This is a film of a pageant being put on the 3rd and 4th July 1951 by Hunmanby County Primary School to mark the Festival of Britain.  The pageant is performed by children from the village and covers the village history from the Romans to the nineteenth century.  There are many historical scenes, each explained in illustrated intertitles.    Title – Hunmanby Pageant – Played by the village children. We owe the story and direction of our pageant to Miss Lucy M Ouston, author of ‘The History...

This is a film of a pageant being put on the 3rd and 4th July 1951 by Hunmanby County Primary School to mark the Festival of Britain.  The pageant is performed by children from the village and covers the village history from the Romans to the nineteenth century.  There are many historical scenes, each explained in illustrated intertitles.    Title – Hunmanby Pageant – Played by the village children. We owe the story and direction of our pageant to Miss Lucy M Ouston, author of ‘The History of Hunmanby’. Miss Lucy M Ouston is seen seated in a field with buttercups.  She is leafing through a copy of her booklet, possibly with Hunmanby County Primary School in the background.   Intertitle – Activities of the Ancient Britons about 100 A.D. Young boys and girls, dressed in appropriate historic dress, are in the same field enacting a scene of ancient Britons, picking food and making things. Intertitle – News is received of the coming of the Romans Some boys race across the field to bring the news before the Romans come marching into the village.  There is a short sword fight before the Romans gain control. Intertitle – Building the Market Cross in Danish time, 10th century. They build a cross on top of a stone plinth in the field. Intertitle – After the wolves The boys go off hunting with dogs. Intertitle – 1068 after the harrying of the north by the Normans the village is desolate The villagers wander around looking bedraggled, and there is smoke all around, representing the burning of the village, and Normans arrive on the scene. Intertitle – Enter Gilbert-de-Gant, the new Norman lord. Gilbert-de-Gant and his wife ride in on horseback accompanied by Norman soldiers, with some villagers having to kneel before him. Intertitle – The village is rebuilt.  The church and castle are founded. The church is represented as being rebuilt by rebuilding the market cross. Intertitle – The conveyancing of the church to Bardney Abbey in 1115 AD At a makeshift altar come table a bishop and monks arrive, and a declaration is read out. Intertitle – The Charter is signed by Walter de Gant . . .  by the Abbot  [and] . . . . by witnesses The Charter is signed by the above, after which they all walk off on a procession. Intertitle – Relaxation The villagers dance around, with one performing acrobatics.  Then, in procession, they return to the makeshift church. Intertitle – The appearance of Herbert, the first secular vicar of Hunmanby The vicar appears in black, is inaugurated by a bishop, and they march off in a procession. Intertitle – May Day in Tudor times  The villagers romp around with flowers in their hair. Intertitle – The Lord and Lady are greeted by the villagers After the greeting the villagers parade in costume, one as a wolf, with drums. Intertitle – A near miss There is an archery competition, a man plays a fiddle and there is maypole dancing. Intertitle – The chosen queen The May Day Queen has a crown placed upon her head, and there is country dancing. Intertitle – Squire Humphrey Osbalderton with his Dickering Volunteers on manoeuvres about 1780. A bunch of country folk with rifles and hoes march off. Intertitle – The old custom of distributing gifts to the villagers at the church gates enacted at the wedding of Philomena, daughter of Archdeacon Wranghan in 1821. A brass band marches in front of a farmhouse and then gifts are given out to children.  There is a shot of the newlyweds, and there is dancing before they all go off in a procession. Intertitle – Nineteenth century offending villagers were subject to the indignity of “The riding of the stang” Intertitle – [The lyrics to the song that accompanied these public humiliations is give] “Here we come, with a ran, dan, dan Neither for ma cause nor tha cause Do we ride this stang But for the tip sadler; his wife he did bang, He beat her, he banged her. He banged her indeed, He banged her afore she ever stood need, He came up with a saddle flop, And knocked her backwards over. Come all you good people who live in this row, We’d have you take warnings for this is our law; If any of your husband’s good  Wives you bang,  Let them come to us and we’ll ride them, The stand – God save the Queen. A boy is put onto a pole being carried to two men which also has an effigy on it, and this is carried off in a procession accompanied by musicians, and a mock court is held. Intertitle – ‘Smugglers with “borrowed” horses, make their furtive deliveries by night’ The smugglers are shown taking off with the horse who are tied up under a tree. Intertitle – The Widow Singers’ A group of men and a boy stand in a field with a fiddle player singing. End title – Hunmanby Pageant 1951 There is then a brief re-run showing each of the scenes of the pageant. Credits: Produced by the staff of Hunmanby County Primary School. (each of the people credited are shown seated, posing for the camera). Mrs J M Danby, Headmaster Mrs A E Pidd Miss E S Stockdale Miss E D Wood Miss R M Walker Mr E F Haycroft Mr R Hopworth The front page of the programme for the pageant is shown, June 1951 Title – The End (On box: Photography C Short, 5 St John Street, Bridlington.  Film shown to local history group on 25.11.1969 and to Hunmanby C of E Young Wives group on 30th January 1970)