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Grasmere Dialect Plays @grasdialectplays.bsky.social · Aug 14

Will Dinah marry Gawin, or his nephew, Kit? (Act IV, "On Second Thoughts")
Another picture from yesterday's readings from the Grasmere Dialect Plays at the Armitt Museum, Ambleside.
L to R: John Campbell (Gawin), Phillip Gate (Kit), & Jean Scott-Smith (Dinah).
Watch out for the podcast!

Three costumed actors, reading from scripts, in front of bookcases. Older man on left, younger man in centre, older woman on right.

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Grasmere Dialect Plays @grasdialectplays.bsky.social · Aug 14

It's not every day you're given decorated bearings, hand-made with rushes from Wet Sleddale. Thank you so much, Jean Scott-Smith, President of the Lakeland Dialect Society
The flower-decked sheafs are traditional in the Grasmere rushbearing, which features in the Grasmere Dialect Plays #LakeDistrict

Two traditional bearings - as used in the annual Grasmere rushbearing procession, which features in the Grasmere Dialect Plays. They're made of sheafs of rushes, bound with twine, and decorated with pink-and-white flowers and sprigs of bracken

Grasmere Dialect Plays @grasdialectplays.bsky.social · Aug 14

I met Richard Hardisty, whose great-uncle, Johnnie Hodgson, played the fiddle in several of the Grasmere Dialect Plays. Here's Richard holding a photo (which he hadn't seen before) of his great-uncle (far left) - in the rushbearing scene from "On Second Thoughts" (1924)

Grasmere resident, Richard Hardisty, wearing a blue check shirt, holds up a photograph of the 1924 Grasmere Dialect Play, "On Second Thoughts". The photo shows his great-uncle, Johnnie Hodgson, playing the fiddle in a rushbearing scene, with children

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Grasmere Dialect Plays @grasdialectplays.bsky.social · Aug 14

Very many thanks to Jean Scott-Smith, John Campbell, Phillip Gate and Louise Green from the Lakeland Dialect Society for their superb readings from the Grasmere Dialect Plays. Thanks, too, to the Armitt Museum for hosting our event - & to the appreciative audience!

Members of the Lakeland Dialect Society, in costume, reading from the Grasmere Dialect Plays. They are in the library of the Armitt Museum, with bookcases and a projector screen behind them. Two men and one woman are standing, with scripts, and another woman is seated.

Grasmere Dialect Plays @grasdialectplays.bsky.social · Aug 14

A fabulous afternoon at the Armitt Museum, introducing readings from the Grasmere Dialect Plays by members of the Lakeland Dialect Society. A great time was had by players and audience alike! And wonderful to meet Grasmere residents with relatives in the original plays.

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Grasmere Dialect Plays @grasdialectplays.bsky.social · Aug 12

Don't miss it! Tomorrow 2 pm at the Armitt, Ambleside
Tickets: armitt-library-and-museum-centre.arttickets.org.uk/armitt-libra...

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Grasmere Dialect Plays @grasdialectplays.bsky.social · Aug 9

Just 4 days to go ...
The fabulous Jean Scott-Smith and John Campbell star in Readings from the Grasmere Dialect Plays at the Armitt Museum, Ambleside at 2 pm on Wed 13 August.
Don't miss it!
Tickets here: armitt-library-and-museum-centre.arttickets.org.uk/armitt-libra...

Grasmere Dialect Plays @grasdialectplays.bsky.social · Aug 5

Coming soon (13 August) at the Armitt Museum, Ambleside ...

Grasmere Dialect Plays @grasdialectplays.bsky.social · Jul 31

Less than two weeks to go until THE event of the summer: the Grasmere Dialect Plays at the Armitt, starring Jean Scott-Smith & John Campbell
Tickets from: armitt-library-and-museum-centre.arttickets.org.uk/armitt-libra...
We were rehearsing today In Kendal:

Grasmere Dialect Plays @grasdialectplays.bsky.social · Jul 20

Tickets now available for readings from the Grasmere Dialect Plays on 13 August, 2.00-3.30 at the Armitt Museum, Ambleside. I guarantee it will be an entertaining (as well as informative) event!
www.armitt.com/event-direct... (scroll down to evvent)

Announcement of an event - readings from the Grasmere Dialect Plays - at the Armitt Museum, Ambleside, in 13 August, 2.00-3.30 pm. Illustrated with a photograph of a young man and woman in a hayfield, taken from one of the original productions of the plays

Details about the Grasmere Dialect Plays - which feature in an event to be held at the Armitt Museum, Ambleside, in 13 August, 2.00-3.30 pm. Illustrated with a photograph of a young man and woman in a hayfield, taken from one of the original productions of the plays

Grasmere Dialect Plays @grasdialectplays.bsky.social · Jul 1

Come along to the Armitt Museum, Ambleside at 2 pm on 13 August! I'll be introducing readings from the Grasmere Dialect Plays by members of the Lakeland Dialect Society. Tickets:
armitt-library-and-museum-centre.arttickets.org.uk/armitt-libra...

Grasmere Dialect Plays @grasdialectplays.bsky.social · May 21

I 'discovered' the #GrasmereDialectPlays as a part-time student on this fabulous MA course (& wrote my final dissertation on them). Certain that more discoveries await future students - why not find out more ...?!

Dr Penny Bradshaw @drpennybradshaw.bsky.social · May 20

In advance of this event I am very pleased to announce that we are once more able to offer both full time and part time routes of study on our MA for September 2025: www.cumbria.ac.uk/study/course...
Come along to this evening talk on Wed 28th May to find out more 📚🍃

Grasmere Dialect Plays @grasdialectplays.bsky.social · Mar 26

UPDATE:

You can now access Jean Scott-Smith and Donald Campbell's brilliant readings from the Grasmere Dialect Plays directly from the Lakeland Dialect Society's website. Link here:

lakelanddialectsociety.co.uk/recordings

Poet Wordsworth's role as first Lake District 'influencer'

Reposted by Grasmere Dialect Plays

The Society of Authors @societyofauthors.bsky.social · Mar 21

We are disappointed but not surprised that Meta has used millions of pirated books to develop its AI systems.

As a matter of urgency, Meta needs to compensate the rightsholders of all the works it has been exploiting.

But what can authors do? Read here:
societyofauthors.org/2025/03/21/t...

24 800 1.3K

Grasmere Dialect Plays @grasdialectplays.bsky.social · Mar 22

Eleanor Rawnsley (nee Simpson), who wrote/staged the Grasmere Dialect Plays, lived for most of her life at Allan Bank, Grasmere.

William Wordsworth - who lived at Allan Bank from 1808-1811 - wrote his 'Guide to the Lakes' there. New exhibition:

www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

An exhibition at Allan Bank in Grasmere looks at how Wordsworth helped conservation in the Lakes.

www.bbc.co.uk

Grasmere Dialect Plays @grasdialectplays.bsky.social · Dec 27

All 3 of my short podcasts featuring readings form the #GrasmereDialectPlays now available here:

www.youtube.com/channel/UC6w...

List of 9 plays by Eleanor Rawnsley (nee Simpson), with an image of her + an image of the covers of 6 playtexts

Grasmere Dialect Plays @grasdialectplays.bsky.social · Dec 24

Congrats - a great thing to do! New challenge for '25?

'The Mistress of Mosshead': An extract from one of the Grasmere Dialect Plays

Grasmere Dialect Plays @grasdialectplays.bsky.social · Dec 23

If you enjoyed hearing Jean Scott-Smith (President of the Lakeland Dialect Society) playing the female leads in my "Three Proposals ..." podcast last week, here she is again as Matilda Knott, in a longer reading from Eleanor Rawnsley's play, "The Mistress of Mosshead". Happy Christmas!

Grasmere Dialect Plays @grasdialectplays.bsky.social · Dec 20

The perfect distraction from Christmas?! Third (and for now, final) short podcast of readings from the fantastic #GrasmereDialectPlays.

What happens when Joseph Mumberson pays a surprise call on Matilda Knott, the eponymous "Mistress of Mosshead"? Find out here!

www.youtube.com/watch?v=lCJ-...

YouTube video by Sue Wilkinson

www.youtube.com

Grasmere Dialect Plays @grasdialectplays.bsky.social · Dec 21

I don't know. I subscribe to the British Newspaper archive so maybe could check there too, just in case. And I might post in the Lakeland Dialect Society group on Facebook asking if anyone else remembers it

Grasmere Dialect Plays @grasdialectplays.bsky.social · Dec 21

Could be - and continuing under-development of W Cumbria relative to the 'honeypot' of the Lakes too

Grasmere Dialect Plays @grasdialectplays.bsky.social · Dec 21

I don't know the 'Jobby & Mary' column. Is (any version of it) still going? Do you have any old copies?
The Keswick Reminder has a 'nobbut laikin' column, but it doesn't always feature dialect.

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Grasmere Dialect Plays @grasdialectplays.bsky.social · Dec 21

Hi Mick
There are some recent claims in Facebook posts on the Lakeland Dialect Society page (LDS isn't on here) that West Cumbrian dialect is distinct from other areas of Cumberland (& Westmorland). Do you have any thoughts on why/how West Cumbrian is now more distinctive?

'The Mistress of Mosshead': An extract from one of the Grasmere Dialect Plays

Grasmere Dialect Plays @grasdialectplays.bsky.social · Dec 20

The perfect distraction from Christmas?! Third (and for now, final) short podcast of readings from the fantastic #GrasmereDialectPlays.

What happens when Joseph Mumberson pays a surprise call on Matilda Knott, the eponymous "Mistress of Mosshead"? Find out here!

www.youtube.com/watch?v=lCJ-...

YouTube video by Sue Wilkinson

www.youtube.com