Famous Banbury area Morris dancers celebrate 50 years since the tradition's village revival

Visitors from all over the country and founders from as far away as the USA returned to Adderbury on Saturday for the very special 50th anniversary Day of Dance.

The event is an annual spring gathering of the Adderbury morris dancers who perform outside the village’s pubs. It has become a big community tradition.

Speaking to the Adderbury Contact magazine, founders Tim Radford and Phil le Mare explained how the group had formed and brought back to life long-lost Morris dances.

Mr Radford, who now lives in the United States, said: “I started teaching Morris at Banbury Technical College with Annie (Radford) as a musician in April 1974.

"We had pulled together a small group of guys from the local folk clubs and by word of mouth from friends. It was a pivotal moment in the class's early days, about two or three weeks in when Bryan Sheppard arrived - a figure who would greatly influence the class's future.

“He told me he was born in Adderbury and had found that Adderbury had a Morris tradition. How about moving this class to the village and trying to revive the tradition?

“He told me later that he had obtained details of the Sharp Manuscripts from Clare College, Cambridge, and that the Blunt Manuscripts with more information were available from Cecil Sharp House. We agreed that he and Annie would go there and copy what they could of the Blunt Manuscripts.

“With a shared determination to revive the Morris Tradition, we decided to relocate the class to Adderbury,” he said.

“A number of those I was teaching in Banbury came along and Bryan also brought along several Adderbury lads, Jim Plester and Phil Taylor. We practiced and bonded over our shared love for Morris dancing, creating a strong sense of community and belonging. It ended up afterwards in The Bell, another tradition that is still being enacted.

“After a couple of months, we had about a dozen dancers, with Annie doing most of the playing and teaching the tunes to interested others, mainly Chris Leslie, John Leslie and Arthur Wright.

“I suggested we have a Day of Dance with dance spots in the village and maybe a guest team, ending with a folk dance in The Institute in the evening.”

Phil le Mare joined after experiencing his first Day of Dance and as well as dancing, became the side’s ‘Fool’ – a vocal, entertaining and humorous character that is part of various English customs.

“On the Saturday morning, we all walked out to the sound of music and bells and young men dancing down the road in the red, white, and blue costumes.

"Having grown up in London in the swinging sixties, we were totally aghast at the sight and sounds and were immediately joined by our 14-month-old Matthew who came toddling out of the doors smiling with delight.

"We all climbed up on to the wall and sat there throughout the spectacle in wonder and were pleased to be in Brian Gordon’s cine film which he took from the upstairs bedroom of The Bell.

"We all loved the fun and joy as The Adderbury Men revival side performed at their first Day of Dance and it has lived long in all our memories.

“A couple of days later I went over the road for a pint and met the lads and Annie. After a bit of chat Tim Radford bent down, felt my calf and exclaimed that I would make a good Morris dancer!

"I went to practice the following week and there started my Morris journey - from dancer to Adderbury Fool and where I remain 50 years on.

"Son Matthew and later son Nick have both been dancing since a young age. They come and dance at every Day of Dance from their homes in Nottingham and are joined by numerous old local school friends, new uni friends and family. It is the most important day of the year in the Le Mares’ calendar.”

Mr le Mare said many wonder how Adderbury has two male Morris sides.

"Both sides are deeply passionate about preserving tradition and are committed to faithfully following the Adderbury Morris tradition. During the first year of the revival in 1975, disagreements arose regarding the interpretation of the archives. As a result, the sides split to follow their respective interpretations, and Adderbury Village Morris was born.

“Observers will notice differences in style, dress and the inclusion of women musicians. It is worth mentioning that the Adderbury Village Morris side recently made the bold decision to allow women to dance with them.

"It’s remarkable that the small village of Adderbury can support two sides of Morris dancers. There was much sadness at the time of the split; however, over the years, we have come to appreciate each side's stance. Today, we are not just two separate sides but a united community of Morris dancers, collaborating on joint events and sharing a love for our tradition.

“What joy we all felt when a third side for women, Sharp and Blunt, was formed. This group brings its own distinct dancing style and traditions, further enhancing Adderbury's reputation as the most famous Morris village in the world,” said Mr le Mare.

Adderbury Morris man, film-maker Tim Plester, followed his father Bill and uncle Jim into the tradition. This culminated in 2010 in Tim making the highly regarded documentary Way of the Morris.

Featuring contributions from iconic singer/songwriter Billy Bragg and Fairport Convention's Chris Leslie, Way of the Morris follows Tim Plester on a deeply personal journey from the barleyfields of his childhood to the killing fields of The Somme, in search of a connection with these much-maligned native dances that run deep in his bloodline. See https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SRV1mW35FlI