Cotswold Morris
Cotswold Morris
Where
The South-Midlands (or the Cotswolds) - Gloucestershire, Oxfordshire and south Northamptonshire.
Context
This style of morris was performed into the 20th century as an important part of village festivities. It was normally performed by tradesmen (Builders, blacksmiths etc) and men who worked on the farms. Cotswold morris was performed around the Christian festival of Whitsun which is also called Pentecost. Whitsun is celebrated 50 days after Easter at the beginning of the summer.
From the Medieval period until 1971 it was a public holiday. Teams performed at Whitsun Ales which were money-making festivals hosted by the church. There they were often involved in competitions which could sometimes get nasty – there are many records of morris dancers getting into fights! Dancers would leave home for up to two weeks at Whitsun to do a tour of the surrounding villages, getting paid in money, alcohol and food. The dancers were proud of their appearance and made a big effort with their costume, the historian Keith Chandler estimates that an agricultural worker would have spent around 5 weeks wages on his costume!
What
Cotswold morris dancers in the 19th century used to wear thin soled smart shoes which would have let them dance lightly and with elegance. It was not unusual to wear through the sole of the shoe in one summer. Teams wore either trousers or breeches, white shirts decorated with a variety of decorative items: coloured belts, baldrics (that is two sashes worn diagonally across the shoulder which meet in the middle of the chest and back), braces, which hold the trousers up, rosettes, ribbons, sashes and armbands (tied to the arm at various points, often just below the bicep) and hats (top hats, bowler hats, sports caps etc.). Every team has a different distinct costume. Bell-pads are normally worn by dancers on the shin of the leg, these can also be decorated with ribbons (see bells).
Women
There are a couple of Victorian references to women dancing morris. Percy Manning (1897) recorded that at Spelsbury in Oxfordshire the girls wore:
“a head-gear of ribbons and flowers, with short dresses, and bells on their legs, similar to those worn by the men.”
In the 1900s many women and girls did morris dancing as part of the Esperance Club.
They were dress-makers who worked in factories. For morris dancing they wore a very pretty version of rural dress including frilled aprons and sun-bonnets. Many modern teams which have male and female dancers have a costume which both men and women can wear comfortably which is normally; shirt, trousers, bells and team decoration. Some women’s teams have devised their own costumes, often inspired by historical clothing.
Why White?
Cotswold morris dancers normally wear white clothes. It is probable that white clothing developed because of the dances’ links with Whitsun. Whitsun has been linked to the colour white since the 1600s. Christians often proclaimed their faith on this day processing from their church on whit-walks dressed in white. It was also the traditional day of baptism into the church when people going to be baptized would wear white. Fashion might also have played a role, in the 1800s white was a fashionable colour for trousers! It is likely that the dancers wore white trousers initially because they were fashionable and then stuck with it because of the seasonal link with Whitsun.
Key Words
Ales, armbands, baldrics, bell-pads, belts, bonnet, braces, competitions, Cotswolds (the), ribbons, rosettes, sashes, sole, Whitsun.
Links
• Heaney, M. ‘Morris Dancers Costume’ Pitt River’s Museum
• Heaney, M. ‘Morris Dancer’s Bells’ Pitt Rivers Museum
• Metcalfe, C. ‘In Clean White Shirt and Trousers Morris Costume for Cotswold Morris’ p20