The Thaxted Morris Men is Essex's oldest Morris side, having been formed in 1911 by the wife of Thaxted's vicar, Conrad Noel. However, traditional Morris dancing was known to have been performed in the town in earlier years.
On 2 June 1934, the world famous Thaxted Morris Ring was founded. The Cambridge Morris Men invited five other sides, Letchworth, Thaxted, Oxford, East Surrey and Greensleeves, who met in Thaxted for the first Ring meeting. From that original group, there are now more than 250 sides throughout England, plus an Open Morris and Morris Association, the latter two having women members.
High Spot of the Morris Year in England
The high point of the Morris year is the annual gathering at Thaxted of Morris Men from all over England on the first weekend following the late May Bank Holiday. The ancient Abbots Bromley Horn Dance is performed late in the evening. This ancient hunting dance came to Thaxted many years ago. Some of the dancers wear antlers. The simple tune played by a lone fiddler was collected in 1857, but the Abbots Bromley tradition could possibly date from the twelfth century.
In 1960 Douglas Kennedy, the director of the English Folk Dance and Song Society, in his book England’s Dances, said:
The Horn Dance … casts its spell over the onlooker, not merely by the uncanny animal-like behaviour of the horn bearers. The slow jog-trot rhythm of the ten dancers, who wind in Indian file with measured and unhurried step, has its own hypnotic power. These animal-men trot in a manner that is dictated by the burden of the antlers pressing on their shoulders.
At the conclusion of their fascinating performance, the dancers in this picture melted into single file and moved away in serpentine fashion and, shrouded in the outer darkness, slowly disappeared up Stony Lane while the haunting melody of the lovely old tune faded away with unearthly beauty on the night air.
Distinctive Styles of Morris
Each Morris side has its own distinctive style of dance and kit. Many Essex sides dance the Cotswold Morris with its characteristic white handkerchiefs, sticks and bells. The Rumford Morris Men, use the old spelling of Romford, and its members have performed all over Essex since 1960. They dance mainly Cotswold Morris, with side members wearing blue and yellow baldricks with bull's head logo and black breeches. Straw hats are worn and bell-pads are decorated with blue and yellow trim. They also perform Rapper Sword Dances from the North-East of England.
Our Brilliant Local Mayflower Morrismen
The Mayflower Morrismen of Billericay, Essex, were formed in 1973 and are the only side to wear black and white tabards, representing the Mayflower ship on which the Pilgrim Fathers sailed to America in 1620. Contrasting with their sober kit, their hats are wonderfully decorated with profusions of colourful flowers.
Source: Folklore of Essex published by Tempus Publishing Limited (2005)
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