Considering Morris Dance Costumes as English National Dress

This talk engages with a recurring popular quandary: Why does England not have a national dress?

Described by renowned British folklorist Steve Roud in The English Year as the ‘arch-symbol of official fakelore’ the concept of national dress can be divisive. Despite this, the idea of an English national costume is not dead and continues to capture some element of the public imagination. If the relatively recent letters section of various national newspaper are anything to go by, then morris dance costumes are considered to be a possible contender for the title.

Starting its exploration in the Edwardian folk revival and finishing in the late twentieth century, this talk will consider the shifting relationships between revival morris costumes and the deliberate projection of Englishness. In summary it will, with all due seriousness, explore the arguments for, and against, treating morris dance costumes as a form of English national dress.