Middleton Pace Egg Plays (& formerly Mossley)

Pace Egging Plays are traditional mumming plays with their own unique character and are performed during Eastertide, mainly in the north-western corner of England. They are typically hero-combat plays with fight scenes and the revival of one protagonist by a doctor but also have some unique songs and characters like Tosspot who don’t appear anywhere else. The name comes from the players or their attendants in past years begging for eggs for the Easter season. Two well known and well established examples are at Mossley (now lapsed) and Middleton, and other groups also perform on Easter Monday and on Good Friday (see article on Calder Valley Pace Egg plays). Two very different styles of Doctor can be seen on the photos, and the Mossley group had a unique figure in the form of the Black Knight of Ashton, a local bogeyman, while Middleton have a horse! Middleton’s last performance of the day is usually outside (but not in wet 2012!) followed by Easter Egg rolling for the children.

Helpful Hints

In 2025 Middleton should be on Monday April 21st . 2024 schedule was: 12 noon Dusty Miller and the every 30 minutes at The Roebuck, The Britannia Inn, Wetherspoons, New Inn, Old Boar’s Head and Ring o’ Bells Inn followed by egg rolling on the church hill (full new schedule will be published near the due date).

Check the Middleton website link for the full timetable and venue details as they are subject to change at short notice. Middleton Pace Eggers perform from noon onwards, also at several pubs, ending usually at 3.30 approx at the Ring o’ Bells. My camera had a blip whilst at Middleton, otherwise I’d have taken more photos.

Mossley Morris Men now no longer perform- they usually used to put on their play at 3/4 hour intervals throughout the day at several pubs.

Click here for Middleton : https://www.facebook.com/Middleton-Pace-Egg-Play-502663033177579/