Tollerton Ploughboys will be performing the famous Tollerton Plough Play on Monday 9 January. This local cultural performance of song, verse and prose was revived in 2002 and is performed for one night only.
Plough plays are traditionally held on Plough Monday – the first Monday after 12th night. – and the plough boys will travel around several private houses around the village providing a performance for groups of residents gathered in the host house, with different houses selected each year.
These performances are followed by a final performance in front of a packed house at the Air Hostess open to all at around 9pm. Each performance is followed by a collection for a local cause selected by the plough boys replicating the traditional fund raising nature of the plough play and a short verse of song:
Good masters and good mistress
As you sit around your fire
Remember us poor ploughboys
Who plough through mud and mire
The mire it is so very deep
The water runs so clear
Put your hands into your pockets that is all that we desire
Put bread into our hoppers
And beer into our cans
Let’s hope you will never forget
The jolly old Farmer’s Man.
Good masters and good mistress
You see our fool has gone
We make it our business to follow him along
We thank you for civility and what you gave us here
We wish you all goodnight and another happy year