1999 Jag Day
Occasional snow showers, sunny periods
Collected for British Heart Foundation £175
15 seat Mini Bus hired from Ready Rent a Van Normanby Road Scunthorpe £37.60
Fuel £14
Start Steve Hindley's at Scunthorpe
Gainsborough
White Horse - 10 am - no Jag- quick rehearsal of sword dance and a few songs and tunes
Gainsborough Market Place. 10.30. Performed Plough Jag
Lords Plough Jag, songs and tunes
Ashby
Malt Shovel 12.45 Ordered lunch
Broadway (West end) Plough Jag
The Malt Shovel 13.20 Plough Jag and lunch
Scunthorpe Precinct 15.00 Plough Jag
The Pig and Whistle 15.30 Plough Jag & songs & tunes
Tea at June and Rob Bennett’s at Winterton
The Lion’s Head - Winterton 19.30 Plough Jag, songs and tunes
The Nelthorpe Arms - Brigg 20.30 Plough Jag, songs and tunes
The Malt Shovel - Ashby 22.00 Plough Jag, songs and tunes
Characters
Rag Fool Eamon Greene s
Recruiting Sergeant Geoff Convery s
The Lady Gordon Griffin
The Horse Dave Hoy
The 2nd Horse (Doctor’s Donkey) Jonathan Whitfield
Joe Straw Steve Hindley m
Flash Hatman Keith Brown
Beelzebub Dave Barlow s
The Doctor Geoff Miller s Day until tea
Jim Hancock Evening
Dame Jane Bob Schild
Besom Betty Geoff Turner s
Hatman Rob Whitfield s
Hatman Rob Bennett
Musician/Marine Sergeant Major Kate Bilmore Day until tea
Musician/ Spiv Sam Bilmore Day until tea
Musician/ St George Peter Barnard Gainsborough only
Musician/ Soldier (York Longsword) Jon Brockbank Gainsborough only
The Plough Jag this year was prefaced by an excellent article by Sue Hoy, in the ‘Lincolnshire Life’ magazine. And the magazine’s editor had been ‘inundated’ with calls for information and where performances were to take place, and when. In December when the article was written the only definite venues were those in Gainsborough, which are near enough traditional that we have just turned up at the White Horse and Lords without regard for change of Landlord. Thus, the White Horse was quoted as being the starting point. Unfortunately the ‘Lincolnshire Life’ managed to print that we were to appear at the White Hart at 10 am and apparently there were ‘lots of people there at 10 to see us. The Jaggers only found out during the performance in Gainsborough Market Place at 10.30, when two ladies from a village south of Lincoln caught up with us. Unfortunately, by the time we had finished the people at the White Hart had dispersed, no doubt disappointed.
As usual, we were well received in the White Horse and the Lords despite, being unannounced.
Proceeding to Ashby we ordered our lunch from the £3 menu at the Malt Shovel and then went to perform at the West End of Ashby Broadway, outside the Fish and Chip shop. Although not many stayed to watch the whole performance, the collecting tins were rattling nicely with donations.
A performance of the ‘Jag, in the Malt Shovel played to a packed audience, and an excellent lunch followed. (Although the excellent value food might have been an influence on the numbers.) The £3 menu featured heavily in the ‘ad-libs’ in the Jag
A sally into Scunthorpe Precinct, with a performance outside Burton’s window, attracted a good crowd of youngsters, who must have wondered what on earth these dressed-up old men were up to, but they took it all in good part. The Pig and Whistle turned out to be a good venue again, despite the darts on the television, which was of far more interest to some. Two ladies tried on nearly all the hats in the jag, and one bloke took a fancy to the Lady’s bonnet. Allison Gennery took photographs, and the bloke’s mates ordered copies with which to blackmail him at the Rugby Club. After a goodly tune and song session, Sam Bilmore, the fiddling spiv, had had enough and took his mum (Kate) off home.
June Bennett (assisted by Alan Whitfield) produced another feast for teatime, and Alan admitted that he had not come round with the Jag this year because it was too much. The usual eat, chat and snore session over the teatime period was sprawling. How many rooms has Rob and June’s house got?
The evening session began at the Lion’s Head in Winterton, a new venue for the Ploughjag and featured Jim Hancock, as the Doctor, taking over from Geoff Miller, whose services were required at a Stubblejumpers’ Ceilidh. An excellent reception was given to the Jag and the songs and tunes which followed.
A short visit to Scanlon’s (Nelthorpe Arms) was greeted by an audience of fans who had arrived for the occasion, some of whom followed to Ashby for another visit to the Malt Shovel. Although not a traditional move, to visit the same venue twice, the evening performance proved to be even more popular than the lunchtime one. The Landlord and staff had produced posters and publicity, which had brought people in, and many people who had not seen the Jag before commented on how different it was from the usual run of the mill entertainment. Many of them still made a contribution to the collection.
Another excellent year all round. Eamon’s voice started off a bit croaky but was fine and clear by midnight. Jonathan Whitfield performed in his first Ploughjag and made an impressive Doctor’s Donkey, he is 6ft 5ins tall. Sam and Kate Bilmore stayed the course again until teatime, making up a good ‘band’ sound for the tunes with Eamon’s whistle and Steve’s accordion. And, despite the absence of some of the prominent lead singers, the singing was strong and varied with Keith Brown making a contrasting contribution to the rousing choruses with ditties accompanied by his concertina.
It was good to see old friends and ex Plough jaggers, including Eric Stones, at the Malt Shovel, and Mark Freeman at the Lion’s Head.
Sue Hoy took photos at Ashby. Allison Gennery and Jim Hancock took photos at the start and through until teatime.
