The City of Gloucester Mummers started life in the back room of the Ship Inn on The Quay, Gloucester in August 1969. The Ship was, of course, the home of the late, lamented Gloucester Folk Club and all the founding members of the Mummers came from the Club. The inspiration for forming the Side came from Cheltenham Song Club members Dave Stevenson, Ken Langsbury and Bill Spragg who had all performed in a Mummers play in July 1968 in Gloucester Park. On this occasion with typical modesty Mike Price turned to Rod Penlington and said "we could do that!" and there the matter rested until the intervention of a lady. The lady in question being Janita McKay, who turned up at the Folk Club with the text of the Painswick Play early in the following year (1969). At the same time there were stirrings in the Dursley area and the Waterley Bottom Mummers emerged.
The first performance by the Mummers was at the Folk Club on Christmas Eve 1969 and two days later (Boxing Day) we performed outside the Cathedral and have done so every Boxing Day since.
After this initial surge the City Mummers being some ten in number realised they knew little or nothing about mumming. Fortunately help was at hand in the guise of the newly-formed West Midlands Folk Federation based in Ledbury. The late David and Sandra Jones were the moving force of the Federation and besides starting the famous Bromyard Folk Festival they ran Ceilidhs and all kinds of workshops. In January 1970 Dave and Sandra booked the foremost authority on mumming plays, the late Alex Helm. Those of you who have done mumming plays at school will be familiar with the many books he published through Ginn and Company. At the end of his workshop Johnathan Eastmond approached Alex and asked if there was a play from Gloucester explaining that our sole text was the Painswick Play. Alex put us in touch with David Todd of Chalford who in his student days had collected the Gloucester, Bisley, Stroud and other local plays which he published in a small pamphlet. Within a week of meeting Alex Helm Jon Eastmond and Mike Price went to meet David Todd who lived in a delightful house on Chalford Hill and was most hospitable. He gave us his original notes on the Gloucester Play, some copies of his pamphlet and some Morris bells and sticks. The next important event in the history of the Mummers was an encounter with Laurie Lee by Mike Price outside The Woolpack, Slad. Mike at this time was thin enough to be a Morris dancer, but there were already signs of an incipient beer belly(!) and so, on Easter Saturday 1970, Laurie Lee agreed to become Patron of the Mummers. This position, Laurie proudly held until his recent death. Laurie had said he was quite happy to be the Patron if his only duty was buying a round for the lads on Boxing Day. Laurie handed over a ten pound note every Boxing Day he attended thinking he was buying our beer, but as you may, or may not know, all money given outside the Cathedral goes towards its ongoing restoration.
1970 was also the first City of Gloucester St.George's Day celebrations. Again based on the Folk Club but with Morris dancing and the first performance of the actual Gloucester Mumming Play since the 1880's. The tradition of presenting the Mayor of Gloucester with a rose on St.George's day has continued ever since. In tribute to the West Midland Folk Federation the only performance of the Gloucester Mumming Play outside of the City of Gloucester took place at the second Bromyard Festival in September 1970.
One of the many oddities of the City Mummers is our methods of recruitment. These do not follow any proscribed methods. In fact most current members will recall being shanghaied or conned into membership. The present Squire, Rab MhacGregor, was asked "You've been in the army, what do you know about sword fighting?" At which, of course, Rab duly showed a few thrusts and parries and was asked to say a few words as he was doing it. "My God, you're a natural," shouts Rod Penlington and the fabled Laird of Cheltenham Spa was ensnared. Les Griffiths, (Flash to his friends) was foolish enough to agree to come early to Folk Club for a Shanty rehearsal which of course did not take place, it was what we were calling the Mummers meeting that week! Dave Owen asked Flash "could you just read these lines for me, `cos I've got to rush out the back?" and Flash was in.
In 1976 the City of Gloucester Mummers became only the third Mumming Side to be admitted to the Morris Ring of England following the Coventry Mummers and the Bury Pace Eggers. This was at the Stratford upon Avon Ring Meeting. Prior to this the Mummers had performed at the Gloucester Ring Meeting the year before and had been invited to apply for membership.
Over the years a number of non-mummers have made outstanding contributions to the well-being and progress of the Side. Firstly Jill Nightingale, Jan Mackay, Joyce Griffiths, Jill Bowmer, Dave Owen's Mum (whose first name eludes me!) and Jonathan Eastmond's parents who made Haresfield Vicarage available for rehearsals and nights of serious drinking. In 1977 the biggest event organised in the County of Gloucestershire for the Queen's Jubilee was the City's St.George's Day Celebrations. No less than thirty Morris, Clog, Sword and Rapper Sides took part with tours throughout the County in the morning culminating in a mass display in King's Square in the afternoon and one hell of a ceilidh in the Guildhall that evening.
Some Highlights from the Mummers History
E F D S S (English Folk Dance and Song Society) We were affiliated as a local club in 1970.
Burford Dragon Procession and Mummers Play.
"Folk West" at The Colston Hall, Bristol 1972, two performances.
Randwick Wap with Keith Glover and still going strong
Performance for the Earl of Hertford at his stately home, Ragley Hall, Alcester. His Grace was foolish enough to leave us in the beer tent with the fatal words `help yourselves, lads.'
Performances of the Broadway, Minchinhampton, Bisley, Snowshill and Gloucester Mummers' Play were performed in their respective villages/towns. There were others, but I was not involved.
Many mummers' ladies helped to start England's Glory Ladies Morris. These ladies were invited to dance out with us on Boxing Day in the seventies and caused quite a furore with male Morris sides. In fact Royal Forest of Dean Morris Men refused to dance and went home.
Performed the Snowshill play at Snowshill,
Michael David Kean-Price
Founder and Second Squire of the City of Gloucester Mummers. (The
first squire was Humphrey Nightingale)