Mayday Morris: desperately seeking musicians
The English heritage is a precious thing. We cherish our history and especially those English traditions which still flourish today. We should strive to preserve them into the new millennium and beyond.
Morris dancing, in particular, is a tradition so ancient that the origins are uncertain and obscure. In 1386, John of Gaunt brought back a troupe of Moorish dancers from Spain. The combination of their practices with those proper to the English Fool's dance is said to have provided a basis for the Morris dance. Note that although the name Morris may be a distortion of the word Moorish, there is not a direct line of descent but an intertwining of that culture with an older English tradition.
The earliest references to morris dances refer to representations of morris on items left in wills, both in the year 1458. References to actual dancing do not occur until 1466 at Lanherne in Cornwall. The Guild records for London indicate dancing in 1477. In 1482, there is a record in the Plymouth Receivers' Accounts to the collection of "dawnsing money" which contributed 3.5% of the cost of building an aisle on the south part of St Andrews Church in Plymouth. If this could be proven to be morris dawnsing, then it would be the next earliest record of morris dancing in the whole of England!
The city records include a reference in 1540/1 to the expense of six shillings for the purchase of 9 yards of cloth to make a coat for the "ffoole", presumably a continuation of the above English Fool's dance. In 1566/7, the Plymouth receiver Edward Cocke recorded an expenditure of 5 shillings for a breakfast for the morice dancers.
The morris dance is regularly associated with fertility rites. A giant figure of Gogmagog was cut on the Hoe in Tudor times and is recorded in the civic records as early as 1493/4 when Cotewyll was paid seven pence for "renewyng of ye pycture of Gogmagog a pon ye howe". Cocke recorded an expenditure of 20 pence for "new cutting the Gogmagog" adjacent to the above reference to breakfast for the morris men. The morris still assert that farmers will be certain of a good harvest and fecundity in their livestock if visited by the dancers.
The morris was presumably widespread within the country. The modern morris has become fragmented into Cotswold morris (white flannels and handkerchiefs), Welsh Border and Northern Clog styles. Each village danced in its own particular way known as the local 'tradition'.
The modern Plymouth Morris Men were formed some thirty years ago. Led by the squire, Andy King, the present day custodians of these traditions are anxious to ensure that the tradition continues to flourish in this historic city. A few years ago, things looked bleak when numbers dwindled and morris dancing, at least locally, appeared in danger of extinction. The dances are normally arranged for six men but during the problem a set of four man dances were evolved. These have developed into a very distinctive Plymouth tradition: unique to the local side. Amongst these dances is the four-man eight-cutlass dance "Shoelaces", the first morris dance in the entire country using cutlasses. Further cutlass dances are being developed.The traditional start of the morris calendar is the welcome to summer: at five o'clock in the morning on the first of May, the Plymouth Morris Men dance on the Hoe close to Smeatons Tower to encourage the summer sun to rise over the Citadel. This happens every year but only a small proportion of the city rise from their beds to observe this tradition. Everyone is welcome! Legend suggests that the more spectators there are present, the more spectacular is the resulting Summer.
The morris mens programme for 1998 encompasses fairs, carnivals, folk festivals (notably Sidmouth and Wadebridge) and evening displays at friendly hostelries (inns, pubs) ranging this year from Albaston to Ringmore, and not forgetting the city of Plymouth.
The future of Morris dancing in Plymouth now looks more secure but, while new dancers are always welcome, there is a pressing need for more musicians: loud outdoor instruments such as the brass family are perfect, but squeezeboxes, fiddles, pennywhistles or synthesizers all have their place. Whilst the dance is all male (even in these politically correct times: we can put ladies in contact with similar dance groups), the music may be mixed!
Morris dancing is fun, good exercise and raises money for charity. Plymouth Morris Men are a friendly lot, so if you would be interested to talk to someone about joining as a musician or as a dancer, or if you would simply like more information, please contact either Andy King (Foreman) on Plymouth 708334 or Julian Kohler (Ffoole) on Plymouth 402841. We practice from October through to April so now is an ideal time to consider your social life and prepare to join us in time to dance out next Spring. Forget the inhibitions, you too could soon be helping to keep alive one of England's oldest traditions for future generations to enjoy. And some say it is just another excuse for a beer!