Morris Dancing FAQs

English Mumming Play: An Introductory Bibliography: Eddie Cass, Michael J. Preston, and Paul Smith
The Folklore Society, 2000
(FLS Bibliographies No.2)
ISSN 0-903515-21-0; This is comprehensive bibliography of literature on British mumming plays. It is clearly intended for research use, which it serves admirably. There are 280 individual entries, which give author, title and publication details. There are no individual abstracts or summaries, but each section commences with a summary of the key issues and key publications relevant to its subject. There is an author index, and to help people obtain copies of the items, there are descriptions of the archives of the Folklore Society, the Vaughan Williams Memorial Library, and the Morris Ring Archive.; • Available: <http://www.cdss.org/sales/english_dance.html>; • Available: <http://www.efdss.org/>; • Review: <http://www.shef.ac.uk/~tdrg/Forum/TD_Forum_5_Reviews.htm>; • Categories: Books : Mumming/Ritual Drama

FAQ Entry Updated: 2004-12-07

Folk Play Research Website: Searchable database of the text of over 180 traditional British & Irish folk plays, commonly called Mummers' Plays after one of the common names by which the actors are known. However, Mummers is only one of the collective names used. Others are: Guisers, Christmas Rhymers, Plough Jags, Plough Bullocks, Tipteerers, etc - even Morris Dancers. Database is part of the author's doctoral research into ritual folk drama. The site is also the homepage for the Traditional Drama Forum newsletter. There is also a section that links to mumming performance groups and modern adaptations of mumming plays.; • Homepage: <http://www.folkplay.info/>; • Newsletter: <http://www.folkplay.info/TD_Forum.htm>; • Maintainer: Peter Millington <peter.millington1@virgin.net>; • Categories: Mumming/Ritual Drama : Periodicals/Newsletters

FAQ Entry Updated: 2006-04-05

Introducing the Folk Plays of England: Ron Shuttleworth
R.K. Shuttleworth, 1984 ISBN: 0-9510140-0-5; The archivist of folk plays for England's Morris Ring answers common questions about the plays and describes the Sword, Wooing, and Hero-Combat Plays. With bibliography.; • Available: <http://www.cdss.org/sales/english_dance.html>; • Categories: Books : Mumming/Ritual Drama

FAQ Entry Updated: 2004-12-07

Inventory of the Alex Helm Collection: This database is an inventory of about 3,700 records on English folk plays, Morris dancing and related traditions, collected by the late Alex Helm, and deposited in the Manuscripts and Rare Books Room of University College London Library. Records include journal references and brief descriptions.; • Homepage: <http://www.folkplay.info/Helm/>; • Maintainer: Peter Millington <peter.millington1@virgin.net>; • Categories: Mumming/Ritual Drama

FAQ Entry Updated: 2002-11-12

Lancashire Pace-egg Play: A Social History: by Eddie Cass
The Folklore Society, 2001
ISSN 0-903515-22-9

The book covers the historical background, development and social context of the Lancashire Pace-Egging Play to the present day. It contains a wealth of references and sources. Alongside the author's efforts to present and maintain a solid foundation of historical evidence, is a description of the vitality and local colour of the play, particularly in his case studies.; • Available: <http://www.cdss.org/sales/english_dance.html>; • Available: <http://www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obidos/ASIN/0903515229/>; • Review: <http://www.mustrad.org.uk/reviews/pace_egg.htm>; • Categories: Books : Mumming/Ritual Drama

FAQ Entry Updated: 2004-12-07

Master Mummers

The creator of this useful site notes that the "Master Mummers is not in competition with the TDRG's www.folkplay.info website. Rather, Master Mummers complements it with new interactive resources. In fact you could call it the 'colour supplement' to the Folk Play Research website." The Master Mummers website currently holds:

A worldwide Directory of Folk Play Groups - details of over 250 groups, compiled from publicly available information. Mummers, guisers, and other folk play groups are encouraged to add or correct their entry in the listing
A Folk Play Scripts Explorer - that lets you search the scripts database by keyword, examine variants of the lines found, plot distribution maps for them, and so forth.
The beginnings of a 'Frequently Asked Questions' section - currently mainly performance advice.
A general mapping utility - letting you plot your own simple British & Irish distribution maps, using lists of OS & OSI Grid References.

The Directory of Folk Play Groups has been enhanced with a maps mashup where provided latitude and longitude coordinates displays the location in an embedded Google Map. For the UK, Grid References link to Ordnance Survey maps. At its simplest, you can display a map and/or satellite image of a group's home town. Alternatively, you can view a distribution map for a set of search results, and click on the markers for more information.

• Home: <http://www.mastermummers.org/>

• Directory of Folk Play Groups [Map Mashup]: <http://www.mastermummers.org/groupslist.php?format=googlemap&otCode=G>

• Maintainer: Peter Millington <peter.millington1@virgin.net>

• Categories: Directories : Events : History : Mumming/Ritual Drama

FAQ Entry Updated: 2007-07-21

Morris Ring Archive: The Morris Ring Archive represents the largest collection of morris/sword related material available to researchers anywhere in the world. The Archive Web Site contains bibliographic information covering sources which refer to morris and sword dance and related topics and also seeks to provide transcripts of sources which are not readily available. The latter cover both published works and manuscript material. A cross section of information is currently available and new material is added on a regular basis.; • Ring Archive: <http://www.ringarchive.co.uk/>; • Mumming Archive: <http://dialspace.dial.pipex.com/town/walk/ykp55/mumming/>; • Dance Notes: <http://www.chrismetherell.pwp.blueyonder.co.uk/Traditions/trad1.htm>; • Maintainer: Chris Metherell <Chris@Metherell.org.uk>; • Categories: Archives/Libraries : Dance Notes : Mumming/Ritual Drama : Organizations

FAQ Entry Updated: 2002-11-15

Mumming Performances and Texts: Peter Millington and Chris Little have compiled a list of over 600 hyperlinks, including traditional mumming play collections and descriptions, performing group websites, photos, and modern compositions. This is where I go if I'm trying to locate a play or performance by a modern mumming troupe; arranged geographically.; • Links: <http://www.folkplay.info/Links.htm>; • Performances: <http://www.folkplay.info/Performance/Forthcoming.htm>; • Maintainer: Peter Millington <peter.millington1@virgin.net>; • Categories: Mumming/Ritual Drama

FAQ Entry Updated: 2003-01-24

Mumming Teams: Rich Holmes keeps a page listing Mumming Teams as part of his larger Morris Links website.; • Home: <http://morrisdancing.wikia.com/wiki/Mumming_teams>; • Maintainer: Richard Holmes [Contact Form]; • Categories: Directories : Mumming/Ritual Drama

FAQ Entry Updated: 2006-05-07

Peter Millington's Web Space: Peter Millington is the webmaster for the Traditional Drama Research Group, including the Folk Play Research website, so his personal web space, as you might imagine, is quite worth a look. He notes his own publications, including a bibliography of published material, and has links to the full-text of some of his articles and works in progress.; • Home: <http://freespace.virgin.net/peter.millington1/>; • Maintainer: Peter Millington <peter.millington1@virgin.net>; • Categories: Bibliographies : Mumming/Ritual Drama

FAQ Entry Updated: 2006-04-05

Ron Shuttleworth Collection: The Ron Shuttleworth Collection is the Morris Ring Archive on Folk Plays and Mumming. This site gives access to a unique and exhaustive resource on the English Mumming play and related traditions. The archive includes a paper based collection in Coventry England, a database of material written about mumming will eventually be available, the complete texts of leaflets written by the Archivist and more.; • Homepage: <http://www.folkplay.info/Ron/Index.htm>; • Book List: <http://www.folkplay.info/Ron/Booklist.htm>; • Collection: <http://www.folkplay.info/Ron/Collection.htm>; • Maintainer: Ron Shuttleworth <mumminguk@mail.com>; • Categories: Archives/Libraries : Bibliographies : Books : Mumming/Ritual Drama

FAQ Entry Updated: 2003-01-27

Room, Room, Ladies and Gentlemen: An Introduction to the English Mummers' Play: by Eddie Cass and Steve Roud
English Folk Dance and Song Society, in association with The Folklore Society, 2002
(English Folk Arts Series)
ISBN 0-85418-185

The book is intended as an introduction for those knowing little or nothing of the Mummers' Play and, as such, doesn't go into scholarly detail. The text makes it clear that the book is aimed partly at schools and groups of young people interested in starting the performance of a play for the first time. The book has five sections. Section 1 deals with History, Origins, Heyday and Decline, and Mummers Today. Section 2 covers the detail of the play and its performers: names of characters; types of performance; types of play; costumes; venues, attitudes and motives. Section 3 deals with everything you need to know about starting your own Mumming Play tradition. Section 4 covers finding material. The final section presents the texts of nine plays from a representative selection of types and areas.; • Available: <http://www.cdss.org/sales/english_dance.html>; • Available: <http://www.efdss.org/>; • Review: <http://www.mustrad.org.uk/reviews/mummers.htm>; • Categories: Books : History : Mumming/Ritual Drama

FAQ Entry Updated: 2004-12-07

So You Want to Start Mumming? : Suggestions for Beginners: Ron Shuttleworth
R.K. Shuttleworth, 1994 ISBN: 0-9510140-1-3; Beginners book written by the founder of England's Coventry Mummers, with chapters on costumes/props, approach to humor, sources of texts, and more.; • Available: <http://www.cdss.org/sales/english_dance.html>; • Categories: Books : Mumming/Ritual Drama

FAQ Entry Updated: 2004-12-07