Ruddington (SK5733), Nottinghamshire

Nottinghamshire Local History Council Collection (1960, F.M.Benton)

Mrs. Florence Mary Benton (Auth.)
Memories of a Villager [Plough Monday at Ruddington, Notts.]
Nottinghamshire Local History Council Collection, Written 25th Mar.1960, Ref.DD/121/1/52, 10pp.,map

Entry to an essay competition on old village life at Ruddington, Notts. It includes the following (p.5);

"Once a year they had Plough Monday - They dressed in outlandish costumes - blackened their faces & came round hauling a plough. In the 'squares,' 'yards' and 'rows' they danced tumbled & sang. Their last song before handing round their hats was the following nonsensical rhyme.

'Plough Monday Night,
The stars are bright,
3 Little Angels are dressed in white.
Can you eat a biscuit ?
Can you smoke a pipe ?
Can you go a'courting at 10 at night,
I've a hole in my stocking,
I've a hole in my shoe.
Please can you spare us a copper or two.
If you can't spare a 1d - a 1/2d will do.
And if you can't spare a 1/2d. God help you.

They used to threaten to plough up the 'causeway' if the hat should be returned empty."

Nottinghamshire Local History Council Collection (1960, C.A.Hind)

Miss C. A. Hind (Perf.)
RUDDINGTON: Reminiscences of Village Life [Plough Monday]
Nottinghamshire Local History Council Collection, Written 1st Mar.1960, Ref.DD/121/1/53, 3pp.

Entry to an essay competition on old village life at Ruddington, Notts. Pages 2-3 include the following;

"Plough Bullock night was our name for twelfth night another highlight of our childhood. We blacked our faces with soot - (I can still feel the sting of it as I write) dressed in a variety of clothes, scooped out a mangel or turnip, cut out a weird face, placing a lighted candle inside, and went our way to sing to people we knew. Two songs were the extent of our repertoire. The first being;

Plough Bullock night,
The stars are bright,
Two little angels dressed in white,
Can you eat a biscuit,
Can you smoke a pipe,
Can you go a courting at 10/oclock at night.

To be followed by

A hole in my stocking,
A hole in my shoe,
Please can you spare me a copper or two
If you haven't a penny a ha'penny will do.
If you haven't a ha'penny, God bless you.

Then a loud knock on the door, and a little hand eagerly outstretched for the expected reward."

P.S.Smith Collection (1972, G.N.Gutteridge)

Mrs. G. N. Gutteridge (Inf.)
*[Plough Monday in Ruddington, Notts.]
P.S.Smith Collection, Col. 4th Dec.1972

*On Plough Monday boys used to turn their coats inside out & sing round the village.

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