IN A pleasant North Yorkshire village on Sunday afternoon we celebrated the great miracle of the age, that is to say the correct use of the subjunctive. The open air tableau was called If Christ were born in Cowton.

There are three Cowtons at least - East, North and the little that's left of South - set in what the villages' history describes as "uneventful but attractive" countryside between Darlington and Northallerton. Once there was Temple Cowton and Atley Cowton, too.

Uneventful? "Well, I remember when they filled in the duck pond," said Melba Marley, recently retired after 38 years at North Cowton post office.

South Cowton's 15th Century church is officially "redundant" but still holds services on special occasions (like carols on New Year's Eve); St Luke's, North Cowton was built in 1968, replacing the 75-year-old "tin tabernacle"; East Cowton's took the place in 1910 of a church well outside the village.

It was in Melba Marley's courtyard in North Cowton, however, that Sunday's nativity play was performed. You'd always got more outside than in, said Shirley Griffiths, the Cowtons' engaging vicar, something to do with taking the final step over the church threshold.

So it proved, though with the Blacksmiths Arms serving Sunday lunch not 100 yards away it was impossible to tell whether there might still be no room at the inn.

Around 80 had gathered, mostly in families. The funny thing about Cowton children is that they all seemed to be called Trouble. (As in "Come on, Trouble.")

Shirley wore bible black Anglican cape; Margaret Smith, the area's recently arrived Methodist minister, was in free church shawl. It wasn't a traditional nativity play, said Shirley, except that it involved ordinary people in ordinary clothes.

"Don't stand up, or you'll get a part," someone whispered.

Margaret, narrating, told how all North Cowton's old families - the Marleys, the Metcalfes, the Wades - had had to return home for a census. The Blackies and everywhere else being full, the family from David's line had had to make do with Melba's garage. The wise men, of course, had travelled afar - East Cowton, two miles away.

Shirley played the archangel, too. "Suddenly they heard the Vicar's voice and were terrified," said the narrator. Suddenly everyone laughed.

In previous years they'd borrowed the fairground organ from Preston's of Potto. Its being unavailable, frozen fingered supermarket manager Ken Hewitt had been persuaded - this week's special offer - to play his electric organ instead.

It was one of those that not only could be heard in Richmond, not only could if necessary replicate the entire angel host but which could probably have made a Christmas pudding, an' all.

We sang Once in Royal David's City and O Come All Ye Faithful, prayed that the little gathering might help us to see again the real Christmas story, adjourned to the village hall for refreshments.

Though it had all been highly effective, what would really happen, were Christ to be born in Cowton?

"I think he'd find a welcoming community. They'd be curious, too, country folk like to come and visit," said Shirley.

And a God-fearing community? "Quite a number of them," said Shirley.

As a Yorkshireman if not a subjunctivist might say, it were an enjoyable afternoon.

l A Brief History of the Cowtons and the recently produced village video are both £5 from Melma Marley (01325) 378231. The Rev Shirley Griffiths is on (01325) 378230.