Hoodening from 2000 onwards

Hoodening History (ancient) . Hoodening History (1945-1964) . Hoodening History (1965-1999)

2000

Hoodeners performed an abbreviated version of the 1999 play at the Quex 2000 fair in Birchington (click for larger image).

Other vaguely related events took place in the summer at Goudhurst and Banbury.
Deal Hoodeners released a CD of their sea songs & shanties, called "Donkey Riding".
LLantrisant Mari Lwyd exhibited as centrepiece of Alan Kane and Jeremy Deller's contribution to "Intelligence: New British Art 2000" at Tate Britain (July-September).
In November there was a meeting of over a dozen Kentish horses (almost all modern) in Marshside. For pix see the Hooden Horses page.

£600 raised for Kent Air Ambulance; and £96 for Mencap.

Members: Chris Cole (Dobbin), Clive Bolton (Waggoner: 'arry), David Gray (Molly), Roy Fairbrass (Sam), Jamie May (Boy), Ben Jones (George & Musician). Script by Jamie May.
Venues: Cherry Tree (Turnbulls: for Mencap), Monkton Women's Institute, White Stag (Monkton), King's Head, Wade House, Half Moon and Seven Stars, Village Hall, Crown, Boyden Gate, Street Acre, Denise Cole, Sun

14 September 2001
Tom West, last of the original St Nicholas Hoodeners, dies. He was born on 7 September 1907.

6 October 2001
Hoodeners attended the Tenterden Folk Festival, performing in three pubs to mixed reactions. George Frampton also gave a "Hooden Horse workshop", gathering / sharing information related to his forthcoming book on the subject.
Members: Chris Cole (Dobbin), David Gray (Molly), Roy Fairbrass (Sam), Jamie May (Boy), Ben Jones (George & Musician). 'arry was at the England-Greece football game! Script (short) by Roy Fairbrass.
Venues:Eight Bells, Vine Inn, White Lion

17 November 2001
Assorted "hoodeners" from various parts of East Kent assembled at Simple Simon's in Canterbury.

£999+ raised for the Red Cross, in memory of Tom West (and in accordance with his last wishes).

Members: Chris Cole (Dobbin), Clive Bolton (Waggoner: 'arry), David Gray (Molly), Roy Fairbrass (Sam), Jamie May (Boy), Ben Jones (George & Musician), Simon Gray (Parry Hotter), Budgie Paul (Harriet Potts). Script by Roy Fairbrass.
Venues: Cherry Tree, Bryant's, Monkton WI, White Stag, Boyden Gate, Down Barton, Crown, King's Head, Denise Cole, Bell, Street Acre, Pepper Alley, Sun

18 March 2002
Birchington Evening Townswomen's Guild kindly donated us the horse they had made for some performances in the 1950s.

18 May 2002
Special performance at Street Acre for the 50th birthday party of Mala Murton (née Jones).
Members: Chris Cole (Dobbin), Clive Bolton (Waggoner: 'arry), David Gray (Molly), Roy Fairbrass (Sam), Simon Gray (Boy), Ben Jones (George), Adam Jones (Musician). Script by Ben Jones (adapted from 1980 Revels Restored).

29-30 June 2002
Banbury event appears to be going strong. This year a 7th original hooden horse was allegedly discovered (in Lincolnshire of all places), with a sack marked Birchington ... It came to the Tenterden Folk Festival) on October 6, but opinions on whether it was "the original Birchington / Acol horse" were divided -- the previous owner's daughter thought she remembered her father, a folk enthusiast who had no obvious link with Thanet, making it himself about 15 years ago. See Hooden Horses for picture.

16 November 2002
Assorted "hoodeners" from various parts of East Kent assembled at Simple Simon's in Canterbury and inaugurated a "Hooden Horse Society".

£995 raised for Thanet Pilgrim's Hospice from just 12 venues (setting four records), in memory of Maureen Knight. First outdoor winter performance in over 30 years: brass monkeys. First appearance of Deal Hoodeners at a St Nicholas & Sarre Hoodening event: well sung! Also the first Hooden performance in Birchington in nearly 50 years, to an unexpectedly vast, largely 'townie' audience: dozens of builders & teachers who had apparently been drinking all afternoon, and two kind souls who actually watched us -- even though they couldn't hear a word we shouted. This performance was also noted for Dobbin's first encounter with the Birchington Posse (young yobs), all of whom were coincidentally arrested shortly afterwards...

Members: Chris Cole (Dobbin), Clive Bolton (Waggoner: 'arry), David Gray (Molly), Roy Fairbrass (Sam), Ben Jones (George & Musician), Budgie Paul (Big Bill), Simon Gray (Little Willy). Script by Roy Fairbrass.
Venues: Singleton Close, White Stag, Crown, King's Head, Powell Arms, Boyden Gate, Village Hall, Denise Cole, Bell, Street Acre, Wade House, Sun

19 August 2003
An interview with myself (Ben Jones) broadcast on Resonance FM. CD available from Acorn Records (and I don't get my copy until plenty of others buy them, so please do so!)

15 November 2003
Assorted "hoodeners" from various parts of East Kent assembled at Simple Simon's in Canterbury.

£1000 raised for Kingfisher Children's Centre, Broadstairs: into 4 figures for the first time! And that despite the first script by a wench... Actually a little more was raised, but this year Hoodeners were dragged kicking & screaming into the 21st century and 'persuaded' to buy public liability insurance for the first time (due to horrendous tales of litigious audiences at Morris events -- obviously a different class of people...)
<- more photos available at Pete Thomas's Rich Tradition site
Members: Chris Cole (Dobbin), Clive Bolton (Waggoner: 'arry), David Gray (Molly), Roy Fairbrass (Sam), Ben Jones (George & Musician), Budgie Paul (Big Bill), Simon Gray (Little Willy). Script by Annette Paul.
Venues: Turnbulls (Tilmanstone), Crown, Barn, King's Head, Bryants, Shuart, Pepper Alley, Sun, Village Hall, White Stag, Boyden Gate, Street Acre, Denise Cole, Bell

2004
<- photo courtesy of Pete Thomas's Rich Tradition site (click to see more)

£800 raised for Demelza House (children's hoRsEpice), Minster Museum and Canterbury Horse Rescue. First Hoodening in Broadstairs since it was allegedly banned there in 1828.

Members: Chris Cole (Dobbin), Clive Bolton (Waggoner: 'arry), David Gray (Molly), Roy Fairbrass (Sam), Ben Jones (George & Musician), Budgie Paul (Karma Long Wei), Simon Gray (Boy). Script by Annette Paul.
Venues: C+B Brown (Broadstairs), Crown, King's Head, Ambry Court, White Stag, Bell, Village Hall, Denise Blackwell, Boyden Gate, Street Acre, Bell (again), Sun

19 November 2005
Assorted "hoodeners" from various parts of East Kent assembled again at Simple Simon's in Canterbury.

2005
£850 raised for a bladder scanner at St Augustine's Ward, QEQM hospital.
[no pics yet]
Members: Chris Cole (Dobbin: last year), David Gray (Molly), Roy Fairbrass (Sam), Ben Jones (George & Musician), Budgie Paul (Waggoner: Bill), Simon Gray (Boy). Script by Roy Fairbrass.
Venues: Village Hall, Boyden Gate, Street Acre, Pepper Alley, Bell, Sun, Wade House/Crown/King's Head???

June 2006
Special performance at Street Acre at party to commemorate founding of Ben Jones's Thanet-based translation company BJ Translations.
[no pics yet]
Members: Chris Cole (Dobbin: back out of retirement!), David Gray (Molly), Roy Fairbrass (Sam), Budgie Paul (Waggoner: Bill), Simon Gray (Boy).

17 November 2006
Assorted "hoodeners" from various parts of East Kent assembled again at Simple Simon's in Canterbury.

20 November 2006

The first major work on Hoodening in nearly a century (barring this website, natch!) is published: George Frampton's "Discordant Comicals: The Christmas Hoodeners of East Kent, Tradition and Revival". It is available exclusively (for now) from the Faversham Society for £6.95 (£8.95 by post to UK destinations). ISBN 0 900214 51 2; A4, 148+ pages, highly recommended.

16 December 2006

Gail Duff & the Pie Factory kids "revive" (ha!) "the Thanet Hoodening Play" (HA!) with a rather cuddly horse including Playboy logo (designed by committee — no really!) at Westwood Cross shopping centre in Broadstairs and two old peoples' homes in Ramsgate. (Needless to say it was actually a rehash of Mark Lawson's rehash of the Soul Caking play from Cheshire, with some morris-style broom dancing and a song from Sussex thrown in.)

2006
£945 raised for East Kent Breast Screening.
[no pics yet]
Members: David Gray (Molly), Roy Fairbrass (Sam), Ben Jones (George & Musician), Budgie Paul (Waggoner: Bill), Simon Gray (Boy), Dave Underwood (Neddy). Script by Annette Paul.
Venues: Village Hall, Shuart, Bell, Thatched Cottage, Crown, King's Head, Sun, Boyden Gate, Street Acre, Bell (again)

16 November 2007

Assorted "hoodeners" from various parts of East Kent assembled again at Simple Simon's in Canterbury.

2007
£1300 raised for Paula Carr Trust.

Members: David Gray (Molly), Roy Fairbrass (Sam), Ben Jones (George & Musician), Budgie Paul (Waggoner: Bill), Simon Gray (Boy), Simon Lane ('orse), Megan Lane (Replica). Script by Annette Paul.
Venues: Bridge Historical Society, Herne Past Rotarians, Village Hall, Crown, Bell Ransoms (Monkton), White Stag, Boyden Gate, Ambry Court, King's Head, Sun, Crown (again), Street Acre, Pepper Alley, Bell (again)

This year's schedule of performances