Lights and plough trailing. Malicious ploughing is mentioned, and a more detailed description of alternative tricks played in Mansfield. Potential victims ran the Plough Bullocks out of the street with a red hot poker. Fragments of text are quoted, and the characters St. George, Slasher, Doctor and Beelzebub are mentioned. Comparisons are made with an unidentified Cornish Christmas play and a Selston play collected by Miss Manners.

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