THE HISTORY OF MORRIS IN WALLINGFORD

Morris dancing has been a tradition in this area since Tudor times. There are records of a trader called Thomas West from Wallingford who was selling morris bells in his shop in the town in 1573. The inventory from his will records: ‘mories belles, 2½ doz’ worth 3d’.

“Moresque” dances were fashionable at court entertainment and festivals in late-medieval Europe and by the 1600s Morris Dancing was widespread in rural England, especially on May Day and at other seasonal festivals.

John Byng of Bedfordshire visited Wallingford at Whitsun in June 1781 and recorded in his diary that ‘during our short stay at Wallingford a set of morris dancers pranced away in the street’.

Many towns and villages across Oxfordshire, Gloucestershire and beyond had a side of morris dancers, and many had their own unique style and repertoire, including Bampton, Headington Quarry, Abingdon, Adderbury, Eynsham and Chipping Camden.

By the end of the 19th century many of these traditions were in danger of being lost until Victorian collectors and folk enthusiasts began recording and reviving the music and the dances.

Morris dancing has become increasingly popular since the folk revival of the 1970s and you can now see Cotswold Morris teams dancing across England and around the world – including in America, Hong Kong and Australia.