West Halton (SE9020), Lincolnshire

Retford & Gainsborough Times (1887a)

[Anon.] (Auth.)
GAINSBOROUGH TIMES: SHOCKING DEATH OF A "PLOUGH JAGGER" IN THE SNOW
Retford & Gainsborough Times, 14th Jan.1887, No.872, p.8e

Report of an inquest held at the Butcher's Arms, West Halton. On 7th January about 14 men went out 'plough jagging' visiting from house to house. They started from Alkborough at 8 a.m. and visited Winterton and other villages. The deceased fell heavily on the back of his head chasing some boys at Winterton. At 6 p.m., he laid down in the snow on the way home from Burton Stather to Alkborough and his companions left him because they thought he was acting. In fact, he had suffered compression of the brain. He was not found until the next morning and died in hospital a day later. All the men had drunk considerable amounts during the day.

M.W.Barley Collection (1936)

Maurice Willmore Barley (Col.)
*Plough Jags' Play, West Halton, Lincs.
*M.W.Barley Collection, Col. c.1936

*Incomplete text of a Plough Jags' play from West Halton, Lincs. The characters are: Fool, Soldier/Recruiting Sergeant, Beelzebub, Hobby Horse, Lady Bright and Fair, Indian King/Slisher Slasher, Doctor, Jane, Besom Betty, and Gentleman.

M.W.Barley Collection (1937)

*Maurice Willmore Barley (Col.)
PLOUGH JAGS [Play from West Halton, Lincs.]
*M.W.Barley Collection, Col. 1937, Ref.Ba P 2/34

Text (63 lines) of a Plough Jags play from West Halton, Lincs. The characters are; Fool, Soldier/Recruiting Sergeant, Beelzebub, Hobby Horse, Lady Bright and Fair, Indian King/Slisher and Slasher, Doctor, Jane, Besom Betty and Gentleman.

I.T.Jones Collection (1983, I.T.Jones - e)

Mr. Idwal Jones (Col.)
Shocking Death of a Plough Jagger in the Snow: Notes
I.T.Jones Collection, Written 1983, Ref.L6-1

The Retford & Gainsborough Times (1887a) describes an inquest held at the Butcher's Arms Inn, West Halton on 11/1/1887 into the death of Henry Fowler while out plough jagging. He was found in the snow next morning on the road between Burton Stather and Alkborough.

Coroners' inquests for the Kirton district are deposited at the County Archives at Lincoln Castle but are closed to public inspection for 100 years after the date of the inquest. The 1881 census for Alkborough has no record of Henry Fowler or Albert Henry Robinson, a witness at the inquest. No record could be found in the Lincolnshire Chronicle in 1887. Write to the Butcher's Arms in West Halton to see if they know anything of inquests held there.

This research is described in I.T.Jones (1983) - TD00586

I.T.Jones Collection (1983, W.Thompson)

Mr. W. Thompson (Inf.)
Shocking Death of a Plough Jagger in the Snow: Letter from Butcher'sArms
I.T.Jones Collection, Col. 2nd Jul. 1982, Ref.L6-2

Letter dated 2/7/82 from Mr.W.Thompson, the landlord of the Butcher's Arms, West Halton. He wrote that the building itself is over 350 years old and has been a pub for well over 100 years but he has no knowledge of what occurred prior to 40 years previously. However he sent a photograph of the West Halton Plough Jags outside Normanby Post Office dated 1898 which has 19 men in costume. He wrote that Plough Jaggers still go round every Christmas period, entertaining in the pubs and clubs and on the saturday they usually give a show in the main shopping centre in Scunthorpe.

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