FTX-105 -
IN COMES I, TOM FOOL
LINCOLNSHIRE PLOUGH PLAYS
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Considered to be the most ancient
of surviving ritual dramas, these Plough Plays feature the Hobby Horse,
a Sword Dance, a Man-Woman and a wooing scene. The play contains two songs:
ALL JOLLY FELLOWS THAT FOLLOW PLOUGH & THE FARMER'S BOY. For those
who do not contribute food or money, the houses visited may get the "plough
treatment", in which their hand-drawn plough is used to "jag" up the front
hearth-stone or drive a furrow across the best lawn. This was recorded
by Peter Kennedy at a live performance at Barrow-on-Humber in 1954 with
musicians Luke Stanley (melodeon), Frank Bell (tambourine) and Jesse Mumby
(jug and pan) |
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Barrow-on-Humber Plough Jags revived for the Festival
of Britain in 1951
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The leader, Jack Martin, talks about reviving the play in
1951 - Luke Stanley about the music and Richard Brown about the old days. At
Helpringham, C.H.Aram introduces five actors with their parts: Tom Fool,
Thrashing Blade, Beelzebub, Hopper Joe, Musical Jack, Besom Bet, Hobby Horse,
Ploughboy, Dame Jane, Recruiting Sergeant, Lady, Indian King, Doctor and the
Foreign Traveller
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