Scuffle at West Berkshire pub as Mummers return with midwinter tradition

AN OLD tradition in the northern reaches of the district returns this year.

A casualty of last year’s pandemic restrictions was the midwinter ritual of the Aldworth Mummers.

They will be outside the CAMRA award-winning Bell Inn as usual on Saturday at 9pm – for the 45th year.

These roving players have performed regularly since 1976, at numerous drinking establishments, including the Pot Kiln, the now defunct Star in East Ilsley, and in more recent years at West Berkshire Brewery.

Maintaining the anonymity of the players is key, as villagers thought it bad luck if they could identify a performer.

The plays, traditionally performed in villages around the midwinter solstice, are based loosely on the legend of St George and the dragon and show the struggle between good and evil, death and rebirth.

At Aldworth, a number of characters take centre stage, two of whom engage in combat – one of them a Turkish knight, one King George – the loser being revived by a doctor character. And let’s not forget good old Father Christmas...

Some believe the tradition dates back to pagan times, while others say they are medieval.

Although the term mummers has been in use since the Middle Ages, no scripts survive from then and it may have been a term for various types of strolling players.

It is now thought that the type of play popular today dates after the mid-18th century.