Oxford confirms the 1579 mention of "pace eggs" but has nothing before 1916 on the plays. C. Clough Robinson, however, printed the entire script of one in "The Dialect of Leeds and its Neighborhood" (1862).

Despite the connection with pace eggs, the text of the play sets it at Christmas, suggesting a Yuletide origin for the play (if not for the eggs).

The actual age of the custom putting on a pace-egging mummers' play remains uncertain. The plays may not have developed before the early 19th century. The question needs to be explored further.