University of Sussex Library Special Collections: Mass-Observation Archive

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Worktown Collection (1937-40)

Box 26: Special days in Spring

26/A Explanations and observations of Saints' Days

Paper folder containing:: "St Peters [?]", ms, 6pp, explanation of a feast day; "April Fool Day", ms, 22pp, also references to books in the margin; "St. George (from the Golden Bough)", ms, 8pp

Observer accounts: "St. Patricks Day", ms, 3pp, 17.3.[?], LT, Lido Cinema, Bradshawgate; "St George's Day", ms, 15pp, 23.4.[?], THH; "St. George's Parish Church", ms, 4pp, 23.4.[?], WH, children's service; "St. Marks Church", ms, 15pp, 23.4.[?], [PJ] St. George's Day; "St. George's Day", ms, 9pp, 23.4[?], [PJ], St. George's Church

Letter from Dorothy Kemp to THH, ms, 5pp, 26.4.37, background information on St. George's Day

"Some Georges and their Dragons", newspaper cutting

26/B Religious festivals and holidays

Observer accounts: "Kids and Pancakes", ts, 1p, 1.3.[?], FHC, 3 point questionnaire; "Shrove Tuesday, Westhoughton", ts, 5pp, 1.3.38, LT, questions to adults about pancakes and a pancake recipe; "Shrove Tuesday", ts, 6pp, 1.3.38, LT, questions to children about pancakes; "Confessions Shrove Tuesday", ts, 1p, 2.3.[38], LT, St. Marys, St Edmunds and St. Augustines; "Shrove Tuesday", ms, 3pp, 2.3.38, LT, children playing games; "Shrove Tuesday", ms, 5pp, 3.3.38, LT, dance at Westhoughton Catholic School; Untitled document, ms, 30.3.[38], THH, Pancake Tuesday; "Pancakes", ms, 20.12.38, LT, count and pancake recipe; "Pancakes", ms, 1p, recipe; "Shrove Tuesday", ms, 1p, references to holidays and to April Fools Day; "Simnel Cakes", ms, 1p, 28.3.38, LT, chart about sales and popularity of the cake; "Borodene Wood", ms, 1p, 20.12.38, LT, tradition of Westhoughton people to visit the wood on Simnel Sunday; "Hot X Buns", ms, 1p, 30.12.38, LT, brief note about the buns; Index cards (31), ts/ms, references to Easter and Hot Cross Buns; Misc, ts/ms 5pp

26/C Easter

Observer accounts: "Tonge Moor Methodist Chapel", ms, 2pp, 19.3.37, [PJ], Eastertide bazaar; "Bethel Evangelistic Church", ms, 16pp, 26.3.37, JW, Easter services; "Questions to Piecers about Good Friday", ms, 3pp, TB; "The New Savoy Cafe Good Friday", ts, 1p, JW, description of the cafe; "Easter Saturday, March 27th", ts, 4pp, concert at Victoria Hall; "Preston Park Easter Monday", ms, 2pp, people in the park; "Preston Easter Monday", ms, 6pp, 1937, JW, egg rolling; "Easter Mondays Pace-egg rolling, Preston", 11pp, 29.3.[37],WH; Untitled document, ts, 6pp, Easter Saturday and sales of eggs, church service at Bolton Parish Church; "Church of England Service on Easter Monday", ts, 6pp; "Sunday School Teacher's Report", ms, 1p, attendance during the Easter holidays; Untitled document, ms, 1p, reference to Easter eggs; "Easter", ms 1p, 28.3.[37], THH, the price of Easter eggs; "Easter", ms, 1p, 28.3.[37], EL, children and Easter eggs; Untitled document, ms, 1p, 30.3.[37], THH, Pace-egging custom; "Balling", ms, 3pp, 30.3.[37], THH, cake making; "Easter", ms, 1p, 1.4.[37], THH, two boys' holiday activities; "Easter Eggs", ms, 2pp, 1.4.[37], THH/JW, people's knowledge of Easter; "Easter Eggs", ms, 1p, 2.4.[37], THH, shop window displays; "Easter", ms, 1p, 2.4.[37], THH, brief note about looking under the bed at Easter; "Easter Sunday", ms, 1p, 17.4.38, pub count; "Easter Monday", ms, 1p, 18.4.[38], pub count; "Egg Rolling Ceremony, Preston Park, Easter Monday", ts, 4pp, 18.4.38, JB; "Pace Egg", ms, 1p, description of the game; "Easter Egg", ms, 1p, the origins of the custom and bonfires on Good Friday

"All Fools Day", ms, 1p, [child's notes on the day, pace eggs and Easter eggs]

Untitled document, ms, 1p, [child's notes about Good Friday and pace-egging]

Untitled document, ms, 1p, [child's notes about Easter eggs and Good Friday]

Song sheet for Good Friday and Easter

26/D April Fool's Day

Observer accounts: "Stories about April Fool from Queens Park", ms, 2pp, 31.3.[?], WH; Untitled document, ms, 4pp, 1.4.37, jokes and tricks played on people; "April Fools", ms, 5pp, 1937, list of tricks played on people; "April Fool", ms, 11pp, 1.4.[?], DK/WH, overheards about tricks boys and girls were playing; "April Fool", ms, 1p, WH, brief conversation with Sheila [Duckworth] about any tricks she had played; "Kids Fools", ms, 6pp, 1.4.[?], THH/JW, what children get up to; "April Fool's Day", ms, 2pp, 1.4.38, LT, people questioned in the street about April Fool's Day; "April Fools Day", ms, 3pp, 1.4.[38], LT, jokes; "April Fool's Day", ms, 3pp, 1.4.38, LT, people questioned in the street; "April Fool", ms, 3pp, 1.4.38, [THH], tricks people play on each other; Index card, ms, April Fools Day, 1.4.[38], LT; Misc, ts, 1p

26/E Secular events

"Secular Procs.", ms, 1p, brief details of a procession, LBC Garden Party and Labour Garden Party

Programme: "Grand Civic Garden Party", July 16th and 20th

26/F May Day

Observer accounts: "May-day", ms, 12pp, 1.5.[?], [JW] observations in various streets; "May-Queen", ms, 5pp, 1.5.[?], WH, procession; "May-Day Negatives", ms,3pp, 1.5.[?], WH; Untitled document, ms, 1p, 3.5.[?], May pole dancing; "Maypole Dance", ms, 2pp, 6.5.[?], THH, St. Stephen's Infant School, Kearsley; "Maypole etc.", ms, 10pp, 9.5.[?], THH, St. Barnabas School, programme attached

Chart, ms, 2pp, people's activities

26/G Lent, Whitsun and Empire Day

Observer accounts - Lent: "Ash Wednesday, St. Augustines", ts, 1p, 2.3.[?], FHC, Commination service; Untitled document, ts, 2pp, 3.3.[?], JAS, Lenten service, St. George's Road church

Booklet: "Acts of Devotion"

Leaflet: "Parish Church of St. Mark, Bolton, Lent 1938"

Booklet: "A Lenten Pastoral Letter by Thomas, Bishop of Salford"

Index card (1), ts, 1.3[?], TH, about Methodists not recognising Lent

Observer accounts - Whitsun: "Whitsun", ms, 2pp, [JW], brief notes on services at various churches

"Parish Church Matins", ms, 12pp, 28.5.39, WRL

Observer accounts - Empire Day: "Empire Day", ms, 1p; "Empire Day", ms, 2pp; "Empire Day", ms, 1p, 24.5.37, THH; "Empire Day", ms, 1p, 24.5.[?], also reference to "Ember Days"; Untitled document, ms, 2pp, 24.5.32

26/H Spring

"Industrial Spring", draft ts/ms, 208pp, TH

Untitled document, ts, 26pp, quotes from people about the meaning of Spring

"Spring Notices", ms, 1p, 17.3.[?], LT, details of notices in churchs and shop windows

"Spring (insects, wild flowers, birds) when does it start?", ms, 5pp, people's ideas of Spring and when it starts

"Spring", ms, 1p, PB, thoughts on Spring

Observer accounts: "The signs of Spring in Bolton", ms, 1p, 6.4.[?], AS; "Spring Cleaning", ms, 2pp, 8.4.[?], WH; "Labour Exchange re Spring", ms, 1p, 9.4.[?]; "Conversation with girl 22 in the Progress Stores: Upper Bridge Street", ms, 3pp 9.4., WH, about Spring; Index card (1), ms, 9.4.[?], Rag man and how Spring affects his business; "Spring cleaning", ms, 9pp, 10.4.[?], THH, index card attached; Misc, ts, 2pp; Newspaper cuttings (2)

Mass-Observation Archive

About the collection