Swaffham Prior Plough Monday Song

DESCRIPTION: "A sifting of chaff, a bottle of hay, See the poor colts go carrying away. Squeak, boys, squeak, and wag your tais, Hi nnney, hi mommey."
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST DATE: 1963 (Porter)
KEYWORDS: farming nonballad horse
FOUND IN: Britain(England(Lond))
REFERENCES (1 citation):
ADDITIONAL: Enid Porter, _The Folklore of East Anglia_, Batsford, 1974, p. 55, "(no title)" (1 short text)
NOTES [57 words]: According to Porter, boys in Swaffham Prior, in the years before 1929, would blacken their faces, carry a miniature plough, and sing this song. The purpose of the custom is not explained, although the informant said that at least one farmer paid off the boys. The time of the ritual was Plough Monday, the first Monday after Twelfth Day. - RBW
Last updated in version 4.2
File: Por055a

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