London Pride Morris Men

The Club

Welcome to the London Pride Morris Men's home page. We are a friendly morris club specialising in the Cotswold traditions, and based in central London. We were founded in the 1930s as part of the London Pride Country Dance club and have been a member club of the Morris Ring since 1937.

We dance out mainly at pubs in London, from April through to September, and practice in the Winter.
(Our Dance Programme for the year is also on the web.)
And our (sporadically updated) Blog

Bookings:

London Pride are very pleased to put on private shows on request, summer or winter, indoors or outdoors, for a modest charge. In the past few years we have danced at birthday parties, charity fetes, and hotel receptions. (These are not always listed on our programme.)
Please contact the Bagman (see below), well in advance of your planned event.

Kit:
London Pride dance in white shirts and trousers, with a baldric and arm-bands made up of a special woven ribbon, predominately red. The baldric carries the London Pride badge (pictured at the head of this page) on the cross-over at the front. The baldric ribbon was originally chosen by members of the team going around Kensington Market (possibly in the 1930s) and picking something appropriate and distictive. Since then it has been sourced from various independant weavers as the original is no longer made, and the market is no more
A black bowler is worn, with a red band, and powder blue feathers, on the left side. The baldric, arm-bands, bellpads and hat carry red, green, yellow and blue ribbons. Oral history has it that former member Walter Abson used to wear his morris bowler into treasury meetings.
The kit is completed with a red belt, black shoes and white socks.
Officers:

Squire:
Jeremy Monson
020-7226 9286;

Bagman:
Peter Kanssen
07817-186 150;

Vital Information:

Practice venue:

Haverstock School on Haverstock Hill, NW3 2BQ

Please contact the Squire or Bagman if you wish to join us for practices. Beginners are as welcome as experienced Morris Men, and musicians.

When?

Tuesdays during Autumn and Winter school terms in Haverstock School, 7-9pm

Traditions:

London Pride have a wide repertoire of Cotswold traditions:
Adderbury, Bampton, Bledington, Bucknell, Fieldtown, Lichfield, Longborough, Sherborne;
plus a few odd dances from other traditions.

London Pride Country Dancing

The club dances mainly "Playford" and more recent dances in the same style. During term time we meet for Country dancing at the YWCA Central Club Hotel, Great Russell St, London WC1 (off Tottenham Court Rd).

For further information, contact:: John Monson, 020-8950 3069; Susan Tyler, 020-8428 3256

Questions and Answers:

What is Morris?

The Morris is the traditional English ritual dance for men. There are several variants of Morris, each from a different region of England. The dances we perform come mainly from villages in the Cotswolds and surrounding areas.

Where does it come from?

The origins of the Morris are lost in the mists of time. It was only recorded (and revived) at the turn of the 20th century, at a time when its continuity was threatened by changes in rural life. There are many theories about its origin. Many people believe it is a pagan fertility rite that has been performed in England for thousands of years to make the crops grow. Others think that the dances developed in fifteenth century Spain, spread across Europe and then died out everywhere except for England and the Basque region of Spain, where similar dances survive.

Why is it called Morris?

An old theory links the word to the Moors of Northern Africa, via "Morisca", a word which is used across Southern Europe to describe similar men's ceremonial dancing. An alternative idea is that the word Morris simply refers to these dances and has a meaning connected with the cycle of death and rebirth.

Where do the tunes come from?

Many of the Morris tunes can be traced back to the popular tunes of the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries. Other tunes are much more ancient. We also use one or two modern tunes, adapted to our dances.

Where does London Pride come from?

London Pride was formed as a country dance club in 1922, and had set up a Morris side by 1934. It is one of the oldest Morris sides in London. The club's emblem, shown on our baldric, is the wild flower of the same name.

Why do Morris dancing?

Although Morris dancing may have started as a ceremonial dance performed on special occasions, we mainly do it because it's fun. We enjoy being part of a tradition that has been passed down from father to son since time out of mind. We hope you enjoy watching us, and share in the pleasure we get from our dancing.

Morris Links:

Morris/Sword Teams on the Web
The Morris Ring

Maintained by: Peter Kanssen;
Last updated: 10 January 2010