Shepherds Arise! Old Sussex carols, dance tunes & Mummers Play, St Michael in Lewes

Name: Shepherds Arise! Old Sussex carols, dance tunes & Mummers Play, St Michael in Lewes
Start: 2026-01-04T14:30:00+00:00
End: 2026-01-04T16:30:00+00:00
Location: St Michael's Church

Schedule

Sun Jan 04 2026 at 02:30 pm to 04:30 pm

UTC+00:00

Location

St Michael's Church | Lewes, EN

A selection of beautiful old West Gallery carols from Sussex villages accompanied by flute, fiddles, serpent, bassoon, clarinet, concertinas & recorder. Between the carols are readings about Christmas in Sussex in the past, and the musicians play lively dance tunes from old Sussex manuscripts. There is also a Sussex Mummers' play. As always, there will be some old favourites & some new additions.
This is a lovely celebration of Christmas from earlier centuries, still full of the joy and delight it gave then.
The carols and dance tunes are from 18th. and 19th. century handwritten manuscripts mostly held at Barbican House, Lewes, by the Sussex Archaeological Society. In 1982 a selection of the dance tunes was assembled by Dr. Vic Gammon and Anne Loughran and published as 'A Sussex Tune Book' by the English Folk Dance & Song Society.
Dr. Gammon also researched the carols and gathered musicians and singers to perform them under the name 'Hope In The Valley' forty-six years ago. Mary Motley directed Hope In The Valley when Dr. Gammon moved from Sussex.
The current group was assembled by Stuart Walker in 2013 to bring this beautiful collection of old Sussex music back to life. In Mary Motley took up the baton again from 2021-2023 & Stuart returned last year.
Other performances this winter are at
Friends Meeting House Brighton BN1 1AF, Sunday 30 Nov 2:30-4:30 p.m.
St Peter’s Church Henfield, BN5 9NY, Sunday 7 Dec, 2:30–4:30 p.m.
St Andrew’s Church Steyning BN44 3YB, Sunday 14 Dec 2:30-4:30 p.m.
St Margaret’s Church Rottingdean BN2 7HA, Sun 21 Dec 2:30–4:30 p.m.
Lewes Saturday Folk Club, Elephant & Castle, 27 Dec 8:00 p.m. (£8)
Free admission with collection for church funds at all church performances