Background Information on Morris Dancing

Morris dancing has an extremely ancient history and consequently its origins seem to be lost in the distant past.  Some argue that it was brought back to England by the Crusaders who had seen it danced by the Moors, hence the term 'Moorish' or 'Morris' Dancing. 

There is certainly some evidence to support this claim as the Basque region of Spain (an area occupied by the Moors) boasted a flourishing tradition of men dancing, dressed in white with bells attached to their shins.

Whatever its origins, it certainly seems to have links with early pagan rituals used to encourage fertility.

During the 19^th century, Morris Dancing was very popular, and most villages in the broad Cotswold area would have had their own team of dancers.  Often these teams met and competed with each other, but there is little documented evidence available to illustrate how teams were assessed.  Certainly a lot of beer was consumed at these events and often bawdy scenes concluded the day’s dancing.