King John's   Morris Men

Christmas Performances 2000

By way of contrast, you can see a "traditional" Hampshire play performed by the Otterbourne Mummers at 3:00 p.m. on the last Sunday before Christmas in Park Lane, Otterbourne. This year's performance will be on Christmas Eve. 

Otterbourne Mummers have no connection with King John's Morris Men, for which small mercy I expect they are all eternally grateful!

So you want to know more?

Mummers' plays were quite common throughout Great Britain and Ireland before 1914, and a few are still being regularly being performed today, although many survive in print as a result of the efforts of a number of folklorists in the early part of this century.

One origin for the Mummers' play is thought to be the Mediaeval mystery play, but it is clear that, in the majority of plays now surviving, the "moral" and religious tone of the mystery play has somewhat dissipated. Certainly in the late 19th and early 20th century, mummers' plays were performed in rural areas by farm labourers as an entertainment by which they could augment their meagre wages, particularly at Christmas.

The performance of mummers plays today is still accompanied by a collection of money - now for a local worthy cause.

In parts of the country, the mummers plays have a different guise, in Cheshire and Lancashire, for instance, they are "Pace Egging" plays, and are performed at Easter. In parts of the Midlands they are called "Souling" plays, and are performed around All Souls Day - Halloween, and in East Anglia and Yorkshire they are often performed as part of the Plough Jacks and Plough Stots ceremonies in the early new year.

More often, though, they are known as mummers' plays and are performed almost always in the pre-Christmas period. Hampshire is a rich source of such plays, with over 80 being recorded. Many are very similar, and the variations from community to community probably owe more to the talents of the "actors" available than for any other reason.

The basis for most plays is the "hero combat" where one or more pairs of characters (such as King George and the Turkish Knight) fight and one is killed and brought back to life by the Doctor.

Father Christmas clears the space and introduces the others, and Johnny Jack pleads with the audience to part with their money for his poor wife and numerous children will for, the basis of nearly every play.

The plays are rich in gentle humour, and rely on the characters being disguised in some way. Our play is comprised of many elements of the local traditional plays, but with the 19th century jokes of the originals somewhat updated!

Mummers' plays are a part of Britain's cultural heritage, and are closely linked with Morris Dancing and, in parts of the country, Long Sword dancing. Indeed, in parts of Hampshire, the mummers were referred to as the "morris dancers", even though they did not dance as part of the performance, merely singing at the end of the play.

Please note that King John's Morris Men cannot be held responsible for alterations to this programme, especially in circumstances beyond their control that may prevent them from performing on any particular occasion.

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(c) 2010 King John's Morris Men - Last updated on 03 May 2010 23:31:36