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Datchet Border Morris

This style of dancing was performed in the villages of the Welsh border counties (Shropshire, Worcestershire, Herefordshire and Gloucestershire). It is now thought that they pre-date the more common Cotswold style of Morris.

They are usually danced by sides of four, six or eight men, who black their faces and wear ‘rags’ and dark trousers. The black faces and ‘rags’ are believed to have originated as a disguise to preserve the anonymity of men performing an annual ‘ritual’ dance to bring fertility to the land each spring. It’s possible that more recently it allowed the men of the village to go around dancing, and collecting money without later being recognised by their boss (begging being illegal at that time!).

The origins of the ‘Morris’ are unknown. There are many associated traditions in England (and to some extent Europe) that have a pagan origin and are therefore likely to be at least 1000 years old. On the other hand many individual styles and dances have originated much more recently, and indeed are still being developed today.

The name “Morris” probably developed from ‘Morisco’ – a name used throughout Europe in the 15th and 16th centuries for any ‘outlandish’ or ‘wild’ dancing. This in itself could perhaps have been derived from “Moorish”, but there is no evidence to support this.

Driftwood