It was a conversation in a pub that led to the revival of an ancient Christmas-time tradition for a small town in the heart of the Somerset Levels. Langport resident Kate Lynch says it was around 2001 when she, her husband James and their two friends Hannah Aitken and Nick Durnan, decided to form a mummers troupe.
Mumming and mummers’ plays have a long tradition in Europe where actors would don masks and perform in the streets during winter festivals. In this country there are references to mummers in the court of Edward III; but the Christmas play, based on the battle of good and evil between St George and the Black Knight, had become very popular by the 19th century. Kate and friends found an old script from Lancashire and adapted it, changing bits to make it local and topical, but keeping key lines and old words from the original.
Denne historien er fra December 2019-utgaven av Somerset Life.
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Denne historien er fra December 2019-utgaven av Somerset Life.
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Up on the Down
Try this easy-to-follow Exmoor walk with SIMONE STANBROOK-BYRNE
Shop until you drop
It’s Somerset’s county town, it’s the place to go for the big shops, but Taunton is also home to a thriving independent scene, discovers CATHERINE COURTENAY
Creatures of the night
Have you ever had something swoop past your ear, almost unseen? You may have had a brief encounter with a bat, says BERNARD BALE
Bowled over
Now that we can return to skittle and bowling alleys - albeit with new rules BERNARD BALE reveals that the sport of bowling has many Somerset links
Trackway through time
In the Somerset Levels SIMONE STANBROOK-BYRNE discovers a place where our Neolithic heritage rubs shoulders with the present day
SAVING THE SPLENDOUR OF EXMOOR
The splendour of Exmoor National Park may appear timeless and untroubled, but a new book reveals the long and often bitter struggle conservationists faced to save the landscape from the twin threats of afforestation and the plough
Decorative art
Not simply functional, treat your walls like an extension of your personality
Charity starts at home
How do we teach our children the importance of giving back?
Blooming brilliant
Will and Lauren Holley purchased a four-acre field in Somerset, converted it into a nursery, opened during lockdown and now their perennial plants are flying off the shelves. JULIE HARDING meets the go-getting couple
Age-old advice
Just become a grandparent for the first time? Perhaps you need a little guidance, so here are some top tips about how to embrace your new family role
