Hi List, Good Friday is a good day to visit Heptonstall, this is the day when the traditional Pace Egg Play is performed in the Weaver Square at regular intervals during the day. This play is said to be the oldest drama in the world dating back to ancient Egypt. In it St George takes on contenders such as the Bold Slasher , the Black Prince of Paradine and other outrages characters well worth a visit Judith

From: Judith Varley <judith.varley@btinternet.com> > Hi List, > Good Friday is a good day to visit Heptonstall, this is the day when > the traditional Pace Egg Play is performed in the Weaver Square at > regular intervals during the day. > This play is said to be the oldest drama in the world dating back to > ancient Egypt. In it St George takes on contenders such as the Bold > Slasher , the Black Prince of Paradine and other outrages > characters well worth a visit > Judith > My cousin Judith is quite right. The Pace Egg Play is performed by pupils from Calder High School, Mytholmroyd, on Good Friday, or at least it was when I lived there in the 1950s. In my day it was performed by the boys only but probably the cast is mixed these days. They also performed the play in other places in the Calder Valley, including Mytholmroyd, Midgley and Hebden Bridge as well as Heptonstall. Enter "Pace Egg Play" in Google for a full account of its tradition and history. -- Roy Stockdill Genealogical researcher, writer & lecturer Newbies' Guide to Genealogy & Family History: www.genuki.org.uk/gs/Newbie.html "There is only one thing in the world worse than being talked about, and that is not being talked about." OSCAR WILDE

I used to watch the play - also on Good Friday - being performed in George Square in Hebden Bridge. As I was at primary school then (the 1950s) I am not too sure which school the boys came from, but I thought it was Calder High, as the only secondary school I recall in the area. Perhaps a separate group went simultaneously to each of the towns. Its association with Easter made the name of Pace Egg link a long time ago in my mind with "Pesach", Hebrew for Passover. I certainly think it has Christian roots rather than ancient Egyptian ones, but they are pretty old anyway. Maggie -----Original Message----- From: roy.stockdill <roy.stockdill@btinternet.com> To: west-riding <west-riding@rootsweb.com> Sent: Wed, 14 Dec 2011 17:41 Subject: Re: [WRY] Heptonstall From: Judith Varley <judith.varley@btinternet.com> > Hi List, > Good Friday is a good day to visit Heptonstall, this is the day when > the traditional Pace Egg Play is performed in the Weaver Square at > regular intervals during the day. > This play is said to be the oldest drama in the world dating back to > ancient Egypt. In it St George takes on contenders such as the Bold > Slasher , the Black Prince of Paradine and other outrages > characters well worth a visit > Judith > My cousin Judith is quite right. The Pace Egg Play is performed by pupils from Calder High School, Mytholmroyd, on Good Friday, or at least it was when I lived there in the 1950s. In my day it was performed by the boys only but probably the cast is mixed these days. They also performed the play in other places in the Calder Valley, including Mytholmroyd, Midgley and Hebden Bridge as well as Heptonstall. Enter "Pace Egg Play" in Google for a full account of its tradition and history. -- Roy Stockdill Genealogical researcher, writer & lecturer Newbies' Guide to Genealogy & Family History: www.genuki.org.uk/gs/Newbie.html "There is only one thing in the world worse than being talked about, and that is not being talked about." OSCAR WILDE Some useful websites - FREECEN - http://www.freecen.org.uk/ FREEBMD - http://freebmd.rootsweb.com/ FREEREG - http://www.freereg.org.uk/ Want to know where a place in Yorkshire is - Try Genuki http://www.genuki.org.uk/big/eng/YKS/ ------------------------------- To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to WEST-RIDING-request@rootsweb.com with the word 'unsubscribe' without the quotes in the subject and the body of the message