Chelmsford Morris

a bunch of people of all ages, who like to continue the English tradition of morris dancing

Chelmsford Morris is a bunch of people of all ages, who like to continue the English tradition of morris dancing. We take pride in putting on a good performance, and we enjoy ourselves as well.

The men's dances come from the Cotswolds and the areas near the Welsh border, and the women dance clog morris from the north-west of England.

We dance around mid-Essex at pubs, festivals and shows, and at weddings and parties. If you would like to book us, do get in touch, but please remember that we need a sizeable area of paved ground - grass and gravel are very bad for knees and ankles!

If you fancy having a go, click on our 'Join Us' link for more information.

We are a member of The Morris Federation

The Men's Side

In the summer Chelmsford Men perform Cotswold morris dances, that is, some of those traditionally danced in villages of Oxfordshire and Gloucestershire. Each village had its own style and dance figures, in a 'tradition' of its own. In addition we dance some from the Lichfield tradition and like many morris sides, we also include traditional-style dances composed more recently.

Bampton
Step and Fetch Her
Highland Mary/
The Quaker
The Rose Tree/ Banbury Bill
Bobbing Around
Bledington
William and Nancy
The Cuckoo's Nest
Idbury Hill
Trunckles
The Gallant Hussar
Young Collins
Lichfield
The Vandalls of Hammerwich
Ring o' Bells
Jenny Lind

Other traditions

Balance the Straw (Fieldtown)
The Blue-eyed Stranger (Bucknall)
The Upton-upon-Severn Stick Dance (Upton, Worcestershire)
The Beaux of London City, aka Shooting (Adderbury)
Knuckles Akimbo (by Moulton Morris Men)
King Cunobelin's Defeat (by Chelmsford Morris)
Kilted Aunt Pol (by Chelmsford Morris)

Chelmsford Ladies

Our women's side is known as Chelmsford Ladies, and their dances come from Lancashire and Cheshire in the north-west of England. They wear the traditional wooden-soled clogs of the cotton mills where these dances originated and the sound of the wooden soles on the ground is an essential part of the dancing.

The dances are ornamented with a variety of slings, sticks and garlands. Many of them have been written in recent times, but they keep the traditional style.

Our clog morris dances

Banks Lane
Bankside
Basque
Bollin
Carr Lodge Polka
Golbourne
Grenoside
Horbury Rush Cart
Littlemoor
May the Fours
Medlock
Mona's Delight (a Manx dance)
St.Helens
Walton's Parade
Woodbank
Min's Morris (our own processional, written in honour of Margaret Harris, a founder member)