The Ancient English Morris Dance

The idea that morris dancing captures the essence of ancient Englishness, inherently carefree and merry, has been present for over four hundred years. The Ancient English Morris Dance traces the history of those attitudes, from the dance's introduction to England in the fifteenth century, through the contention of the Reformation and Civil War, during which morris dancing and maypoles became potent symbols of the older ways of living. Thereafter it developed and diversified, neglected and disdained, until antiquaries began to take an interest in its history, leading to its re-invention as emblematic of Victorian concepts of Merrie England in the nineteenth century. The quest for authentic understanding of what that meant led to its revival at the beginning of the twentieth century, but that was predicated on the perception of it as part of England's declining rural past, to the neglect of the one area (the industrial north-west) where it continued to flourish. The revival led in turn to its further evolution into the multitude of forms and styles in which it may be encountered today.

This book traces the history of morris dancing in England, from its introduction in the 15th century, through the contention of the Reformation and Civil War, when morris dancing and maypoles became potent symbols of the older ways of living, to its re-invention as an emblem of Victorian concepts of Merrie England in the 19th century.

Morris dancing is one of the more peculiar of English folk customs, greatly misunderstood. Seen as a descendant of pagan folk ritual, scholastic history of morris dancing has been based on calendar customs and other preconceptions. Anthropologist John Forrest shows that morris dancing has neither pagan nor ancient origins, but was a product of its time. 28 illustrations.

In the middle of the 1970s, a storm swept through the world of Morris: women had started to dance what, up to then, had been widely considered to be a men-only tradition. John Cutting had joined Herga Morris in 1972 and was thus a newcomer at the time. What, then, was this Morris tradition? Was it entertainment? Was it some mystical rite?

Morris dancing is unique to the British Isles. In this book we explore the rich history of this long standing tradition. Many of the earliest books, particularly those dating back to the 1900's and before, are now extremely scarce and increasingly expensive. We are republishing these classic works in affordable, high quality, modern editions, using the original text and artwork.

Morris dancing, one of the more peculiar of the English folk customs, has been greatly misunderstood. Traditional scholarship on this custom has been based on the assumption that morris dancing is one of the pagan calendar rituals, a preconception held by many folklorists of the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. Now, building upon his previous work with Michael Heaney of the Bodleian Library in Annals of Early Morris, John Forrest carefully analyses a wealth of evidence to show that morris dancing does not, in fact have pagan or ancient origins. His examination of early documentation draws morris traditions into the wider area of communal customs and public celebrations, showing the passage of dance ideas between groups of people who until now have been considered folklorically distinct. Careful, detailed, and encyclopedic, The History of Morris Dancing, 1458-1750 is an essential reference work for specialists in English drama and social historians of the period.