We have a new online publication for you – “Morris Dancing in Bedfordshire, a Social History, 1900-2023″ by Chas Leslie, formerly of Redbornstoke Morris, published in May 2023.
To whet your appetite, here is the start of the introduction:
“Although there is some discussion of morris dancing in Bedfordshire before 1900, the main aim of this paper is to chart the development of morris dance in Bedfordshire since the general revival in the early 20th century. It also picks up on the themes of the Innovation & Tradition: 40 Years of Morris display in the Higgins Museum, Bedford which used the histories of two local teams, Redbornstoke Morris and Bedfordshire Lace Morris, to explore how what we think of as traditions and traditional activities can change. The paper therefore relates the development of morris within the county to wider social pressures to show how these have impacted on and changed morris dance over successive generations.
“The paper draws on numerous publications and websites and on interviews conducted as part of the Voices of Morris project, as far as possible these have been referenced in footnotes. It should be noted that this paper considers only those morris sides, or teams , based within Bedfordshire – there are other sides from neighbouring areas that have danced within the county.
