The Quarterjack’s Challenge (1999)

The Quarter Jack, who has resided on the Minster tower for over two hundred years, steps down to issue a challenge to many of the town’s most worthy residents over the last thousand years.  He invites them to compete for the title of ‘Wimborne Worthy of Worthies’.

Characters invited: St Cuthburga, founder of the Minster Church, Lady Margaret Beaufort, mother of Henry VII, Thomas Hardy, Isaac and Elizabeth Gulliver, Henrietta Bankes of Kingston Lacy, and her servant, Alice Maud Baker and wise woman, Alicia Payntere. 

Poster for The Quarterjack’s Challenge
About the production

The production was part of Wimborne’s Millennium celebrations and was funded by Wimborne Town Council. It was repeated as part of the Wimborne Folk Festival the following year in June 2000.

  A wonderful show to set the day.  
Anthony Oliver, Chairman of Wimborne

Photos

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The Quarterjacks Challenge Photos
The Quarterjacks Challenge Photos
The Quarterjacks Challenge Photos
The Quarterjacks Challenge Photos
The Quarterjacks Challenge Photos
The Quarterjacks Challenge Photos
The Quarterjacks Challenge Photos
The Quarterjacks Challenge Photos

Video

The complete play in performance in the Wimborne Minster church on Millennium Eve 1999. Informal footage at the end shows the cast collecting the wishes of the people of Wimborne for the new Millennium and everyone joining in a traditional dance and conga round the Minster Green.

Programme

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The Quarterjacks Challenge Programme
The Quarterjacks Challenge Programme
The Quarterjacks Challenge Programme
The Quarterjacks Challenge Programme
The Quarterjacks Challenge Programme
The Quarterjacks Challenge Programme

Millenium wishes

AT THE PERFORMANCE OF THE QUARTERJACK’S CHALLENGE 

“Peace and love for all”   Sandy Hirsh

“World peace”   Hannah, aged 12

“Peace among our family and throughout the world”   Michael Young

“The community play be funded to move to the Barbican in 2000”   Anon

“Community spirit and world peace”   Jane, aged 49

“Enterprise”   Joan Frayer, aged 74

“No starvation”   Jenny

“Health, wealth and happiness”   Inga & Vic Grayson, Frank & Ben Dowdle

“End of all wars and all racial and sexual discrimination”   Dan Horitz, aged 14

“The resources of the world are shared more fairly between the people of the world”   Ruth Bush, aged 51

“Wimborne’s sense of community and neighbourliness develops more and that the world encompasses further values”   Richard Bush

“An end to hate and war”   Trevor Brown, aged 76

“Everyone should have a fair life”   Molly Mines, aged 10

“Complete disarmament. Failing that a weekend on a desert island with Darcey Bussell”   Adrian Williams, aged 41

“Our wonderful town of Wimborne will continue to be a witness of the glory of God and Jesus Christ”   Maureen and Tony Lewis

“Peace in all the world”   Anon

“We should all learn to care for our environment more”    Anne Griffiths, aged 42

“Wimborne to remain the excellent community that it is and for people to make their wishes come true by making them known and taking direct action”   Anon

“Everyone should take stock of their lives, decide what really matters and don’t continue to be so ‘driven’ – just a nicer pace in life when people could have more time for each other and enjoy life!”   Richard Ashby

“A rediscovery of eternal Christian values by people turning to Jesus Christ”   Ruth Mason, aged 58

“To rebuild the spire on the Minster”   Alfie Tyson Brown, aged 7

“Margaret Beaufort’s example should continue worldwide for it is education that brings tolerance, understanding and the ability to appreciate life as the gift it is”   Anon

“To preserve for the next millennium celebrations (i.e. 3000) our wonderful heritage here in Wimborne.  I do hope it will not be destroyed by the proposed supermarket!”   Gill Curlett

“Not to build a new supermarket”   Dennis Curlett, aged 52

“Churches together in Wimborne should flourish and continue our Christian heritage”   Anon

“Healing for the Earth. Healing for the people – a new consciousness and compassion”   Wendy Wharam, aged 66

“Give everyone in the world the right to a good education”   Steve Smith, aged 41

“Wimborne will be left in peace and free from shopping developments”   Gregory Vevver, aged 10

“Peace everywhere”   Marjory Corkhill, aged 77

“Happiness and peace all over the world”   Kate Billington, aged 10

“Peace”   James Bond, aged 61

“No one should be hungry or fight anyone else”    A K Horitz

“An end of killing and racism. World peace”   John Young, aged 14

“Peace and elimination of world poverty”   Lawrence family

“Wimborne to stay and prosper with all people playing a part to help it do so.Long live Wimborne and England”     Anon

“Peace all over the world”  Pauline & Ray Moore, Pat & Bill Rush

“Peace”    Tom Wrigglesworth, aged 12

“No more hunger”    Laura Thomas, aged 10

“Peace in the world”   Sharon Muiruri

“More sweets”    Mburu (Sharon Muiruri’s son), aged 2

“Health”     Mrs A Nicholls

“All to be nice and respect to all”    Ivy Ellis

“Prosperity to the community”    A R Barton, aged 6

“World equality”    W Stevenson, aged 65

“Lasting world peace”    Anon

“People and nations will do more listening to each other and put God’s love into practice”     Nigel Feaver, aged 48

“I hope that Wimborne finds another Mr Oliver to organise the celebration of the next millennium”     Anon

“That boys will be nice”    Claire, aged 5

“More enterprise in the town”    Mr Swallow, aged 85

“Happiness in the family”    Emma Lockwood, aged 9

“Everyone in the world has a good time”    Patrick Wall, aged 7

“Natural world knowledge which heals”    Ms Harvey, aged 59

“People are more tolerant of each other and become less materialistic”    Anon

“Health and happiness and that a cure is soon found for cancer”   Trudy Auly, aged 44

“Love and tolerance by all people to all people”    Elaine Hills, aged 47

“Good health and happiness for my parents in their retirement”    Rhys Taylor, aged 44

“The community play continues to 2100 and goes from strength to strength”    B Allsop, aged 29

“The world to be more at peace and for all mankind to be more tolerant of each other, especially for religious tolerance”   Eileen Butler, aged 67

“Peace, fulfilment and good health to all in the world”     Two ordinary folk of this town

“Peace – and the wisdom of the wise lady of Cowgrove to carry us through the next millennium”     Paul & Maureen Edwards

“A peaceful new millennium”    Ian, aged 39

“Peace to the world and freedom from hunger”    Ken Barnes, aged 72

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1999 The Quarterjacks Challenge
1999 The Quarterjacks Challenge

Press

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The Quarterjacks Challenge Press
The Quarterjacks Challenge Press

Poetry

A Poem by Thomas Hardy

How smartly the quarters of the hour march by
That the jack-o’-clock never forgets;
Ding-dong; and before I have traced a cusp’s eye,
Or got the true twist of the ogee over,
A double ding-dong ricochetts.

Just so did he clang here before I came,
And so will he clang when I’m gone
Through the Minster’s cavernous hollows–the same
Tale of hours never more to be will he deliver
To the speechless midnight and dawn!

I grow to conceive it a call to ghosts,
Whose mould lies below and around.
Yes; the next “Come, come,” draws them out from their posts,
And they gather, and one shade appears, and another,
As the eve-damps creep from the ground.

See – a Courtenay stands by his quatre-foiled tomb,
And a Duke and his Duchess near;
And one Sir Edmund in columned gloom,
And a Saxon king by the presbytery chamber;
And shapes unknown in the rear.

Maybe they have met for a parle on some plan
To better ail-stricken mankind;
I catch their cheepings, though thinner than
The overhead creak of a passager’s pinion
When leaving land behind.

Or perhaps they speak to the yet unborn,
And caution them not to come
To a world so ancient and trouble-torn,
Of foiled intents, vain loving kindness,
And ardours chilled and numb.

They waste to fog as I stir and stand,
And move from the arched recess,
And pick up the drawing that slipped from my hand,
And feel for the pencil I dropped in the cranny
In a moment’s forgetfulness.

Script

Read the script of The Quarterjack's Challenge (1999) as a PDF
Read the script of The Quarterjack's Challenge (2000) as a PDF

© copyright of Wimborne Community Theatre

Songs

The words used by the group were almost the same as the original but we had a Millennium Pie not a Christmas one!

THE GLOUCESTERSHIRE WASSAIL

Chorus:
Wassail, wassail all over the town
Our toast it is white and our ale it is brown
Our bowl it is made of the white maple tree
With the wassailing bowl we’ll drink unto thee.

Boys:
So here is to Cherry and to his right cheek
Pray God send our master a good piece of beef
And a good piece of beef that may we all see
With the wassailing bowl we’ll drink unto thee.

Girls:
And here is to Dobbin and to his right eye
Pray God send our master a good Christmas Pie
And a good Christmas Pie that may we all see
With the wassailing bowl we’ll drink unto thee.

Chorus

Boys:
And here is to Broadmain and to her broad horn
May God send our master a good crop of corn
And a good crop of corn that may we all see
With the wassailing bowl we’ll drink unto thee.

Girls:
And here is to Fillpail and to her left ear
May God send our master a Happy New Year
And a Happy New Year that e’er we did see
With the wassailing bowl we’ll drink unto thee.

Chorus

Boys:
And here is to Colly and to her long tail
Pray God send our master he never will fail
A bowl of strong beer I pray ye draw near
And our jolly wassail it’s then ye shall hear.

All (unaccompanied):
Come Butler, come fill us a bowl of the best
Then we hope that your soul in heaven may rest
But if ye do draw us a bowl of the small
Then down shall go butler, bowl and all.

All:
Then here’s to the maid in the lily white smock
Who tripped to the door and drew back the lock
Who tripped to the door and pulled back the pin
For to let these jolly wassailers in.

Chorus repeated twice

Location


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