07/01/2026
I’ve mentioned plough Monday a few times on the podcast. I’m so glad the tradition is being kept alive. Bedfordshire is one of the counties with good evidence for plough Monday before the modern revival. I’ll share more on Monday.
Monday, the 12th January, is Plough Monday and the traditional start of the agricultural year.
In many parts of the countryside it was a day of celebration - a moment when the tired country folk could look forward to a season of new growth (and making money again)!
Lots of folk customs were enacted at this time - including so-called 'Plough Plays'.
On this day, Plough Boys (who had been unable to work during the frozen winter months) would tour the houses of the gentry, demanding money in return for a short, ritual performance.
Legend has it that if they were turned away, the men would destroy the lawns of the wealthy with their ploughs.
Bedford’s “Plough Play” was written down in 1949, but its roots are lost in time. It forms part of an ancient tradition of ‘mummer’s plays’ unique to the UK.
The BMM continue to perform the same play in our local pubs on Plough Monday to this day - and you can see it for FREE (although money with menaces may be demanded afterwards!).
This year we will perform the play on Monday 12th January at
The Devonshire Arms @7.30pm
The Castle @ 8.30pm
The Wellington Arms @ 9.30pm
The picture that accompanies this post comes from 1814 and is called "Plough Monday, or the Plough Boys’ Holiday”. It is by the artist George Walker.
