Forest Town (SK5662), Nottinghamshire


J.Crawford Collection (1996, W.Johnson)

William Johnson (Perf.)
The Forest Town Saint George Play: As performed in 1915-16 By boys of the village.
John Crawford Collection, Col. 14th Dec.1996

Full text (76 lines) of a Christmas mummers' play performed c.1915/1916 by boys aged 10 or 11 in Forest Town, Notts. The characters are: King George/Saint George, Slasher, Doctor, King of Egypt, Black Moroccan King, Rowling Towling Tumbling Tom, Elzebub, and Little Devil Dirt. King George slays Slasher, and the play ends with a song "A mummying we will go". The actors wore realistic costumes and make up. They performed in colliery houses and by request at big houses.

A competing team is mention who performed a play called the "Old Tup" or "Poor Old Tup", whose central character wore antlers and carried a balloon.