Summary: Vol. 31 Issue 2
Editor: Jeff Lawson
Published: May 2024

Table of contents

• Stour de Geuze 2024: When British panachery met Pajottenlandian sommelierery
• DERT 2024: A view- or should that be rant?
  from the Waiting Room
• 2024 DERT Results
• Editorial
• S.D.U. Longsword Tournament
• Skelton? North Skelton?
• Sword Dance and the Morris Census
• New publisher wanted for Rattle Up My Boys

Editorial

 Kevin Holland has asked “Please could you put these video links in the next RUMB?
They were taken at the 1987 Ryedale Longsword Festival”
https://youtu.be/v7rQgYiD-WU
https://youtu.be/JBJHmHzVHuI

Two amazing privately taken videos of the 1897 Ryedale Longsword event have been found! They were taken by the father of a current member of Acorn Morris. Part 1 teams featured are:- Sullivans Sword, Joe Brown’s Whitby Lads, Ebor Morris dancing Cotswold, Anlaby Lads, High Spen, Ebor Morris dancing Escrick, Spen Valley, Loftus, Black Cap, Goathland Lads. Part 2 teams include Ebor Morris, High Spen, Sullivan’s Sword, Malton Longsword, Loftus, Joe Brown’s Whitby Lads, Anlaby Lads dancing Flamborough, Spen Valley, and Black Cap with Phil Heaton.

After the impact of covid, the number of rapper teams attending DERT went down considerably. This year’s event, held in Whitby, was back at the level of five years ago. There were changes to the event that not everyone agreed with, such as dropping the Veteran’s competition, but overall it was a really good event. If you haven’t been to one I’d recommend reading Andrew Kennedy’s excellent account and then putting Peterborough 5th April 2025 (organised by Rockingham Rapper) in your diaries.

I haven’t really looked at previous reports of the Morris Census but having looked in more detail at the 2023 one I decided to share the sword-related highlights. It makes interesting reading and raises some questions about the future of sword dance.

I’m grateful to Vince Rutland for his interesting article and for sending the great photo of the dancers. Having been asked the question, Skelton or North Skelton? I had a trawl through what I knew of, and a brief account of the Cleveland tradition emerged.

North British had a splendid time on the Toer de Gueze, dancing, beer and friends, what more can you ask for? I’m grateful to Bob Davies for his interesting take on the event.

This is the 50th issue I have published, the first was in November 2011; it is also the one that is furthest behind my planned schedule (other than during lockdown). I have taken an enormous amount of pleasure from publishing Rattle Up but have been thinking for a while that it is time for someone else to take this on. The delay in getting this issue out just confirms me in this view. I’d like to thank all the people who have contributed over the years, I couldn’t have done it without you. The one positive of the delay in this edition is that it gives me the opportunity to mention The SDU Longsword Competition. As with DERT, mentioned above, I do urge you to go along.