Morris Dancing FAQs

Banbury Hobby Horse Festival: The Hobby Horse Festival is an annual three day festival celebrating some of Britain's most interesting "Beast" traditions. Horses are generally well represented, with Hooden Horses from Kent, Mari Lwyd from Llantrisant, and skull horses and wooing horses from Yorkshire. Other beasts often make an appearance and the event usually includes a Barbadian "Mum and Tuk" play and appearances by morris teams. The event usually takes place over the first weekend of July.; There is a bit of confusion about the "official" homepage for this. The original was created by Sandy Glover for the first four festivals, 2000-2003. However, during the 2003 festival, the new festival chairperson independently created a new webpage for it and the 2004 festival. The two sites will probably remain in place until planning details for the 2005 festival are resolved.; • New Homepage: <http://www.hobbyhorsefestival.co.uk/>; • Original Homepage: <http://hobbyhorsefest.has.it/>; • Maintainer: Sandy Glover <sandyglover@writeme.com>; • Categories: Characters : Events

Constructing a Hobby Animal: Mainly for Morris Dancers: Ron Shuttleworth
R.K. Shuttleworth, 1994; This study started as the text of a talk which Ron Shuttleworth, Morris Ring Folk Play Archivist, gave in 1985 at the Morris Ring's Weekend Instructional for Fools and Beasts. This corrected edition replaces and revises the much photocopied notes that had previously been in circulation. Also available on the web.; • Available: <http://www.cdss.org/sales/english_dance.html>; • Web Version: <http://homepage.ntlworld.com/captainwebb/cafe/constind.htm>; • Maintainer: Ron Shuttleworth <mumminguk@mail.com>; • Categories: Books : Characters

Jack-in-the-Green: A May Day Custom, 2nd edition: by Roy Judge
Folklore Society, 2000
ISBN 0-903515-20-2

The book contains a mass of print-data combined with over forty plates depicting the Jack-in-the-Green and other May Day figures. This recent revision includes new evidence and an entirely new section on recent interpretations of the Jack-in-the-Green, both in the context of increasing interest in festivals that include the figure and in its relationship to the related phenomenon of the Green Man. The book is organized in three parts: the first is an historical survey of evidence for the figure in the eighteenth century, including information about other related May Day traditions. The second section is an analysis of the material from 1830--1900. Judge offers descriptions of the tradition and evidence to document its widespread occurrence. The third section is an examination of the decline of the figure and its subsequent revival in recent decades. The remainder of the book is dedicated to a gazetteer of dated references to the Jack-in-the-Green, organized by location.; • Available: <http://www.cdss.org/sales/english_dance.html>; • Available: <http://www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obidos/ASIN/0903515202/>; • Categories: Books : Characters : History

Morris Cafe : Characters, Animals, Fools, Etc in the Morris: A meeting place and registry of morris attendants, including fool and hobby characters. The aim of the café is to provide a forum for the exchange of news, views, theory and practice about the activities of Morris characters.; • Homepage: <http://themorriscafe.pagehere.com/>; • Maintainer: Sandy Glover <sandyglover@writeme.com>; • Categories: Characters

Morris Ring Animal Archive: The hobby animals that often accompany Morris dance teams are varied and colourful and constitute a true folk art form. This site contains an extensive list, with photographs, of Morris Animals worldwide.; • Home page: <http://www.cajunmusic.co.uk/hh/mr/mr_home.htm>; • Maintainer: Phil Underwood <phil@cajunmusic.co.uk>; • Categories: Archives/Libraries : Characters