Spring Grove Morris: KingstonMorris

Morris Dancing in Kingston-upon-Thames from 1507 to the present

An investigation in progress

Morris was not danced continuously in Kingston from 1507 to the present day. What few references there are before the 20th century give little evidence but are worthy of mention.

The Churchwardens Records in the first half of 14th century mention Morris in entries from 1507 until 1538 when the records are discontinued [1]. Robin Aitken of Spring Grove Morris Men's excellent investigation is [here].

Hall's Chronicle[2] of 1548 - page 517 describes an entertainment that includes a morris dance.

"Agaynste the. xii. daye of the daye of the Epiphanie at nighte, before the banket in the Hall at Richemond, was a pageant deuised like a mountayne, glisteringe by night, as though it had bene all of golde and set with stones, on top of which mountayne was a tree of golde, the braunches and bowes frysed with gold, spredynge on euery side ower the mountayne, with Roses and Pomegarnettes, the which mountayne was with vices brought vp towards the kyng, & out of thesame came a ladye, appareiled in cloth of golde, and the chyldren of honor called the Henchemen, whiche were freshly disguised, and daunced a Morice before the Kyng. And that done, reentred the mountaine and then it was drawen backe, and then was the wassail of banket brought in, and so brake vp Christmas."

Morris Dancers by the Thames at Richmond

Morris dancers are depicted in a painting from around 1620 described as

"View of Richmond Palace, with some of the buildings towards Petersham. With Morris dancers" [3].

One further reference before the 20th century is in a commentary on a play The Sad Shepherd by Ben Jonson written by FG Waldron in 1783 [4], that refers to a comment on the nature and use of a bladder on a stick by a fool in the play (page 255 - Additions and Corrections).

"Mr. Waldron has informed us that he saw in the summer of 1783, at Richmond in Surrey, a Company of Morrice-Dancers from Abington(sic), accompanied by a fool in a motley-jacket, who carried in his hand a staff or truncheon, about two feet long, having a blown-up bladder fastened to one end of it; with which he either buffeted the crowd to keep them at a proper distance from the dancers, or played tricks for the spectators' diversion. The dancers and the fool were Berkshire husbandmen taking an annual circuit, collecting money from whoever would give them any; and (I apprehend) had derived the appendage of the bladder from custom immemoriall; not from Old Plays, or the commentaries theron."

There is then no evidence of Morris Dancing around Kingston and Richmond until 1911 when Morris Dancing was revived.

The evidence that a revival of Morris Dancing took place in Kingston is from the text at the bottom of Kingston Museum's copy of the Betley Window [5] that reads as follows

"This window (founded on a 16th Century window) was unveiled by Alderman George Huckle, JP, Mayor, to commemorate the coronation on the 22nd June 1911 of King George V and Queen Mary, and the revival on that occasion of the old Kingston-upon -Thames may-pole and morris dances."

The research on the Betley window by the late John Price of St Alban's Morris Men here.

Though not in Kingston, it is interesting to note that between 1900 and The Great War only two Morris sides are recorded as having been founded. Thaxted Morris Men [website] started in 1911 and danced at their local coronation celebration, and Cambridge Morris Men [website] also started in 1911.

Other Morris activity has been noted, for example from the Oxford University Morris Men's history [here].

"15 March 1912. The inaugural meeting of the Oxford Branch of the EFDS was held in the Corn Exchange. William Hamilton Fyfe of Merton occupied the Chair, and Mr Sharp gave a short lecture. He said this was a red-letter day in his life, as on it he welcomed the first child in the provinces born to the London parent society, and a fine large child it was. He considered it highly creditable that it had already turned out a Morris of men that could dance a jig that was very good Morris."

Morris stayed as part of the Oxford University Dance Society until 1926 when the Morris separated off to form OUMM.

It is by no means certain that a revival of Morris Dancing meant a side of adults dancing. At the Coronation Pageant in Sheffield 1500 children from local schools danced a programme of morris, maypole and country dances in Bramall Lane football ground - the home of Sheffield United FC.

A picture that has recently come to light is print from a Magic Lantern slide labelled "Maypole Procession at Kingston-upon-Thames".

In the foreground is a May Queen dressed in white in a white four wheel trap pulled by 10 costumed people and preceded by at least one more person in costume.

In the mid-ground is a four foot high, 50 foot wide stage with a 20 high maypole erected in the middle and two people holding ribbons.

In the background a crowd of perhaps 200 people and a seven foot high, six foot wide stage behind the crowd, on which there is a man and what might be a camera.

Roy Judge looked at Morris from 1800-1880[6]. He found that the title of Morris was given to a number of dance activities and that young girls may-pole dancing had been described as "may-pole and Morris dancing".

It would be nice if I could also find evidence of what we know as Morris, but at least this picture supports the evidence that maypole dancing was taking place in Kingston around 1900.

From this point on the Morris revival takes hold in Surrey with independent Morris sides starting up around Kingston.

In 1926 East-Surrey Morris Men, started 7 miles south-east of Kingston in Sutton, and in the same year Greensleeves Morris Men started 4 miles east of Kingston in Wimbledon. Read the story of how East Surrey started here.

More significantly to Morris in Kingston is The Curfew Morris that was based 10 miles west of Kingston in Chertsey (named after Chertsey's Curfew Bell). It isn't clear when the side was founded but they were sufficiently competent to dance into the Morris Ring in September 1938. It is likely that The Curfew Morris danced in Kingston though there is no evidence of where they performed. There is no information about The Curfew Morris after September 1938 except that Thames Valley Morris Men (TVMM) note that "Curfew Morris last danced in the 1930s."

Many sides suspended their activities at the end of the 1930s due to the Second World War and were then unable to restart once the war was over. The log book of Greensleeves has this towards the end of 1940:

"Forced to abandon meetings owing to enemy action etc."

Greensleeves did continue though it was six years before they met as a side again, read their side's history here.

In 1952 four ex-Curfew formed the core of a new Morris side 5 miles south of Kingston in Claygate, The Thames Valley Morris Men, who provide the next evidence of Morris in Kingston. Their log book entry under 1953 is written as follows:

"On Whit Monday 25th May at Tiffins School, Kingston, on a sweltering hot afternoon we performed the Morris."

The log book of the first 25 years of TVMM with more details about their orgins is here.

TVMM continued to visit Kingston and in 1977 they helped to start Kingston's own Morris side, the Spring Grove Morris Men, who regularly appear at Kingston's fairs, festivals and carnivals.

TVMM also helped start Ewell St Mary's Morris Men 6 miles south of Kingston in Ewell two years later in 1979.

[1] Original manuscript of the Churchwardens' Accounts for Kingston Parish Church, held by Kingston Local History Room and Archives that covers the latter part of the reign of King Henry VII and the greater part of the reign of King Henry VIII, up to the Reformation and the Dissolution of the Monasteries when the Accounts cease. We would also like to acknowledge the help obtained from transcripts of the original manuscripts that were typed out in May 1931 by Miss D.L. Powell who was a local archivist and historian.

[2] Hall's Chronicle: containing the history of England, during the reign of Henry the Fourth, and the succeeding monarchs, to the end of the reign of Henry the Eighth, in which are particularly described the manners and customs of those periods.

[3] Vinkenboom. [View of Richmond Palace, with some of the buildings towards Petersham. With Morris dancers.]
Vinkenboom Pinx. Godfrey Sculp. Dedicated to Viscountess Fitz-Williams, who owned the painting from which the print was engraved. Published by S. Hooper, 1774.
Beneath the dedication are three lines describing the ownership and the whereabouts of the painting and continues: 'It was painted by Vinkenboom & most probably done in the beginning of the Reign of Charles the 1st., the Dresses of the figures point to this … … The state of the Buildings, the Dresses of the Morice Dancers, The Coach the Boats &c are portraits curious as matter of Antiquity.
At the centre is a ferry crossing, now the position of the bridge.
Well coloured at a later date.
The painting is now at the Fitzwilliam Museum in Cambridge, named after the founder, Viscount Fitzwilliam of Meryon. The spelling of the Fitz-Williams in the tile of the print is probably a mistake, and she was married to the founder.

[4] The Sad Shepherd: or, A Tale of Robin Hood, a fragment, written by Ben Jonson. with A Continuation, Notes and an Appendix by Francis Godolphin Waldron. London, Printed for J. Nichols, Red-Lion Passage, Fleet Street, and sold by C. Dilly, in the Poultry. 1783.

[5] Kingston's copy of the Betley Window is installed at Kingston Museum, 2 Fairfield West Kingston Upon Thames, KT1 2NP

[6] "The Old English Morris Dance": Theatrical Morris 1801-1880 by Roy Judge; Folk Music Journal, Vol. 7 No. 3(1997), pp. 311-350

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