Words and tune from Miss Margaret Royds, Heysham.

The Peace-Egg is obviously a version of a mumming play, differing chiefly in the fact it is performed as Easter instead of Christmas. The name is a corruption of Pasche-Egg, or Easter Egg. At Heysham it is performed by five of six children, or, on some occasions, by a company of men, numbering at least a dozen. It is still kept up in Holy Week, except on Good Friday; and not long ago even that day was no exception. Now-a-days the costume is simply a night shirt worn over the clothes, ornamented with tags of coloured ribbon and paper, sewn in all directions. The performers wear masks, and one of them is always an old woman (see the last verse.) She is generally arm-in-arm with a shabby old man, who has his back stuffed out with straw. The "Singer-in" (compare "Open the Door" in the Morris play given in Shropshire Folk Lore, p 484 ff) starts first, and walks round by himself in a circle, singing the first verse. With each succeeding verse another joins him, until at last they are all singing and walking round, the old man and woman last. They stand still to sing the extra verse:

Come ladies and gentleman that sits by the fire
Put your hands in your pockets and give us our desire;
Put your hands in your pockets and pull out your purse
And give us a trifle, you'll not be much worse.

- and then run off with money and eggs to the next house. As in all performances of the kind, there is a tradition in the memory of old inhabitants of much more elaborate ceremonies being gone through. The correct dress of this one is said to have been white stockings with sandal shoes, white breeches (with the exception of the old woman, let us hope), and white smock-frocks. The old man had, beside his straw hump, straw wrapped round his legs, and a long straw tail. The players used to fight with swords; at at one period (nearly seventy years ago), a doctor was introduced with a magic bottle, for restoring the slain. He had to touch the fallen man and say:-

I've a bottle of Alicampane,
Jump up, Saint George, and fight again

This incident (which appears in many existing versions of the play) was an innovation, borrowed from another set of actors who used to come on Easter Monday from another village twelve miles away.

For more information concerning the custom of "Peace-Egging", see Folk Lore Record, vol ii, part I, p 87; and Bohn's Brand, vol i, p 176

In cheerful dance time.
1. Oh, here come we jolly boys, all of one mind,
We've come a-pace-egging, I hope you'll prove kind.
I hope you'll prove kind with your eggs and good cheer;
We'll no more come nigh you until the next year.
Fol de diddle dum, Fol de day!
Fol de diddle di dum day!

2. The first that comes in is Lord Nelson, you see,
He's a valiant old laddie in every degree;
He's a valiant old lad, and he wears a pigtail,
And all his delight is in drinking mulled ale.
Fol de diddle dum, etc.

3. The next that comes in is a jolly Jack Tar,
He sailed with Lord Nelson a-during last war;
He's arrived from the sea old England to view,
And he's come the pace-egging with us jolly crew.
Fol de diddle dum, etc.

4. The next that comes in is a soldier, you see,
He's a bunch of blue ribbons right down to his knee,
He's a star on his breast like silver does shine,
I hope you'll remember it's pace-egging time.
Fol de diddle dum, etc.

5. The last that comes in is old Nan with her bags,
For sake of her money she wears but old rags;
She's gold and she's silver and money in store,
She's come along with us in hopes to get more.
Fol de diddle dum, etc.

6. Ladies and gentlemen that sit by the fire,
Put your hand in your pocket, that's all our desire;
Put your hand in your pocket and pull out your purse,
And give us a trifle, you'll not be much worse.
Fol de diddle dum, etc.

The singers of this and similar "Easter Egg" songs are usually dressed up roughly to represent the characters referred to in the verses.