Animals and Beasts
Animals and Beasts
English folk costumes include a number of animal costumes which are either the centre of activity or an additional attraction. Animal costumes are used all over England although the most famous of all the Padstow and Minehead hobby horses are from Cornwall and Somerset respectively. Hobby horse costumes have been worn since the Tudor period, sometimes to accompany mumming plays or morris dancers and normally to raise money either for the performers as a cadging activity or as a fund raising activity for another cause. Many modern morris teams have created their own fantastic animals including unicorns and cockerels. These animals accompany the dancing and act like team mascots.
Hobby Horse
Hobby is a very old medieval word for horse. Hobby horse today means a false horse, either a horse’s head on a stick which can be ridden (a stick horse) or a large costume which covers the wearer. The mast horse (a type of stick horse) is a real horse’s skull or false head which is attached to a pole. A person holds the pole and is covered entirely by a cloth. Sometime the horse’s head has mechanics inside which means that the mouth and sometimes eyes and ears can be manipulated. The tourney horse is made from a large round frame which covers the wearer. The frame is covered in cloth and attached to the wearer’s waist, normally with braces which go over the wearer’s shoulders. A horses head is attached to the front of the costume and sometimes false human legs are attached at the side.
The Minehead hobby horse
The Minehead hobby horse is a large frame which comes to below the wearer’s neck. The frame is covered in fabric and decorated with colourful roundels (round circles of fabric). The top of the frame is covered with strips of cloth. The man’s head is covered with a mask and surrounded by a hood which is covered in ribbons or strips of cloth. A large stick comes out of the top of the hood.
The Padstow ‘oss
The Padstow 'oss has a large frame covered by a black cloth with a hole for the wearer’s head which is covered by a large tribal looking mask with bold red, white and black colours, at the front and back of the frame is a rather small horses head and tail (see also Padstow Attendants).
The Hooden Horse
The Hooden Horse from Kent was part of a small play which was performed in people’s houses by farm laborers at Christmas. The men put on an impromptu (improvised) performance involving mounting the “horse” and songs would be sung. The horse was formed by a person almost bent over double and leaning on a pole and covered in cloth. The pole had a wooden head attached to it which was decorated with horse brasses and rosettes with ribbons for a mane.
The Derby Ram (Old Tup)
The Derby Ram is part of a Christmas visiting custom from Derbyshire. This costume is part of a short play or performance performed at Christmas time which includes the Derby Ram song, a dance by the ram and then a mock killing of the ram by the other performers.
The ram is made by throwing a sheet/sack/carpet/coat or even curtain over the performer. The ‘head’ which could be a real sheep’s head or skull, a wooden one or simply a pair of horns was mounted onto a pole and carried by the performer. Sometimes the head was made simply by tying the cloth into horns or just chalking a face onto the cloth.
The Straw Bear
In Cambridgeshire on Plough Monday in the 1800s a person would be covered in straw from head to toe like a walking sheaf of corn. Normally they were led by another and held by a string of rope. This figure was called the Straw Bear and was encouraged to ‘dance’ for money from passers by. It is likely that this practice was inspired by dancing bears which were a popular but very cruel entertainment which was stopped in the 20th century. This custom was spectacularly revived in the 1980s and is the key part of the modern Straw Bear Festival in Whittlesey.
Key Words
Braces, cadging, custom, hobby horse, hooden, hood, horse brasses, impromptu, mask, Old Tup, ‘oss, Plough Monday, revived, rosettes, ribbons, roundels, stick horse, tourney.
