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Plough Sunday, the first sunday after Epiphany, signaled the beginning of the agricultural year, and was marked by a church blessing of the plough. Plough Monday, the day after, was supposed to be the resumption of work after the Twelve Days of Christmas, but in many areas was marked by rowdy behaviour.

Claro Sword and Morris Men in Harrogate

Gangs of young farm workers - variously called plough 'stots' or 'bullocks' or 'jags' - would dress in fancy costumes, dragging a plough around the village demanding gifts of money, food or drink. These gangs sometimes threatened to plough up people's gardens if they did not contribute in cash or in kind.

In Yorkshire the plough 'stots' were often accompanied by sword dancers who performed their linked chain dance as part of the festivities. The traditional sword dancers from Goathland are known as the 'plough stots'.

Sword dancing is the northern equivalent of Morris dancing. The dancers form a circle linked by swords and perform various evolutions, passing over and under the swords, culminating in a figure in which the swords are woven together into a star or 'lock', which is displayed to the audience.

Traditional celebrations in Knaresborough.

This type of dancing is a tradition associated with the winter solstice. It may have some ancient ritual meaning, but opinions on this are divided.

Many sword dances form parts of a type of folk play, in which one of the characters is killed, then brought back to life again by a comic doctor. Some sword dances have an opening song during which the dancers are introduced to the audience one at a time.

The Clare Sword and Morris Men are from Harrogate. They revived the plough blessing at Knaresborough Parish Church over 20 years ago. The Rector blesses the plough at the beginning of the service, and at the end sword dances are performed inside and outside the church. The plough is then dragged to the Market Square, where more dancing takes place.

The Claro Sword dancers perform traditional dances from Kirkby Malzeard and North Skelton and also perform some dances of their own composition helping to keep this ancient tradition alive.

Ian Porter