Keynsham Mummers gearing up for Boxing Day

The popular Keynsham Mummers Play will again be performed in the town on Boxing Day.

Tradition dictates it is performed over the festive season. The scripts were passed on orally through the generations and the story invariably was one of good triumphing over evil , of death and rebirth.

Many believe this was a form of respect for the seasons and that Spring would follow Winter.

The play, was watched in 1822 by a certain Joseph Hunter. In the words of the English Folk Dance and Song Society's journal of December 1947: "Amongst Joseph Hunter's manuscripts in the British Museum, is a transcript of a Christmas play which Mr Hunter saw performed at Keynsham, county. Somerset, on December 27th, 1822, He obtained a copy of the words from one of the actors, and this may be found in another volume, signed James Cantle, Keynsham. Mr Hunter writes that unlike the actors in the north of England, "the mummers", these called themselves "Christmas Boys". Some of them wore swords"

Photocopies of the original manuscript are in Keynsham library.

In 1977, with the formation of Keynsham and District Arts Society, an attempt was made to produce the play, but there was never a full attendance at rehearsals and the idea was abandoned.

Coincidentally, in December 1976, just about the same time as the Keynsham and District Arts Society were trying to revive the play, a group of Bristol Morris Men had just performed it at a University of Bristol folk dance! Following a plea for help broadcast on Radio Bristol the Morris men contacted the society enquiring as to whether they could help and they have performed it ever since.

The Keynsham Mummers Play can be seen on Boxing Day outside Keynsham Town Hall (11.30am) and the New Inn at 12 noon.