Morris Dance has been part of English life for at least six hundred years and
may be much older. While the style is peculiar to the English mainland, there
remain some similarities to Catalan and to Basque dancers. As to the origin of
the dances, this is a matter of continuing dispute and argument. They were once
thought by some, largely influenced by Fraser and other nineteenth century
folklorists and anthropologists, to be part of the world-wide family of ritual
ceremonial dances, sharing the common features of disguise, colour, vigour,
predominantly male performers, and a dance form based on circles and
processions. However the form of the dance has evolved through time, and whilst
there are still processional morris dances, there are no circle dances nor any
historical evidence for circles.
Recent historical studies place the earliest Morris records in the time of Henry VII (1500), and firmly in with the Court masques and entertainment. From the Court it seems to have spread into popular entertainment, first in large houses, then to village celebrations, where it became associated with Church Ales and other seasonal festivities. In the 1500s Morris was also a European phenomenon with versions in other European Court entertainments.
Before the fifteenth century? Who knows? Only a handful of present-day Cotswold Morris Sides can trace their history back before 1800 - Bampton, Headington, Abingdon, Chipping Campden. However, none of the Welsh Border Morris sides of Herefordshire, Worcestershire or Shropshire lasted beyond the Second World War. East Anglian Molly dancers suffered the same demise in the 1930s. The NW Morris processions that used to follow the rush carts to church largely died when the processions stopped, but there were still some processions up until the 1900s. Longsword such as Handsworth and Grenoside from South Yorkshire can trace their ancestry back at least a hundred years, but by the end of the first decade of the twentieth century longsword and rapper dance were slowly going into decline.
The majority of Morris clubs dancing today are 'revival' clubs, formed after the early collectors had done their work. They meet regularly for practice and to give public shows, unlike the old sides that would often meet and dance for a short period each year. A side will have a Squire or Captain, a Bagman or Secretary, and often a Foreman responsible for teaching the dances. Each side will have its own costume derived from traditional forms, with perhaps a symbol or badge having some civic or territorial association. Many sides have a Fool and/or an Animal to amuse the audience. In the old sides the Fool was sometimes the Squire, as it was said that he had to be the best dancer.
A few Morris sides were formed before World War I, after this a few more formed and there was a revival in the 1930s, This situation continued, but at
a slow pace until World War II came along. After this another small revival, then during the ' folk ' revival of the the 1960's and 1970's, there was a very
large surge in interest in dancing. Until this time there were about 80 clubs. At the Millenium there were 800 Morris sides in the UK and over 1000 worldwide!
Morris dancing now attracts wide interest ... and comment!
Morris Dancing has developed into a vibrant and lively community of dancers, that new young clubs are forming, and that young men and women are attracted to “the Morris”.
Morris Dancers were one of the earliest groups to take an active interest in the World Wide Web, at present there are over 800 clubs with
web sites in the UK and North America, for the latter continent a Morris side without a Web presence is a rarity! Try Googling for "Morris Dancing", you will
get over two million hits!
may be much older. While the style is peculiar to the English mainland, there
remain some similarities to Catalan and to Basque dancers. As to the origin of
the dances, this is a matter of continuing dispute and argument. They were once
thought by some, largely influenced by Fraser and other nineteenth century
folklorists and anthropologists, to be part of the world-wide family of ritual
ceremonial dances, sharing the common features of disguise, colour, vigour,
predominantly male performers, and a dance form based on circles and
processions. However the form of the dance has evolved through time, and whilst
there are still processional morris dances, there are no circle dances nor any
historical evidence for circles.
Recent historical studies place the earliest Morris records in the time of Henry VII (1500), and firmly in with the Court masques and entertainment. From the Court it seems to have spread into popular entertainment, first in large houses, then to village celebrations, where it became associated with Church Ales and other seasonal festivities. In the 1500s Morris was also a European phenomenon with versions in other European Court entertainments.
Before the fifteenth century? Who knows? Only a handful of present-day Cotswold Morris Sides can trace their history back before 1800 - Bampton, Headington, Abingdon, Chipping Campden. However, none of the Welsh Border Morris sides of Herefordshire, Worcestershire or Shropshire lasted beyond the Second World War. East Anglian Molly dancers suffered the same demise in the 1930s. The NW Morris processions that used to follow the rush carts to church largely died when the processions stopped, but there were still some processions up until the 1900s. Longsword such as Handsworth and Grenoside from South Yorkshire can trace their ancestry back at least a hundred years, but by the end of the first decade of the twentieth century longsword and rapper dance were slowly going into decline.
The majority of Morris clubs dancing today are 'revival' clubs, formed after the early collectors had done their work. They meet regularly for practice and to give public shows, unlike the old sides that would often meet and dance for a short period each year. A side will have a Squire or Captain, a Bagman or Secretary, and often a Foreman responsible for teaching the dances. Each side will have its own costume derived from traditional forms, with perhaps a symbol or badge having some civic or territorial association. Many sides have a Fool and/or an Animal to amuse the audience. In the old sides the Fool was sometimes the Squire, as it was said that he had to be the best dancer.
A few Morris sides were formed before World War I, after this a few more formed and there was a revival in the 1930s, This situation continued, but at
a slow pace until World War II came along. After this another small revival, then during the ' folk ' revival of the the 1960's and 1970's, there was a very
large surge in interest in dancing. Until this time there were about 80 clubs. At the Millenium there were 800 Morris sides in the UK and over 1000 worldwide!
Morris dancing now attracts wide interest ... and comment!
Morris Dancing has developed into a vibrant and lively community of dancers, that new young clubs are forming, and that young men and women are attracted to “the Morris”.
Morris Dancers were one of the earliest groups to take an active interest in the World Wide Web, at present there are over 800 clubs with
web sites in the UK and North America, for the latter continent a Morris side without a Web presence is a rarity! Try Googling for "Morris Dancing", you will
get over two million hits!