Border Morris - Border Morris Revival

Border Morris Revival

In the 1960s, E. C. Cawte, the folklorist, proposed that these dances from the English side of the Welsh borders - Herefordshire, Shropshire and Worcestershire - constituted a Welsh Border Tradition (see notes under external resources below). Some would disagree that a "tradition" existed in the same sense as a Longborough Tradition, say. But the idea struck a chord.

So since the 1960s and with further collecting in the 1970s by people like Dave Jones (late of Silurian Morris (founded 1969) and later the Not For Joes) and Keith Francis (of Silurian Morris) a distinctive "Border Morris" style has grown. The tradition is characterised by black faces, tattered shirts or coats, lots of stick-clashing and a big band traditionally comprising melodeons, fiddle, concertina, triangle and tambourines, although now often also feature a tuba or sousaphone, flute or oboe.

Under the guidance of Dave Jones and Keith Francis, Silurian Border Morris sought to interpret the collected dance material, preserving as much of the traditional styles and features as can be deduced. By contrast, in 1975, John Kirkpatrick created a new border tradition with the Shropshire Bedlams, which seeks to capture the spirit of the border sides, but not recreate any specific tradition or dance. Their dances feature much "whooping" and this has become characteristic amongst many other border sides. Perhaps in keeping with the original tradition, the Original Welsh Border Morris (founded 1973) meet only once a year, at Christmas, and dance the traditional dances of Herefordshire and Worcestershire. With many of the newer sides, the dances have often become complex, involving many invented and evolved steps, figures and choruses.