Summary: Vol. 28 Issue 1

Published: January 2009

Table of contents

• Long Lankin’s New Year Resolutions 
• A Few Random Thoughts On The Wearing Of Trousers; Early Women’s Morris Kit by Pauline Beighton
• ‘They Look Like An Explosion In A Tie-Dye Factory’; A Brief And Fairly Inaccurate History Of Gog Magog Molly by Emma Darby
• Myddleton Street No More: Research Tools for the Morris Historian by George Frampton
• Memories of Bampton by Andy Hilditch
• New tunes for the Morris – part 2 by Barry Goodman
• Biggles Flies Undone: The Kentish Christmas Mummers Play, December 2008 by George Frampton
• Been and Gone – events and news
  • MBE for Norris Winstone 
  • Deaths of Francis Shergold and Son(ny) Townsend 
  • Whittlesea Straw Bear Festival : 30th Anniversary 9 – 11 January 2009 
  • Mary Neal Event: Cecil Sharp House; 7 February 2009 
  • Fire, Feasts & Frolics: Cecil Sharp House; 30 January to 25 April 2009 
  • John Gasson Website 
• Derek’s Ninth Letter To The Truncheons by Chris Sugden
• Morris Dance: A Eulogy by Long Lankin
• Pub Morris 

Editorial

Welcome to 2009. Each time I sat down to start this something else cropped up in the news! The good news was that Norris Winstone was made an MBE in the New Year Honours – and he featured in quite a few news items – congratulations!

Then we had the sad deaths of two Bampton stalwarts – Francis Shergold in November and Son(ny) Townsend at Christmas. The latter seems to have sparked off a media frenzy (“light” news being a bit short) after comments made by Morris Ring officials at his funeral about morris dying out. I am pleased that Andy, our cover artist, has jotted some of his own memories about growing up in Bampton and Long Lankin felt stirred to jot down a few topical thoughts about the death of morris.

In the remainder of this issue, Barry Goodman has continued his articles about writing morris tunes. On a seasonal aspect, we have a comment about mummers plays from George Frampton and a long awaited (by me) history of Gog Magog Molly! And lots of other interesting snippets. Read on.