Oxford University Morris (OUM)
Join us to learn & dance Cotswold morris in Oxford – the local dance tradition of Oxfordshire
Once again the real Jack-in-the-Green could not be reincarnated, and so a virtual Jack appeared on the internet:
We also took to TikTok with the launch of a Jig Competition which is open to any Oxford University or Brookes University Student.
Due to the Covid-19 crisis and ongoing lockdown, Oxford’s May Morning celebrations were cancelled this year, with our dancers all safely isolated at home.
However, tradition finds a way! And so, plans for a virtual May Morning were hastily made…
Our marking of the occasion began, as it does every year, with dressing Jack-in-the-Green – this time in virtual form.
Then came the day itself.
Many of us began by rising before 6am to listen to Daily Info’s broadcast of the socially-distanced Magdalen College Choir singing ‘Hymnus Eucharistus’ from their homes, imagining ourselves standing below the tower bleary-eyed, shivering in the early-morning mist or warming ourselves with the contents of assorted hip flasks and thermos flasks. From there, rather than to Radcliffe Square, we proceeded forth in a disorderly manner to dance a symbolic dance by ourselves in gardens, quiet corners of parks, and deserted meadows.
Most importantly, Mac danced a solo version of “Bonny Green” from Bucknell, which is normally performed around Jack-in-the-Green in Radcliffe square as our first dance on May Morning – in this case, an unsuspecting front-garden shrubbery made a handy stand-in for the spirit of Summer:
Those still following Daily Info’s livestream were treated to a spoons-playing tutorial from one of our dancers, Rachael, and a dance from the squire of the Oxford City Morris Men, amongst many other delights…
By 9am, it was time for the traditional Morris Dancers’ Breakfast – typically served at Teddy Hall, but moved on this occasion to Zoom, with a little more variety in menu options than usual, and BYO beer.
Whilst our private festivities continued online, the morris-loving public(!) had the chance to watch a series of socially-distanced jigs, which our dancers and musicians had worked hard to compile over the preceding weeks:
Graham, Squire of the Oxford City Morris Men, dances Lumps of Plum Pudding (Fieldtown)
Rachael and Greg, accompanied by Stan, attempt a socially-distanced double jig! I’ll Go and Enlist for a Sailor (Sherborne), with at least 150 miles between each of the people involved.
Nerys dances the Princess Royal, accompanied by her own playing!
Our own Squire, Gerard, dances Ladies of Pleasure (Bledington)
Alex danced his own interpretation of None so Pretty (Fieldtown)
Our former Squire Jennifer dances the Nutting Girl (Fieldtown) in Dundee
Another dance from Graham – this time Ladies Pleasure (Fieldtown)
Rosemary danced a solo version of I’ll Go and Enlist for a Sailor (Sherborne), sent to us all the way from Berlin!
Gerard devised his very own new jig specially for the occasion, “the Lockdown”, in the style of Bledington, accompanied by his own drumming…
Meanwhile in Canada, Bob danced the Nutting Girl (Bampton)
Rachael dances the Nutting Girl (Fieldtown)
And last but not least, Gerard also contributed his rendition of the Nutting Girl (Fieldtown)
Normally, May Morning would end for morris dancers at the Rose and Crown on North Parade, where we’d dance until we could dance no more, drink beer, eat sausages, and eventually settle in to play music and sing songs… Unfortunately that experience could not be replicated by electronic means, but we did send our collective greetings to Andrew at the Rose and Crown, and in the general spirit, we have this musical offering from Nick & Jacqui McGuinn to finish off the day:
Until next year: Wassail!
This year we have been unable to meet to dress Jack in the Green, as we would traditionally do on May Eve.
However, we have made some efforts at a virtual Jack.
The first shows the process of construction from previous years:
The next has been constructed this year, from photos of Spring foliage sent in by our members from around the UK, and even from as far afield as Toronto and Pnom Penh. Here’s the assembly process:
And the finished article, completed on the evening of the 30th of April as is traditional:
The Ancient Men are a group of travelling Morris dancers who gather together during the summer to tour towns and villages in a chosen area. Our traditional dances come from the villages of the Cotswold Hills in southern England, and have an antiquity stretching back hundreds of years.
Traditionally, we do a public performance in a town or village before moving on to the next location. Our performance is guaranteed to bring good luck, fine weather and fertility. Do come and see us if you can.
As Ancient upholders of the traditional dances of old England, we are delighted to be visiting West Cork and South Kerry. We have toured in Ireland previously – in Kilkenny and West Cork in 1990, in Bréifne (Sligo and Leitrim) in 2007, and in West Clare in 2015.
From our base near Bantry, our 2018 tour of West Cork and South Kerry takes us up to Kenmare, through the Beara and Sheep’s Head peninsulas, and then down to Baltimore and Sherkin Island, as well as to several inland locations.
And at the end of a busy and strenuous day, don’t be surprised to see us retiring to the nearest bar for a well-earned drink, along with some music and song. You are very welcome to join us!
1230 Kenmare, the Square
1800 Kilgarvan, Jackie Healy Rae Bar
1930 Top of Coom, Top of Coom Bar
2100 Inchigeelagh, Creedon’s Hotel
1200 Ballylickey, Ouvane Falls Inn
1300 Bantry, Wolfe Tone Square
1800 Kilcrohane, Eileen’s Bar
1930 Ahakista, Tin Pub
2100 Bantry, Wolfe Tone Square
1230 Ballyvourney, Mills Inn
1830 Ballingeary, Shortens Bar
1930 Gougane Barra, Hotel
2100 Kealkill, Collins Bar
1200 Ardgroom, Village Inn
1330 Kilmackillogue Harbour, Teddy O’Sullivan’s/Helen’s Bar
1800 Eyeries, Causkey’s Bar
1930 Castletownbere, O’Donoghue’s Bar
2100 Glengarriff, Blue Loo
1230 Durrus, Long Boat Bar
1330 Ballydehob, Levis Corner House
2000 Baltimore, Bushes Bar
1200 Leap, Connolly’s of Leap
1300 Glandore Terrace, Hayes Bar & Kitchen
1600 Castletownshend, Lill McCarthy’s
1930 Sherkin Island, Jolly Roger
No one can be sure of how, when and where Morris dancing originated. It was known in England as far back as the 15th century and in those times would have been familiar in villages throughout the country, danced on special occasions by selected members of the community. Each village had its own dances and style of performing them.
By the 19th century Morris dancing had nearly died out, but in 1899 folklore collector Cecil Sharp, inspired by a chance meeting with a team of Morris dancers in the village of Headington in Oxfordshire, started to note down the dances and the tunes that accompany them. This formed the basis for a revival of interest in the tradition and probably saved Morris dancing from extinction. There are now many teams in England and other parts of the world who regularly perform these dances.
The Ancient Men can trace their history back to the early years of the 20th century, making them one of the oldest revival teams in England. Since their first tour, in Fairford, Gloucestershire, in 1952, the Ancient Men have made over 100 tours, not just in England but in many other parts of the world, including the United States, Estonia, the Czech Republic, Japan, Italy and Russia. Although the members of our group have become globally scattered over the years – some of the dancers you see have flown in from Kenya, the United States and New Zealand – we still enjoy getting together each year and renewing old friendships.
Our touring alter-egos the Ancient Men are delighted to be visiting North Somerset this Summer.
We have toured in Somerset twice before – first in 1965, and more recently in 1979.
We look forward to experiencing the dramatic scenery of the Mendip hills, absorbing the mystical atmosphere of ancient monuments, visiting the many historic towns and villages – and of course, appreciating the local cider.
From our base near Wrington, our tour takes us from Wells and Glastonbury in the South, to the cities of Bristol and Bath in the North.
There’s also a facebook event for the tour here, which you are welcome to join, and to share with anyone who may be interested.
11:30 Rodney Stoke Inn, Rodney Stoke
12:30 Riverside Inn, Cheddar
13:30 White Hart, Cheddar
18:30 Lamb Inn, Axbridge
19:30 New Inn, Cross
20:30 Railway Inn, Sandford
12:00 Jubilee Inn, Flax Bourton
13:00 Black Horse, Clapton in Gordano
18:15 Moon and Sixpence, Clevedon
19:30 Railway Inn, Yatton
20:30 White Hart, Wrington
11:30 Wookey Hole Inn, Wookey (TBC)
12:30 Full Moon, Wells
13:30 Wells Marketplace
18:30 Churchill Inn, Churchill
19:30 Plume of Feathers, Rickford
20:30 Plough Inn, Wrington
12:20 Bathampton Mill, Bathampton
14:15 Bath (Kingston Parade)
17:00 Bath (Terrace Walk)
18:30 Compton Inn, Compton Dando
20:30 Prince of Waterloo, Winford
11:00 Swan Inn, Wedmore
12:30 Glastonbury Marketplace
13:30 King Arthur, Glastonbury
18:00 Sheppey Inn, Godney
19:15 Queen Victoria, Priddy
20:30 Swan Inn, Rowberrow
12:30 The Apple (cider boat), Bristol
Afternoon: harbourside area
17:30 The Ashton, Long Ashton
18:30 Fox & Goose, Barrow Gurney
19:30 New Inn, Blagdon
’twas the Saturday before Christmas Eve, and so The Ancient Mummers performed the Holton Play in these pubs of Jericho, Oxford:
7:15pm The Gardener’s Arms
7:45pm The Harcourt Arms,
8:15pm Old Bookbinders,
9:00pm Rickety Press,
9:30pm The Victoria,
10:00pm The Gardener’s Arms (reprise)
It was a splendid evening and the generosity of our audiences has resulted in a collection of over £300 for Helen & Douglas House, the Oxford children’s charity. Many thanks to the publicans and customers. Merry Christmas!
On 17th October 1926, Oxford University Men’s Morris (OUMM) was officially established as a self-governing body. Immediately prior to this, much of the Morris in Oxford University seems to have been centred around the Oxford Branch of the English Folk Dance Society (EFDS). For more detail, delve in to “OUMM and its background.” by Roy Judge.
We celebrated the side’s founding at our 90th Anniversary Feast on the 25th of November 2016.
Below are some historical photographs from the OUMM archives, taken in 1926.
Over the Summer, dancers from OUMM, Oxford City Morris Men, and Abingdon Traditional Morris Dancers filmed a music video with Stealing Sheep for their new song ‘Apparition’.
Here is the finished video – complete with hitherto unknown feats of athleticism by certain chaps…
Oxford University Morris (OUM) 