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The blackening of the face is a disguise that was often used by individuals who did not want to be easily recognised by land owners due to the fact that they were up to no good. Trespassing and poaching were activities that were not looked upon favourably by landowners and gentry.
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the 1997 tour. |
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How The Club Started
In the early seventies several of the founder members went to a dance instructional given by Roy Dommett in Ledbury. He taught a number of dances that originated from the region. Several people decided to revive the tradition of dancing on the last Saturday before Christmas, a time where by the labourers could earn some extra income during the season of goodwill. As far as we know this side is the first Morris team to revive these border dances. Another Morris team, who were a Cotswold side at that time, decided that they would like to perform these dances at other times of the year and hence they became the Border side that we know today. The concensus of the founder members of the Welsh Border Morris Men was to keep this team as a separate body, only dancing on an occasion just prior to Christmas. The chosen day for dancing is the last Saturday before Christmas Day.
The following dress was agreed when the club was first started:
"Black face, white shirt with rags or ribbons, black breeches, brown wool stockings, black shoes and dark (undecorated) trilby hat. The final arrangement was that the ribbons would be 18 in number, each 1.5 inches by 12 inches. A turquoise sash and bellpads were added, and there is no stipulation on which shoulder the sash will be worn."
The Founder Members Were
John Barker, Dave Jones, Bernie Smart, John Aston, Ian Garbutt,
Andrew Watson, Steve Vigurs, Stan Kilby, Nick Oliver and Gael Turnbull
(The passage above is based on information given to me by founder members Gael Turnbull, John Barker and documentation from Dean Clark)
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It is hard to put any definite times on the above listings. |
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Practise.
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