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Adderbury’s Day of Dance is back
22/04/2022
The traditional day of Morris Dancing started thanks to a 1975 revival
Adderbury’s Day of Dance is set to return on Saturday after a two-year enforced absence due to the pandemic. The day see’s the village’s two men’s sides and a ladies’ side performing Morris dances at a number of locations around Adderbury.
Its 47 years since the tradition of performing the Adderbury dances was revived at the annual Day of Dance. The event brings in people from around the area.
In the nineteenth century many villages in Oxfordshire had their own team of Morris men. However the tradition died out in most places, in part due to the loss of those who knew the dances during World War 1.
In Adderbury at the start of the twentieth century a local resident, Janet Blunt, together with folklorist Cecil Sharp, wrote down the dances and tunes after speaking to retired dancers. A blue plaque commemorating Ms Blunt can be found outside Le Hall Place in Adderbury’s Manor Road.
A young solider in the first World War, Charlie Coleman, also passed on details of the tradition to a local man, Bryan Sheppard. Using this information and Janet Blunt’s notes Mr Sheppard had the idea of reviving the tradition in 1975.
Of the village’s three sides, the Adderbury Village Morris Men, contains some of the original dancers who helped revive the tradition. The closely named Adderbury Morris Men is the other men’s side and the ladies side is called Sharpe and Blunt.
On Saturday dancing will begin at 10.30am, running through the day.
After an enforced two year break Bagman for the Adderbury Village Morris Men, David Snell, said the sides were pleased to be able to dance again: “It’s such a relief – we are so excited. We did dance at the village’s community day last September, but its great to be able to join in with the Day of Dance again”
This is the schedule for the sides:
Adderbury Village Morris Men
- 10.30am. Churchyard ceremony
- 10.50am. Back of Bell on Church Lane
- 11.20am. Streams
- 11.40am. Rose Cottage (Charlie’s House)
- 12.00pm. Bryan’s Tree, Colin Butler Green
- 12.30pm. Outside Bell with Adderbury Morris Men
- 1.30pm. Lunch break Coach & Horses
- 2pm-3.30pm. Dance at Coach & Horses and Red Lion.
- 3.30pm. At the Bell with Sharpe & Blunt
- 4pm. Le Halle Place for dancing and teas
- 5pm. Dancing with other sides outside The Bell
Sharp & Blunt
- 1pm. The Red Lion
- 2pm. The Coach & Horses
- 3pm. The Bell
- 4pm. Le Halle Place for dancing and teas
- 5pm. Dancing with other sides outside The Bell
Adderbury Morris Men
- 10.30am: The Old Wheatsheaf followed by The Red Lion and Coach and Horses.
- 12pm: The Bell
- 12.30pm: Outside Bell with Adderbury Village Morris Men
- 1pm Lunch
- 2.15pm: Adderbury Cemetery: Laying flowers at the graves of Janet Blunt and Winnie Wyatt.
- 2.45pm: Tanners Lane The Old Dog and Partridge and Old White Hart.
- 3.30pm: Manor Road
- 4pm. Le Halle Place for dancing and teas
- 5pm. Dancing with other sides outside The Bell
Alongside the Day of Dance a fund raising Jumble and Cake sale will be held in Adderbury Institute on the Green, raising money for Ukrainian humanitarian aid.
Published: by Banbury FM Newsteam