2005 Jag Day

 

Very strong Westerly Wind - mild

Collected for British Heart Foundation £198.59 (£200) 

Minibus from Ready Rent a Van of Normanby Rd Scunthorpe £76 Booked by Oliver Construction Ltd of Immingham and then donated by them so £88 given by jag team for mini bus hire and fuel was added to donation.

 

Started at Steve Hindley’s.  West Common Crescent, Scunthorpe.

 

Gainsborough

Gainsborough Market Place.                         11.00. Ploughjag

Xtra                                                             11.30. Breakfast & Ploughjag       

Lords                                                          12.30. Ploughjag & songs and tunes

Eight Jolly Brewers.                                     12.30. Plough jag

The Gamekeeper.                                         14.10. Ploughjag, & songs & tunes

Winterton. The Lion’s Head                           16.10 Ploughjag, songs and tunes

Scotton. The Three Horseshoes.                    18.20 Tea then Ploughjag (at 19.00),  

Ashby. Malt Shovel.                                      20.00 Ploughjag   

Brigg. The Nelthorpe Arms.                            21.30 Ploughjag & song

Brigg. Yarborough Hunt                                  22.10 Ploughjag & Songs

 

Characters

Rag Fool                                           Jim Hancock           s  except Gainsborough      

Recruiting Sergeant                           Geoff Convery          s                     

The Lady                                           Gordon Griffin          s         

The Horse                                          Dave Hoy

Joe Straw                                          Steve Hindley         m except Gainsborough

                                                                                      s Gainsborough only          

Flash Hatman                                    Keith Brown            s

Beelzebub                                         Dave Barlow            s

The Doctor                                        Geoff Miller              s         

Dame Jane                                       Gordon Griffin                    

Besom Betty                                    Gordon Griffin

 

Musician / Marine Sergeant Major       Kate Bilmore             Gainsborough Only

Musician/ St George                          Peter Barnard           Gainsborough Only

Musician                                           Jerry Oakes              Gainsborough Only

Musician                                           Bob Cleveland          Three Horse Shoes onwards

 

With a renovated costume, courtesy of Allison Gennery, Jim Hancock manfully stepped into the role of Rag Fool, as Eamon Greene had jetted off to New Zealand.

The Recruiting Sergeant had a new uniform, due to some very hard work from Geoff Convery.

Unfortunately, Geoff Turner managed to fall off a ladder and was unable to take part, so Gordon Griffin played all three female parts, which is a good trick if you can do it.

Eamon kindly left the Fool’s costume, but not the swords, a fact not noticed until just before setting off. Also no rolling pin or baby was available for Dame Jane. Some improvising was done. A kitchen roll holder became a rolling pin and a very flat cardboard baby was created in the image of the recruiting sergeant. At a couple of venues the baby was not only flattened, but decapitated, and ended up standing on its head.

The first performance, in Gainsborough Market Place was done without a sword dance, but accompanied by three musicians Kate Bilmore, Peter Barnard, and Jerry Oakes. Video and photos by Sue and Mike Dewsbury at Market place.

The Horse (Dave Hoy) went off, and returned with some extending curtain rods to use as makeshift swords. These worked pretty well but would not stand up to the strain of being woven into the ‘nut’.

Breakfast was enjoyed at the Xtra pub, an unscheduled venue. But a quick rehearsal of the sword dance using the new ‘swords’ prompted the barmen to request a photo session, so whole jag was done.

Quick performances were done in Lords and The Eight Jolly Brewers before heading for Scotter.

At the Gamekeeper a small group of people had come just to see the Jag. These included Gillian and Robert Guest and Robert’s mother, Nora.  Nora’s father had performed in Ploughjags in the past and she could clearly remember the lines of the Doctor and ? both of which parts he had played. The words were very close to those of the Coleby Plough Jag. Robert and Gillian are both musicians and singers, and had come north from their home in Gloucestershire, to see the Plough Jag performance, and for Robert to take part in Sword Dancing in York on Plough Monday itself, 10th January this year.  Robert being ‘The Queen’s Keeper of the Forest of Dean’, we were honoured to have such high ranking company. Gillian played several tunes on pipe and tabor.

The landlord and landlady of the Lion’s head in Winterton were having a retirement party so had requested an earlier visit to their pub. A sizeable crowd turned out to see the Jag and we were very well received.  Terry and Christine Hood were present again, and Fran Ross and John Hewitt, who took photos and video. Win Readhead, son of Roly Readhead was present. Several other members of the Burton upon Stather Local History Association were also present, and they took lots of photographs.

Geographically the tour was not ideal, as we then went back from Winterton to Scotton, to the Three Horse Shoes, where Denise and John Butler and their staff served a good tea. After tea the Jag was performed to an audience including almost a dozen children. The expressions on their faces were priceless. We hope they remember the Plough Jag.

The Malt Shovel in Ashby was almost full, and the Jag was well received.

The Nelthorpe Arms proved to be a challenge. Changed to the final venue on the itinerary by the party at the Lion’s Head the cast were thrown into a very noisy and inebriated crowd in the bar and were forced to abandon the performance after the sword dance.

Again Dave Hoy came to the rescue, and quickly arranged a performance at the Yarborough Hunt, where the night was finished with a few songs.