See list of Honorary Life Members and Friends of the Morris Federation.
Roy Dommett [deceased] – Friend of the MF (1987)
Nomination by Jenny Joyce (Windsor Morris) at our AGM in 1987
Roy Dommett’s contribution to the Morris world in general, and to the member teams of the Morris Federation in particular, has been outstanding and unequalled.
There can be few teams today who are not indebted to him in some way; either directly, through his unfailing generosity of both time and material, and his willingness to run workshops and to talk for hours about anything remotely to do with morris (and many topics you wouldn’t previously have thought could be remotely connected with morris), or indirectly, as his collected material forms a large part of the morris dancer’s bible – Lionel Bacon’s Hand-book of Morris Dancing. His work on filming and collecting dances has cost him years (and many pounds) and forms a unique and invaluable record for both present-day and future researchers.
In the early days of the Morris Federation, he was there with support, information and teaching skills, all three in short supply, and this involvement has continued over the years. He has done much to encourage the development of the Morris as a living tradition, rather than a display of historical interest. He is blessed with the gift of an ever-open mind, while always. promoting the need for thought and consideration for the tradition. (Meanwhile, his talent for remaining non-committal in the face of the latest morris invention is super-human!) I think his greatest contribution to present-day teams is to have given them the confidence to own their tradition.
To end with a quotation from Morris Matters:
“He has instructed, inspired and entertained many,
He has infuriated a few;
but bored no-one!”
He has been a true friend to the Federation for all of its history, and I am glad to propose that we should recognise this – officially!
In 2001 Roy Dommett was also awarded an EFDSS Gold Badge.
‘Roy Dommett remembered (25 June 1933 – 2 November 2015)’ [PDF] – articles about Roy in the FedExtra Spring 2016 magazine – a tribute from Fleet Morris, by Denise Allen; Roy’s legacy: 40 years of Fleur de Lys ladies morris and Invicta Morris; and Memories of Roy: short stories and anecdotes by Barbara Butler.
Articles written by Roy: Roy Dommett and Morris Matters [PDF] by Beth Neill, 2017. Viewable PDF at: https://www.morrisfed.org.uk/magazines/morris-matters/roy-dommett-and-morris-matters/
A special collection of articles written by Roy Dommett and originally published in the ‘Morris Matters’ magazine. Reproduced digitally from the original articles, with minor typographical errors corrected. One or two images did not reproduce well but can be seen. Note: abbreviations for dance notation are generally those used in Lionel Bacon’s A Handbook of Morris Dances (also known as ‘The Black Book’).
