Jewitt, Llewellyn, "On Ancient Customs and Sports of the County of Derby", Journal of the British Archaeological Association, Vol 7, p199-210, (1852).
[p201]
The morris dancers, who go about from village to village about the twelfth day, have their fool, their maid Marian (here generally a man dressed in women's clothes, and called the fool's wife), and sometimes the hobby-horse; they are dressed up in ribbands and tinsel, but the bells are usually discarded. On Plough Monday, the "Plough-
[p202]
bullocks" are still occasionally seen; they consist of a number of young men from various farm-houses, who are dressed up in ribbands, their shirts (for they wear no coats or waistcoats) literally covered with rosettes of various colours, and their hats bound round with ribbands, and decorated with every kind of ornament that comes in their way; these young men yoke themselves to a plough, which they draw about, preceded by a band of music, from house to house, collecting money; they are accompanied by the fool and Bessy; the fool being dressed in the skin of a calf, with the tail hanging down behind, and Bessy, generally a young man in female attire, covered with a profusion of ribbands and other meretricious finery. The fool carries an inflated bladder tied to the end of a long stick, by way of whip, and which he does not fail to apply pretty soundly to the heads and shoulders of his team; to these personages are usually added two or more drivers, armed with similar bladders, and a ploughman with attendants. When anything is given, a cry of largess is raised, and a dance performed around the plough; but if a refusal to their application for money is made, they not unfrequently plough up the pathway, door stone, or any other portion of the premises they happen to be near.
[p208]
Rush-bearing was formerly a general custom in the Peak and is still observed in some localities. At Glossop, a cart or waggon was decorated with rushes in a tasty and elegant manner; a pyramid of rushes, ornamented with festoons of flowers and surmounted by a garland, was usually placed in the car, and surrounded by flags, ribbands, and garlands. The car was then drawn through the village, preceded by groups of dancers and a band of music, to the church, when the rushes and flowers were strewed over the floor and in the pews, and the garlands hung up near the chancel. At Whitwell, a nearly similar custom was observed, when the hay from a church field is mown and spread in the church on Midsummer eve.
Jewitt, Llewellyn, "On Ancient Customs and Sports of the County of Nottingham", Journal of the British Archaeological Association, Vol 8, p229-240, (1853).
[p238]
On Plough Monday, as well as during the Christmas holidays, the plough bullocks are still to be seen in various parts of the county. This extremely picturesque and popular custom, - with its plough, drawn by farmer's men, gaily dressed in ribbands, its drivers, with their long wands and bladders, its sword-dancers, its fool and its celebrated Bessy, and, hobby-horse, - I have, described in my Derbyshire paper1; it will therefore be sufficient to say, that amongst other places the neighbourhoods of Newstead, Mansfield, and Southwell, are still famous for its observance, and that it has been well described by Washington Irying in his Newstead Abbey.
1. See vol. vii, pp.199-210.
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