Knaresborough Knightmares
The Mummers' main activities take place around Christmas, when we perform our traditional Blue Stots play around the pubs of North Yorkshire, raising funds for local charities. The tumultuous events of 2020 put a temporary stop to this, but we managed to put in a lockdown performance which you can see here: YouTube.
With things still looking uncertain in 2021 the team adapted their activities once again, this time with a series of ghost walks around Knaresborough. They're called "Knaresborough Knightmares", reflecting the bloody deeds of one of the town's most notorious villains:
"In comes I, Sir Hugh de Morville, Lord of
Westmorland.
I slaughtered Thomas Becket at His Majesty's command.
For this I faced a punishment far worse than death or torture,
I had to live in Knaresborough town, a grotty place in Yorkshire."
This knightmarish knight is just one of the malevolent, macabre or mysterious characters associated with Knaresborough. Tales of Eugene Aram, Guy Fawkes and Mother Shipton are included in the tour, and sometimes, these characters make an appearance from beyond the grave. There'll be stories of hauntings and witchcraft from the town and its ancient forest, and attendees will learn about house-visiting customs like mumming, which could be seen as an ancestor of trick-or-treating.
Details of forthcoming tours can be seen on our gigs page.
The tours are popular and can fill up quickly; bookings can be made here: TicketSource
More information can be found on the Knaresborough Knightmares Facebook page. Ticket revenue will be donated to local causes.