Mother of All Wants Lists for Traditional Drama Studies

Revised March 2008

When making a collection like this, there are three basic stages. Firstly, you have to learn that a piece exists and get enough details to identify it. Then you have to locate a source, and then try to get a copy. Most of the initial information comes from items already obtained - bibliographies, footnotes or brief mentions in the text. Frustratingly some of these are not always accurate or complete. As time goes on the lists inevitably accumulate items which cannot easily be found or for which the information is incomplete.

Two years ago I produced the 'Mother of All Wants Lists', running to many pages, which I sent to those friends and collaborators whom I thought might be able to help me. Thanks to their generosity the list is now reduced to the point where it hardly justifies its grandiose title. In 2003, I decided to re-issue the list, and Peter Millington kindly offered to put it on the Website. Since then, some new wants have been added to the list, but a slightly larger number have been removed.

If anyone can supply copies of any items on the list, I shall be most grateful.

Also, it will be seen that many references lack essential details that are necessary to order them from the British Library or other sources. This applies particularly to journals and newspapers. Any information which will complete these refs would be a great help.

Ron Shuttleworth, 41 Morningside, Coventry, CV5 6PD, England.
+44 (0)24 7667 6721, mumminguk@mail.com

Books

[Various authors]. A [county name] Christmas.
Sutton. [Various dates].
[I have seen Berkshire, Cotswold, Hampshire, Kent, Nottinghamshire, Oxfordshire, Surrey, Thomas Hardy’s, Warwickshire, Wiltshire & Yorkshire.]

[Unknown author]. Ballroom Guide.
[Unknown publisher]. 1893.
! cited in Parle's 'The Mummers of Wexford'.

Baring-Gould, Rev William Sabine Curious Myths. 2nd series.
[Unknown publisher]. 1868. pp.?-?..
['2 notices of Reviving Balsam']

Bladey, Conrad Do The Wassail.
Hutman Productions. 2002.

?Blackstone, Mary Drama in English, 1558-1625.
[Unknown publisher]. [Unknown date].

Flewwelling, Patricia Mummer's the Word.
[Unpublished novel]. 2008.

Michael, Janet Scrooge Meets the Mummers.
Performed at the Sagebrush Theatre, Canada, Nov 2002.
[Notices, etca, script]
! cited in Links.

Palmer, Roy Folklore of Shropshire.
Logaston. 2004. Folk play bits in ch.?..
! cited in Traditional Drama Forum.

Tayler, E.D. Mummers' Song.
[Unknown publisher]. 1921.

Journals

[Unknown journals], [Unknown dates]
[Review of DVD 'Mummers, Masks and Mischief'], [Unknown authors]
[Are there any?]

[Unknown journals], [Unknown dates]
[Review of Frampton's 'Discordant Comicals: The Christmas Hoodeners of East Kent'], [Unknown authors]
[Are there any?]

[Unknown journals], [Unknown dates]
[Review of Hansberry's 'Along Their Merry Way'], [Unknown authors]
[Are there any?]

[Unknown journals], [Unknown dates]
[Review of Pearson's 'In Comes I: Performance, Memory and Landscape'], [Unknown authors]
[Are there any?]

Countryside Magazine & Suburban Life [Harrisburg, PA, USA], Dec 1914. p.?
Christmas Mysteries & Masques, Langdon, (W.)C.

Kirkus Reviews [New York, NY, USA], 44. 1 Mar 1976. p.312.
Review of Glassie's 'All Silver and No Brass', [Unknown author]

The Lady, 3 Dec 1936. p.?
A Winter's Tale, Borell, Louise
! in Alex Helm Collection.9:45-46.

Ninteenth Century and After, 118. Jul 1935. pp.92-99.
The Meaning of Morris, Gallop, Rodney

Scholastic [?Chicago, IL, USA], 31:24E. 18 Dec 1937. p.?
Selected List of Christmas Plays, [Unknown author]

Scholastic [?Chicago, IL, USA], 33.3T. 17 Dec 1938. p.?
Christmas Bibliography, [Unknown author]

Newspapers

[bl / ls] = British Library at Colindale / Local Studies unable to supply.

Courier-Post [Cherry Hill, NJ, USA], 29 Dec 1979. p.?
The New Jersey Mummers' Connection, Welch, Charles E.
[bl]
! cited in Roomer.

Graphic, Christmas Number, 25 Dec 1871. p.7.
An Undress Rehearsal [No author]
[bl('no issue for date')]
! reprinted in Roomer.

Ireland's Own, 25 Dec 1911. pp.2-4.
The Muddymore Mummers O'Brien, F.Morrough
! in Alex Helm Collection.27:161R-163R.

Ireland's Own, 28 Feb 1912. p.?.
The Co Wexford Mummers O'Brien, John J.
! in Alex Helm Collection.27:164-166V.

Midweek Advertiser [Andover], 22 Dec 1982. p.3.
The Strange & Ancient Tradition of Mummers. 'Bystander'
[ls('no issue for date' - ends 15 Dec 1982)]
! cited in Roud & Marsh's 'Mumming Plays in Hampshire'.

The Shamrock, 26 Oct 1867. p.56.
Mummers in Ireland [Unknown author]
[bl('no issue for date')]
! in Alex Helm Collection.27:159R.

The Shamrock, 24 Dec 1875. p.?
Memories of Christmas Revels Savage, ?
[bl('no issue for date')]

Mysteries

This file contains mysteries, and items from the 'Wants' lists which have been located but where the known information has proved incorrect or insufficient to find the passages of interest.

Can anyone help??

Books

"Christmas Plays of Derbyshire and Notts" Christmas Plays of Derbyshire and Notts.
[In "English County Songs", Lucy Broadwood notes at the top of the "Derby Ram" song saying it was 'Introduced together with the "Hobby Horse" in this]

Hayward, Richard The Boke of the Christmas Rhymers [a 'chapbook'].
[Unknown publisher]. [probably 1940's - 50's].
! perhaps reprinted in Ulster Illustrated.

Hazlitt, William Carew The English Drama & Stage.
1869.
[Could not find anything without specific refs.]

Journals

English Illustrated Magazine, Dec 1899. p.?
[Illustration], Sumner, Heywood
[('cannot locate article')]

Newspapers

[Unknown newspaper], [Unknown date] p.?
Villagers Return to Plays of the Middle Ages Barnes, Peter
! in Steve Roud & Paul Marsh Collection.

Daily Chronicle, 2 Mar 1929. p.?
Mummers of County Wexford. Heneghan, Fred
[bl('cannot locate article')]
! reprinted in The Irish Book Lover.

?Southern Daily Echo, 18 Dec 1932. p.?
Salisbury Preservers of Ancient Custom. [Unknown author]
[ls('cannot locate article')]
! cited in Roud & Marsh's 'Mumming Plays in Hampshire'.

?Southern Evening Echo, 6 Nov 1958. p.?
To Go on Tour Again. [Andover, Hants] [Unknown author]
[ls('cannot locate article')]
! cited in Roud & Marsh's 'Mumming Plays in Hampshire'.

?Southern Evening Echo, 12 Dec 1963. p.?
Mum Makes the Mummers Costumes. [Andover, Hants] [Unknown author]
[ls('cannot locate article')]
! cited in Roud & Marsh's 'Mumming Plays in Hampshire'.

Sunday Independent, 11 Dec 1966. p.10a.
Where Have All the Mummers Gone? McGarrigle, Joe
[bl('cannot locate article')]
! in Alex Helm Collection.26:164-166.

Sunday Pictorial, 27 Dec 1931. p.?
[Unknown title] [Unknown author]
[bl('cannot locate article')]
! cited in The Gloucestershire Countryside.