North Muskham Plough Play

B.V.M. (1886)

Source:

B. V. M. (Anth.)

LOCAL NOTES AND QUERIES : No. CCCII: THE LATE PLOUGH MONDAY

DISTURBANCES AT NORTH MUSKHAM

Nottingham Daily Guardian, 27th Jan. 1886, No.9357, pp. 7 f

Article reads as follows [the Latin is imperfectly transcribed from a bad copy.]

"Roger Johnson and his brother Nicholas, William Foster, William Wood, Richard Newbold, Francis Barton, John Thompson, John Allwood, William Harrison, and William Needham were charged before the Rev. Mr. Coop for plowinge in the Churche yearde and misusing theimeselves in the Churche upon plowe daie last, and also for abusynge Mr. Ashelon theire vicar in wordes. Mr. Ashton having expressed his regret that a youthful excess should have been brought into court, the reverend official (Mr. Coop) addressed the irreverend defendants who seemed to treat the matter as good joke. After a long and patient investigation the accused, who appeared in the vestments and ritual peculiar to Plough Monday, were ordered to go back to North Muskham and turne downe againe the furrowes plowed uppe by theime before since upon next Soundaie, and that they should hereafter keep the queen's pees and behave themselves reverentlye to theire saide vicar, and not abuse the churche and churche yarde as they had heretofore, uppon payne of the Lawe. We are confident the defendants will not againe offend in like manner, and trust we have now heard the last of this case. Our relation is authentic and we will dismiss the affair with the touching remark that it is 'id quod actura est in villa, ecclesia, et coemuteres de Muskham ex parte boreali ilia aratei anno ab incaruacionus et juxta Ecclesiae Anglicanae computacionena milimo-quinquent et sexto.' At the same time, the case of John Spittlehouse for quarelynge, chydynge and callynge Nicholas Matlocke, the constable, raskall, knave and Michaelmas knave, in the churche and churche yeard of Southwell, on the fifteenth of January, was ordered to stand over, as was also that of Alice and Edward Wood for quarallyng and smytyng Mrs. Burnell's mayde in the same churche."

Index Terms:

Locations: North Muskham, Notts. (SK7958) Years: Publ. 1886

Subjects: Plough Trailing; Malicious Ploughing; Court Case; Plough Monday; Plowe Daie; Chinch

People: Roger Johnson (Defendant); Nicholas Johnson (Defendant); William Foster (Defendant); William Wood (Defendant); Richard Newbold (Defendant); Francis Barton (Defendant); John Thompson (Defendant); John Allwood (Defendant); William Harrison (Defendant); William Needham (Defendant); Rev. Mr. Coop (Judge); Mr. Asheton (Vicar); Mr. Ashton (Vicar) Archives: Ref.: TD00072