Photo of the Alderley Edge Morris Dancers c.1902 (from the Manchester MM Archives)
Films of NW Morris dancing, pre WW2
The Morris Ring - (added May 2015)
The Morris Ring has recently gained permission to show some film that it acquired in the late 1970s
- Over Peover, Cheshire (1938/9)
The film features :-
1938 - Over Peover Morris Dancers (Time 00:31 to 01:20)
1938 - Peover Magpie Morris (Time 02:00 to 02:35)
1939 - Over Peover Morris Dancers (in colour : time 7:45 to 8:00)
British Film Institute (BFI) - (added December 2013)
The BFI has films available, taken in the North of England by Mitchell and Kenyon.
D.Broomhead has advised me that several films feature NW morris teams ; in chronological order, these are :-
The team might be Father Nugent’s Refuge Morris Dancers and Refuge Boys Brass Band.
Time : 00.31 to 01.17
Time 02.55 to 03.30
Time : 06.27 to 07.07
Time : 04.25 to 04.44 Horwich Morris Prize Medal Morris Dancers (walking) – Time 08.28 to 08.41
* Oddly this is also dated as being 1901 elsewhere but it seems to be the same procession in both films but from a different spot. Morris Side 1*. Time : 01.16 to 01.31
Morris Side 2*. Time : 09.10 to 09.50 and 12.33 to 13.05
Notes provided these links are :-
* Oddly, News paper reports for the day only list one morris side.
* Morris Side 1 may be Father Nugent’s Boys Refuge Morris Dancers as he also ran a Boys Refuge Brass Band
and a boys brass band is playing for them in the procession.
Time : 00.23 to end
Time : Start to 00.32 Probably Crewe Royal Morris Dancers
Time : 06.07 to 06.45
D.Broomhead has advised me that several films feature NW morris teams ; in chronological order, these are :-
- Carnival Processions in Birkenhead (1902)
The team might be Father Nugent’s Refuge Morris Dancers and Refuge Boys Brass Band.
Time : 00.31 to 01.17
- Lytham Club Day Carnival ( 26th June 1902)
Time 02.55 to 03.30
- Coronation Festivities at Accrington ( 26th June 1902)
Time : 06.27 to 07.07
- Leeds Lifeboat Procession and Sports at Roundhay Park ( 5th July 1902)
Time : 04.25 to 04.44 Horwich Morris Prize Medal Morris Dancers (walking) – Time 08.28 to 08.41
* Oddly this is also dated as being 1901 elsewhere but it seems to be the same procession in both films but from a different spot. Morris Side 1*. Time : 01.16 to 01.31
Morris Side 2*. Time : 09.10 to 09.50 and 12.33 to 13.05
Notes provided these links are :-
* Oddly, News paper reports for the day only list one morris side.
* Morris Side 1 may be Father Nugent’s Boys Refuge Morris Dancers as he also ran a Boys Refuge Brass Band
and a boys brass band is playing for them in the procession.
- Knutsford Royal May Day Carnival (1st May 1904)
Time : 00.23 to end
- Leyland May Festival (1905)
Time : Start to 00.32 Probably Crewe Royal Morris Dancers
Time : 06.07 to 06.45
- Carnival Morris In Macclesfield in 1933
Time : 03:36 to 03:56
British Pathe
British Pathe has video footage which includes morris dancing, at http://www.britishpathe.com/
D.Broomhead kindly supplied links to various May Day and Rose Queen events, as follows :-
D.Broomhead kindly supplied links to various May Day and Rose Queen events, as follows :-
- Heaton Park Rose Queen, Manchester 1926
- Knutsford May Day 1926
- Knutsford May Day 1928 (the first 20 seconds of this footage shows the start of the May Day procession, with the Cranford Prize Troupe of Morris Dancers, followed by the Cheshire Lines Railway Prize Band : source of information = May Day Programme, courtesy of Knutsford Heritage Centre)
[ NOTE Further research carried out in June 2014 shows that it is not the Mobberley Prize Morris Dancers, as previously thought. ] - Liverpool May Day 1927
- 'Merrie England' carnival, Chester 1932
North West Film Archive
The NWFA has several archive films of morris in the North-west. Search for "morris dancing", and similar terms, at http://www.nwfa.mmu.ac.uk/
