THE MUMMER’S PLAY’
By P. WOOD
Ebberston’s mummer’s play has been published earlier in NA. Huddleston, Rillington, The Story of an Everyday Village, 1955. This version was written down by Mr. Phil Wood of Ebberston who with Des Johnson and others was among the last performers of the play in 1938.
The object of performing the play was to obtain funds for a tar barrel to make a bonfire near the cairn built above the mouth of Ebberston Dale to commemorate the resting place of King Alchfrid supposedly wounded in the Bloody Field a little to the south west in AD 704.
The numbers in brackets refer to the different actors in the play.
(1)
Here ah cum an’ ah nivver cam yit,
Wi’ mi greeat ‘eead an’ mi lahtle wit,
Tho’ mi ‘eead be greeat an’ mi wit be small
An’ve a cumpany beyont ti please ye all.
(2)
Remember, remember the fifth of November,
When gunpooder plot shall niver be forgot
So lang as auld England stands on a rock.
Mi ‘eead is made of iron,
Mi body’s made of steel,
Mi legs are mcad o’t best comp brass
At iver thoo did see
(3)
Ah’m the man to mack thoo feel.
(2)
Thoo sir?
(3)
Aye sir
(2)
Tak a sword an’ try sir. strike up, strike down.
Those bats ‘at Ah strike sail be known.
{They wrestle awhile}
(3)
Au ram a raffle thruff his ‘eead
An’ left him ligin’ there
Alas, alas, wot ‘ave ah done
Ah’ve killed mi brother’s sister’s son
Fahve pun’ for a docther
(1)
Ten pun’ for t’best docther in’t’ toon
John Brown’s t’best docther in’t’ toon
(4)
Ah’m John Brown
(1)
Hoc cum thoo’s t’best docther in the toon?.
(4)
By mi travels.
(3)
Hoo far has thoo travelled?
(4)
Throo England, Scotland, Ireland an’ Spain
Ah’ve cum to cure this man thoo’s slain.
(3)
Hoo can thoo cure im?
(4)
Ah’ve a iabtie bottle in mi pockit,
Inky, pinky, okey, pokey,
Tak a sniff o’ that.
(2) {Getting up}
Oh ma poor back.
(1)
Wat’s matter wi tha’ back, Jack.
(3)
Me an’t’ auld wife can’t agree
(1)
Niver mind that, Jack,
Rahse up an’ feyt.
(All)
Will ya gi’ us owt fer t’tar-barril.
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