The Squire

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March 2011No 63

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page STOP PRESSfrom the Squire 6

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Rapper Tournament 5

Longsword, future 8

Editorial:ARM 2011 7

Bill Holt’s 90th 6

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Castleford: Morris Ring Meeting 1 Silurian Instructional 9

Trigg: Morris Ring Meeting 10

(..continued on page 3)

Tasker bows out for a 1/2p at Castleford

An early start to the weekend forsome,sawBrianTasker(SquireoftheRing) Barry Evans (Squire CastlefordLongsword) and Malcolm Ramskill(Castleford Musician) arrive earlyFridayafternoonatThorpeWilloughbyJuniorSchool, thisbeingthecampsitefor the weekend, but were there tospend the whole afternoon teaching aclassofchildrenaboutvariousaspectsof the Morris and it’s traditions, thesession was greatly appreciated byall the children and staff taking part,at the end of the teaching session wewereaskedifitwouldbepossibleforademonstrationattheschoolsafternoonassembly, so enough men wereroundedupandinmuftytheBoosbeckSword Dance was performed for thewhole of the school with shouts foran encore, whew!What a worthwhileand satisfying start to our weekend.Inlateafternoonpreparationswerewellunderwayforthearrivalofthemotleycrew known as Morris Men, the beerwas set up with three different brewsonhandpump, the foodwas readysoastheysaytheshowbegan,theendofthe night saw 99% of men disappearto theoneandonly localpub(luckilyitdoeshavedecentbeer) the landlordaftertheweekendenquiredwhenwerewe having another event? We werealready thinking he must be joking.Saturday arrived a little dull, but allwereingoodspirits,andafteraheartybreakfast we boarded the two doubledeckerbussesreadyforthedayahead.One morning tour visited the historiccentreofYorkafteraspot inSelbyat

theMarketCross,whilsttheothertourvisited the small villages to the southeastofthecityofYork.BothtoursmetattheYorkshireAirMuseumatElvingtonforlunch,thetourleavingYorkinthemorning were lucky enough to seethe last remaining airworthy VulcanBomber shortly after take-off fromElvington,asitcarveditswayelegantlyacross the sky, what a sight to see.AfterlunchintheNAAFIsomefounda little time to wander very quicklyroundsomeoftheexhibits,dancinginthese surroundings and backdrop wascertainlydifferentandoneteamhadalow level fly past of a Lancaster Bomber during their performance, I think theLancaster got most of the attention.The afternoon tours were reversedfrom the morning with one tour in

by Barry Evans

Turn up at a few ale feasts, saya word or two. Go to the RingMeetings, say a word or two.There’s theARMandacoupleofAdvisoryCouncilmeetings,sayawordortwo.That’saboutalltheSquire of the Morris Ring does.Well,thatwasthejobdescriptioninanutshell.Soundedlikeabreeze.Worth giving it a crack I thoughtand so it was that some fourteenmonths ago I threw my cap (orbowler in my case) into the Ring(nopun intended)andputmyselfupforcandidature.ThemonthsuptoMarch2010andthe ARM flew past and I returned home from Stafford proud inthe realisation that sufficient of my friends and acquaintances inthe Morris Ring had adequateconfidence in me to cast their votes inmyfavourandtherebypromotemeasSquireElect. ThepollhadbeenverytightandImustremarkthat Robin Springett, who foundhimselfintheunenviablepositionofrunner-upbyjustonevote,wasan absolute gentleman in defeatand has been most generous andsupportiveofmesince.ThankyouRobin.I’msurethatyourtimewillcome.The honeymoon period as SquireElect is a strange time. One hassuddenly become very important,treated with great deferencewherever one goes and yet hasnothing whatsoever to do. Ohexcept turnupand sayawordortwo of course! I got around asmuch as I was able, accepted asmanyinvitationsaswerepossibleand started the unenviable taskof trying to remember the namesof every man that ever donned aMorriscostume.TheThaxtedRingmeetingbroughtitsusualjoytothestartofJuneandwasfollowedbyamostconvivial

weekend in Kent with Hartley.Green Oak kicked off July withanotherlovelyweekend(pigroastand campfire singaround – a must-repeatoccasion)andChapel-en-le-FrithroundedoffthesamemonthwithanexcellentdaycontributingtotheBuxtonFestival.InAugustI ventured to Upper Mill to takepart in theSaddleworthRushcart,a first for me and another must-repeat experience. “One wheelon my wagon, and I keep rollingalong…”I first met the Trigg Morris Men

asSquireofHarthillin1986whenwehostedtheRingMeetingbasedinWorksop.Theywereobviouslyhugely impressed ‘cos just 24years later they organised a RingMeeting of their own and invitedme back – the delay must have been in the meticulous planning!They are a most gregarious sideanditwasaweekendfullofthosememorablelittlecameosthatmakethedifferencebetweenagood‘unand a corker. Scarcely had theengine time to cool from the triphome when it was off again toSelbyforthelastRingMeetingoftheyearablyhostedbyCastlefordLongsword. As iscustomary, theMeeting was hugely significant beingthevenueatwhichtheretiringSquiredancedoutandIdancedin.Many friends inside and outsideMorrishadtravelledanappreciabledistancetolendtheirsupportontheSunday as Offices were exchanged and I must express my gratitudefor their encouragement. IndeedI must thank so many colleaguesold and new for the kind wordsand confidence expressed in my ability to discharge this Office in amannerproductiveforthefutureprosperityoftheMorrisRing.And since aspiring to Office? Well, a very pleasant weekendwith Rutland, turn up say a fewwords,AdvisoryCouncilMeeting,turn up say a few words, 18-30weekend,turnupsayafewwords,EFDSSAGM, turn up say a fewwords,OpenMorrisAGM,turnupsayafewwords.Alljustlikethejobdescription…then the bloody Equality Acthappened…

PeterHalfpenneySquireofTheMorrisRing

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Squire’s Capers

Peter Halfpenney dancing in at Castleford

Photo: Barry Evans

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York and one round the villages,it was certainly very pleasing tovisit Escrick and for Castlefordto dance the Escrick Longsworddanceinitshome.BothtoursmetattheGreyhoundPubinRiccallforthelastfreeforallspotoftheday,teamscouldeitherdance,sing,playorjustdrinkiftheypreferred,thiswasaspotforrelaxationandpureself-indulgent enjoyment. Whatwas interesting all day was that

duetoforwardplanninganduseofamobilephoneEastSurreyalwaysmanaged to have beer on the bartopateverystopwaitingforthemso not having to form an orderlyqueuetoacquirethegoldenliquid.

After having had a good feed atthefeastandtheresultantsinging,playing and pantomime, informaldancingwasbegun.Atonestagewewerejoinedbysomelocalyouthswho were encouraged to join inandendedupenjoyingthemselvesand appreciated the camaraderiethatexistsintheMorris,althoughIsuspectthatinitiallytheirreasonsof joining inwere to tryandblagabeer.Sundaywasamuchbetterday and following breakfast weheaded off to Selby Abbey forthe church service. Although thechurchatthistimehadatemporaryvicar he made us very welcomeand had done some research intothe Church and the Morris, hequoted old documents relatingto the Church buying Kit for the

Morris Men in his introductionto Castleford Longsword whodance the first two figures of the Boosbeck Sword Dance aspart of the service, we wonder ifthis is a first for sword dancing? The massed dance spot was justoutsidethemainWestdooroftheAbbeyattheMarketCross,wewerejoinedbymostofthecongregationand the Vicar, all enjoying thecolourful spectacle of those

assembled. The show culminatedinthehandoveroftheSquirefromBrianTaskertoPeterHalfpenney,Iamsurethosepresentwitnessedtheswellingofpride inPeterand theaudible sigh of relief from Brian.Afterlunchbackatthevillagehalleveryone drifted off homewardswithasmileontheirfacesandveryhappymemories of aweekend inYorkshire.

...The Morris Ring Meeting, Castleford(.....continued from page one)

Photos from Castleford:front page: Brian Tasker dancing out as Squire of the Morris Ring; page 2: Peter Halfpenney receives staff of Office as Squire of The Morris Ring; this page, clockwise from top: Manchester, Hartley, Richmond on Swale and Leeds.

More photographs from Castleford Ring Meeting overleaf

Photos from Rosemary Simcox and Catherine McArdle.

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Castleford Ring Meeting-more photographs

Photographsfromtopleft,clockwise:

Ravensbourne,StAlbans,adoublejig,Ripley,Manchester,Harthill,EastSurreyandamasseddance

Photos: Rosemary Simcox and

Catherine McArdle.

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Dancing America Rapper Tournamentby Brian Tasker

The first Dancing America Rapper Tournament was held inCambridge,Massachusettsovertheweekendof22/24October2010.ItwasorganisedbyTomKruskal,theman behind the Great MeadowsorganisationwhichhassentteamstocompeteattheDancingEnglandRapper Tournament in recentyears.Fourteensidesentered:tenfromtheUSA,twofromEngland,onefromScotland and one from Canada,making fourteen sides in all. TheEnglish sides were Sallyport andThralesand theScottish sidewasMons Meg from Edinburgh. Thecompetition was organised onsimilar lines to Dert with judgedperformancesinfourbars.BeforethecompetitionSallyportsaidthatthey didn’t mind if they won ornot as long as they beat Thrales!Thralessaidthattheydidn’tmindiftheywonornotaslongastheybeat Sallyport!The winners wereThrales, with Candy Rappersecond and Sallyport third. Onlythreepointsseparatedthetopthree.Sallyport claimed that it was theunicyclewhatwon it forThrales.Candy Rapper have entered DertonanumberofoccasionsandtheywonboththeCentenaryClassandbestyouthteamin2009.The event continued on theSunday morning with a series ofinstructional sessions and talks.The first instructional session was a five man version of the White BoysdancefromtheIsleofMan.It was a very well constructeddance and very different fromthe six man version danced byNorthBritishwhichinturnisverydifferent from the version danced

bythePerreeBanedancegroupintheIsleofMan.Thiswasfollowedby Sallyport who taught theSwalwell dance. The last sessionwas given by Orion Longswordwhoattemptedtoteachussomeoftheirincredible“TakeFive”dance.I can confirm that it is just as difficult as it looks, the transitions fromonesteptoanotherduringthedancebeingparticularlytricky.I attended Dart with Sallyport.Wemadeaweekof it by stayingon for a few days and enjoyedthreebrilliant eveningswithNewEngland sides. Rhett Krause, theman who wrote the sword locksappendixinIvorAllsop’sbookoflongsword dances, made all thearrangementsforusandkindlyletusstayathishouseinAmherst.OntheTuesdaynightwewentoutwith the Marlboro’ Morris Menand a rapper side called “FleshWound”. It was an amazinglywarm evening and we danced atseveral spots around the town ofNorthampton. Sallyport wantedtodancethePoppletonlongsworddance and as we had only sixdancersIhadtodoit.Ihadhadthebenefit of a few practices including oneat theroadsideon thewaytoAmherst, but I was not confident. AtonepointinthedanceIhadtorunroundthesetbacktoplaceandeverytimeweperformedthedancethe others shouted out “Go Briango!”OnceIwentroundthesetinthe wrong direction but it didn’tseemtomakeanydifference.OnWednesdaywetravelleduptoBrattleboro’ in southern VermonttomeetupwithJackintheGreen,a Cotswold side, and Marlboro’Morris and Sword which is theladies’sidewhichatonetimewerelinked to the Marlboro’ Morris

Men. We finished the evening at McNeil’s bar where the tableswereclearedforustodance.Itwasanother great evening made evenbetterbythebeerproducedinthemicrobrewerybeingservedusingBritishhandpumps.OnourlastdaywevisitedMountHolyoak, a local beauty spot.Thewarmweathermeant that thefallwas lateandwewereable toappreciatethecoloursoftheleavesonthemapletrees.Intheeveningwecaughtabusouttoabartojoina folk session andwere surprisedto find that the bus was free. I wasn’t completely happy aboutthisbecauseIthinkthatfreebusesshouldbeaprivilegefor theover60s.Thateveningwewerejoinedby Juggler Meadow, a Cotswoldside, and two more rapper sides.The landlord so enjoyed ourperformances that he gave us alla shot of Jack Daniels before weleft. Later that evening we triedto get into the Amherst BrewingCompany’spubbuttheywereveryfussyaboutID.IshowedthemmybuspassbuttheyrefusedtoacceptthatthisprovedthatIwasover21.We had a great week in NewEngland. The local sides were sowelcomingandweallfeltthatweare part of the same folk scenedespite being thousands of milesapart.Tom Kruskal has decided toorganise another Dart in 2011.The local rapper sides were at first unsureaboutenteringatournamentbut were won round and most ofthementered.Nowthattheyhaveseen how it all works I am surethattheywillenteragainnexttimeroundandhopefully therewillbemoresidesfromtheUK.

The Morris Ring CircularMARCH 2011

Issue No 63COPYDATE FOR ISSUE 64

15TH JUNE 2011

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by S K ArcherOn9thOctoberBathamptonMorrisMen celebrated the 90th birthdayofoneoftheiractivedancers,BillHolt. Bill has danced with theside for some 42 years, regularlyperformingduringthepastseason.Bathampton were formed in1934 from a boys’ side based atBathampton School and taughtbyMrsOakey. Their clubbadgeisacartoonoftheWyfofBathbySir Osbert Lancaster. The eventwas witnessed by an undercoverreporter from RavensbourneMorris.Hereishisreport.WyfofBathSHOCKED,ASMANBECOMESFATHERAT90Yesterday Bill Holt made historyby becoming Father of theBathampton Morris Men at theageof90. TheWyfofBathwasunavailable for comment as wasMrsOakeywhoalwaysconsideredthementobeherboys.Thisshocknews was conveyed to Bill bySquireAlanGreer(agetooyoungto be of note) at a private, male-onlyceremonyin theupperroomoftheKingsArmsinBradfordonAvon.MAJOR HOLT BRINGS B-O-ATOSTANDSTILLPreviously Bill, or Major WMDHolt as he was known in theIndianArmy,amazedthecrowdinWestburyGardenswithaselectionofCotswoldMorrisdancesbeforeparading over the bridge to TheShambles. Criesof“keepaneyeout for WMD” briefly brought traffic on the bridge to a standstill untiltheconfusionwasresolved.ROBIN PROMOTED (fromfarthing)BYMISSING1/2d

ThebirthdaylunchwasattendedbyRobinSpringett,SouthWestArearepresentativeoftheMorrisRing,deputising for Peter Halfpenney,SquireoftheMorrisRing.Robinhad thepleasureofhearingBill’scomprehensive history of theAfricacampaignof1940(volumes1 & 2), particularly focusing onthe push into Abyssinia. TheproximityoftheItalianproprietorofthisrestyledgastropubaddedalittlezesttothestory.Later,havinghadmostofhisaddresspre-emptedbyBill,Robinenjoyed

having the rest of it correctedfor historical inaccuracy. Billdemonstrated the Highland fling andgaveatalkonthedifferencesbetween the Scottish and Englishdancetraditions.Hethenfollowedhislivelyexecutionofthesailor’shornpipewitharenditionof“It’saLongWaytoTipperary”.Singingwentonintothesmallhoursoftheafternoonuntiltheydrankthepubdry, clocking up another Britishvictory over Italian efforts to runaforeignoperation.Peter(orP½pas he is known) can only lamentatmissingsuchapieceofMorrishistory.QUEENS OFFICERS BRINGBIRTHDAYGREETINGSFROMBATTLEFIELDEarlier in the day 2 officers from HM Forces were seen conveyingbirthday greetings in a privateceremony outside the RiversideInn.Dressedincivilianclothes,anunreliablesourcehasrevealedthattheywerebringingcongratulationsfromHermajestyandrecognitionof the role Bill played in the

Bill Holt’s 90th Birthday

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STOP PRESSAtourARMinClevedontheproposalputforwardbyHorwichPrizeMedalMMtoslim down the numbers of the AdvisoryCouncilwasadoptedwithalargemajority(76%). The result of this reshaping ofour‘thinktank’willbethattheareaRepshave greater opportunity to influence the Squire’s thinking, hopefully in line withthe wishes of the Morris sides in theirareas.There are many experienced sages whowill become ‘Past Members of the MRAdvisory Council’ and we should notforget the significant contributions that theyhavebroughttoourcauseovermanyyears. Sadly our ARM debates overranandthisdeniedustheopportunitytogive

recognition and public thanks for theirpastservice.TheMorrisRingwouldnotbe the formidable organisation that it istoday without the wise council that theyhaveaffordedSquiresover theyearsandonbehalfofallMRmembersIshouldliketogiveheartythanksandthreecheersfortheirpastparticipation.It is the Squire’s prerogative to invite orco-optnonmemberstoAdvisoryCouncilmeetings to provide information andadviceinspecialistareassodon’thangupyour thinking caps just yet, Gentlemen;youwillbecalleduponagainfromtimetotimeIamsure.PeterJHalfpenneySquireoftheMorrisRing

The Morris Ring CircularEditorial

Editor:HarryStevenson59Oliver’sBatteryRoadNorthWinchesterHampshireSO224JB

01962855911trunkleshs@btinternet.com

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Africa campaign when he briefly tookcommandofoperationsafterBrigadier Slim (later ViscountSlim) was shot in the bum by aFiatbiplane.Canyouimaginetheindignity – shot by a Fiat! However thestoryhasbeencorroboratedbyone of the officers who has just completed an extensive tour ofSudanandEthiopia.Bill isexpected toattendpracticenextThursdayasusual.

all photos S K Archer

An Historic ARM: The Morris Ring’s bloodless Jasmine Revolution

The2011AnnualRepresentatives’Meeting of the Morris Ring washistoric in more ways than one.Firstly, the ‘Rumford Proposal’wascarriedbyover4votestoone-allowing, under the Morris RingConstitution,womenmembers(asmusicians only) for the first time. The fact that many Morris Ringsides have had women musicianmembers for many years, it wasthe Equality Act that spurred theOfficers of the Morris Ring to Act, offering three alternatives.Allwererejected infavourof theOfficers’ recommended option, incorporated in the amended‘RumfordProposal’.Thesecondmotionthatwaspassedconcerned the composition of theAdvisoryCouncil(AC).Previously,all past officers were automatically

members of the AC indefinitely. Now the AC is made up of thethreemostimmediatepastSquiresofTheMorrisRing,anyotherpastofficers (currently a past treasurer), the three elected officers and the AreaRepresentatives.Incidentallythe later are elected by the areasides, although often unopposed.The Squire can invite whom soever hewishes toAdvisehim (orher). Past Officers now have a maximum6yearsonAC.ThefollowingarenolongerontheACare:Past Squires-Cliff Marchant,Gerald Willey, Daniel Fox, TimSercombe, Richard Hankinson,Mike Chandler, Mike Garland,GeoffJerram,RayKing,BarryCareMBE, Ivor Allsop, David Weltiand Bert Cleaver. Past Bagmen-

John Frearson, Tony Parsons,ChasArnold,KeithFrancis,MikeGarland and John Wells. PastTreasurers-RichardSinclair,RogerBakerandBarryCare.Over the years, as many MorrisRing Squires will vouch, theywillhaveappreciatedintheirtimeadvice,notjustfromtheabovelistbut from all past officers no longer withus.Theyarealltobethankedfortheirwisdom,adviceandindeedtheirtime‘...toconsiderhowbesttofurthertheobjectsoftheMorrisRing...’ Due to the over-runingof the ARM, those thanks werenotexpressed. (See Squire’s letter, page 6)Finally thanks to Mendip forhosting the event so efficiently, with excellent food, beer and asenseoffun.

(continued from page 6) Photos: page 6, top, Bill Holt with medal. Below. Bill with Bathampton Squire, Alan Clyde and Robin Springett, Area Rep.

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Longsword Past, Present, and Future: an optimistic view

by Andrew Kennedy

Longswordisamidwintertradition,with the season falling chiefly between Boxing Day and PloughMonday (or thereabouts). 2010wasthecentenaryofthebeginningof Cecil Sharp’s researcheswhich led to the publication ofThe Sword Dances of NorthernEngland,andthecommemorationswere, appropriately, centred onSheffield. The traditional dancing season isstillwidelyobserved inYorkshirein particular. Teams such asHandsworthandGrenosidecanbeseen out on Boxing Day; others,suchasBarnsleyandSaddleworth(assertively Yorkshire whateverthe boundary changes mightsuggest) are out on the weekendbetweenChristmasandNewYear;the Kirkburton Rapier Dancerstour on New Year’s Day; whiletheGoathlandPloughStots,Claro,andothersattendPloughBlessingservices.This,ofcourse,istofailto mention the many other teamswhichdanceoutoverthisperiodinYorkshireandacrossthecountry.Whilst we regard it, rightly, as atraditionaldanceform,longswordhas been very clearly shaped bythose who collected, promoted,and ‘revived’ it. Cecil Sharphimselfhadcertainpreconceptionswhichlimitedhisresearches.TheVaughan Williams Library hasa collection of postcards whichwere returned by Yorkshireclergymen in reply to an enquiryofSharp’s inDecember, 1912, asto any traces of sword dancingin theirparishes. Hehadalreadycollected the longsword dancesof Kirkby Malzeard, Grenoside,Sleights and Flamborough andhe would presumably also have

collected the longsword dancesfrom Escrick*, Handsworth,Ampleforth*, Askham Richard*and Haxby*. This enquiryfocused only on villages to theEastoftheGreatNorthRoad(A1).Subsequent, but less systematic,investigations have shown thatthere were sword dances well tothewestofthat;inparticularthereis a whole series of indicationsthat thedancewaswell-knowninCumberlandinthelateeighteenthand early nineteenth centuries,and even Sharp’s own enquiriesturned up evidence of dances inthe hinterland of Workington andtothewestofBolton(Lancashire).It is tobe regretted thathe chosenottofollowtheseup.Sharp edited and ‘corrected’ hisnotes before publishing them inthree parts in the years 1911-13,justbeforetheheavycasualtyratesof the FirstWorldWar led to theend of many dance teams, swordandmorrisalike.Theexistenceofsucharecentpublication,however,inspired the first of many waves of revival. That which occurred inGoathland in 1922, for example,was due to the influence of other folklorists such as F.W. Dowsonand J. Fairfax-Blakeborough.There were several competingagendas here: Sharp and hiscolleagues, for example, saw theopportunity to promote a healthyandinnocentactivitywhichwouldpropagate an idealised vision ofEnglishness,andtorescueanobletradition from the villagers whowould debase and vulgarise it.This interpretation was not onlytaughtup anddown the land, butwasthebasisforjudgingtheearlysword dance competitions, fromabout1924.The villagers themselves were

more interested in preserving asenseoftheirownuniqueidentities,andthissenseremainsparticularlystrong among the Yorkshire-based teams, whenever founded.The line between tradition andrevival isablurred(andprobablymeaningless) one: Redcar SwordDancers, for example, starteddancing the Greatham dancearound forty years ago, basedon the accounts of men who haddancedwiththeoriginalteam.Intime, however, they have movedon to develop their own, verysuccessful, Eston and Californiadance, which has triumphedtwice in recent competitions.The Kirkburton Rapier Dancersstarted in the 1970s with somerudimentaryreferencesandpartofacalling-onsong; theyhavebeenboth productive and innovative,and it is certainly true to say thatthey have developed a distinctivestyle which runs through theirneverthelessvarieddances.Many teams have, in fact startedwith a dance they learned eitherfrom notation or from anotherteam, and have gone on todevelop theirowndancesas theirconfidence and skill increase. (It waseverso).Inrecentyearstherehas been a greater willingnessto experiment more boldly. Onestrandistheincreasingnumberofdances for five performers. This originatesinpartfromtherecordsof five-man dances having existed in places such as Bampton (nearCarlisle), Elgin, and arguablyArkengarthdale. More recent five-man dances include that done byClaro. An additional appeal hasbeen thepossibilityof continuingtodancewhennumbersareshort,andforrapperteamstoadapteasilytotheformat.

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One change is the decline of thesword play, of which the dancewas theclimax. Thiscanstillbeseen every New Year’s Day inMonkseaton, for example, butseemstobegettingrarer.Other innovations involvevariations of rhythm, step, andmusic, the most striking exampleof which would be the dancesof the Orion Sword Dancers,from Boston, who bring a veryAmerican sensibility to the form.Nevertheless, Orion’s dances canbe seen in Britain, performed byteamssuchasWigan’sSevenStarsSwordandStepDancers.The older dances continue,however,oftenkeptalivebyteamswho would consider themselvesMorris dancers first and foremost. (Thequestionofwhetherswordisa form of morris dancing can beleft for another day). Somethingtoregretisthatalltoooftentheseteams will only bring out theirlongswordswhentheythinkthereareno‘real’sworddancersabout;thisisanunfoundeddistinction,asdemonstrated by photographs ofthe Goathland men in Cotswoldkitintheinter-waryears.Itisnotimpossible to break down thesebarriers, however, as has beenseenat theSwordDanceUnion’slongswordtournaments.The SDU was created following

ameetinginPrestonin2005,andwhile it exists to promote bothlongsword and rapper, its mostnotable achievement to date hasbeentheestablishmentoftheannualSDU Longsword Tournament.Thiswasdonepartlyinemulationof the Dancing England RapperTournament, which has flourished along with the whole rappertradition.Therewasafeelingthatlongsword needed a focal eventalongthelinesofthecompetitionswhich used to take place inNewcastle,DarlingtonandWhitby,partly to challenge thedancers toput out their best performances,butalsoasaforumfordiscussion,comparisons, innovation, andthe forging of social connectionsbetweenall thosewithan interestinthedance.TheTournamenthastakenplaceatKelham Island Museum, Sheffield, in2006andtwiceinDerby,in2007and 2008. In 2009 it was hostedin Sheffield by the Handsworth SwordDancers.Itwasheldagainin Sheffield in 2010 this time hosted by the Grenoside team .Oneexcellentfeaturehasbeenthenumberofyoungteamswhichhavetaken part, some well-establishedbut others created especially forthe event. This reflects work donebothbyexistingadultteams,such as Ryburn andWype Doles,

and also the sustained educationprogrammewhichhasbeengoingon in schools across the countryand which justified a day of their own at the 2004 InternationalSword Spectacular Festival, inWhitby. Indeed, the number ofyounger dancers gives the lie toany suggestion that longsword isfacingademographic timebomb.Some teams reach a natural end,while others refuse to adapt andsurvive,butlong-establishedteamssuchasFlamborough,Handsworth,andGoathlandallhavetheirlads’sides to keep the tradition going,alongside the newer groups ofyoung dancers and, indeed, themanyteamsofmixedages.This,then,is thenewgenerationwhichwillassurethefutureoflongsworddancing.*These sword dances are to theeastoftheGreatNorthRoad(A1)butastheywerepublishedinTheSwordDancesofNorthernEnglandPart iii. Pub. Novello & Co. Ltd.London1913.

Andrew is the editor of thelongsword journal “Rattle up myBoys”.Hewishes it tobeknownthat the views expressed are hisown but he is indebted to IvorAllsopforcheckingthefacts.

The Silurian Dancing Instructional of The Welsh Border Morris at the ARM Silurian Morris Men undertookthe Instructional of the WelshBorder Morris, which I attendedwith about twenty in total. Thefirst dance is the apparently well-known Upton On Severn MorrisStick Dance. Silurian were wellrepresented in numbers, both asdancers and musicians, and infull kit and with blackened faces.It was a vigorous session lastingwell over an hour, creeping intoourAreaRepsMeeting.Wewere

taught the stickingand thenquitequickly, the four figures: Morris-rounds, Allemande- a back-to-back, Three Top-a hey in threesacrosstheset,andSides-aheyinthreesontheside.Aftermasteringthisexceptionallywellwewerethentaughta‘getting-off’ dance called Cleehill. Notparticularly long, with vigorousstickingandapracticalandexcitingwaytoexitashow.Thanks to all at Silurian Morris

Men: the band were muchappreciated as were the teachersandtheotherdancememberswhoassisted and encouraged. It was ashamethatthesecondsessiondidnotmaterialise(duetoARMoverrunning) as it would have beengoodtodancethemagain.On behalf of all who attended,again,manythanks.HarryStevensonWinchesterMorrisMen

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324th Meeting of the Morris Ring at St Austell......

TheFinalfrontierby Paul Beaumont

So-afteraratherpleasantjourneyitturnedouttobeaverypleasantweekend. Friday night was spentinabrewery.Sadlynolock-inbutIseemtorecallwechokeddownasmallnightcapwhenwegotback!Saturday dawned and we had acivilisedstarttime.WefoundourcoachandsetoffforFowey (pronouncedWhere?).Wewere dropped at the edge of thetown and given clear instructionsthat thebuswouldnotbepickingupfromthesameplace.Wewalkeddown to the little harbour whereweweregreetedbyadecentsizedandveryappreciativecrowd.OnethingIhadn’tappreciatedwasthenumberofMorrismenwhobelongto the British Legion! However,

very useful for getting Tribute at£1.90 a pint.A delightful start totheday.Weallthenheadedforthecoach.Well-whenIsayall- thatwasaratherunwiseassumptionmadebythevastmajority,includingourownNorthWoodmen.Itbecameclearthattheclearinstructionsaboutthecoachwerenotascleartoallaswethought. “Where’s Collingwood!”we cried. He was contacted byphoneandmissioncontroltriedtoguidehimtothemothershiptonoavail.OurveryownCaptainOateswent out on the thankless task offinding him. Eventually they re-appeared and we set off for ourlunchstopinLuxulyan.Two surprising things about thelunchvenue.Firstly,theincominglandlady used to be a residentof Thornton Heath (part of our

‘hood).Secondlytheyprovideduswith the finest lunch I have ever eatenonamorrisevent.Wedidabitofdancingandabitofchattingthenbackonthebus.Next on to Tywardreath.Anotherfine pub although, sadly, the sausage shop was shut. Againa laid-back demand on dancingsuitedusallandthearrivaloftheDartington youth mob broughtforthamixtureofreliefandenvy.We ended up with lots of otherpeople at a rather damp EdenProject. The suggestion to dancewhere we could find some people was altered so we could practisewhere there weren’t any! Wellit seemed to pay off in the showdance!!

PaulBeaumontistheNorthWoodFool

Top: Lincoln & Micklebarrow at the Eden Project and left, leaving Eden

Photos: Jim HutchinsRight: A Gnome at Eden

Photo: Robin Edwards

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......324th Meeting of the Morris Ring continued

Dancing photos clockwise from top left: Men of Wight, Dartington Boys, and a massed dance in Bodmin, Winchester, Musicians, Men of Wight, Harthill in Wadebridge, Winchester, Whitchurch and Thames Valley in Bodmin. Above right: the editor caught snapping at Bodmin (by Clive Du ’Mont) and Trigg Morris ‘Rock’ Photos: Harry Stevenson

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......324th Meeting of the Morris Ring continuedby Roger Hancock

DuetoashortageofRingMeetingsin2010atalatestageTriggdecidedto run a meeting for 100 men,and it proved to be popular andconsiderably over subscribed andinspiteofincreasingournumbersto 125 we still had to refuse acoupleofsides.ItwasbasedatPoltairSchoolwhichoffered excellent accommodationand catering and a large SportsHall for sleeping, as well as thefield for tents and hard standings forthecampervans.Inadditiontothatwewereonly100yardsfromStAustellBrewerywheremostof

themenspenttheirFridayeveninginmusicandsong.Rutlandwerelatearrivals,havingalmostreachedStAustellinampletimetheystoppedforrefreshmentatapubontheedgeoftownonlyto find that their minibus had lost theengineoilthroughaholeinthesump.Theyarrivedinremarkablygood spirits andwondering abouttheirreturnjourney.TherewerefourSaturdaytoursbycoach around Mid Cornwall andeachincludedatown,avillage,acountryside venue and a coastalsiteoneachtour.Eachofthetourshadaspeciallyselectedsitewhereaverygoodlunchcouldbetaken,and two of the tours finished their afternoon with some time at TheEdenProject.

Dartington Men had arrangedfor theirboysside tovisit for theSaturdayandaTourofTourswasarrangedsothattheycouldseeandshowofftoallofthevisitingsides,andtheyalsoendedupattheEdenProject.Onreturningtobase,saffroncakeand clotted cream was providedbefore the men prepared for thefeast that was substantial meal.Sadly service for some men wasrather slow as there had been aproblem with the loss of the gassupplythatcausedproblemsinthekitchen as you can imagine, so,thingscouldhavebeenworse!

Top table for thefeast comprisedThe Squire, BrianTasker, The Bagman,Charlie Corcoran,TheSquire Elect, PeterHalfpenney, Squireof Trigg Ian Chanter,and ‘guests’ Trigg’sLady Musicians, VivChampion & LynFord(whoareAssociate

Members of the side). Speecheswere relatively short except forThe Immortal Memory by PastSquire Paul Reece of Thaxted &Trigg who drew on many themesincluding Morris History inCornwall. TheFeast endedwith just a fewitems of songas the seatingwas becominguncomfortable!After the Feastmost menremainedonsitewith time spentin a mixture ofDance, Music& Song. Ourlady guests had

intended to withdraw, but wereinvitedand/orpersuadedtoremainbyBrianTandthereforeremainedtocontributeitemstotheevening.On Sunday Morning we roseto heavy rain which led to theprocession to be a damp andhurriedaffairarrivingatStAustellParishChurchearlyfortheservice.Theserviceprovedaneyeopenerforsomeusnotusedtoscreensandprojectorsasaidstoworship.Emerging apprehensively fromchurch we were pleased that therain had more or less stopped,and this enabled Trigg to dancetheir Wenford Bridge in the styleof Bucknell as dancing was notpermittedinChurch.MenthenwalkedinprocessioninimprovingweathertoWhiteRiverPlace a new shopping precinct inthe centre of town for the mainshow, where all sides performedindividuallyaswellascollectively.By this time the weather had

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......324th Meeting of the Morris Ring continued

improved which was a relief,so a good showwasput on for aconsiderablecrowd.AftertheshowwealladjournedtotheChurchHall foragood lunchput on for us by the good peopleof the church. Sadly Rutland hadto miss the end of the show andlunch to hurry off to collect theirreplacementvehicle.Someone else missing fromlunch was Winchester Man andPast Squire Geoff Jerram, havingrushedoffthepackhistentnowitwasdry,buthadlosthisnoteofthelunch venue, and driving aroundhad not managed to find it, or any

men.In the last issue youwillhaveseenpicturesof the future, presentand past Squires, weshould mention herethat there were otherpast incumbents withusduringtheweekendin the guise of GeoffJerram,TimSercombe,Daniel Fox, CliffMarchant and PaulReece, but they werenotfeatured!Trigghadinvitedtheirtwo lady musicians

to be involvedin a limitedway during theweekend, buthope this wasnotthebasisforalloftherecentd i s c u s s i o nregarding thestanding of theladymusicians.

Photos, Opposite page: right, top-Lincoln & Micklebarrow, bottom, Grand Union, middle North Wood, in a tea-cup pose!; This page, left, Grand Union; below, Lincoln & Micklebarrow, above, North Wood in another pose

Photos, Jon Wimhurst

by Paul ReeceOn this the 40th year of TriggMorris Men and the launch thisweekend of ‘5000 Morris Men’attheSouthBank,London,Iwillpursue the twin themesofMorrisintheWildernessandMorrisMenareMad.TheWestCountryprovidedarichsourceforfolksong,howeverthesoledancecollectedandpublishedin the final part 5 of ‘The Morris Book’ by Sharp in 1913 is theProcessionalHelstonFurryDance,although Furry or feast dances

were common place in Cornwall,including here in St. Austell in1913.While perhaps the very earliestreference tothe Morrisin Britain isfrom 1466 atLanherne inTrigg’sdancingt e r r i t o r y ,John Forrestconsiders theprocessionaldances of

Cornwall and North Wales to bethemostancientdances. Bothofthese areas are great sources ofslate,acommodityinwhichCecil

Paul Reece’s Speech at Trigg

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......324th Meeting of the Morris Ring continued

Sharp’s father James traded. AtAltarnun church about 10 milesacrossBodminMoorfromtheslatequarriesatDelabolethebenchendshaveelaboratecarveddancerswithswords and bells, a musician anda fool, dating from around 1540.At St Columb, 10 miles west ofBodmintheparishrecordsknownas the Green Book of St ColumnhavereferencestotheMorrisfrom1585.The connection between mining,quarrying and the Morris, therelationship between the dancerand theearthand the ‘life’belowand the ‘life’ above, includingtheweather,havebeenpostulatedby John Kirkpatrick and others.Cornishstonecirclesandrowshavenamesdenotingdanceconnections,althoughthereferenceto‘dancingmaidens’ isprobablyacorruptionof the Medieval Cornish word‘medn’meaningstone.Boyswhowashed the tinorewith their feetankle deep in water were called,lappiors, the Cornish for dancers,whileTomLappiorswerespiriteddancers, acrobats, tumblers aswellastindressers.LeadorewassimilarlywashedinplacessuchasWinster.Whether from Cornish slate orCotswold stone the processionalpathtoHeadingtonQuarry,Sharp,the quarries of the RossendaleValley, the Britannia Nutters,WinsterandtousisaverypowerfuloneinthereawakeningoftheMorrisand Morris led communities. Aswe leap skywardsusing the earthasourspringboardwearemakinganimportantconnectionandunion,not least bringing together andbalancingourphysicalandmentalselves in well being, our bodiesand our spirits, the first steps in achievingtruehealth.

Morris taps into the psyche offolkmemoryandkeepsalive thatall important therapeutic threadof identity, expression, animationand where we belong as part ofcommunities and their cultures.ForTriggthishasexpresseditselfingoingintothewildernessofdryvillages that have lost their pub.Here they set up their stall at thecross roads,offer freebeer to thecommunity, put on a display ofMorrisdancingandletIanChanterweave his inimitable magic inexplainingwhatMorrisdancingisallabout.When I first met Trigg some 30 years ago they still had dancingtheir chief luminary and foundermember Chris Penton, then aged70,whowouldbea100todayifhewas still alive. Chris had first been amemberofStAlbansMorrisMenand in 1953 a founder memberand first Squire of Thames Valley MorrisMen,thesameyearinfactthatChrisRidleyjoinedthemasadancer,thoughbothweremusiciansandhelpedoutwithplayingfortheside when their regular musicianwas unavailable. While ChrisRidley is regarded as a livinglegendandpracticallyanimmortalin Trigg, the folk movement inCornwall and of Thames ValleyMM as their president, it is onTrigg’s chief mentor, the warmlyremembered psychiatrist ChrisPentonthatIwishtodwell. PeteMarlow I believe worked underhim, but all who came under hisspell were greatly influenced by him and remember him withparticulardeepaffection.Chris Penton was a Lt Colonelin the Royal Army MedicalCorpswherehebecameAssistantDirector of Army Psychiatry andincivilianlifeuntilhisretirement

Director of Army Personnel atthe Royal Aircraft Establishmentat Farnborough developing thetechniques of personnel selectionparticularlythoseusedinchoosingcandidates for officer training. I will be making recommendationsatthenextACthattheseareusedfortheselectionofournextSquireoftheMorrisRing.On retirement Chris wished toreturntoclinicalworkbutstipulatedon his speculative application forthepostofAssistantPsychiatristatSt Lawrence’s Hospital, Bodminthathewasonly interested in thejobiftherewasalocalMorrisside.Whether this was for recreation,psychiatricresearchortherapyweare not entirely sure, but as luckand the Gods of Insanity wouldhave it there were people in thehospital and outside who wantedtostartaMorrisside.ThehospitalwasusedforpracticesandoneofTrigg’sdances, ‘OldCarew’,wasnamed after the Carew ward andanother‘WenfordBridge’afterthebridgeclosetowhereChrisPentonlived.Equally mad was the fact thatBodmin had had a flourishing footwear industry from medievaltimes until the 20th Centurysupplyingthesurroundingquarriesand mines and St. Lawrence’sHospital workshop carried oldstocks of scoots and toe plates tothe delight of local scoot or stepdancers up until the late 1980s.So what was affectionately ‘themadhouse’was secretly akindofCornish Cecil Sharp House, anundergroundTrefusisorTrelawneythatattracteddancersandsparkedTrigg’s beginnings as a kind ofearly do it yourself care in thecommunity dance outfit, perhaps moreonBarryBucknelllinesthan

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thoseofBarryCare.InterestinglyintheearlyMorrisorMattachindancesdenotingcombatwith swords of Christian againsttheMoors,ascarvedonthebenchendsatAltarnunChurch,thewordMatta also denotes mad or foolsdance. According to Carew, atSt Nunne’s Well, Altarnun, thewatersfedStNunne’sPool,whichwasusedasakindofplungepoolin the cure for madness. Suchpools or bowsenning places werecommonplaceforcuringmadmen.Itishighlylikelythatthemigrationof these dances through Europefollowed the pilgrimage routesvia ports such as Looe. RogerComley’sshellandbedpanarenotthereforeasmadastheyseem.Testament to how well Triggwas put together and run is thatTrigg’s founding Bagman, Roger

Hancock, is still doing the job,surelyarecordintheRingforbothservicetoaMorrissideandsheermadness.Themembershipmaybeasmadasever,buttheworktheydo in their distinctive individualceltic ropework baldrick designstakenfromthecelticstonecrossesoftheregionpromotingtheMorrisin Cornwall and beyond is trulyinspiring.Almostaswelltravelledas the Cornish saints, miners andengineers they have danced andsung in Britanny, Sweden andCalifornia as well as the lengthand breadth of that other countrybeyondtheTamar.ChrisPentonhelpedstartsomethingspecialhereandnurturedwithrealpassion and commitment awayfrom outside interference, a clubthat is truly one for all and allforone.AllofyouhereI’msure

can remember a Chris Pentonfigure in your own side who make such a difference. They have avisionwhichmanyontheoutsidewouldcallmad,butwithbackingand sustained effort create sucha meaningful flowering in the wilderness and thus contributingtoSharp’s dreamof returning thedancecultureof thepeopletothepeople.Let each one of us here worktogether and carry forward theirwork and in drinking a toast insilencetotheimmortalmemoryofCecil Sharp remember also theseabsentfriendsandkeyworkersintheMorriswhohavegonebeforeandprovidedthebedrockonwhichyou dance today and secure theMorrisdanceforthefuture.Thankyou.

......324th Meeting of the Morris Ring continued

Paul Reece at BodminPhoto: Harry Stevenson

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TriggHostedMorrisRingMeetingScrapbookphotos by Jon Wimhurst