Goathland Plough Stots

The Goathland Plough Stots are regarded as having the oldest traditional set of sword dances within the British Isles. Their tunics of pink and blue represent the old political parties of the 19th century, the Whigs & the Tories, whilst the red striped, grey trousers are links to the military tunics the Crimean War. Based in the village of Goathland, nine miles from Whitby, they are the only team left in an area where most villages boasted such a team. Their written history can be traced back with certainty to 1812 and through other linked publications, authored by village residents, to c1756.