Morris History
There are references to morris dancing from as early as the sixteenth century although it is not clear exactly what this consisted of. Certainly there was some kind of courtly entertainment known as a 'morrisco' but this might not have anything to do with what is now known as morris dancing.
William Kemp, an associate of William Shakespeare, famously morris danced from London to Norwich. Contemporary drawings bear some similarity to the modern morris dancer; although he seems to have danced much of the way by himself rather than as part of a set of dancers.
It is not until the growth of newspapers in the 19th century that there is a great deal of documentary evidence of morris dancing. Sadly it would seem that urbanisation and industrialisation was causing something of a decline in morris dancing. Certainly this was a major concern of pioneering folklorist Cecil Sharp who takes much credit for the survival of the tradition.
Over the Christmas period of 1899 Sharp met William Kimber, the principal musician of the Headington Quarrymen - a traditional Cotswold morris side. From this time Sharp collected extensive notes on many traditional dances and tunes.
In 1905 Mary Neal, using Sharp's then unpublished notes and assisted by William Kimber, began to teach morris dancing to the Esperance Working Girl's Club. Later the Esperance Working Girls were involved in teaching morris dance to some of the fledgling sides who went on to create the Morris Ring in 1934.
During the 1960's there was something of an explosion in interest in morris dancing as part of the wider folk revival. This included the growth in mixed and women's morris sides and a greater interest in border morris, which had been largely neglected by Cecil Sharp and his contemporaries.
What little evidence there is of traditional border morris dancing seems to indicate that it was quite crude and rudimentary. It was largely associated with begging and so its practitioners would have had little opportunity to practise and refine their dancing. Modern border dancing is very much an interpretation and even a development of the tradition rather than an accurate recreation of it.
William Kemp, an associate of William Shakespeare, famously morris danced from London to Norwich. Contemporary drawings bear some similarity to the modern morris dancer; although he seems to have danced much of the way by himself rather than as part of a set of dancers.
It is not until the growth of newspapers in the 19th century that there is a great deal of documentary evidence of morris dancing. Sadly it would seem that urbanisation and industrialisation was causing something of a decline in morris dancing. Certainly this was a major concern of pioneering folklorist Cecil Sharp who takes much credit for the survival of the tradition.
Over the Christmas period of 1899 Sharp met William Kimber, the principal musician of the Headington Quarrymen - a traditional Cotswold morris side. From this time Sharp collected extensive notes on many traditional dances and tunes.
In 1905 Mary Neal, using Sharp's then unpublished notes and assisted by William Kimber, began to teach morris dancing to the Esperance Working Girl's Club. Later the Esperance Working Girls were involved in teaching morris dance to some of the fledgling sides who went on to create the Morris Ring in 1934.
During the 1960's there was something of an explosion in interest in morris dancing as part of the wider folk revival. This included the growth in mixed and women's morris sides and a greater interest in border morris, which had been largely neglected by Cecil Sharp and his contemporaries.
What little evidence there is of traditional border morris dancing seems to indicate that it was quite crude and rudimentary. It was largely associated with begging and so its practitioners would have had little opportunity to practise and refine their dancing. Modern border dancing is very much an interpretation and even a development of the tradition rather than an accurate recreation of it.