The Revival
Here it is in black and white:-
The first page of the Adderbury Morris Men Log Book compiled by the
then Bagman of the side, Bryan Sheppard, in 1974. This explains how it all began.
In the beginning a variety of practise venues were used :-
Neal's barn - which has since been converted to houses (Green Farm).
A barn with no sides - St Mary's Farm
The Village Institute
The Bell Inn
Before a more permanent home was found, in a disused double garage in the grounds of Greenhill House, which was and is still the Oxfordshire Cheshire Home.
The original Blunt and Sharp manuscripts were referred to and all the dances interpreted and constructed, in order to arrive at a "Comfortable" dancing style. The team members decided from the outset, only to perform these dances and no other traditions.
Practising continued through 1974 and into 1975, with two practises a week from November 1974. It was decided not to dance in public until all the dances were known by the twelve dancers who had stuck it out through the winter.
A practice session at The Cheshire Home Garage
The first public performance was fixed for Saturday 26th April 1975, when the team toured the village all day from 10am. Dancing took place at sixteen different village locations during the day and a total of seventy plus dances were performed!
Dress Rehearsal
(For more photo's see Day of Dance 1975)
The product of youthful vigour, exuberance and foolhardiness.
Other appearances during the first year of the Adderbury Morris Men.
The team rubbed along together all summer, dancing at various fetes and pubs, but at the first AGM there were disagreements on a number of points that made Messrs. Sheppard, Taylor and Plester leave. The three breakaway members formed the Adderbury Village Morris Men who then danced in public for the first time in April 1976.
(Thanks to the Adderbury Morris Men for loan of Log Book).