A Morris man

click photo to enlarge
It is generally thought that the name "Morris", pertaining to the English type of dance called Morris dancing, derives from "Moorish". Whether that is because of the similarity between the dances or because, as in other instances, the oddness of the dance attracted a foreign epithet, isn't known.

The earliest reference in English to Morris dancing occurs in the mid 1400s, and not until the 1600s does the spelling "Morris" appear. Many writers note that at the end of the nineteenth century Morris dancing as a conscious revival activity prevented the disappearance of the dance as a genuine folk activity of great longevity. Today it is pursued as a hobby or pastime by Morris groups throughout the country. Frequently groups follow the dance steps, patterns and tunes peculiar to the locality in which they are based, something that distinguishes (though often only for the observant) one from the other.

In recent years it has seemed that whenever I go out and about with my camera in the south of England, particularly in the west, I come across Morris dancing. Usually they are strictly traditional in all respects, though one of the most enjoyable was an updating that edged towards heavy metal! It happened again recently when we were in Gloucester. In  a public space at the centre of Gloucester Quays, a shopping centre that has sprung up in the old docks, at least two groups were putting on a display of dancing for any interested shoppers. Naturally there was The Gloucestershire Morris Men, but the troupes also included the Great Yorkshire Morris, of which "Bob" above, is a member.

photograph and text © Tony Boughen

Photo Title: Morris man, Gloucester Quays, Gloucester
Camera: Olympus E-M10
Mode: Aperture Priority
Focal Length: 150mm (300mm - 35mm equiv.)
F No: f6.3
Shutter Speed: 1/800 sec
ISO:200
Exposure Compensation: -0.3 EV
Image Stabilisation: On

Plough Sunday and Monday

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Traditionally the dates of Plough Sunday and Plough Monday fall on the first Sunday and Monday after Epiphany (Twelfth Night). In the eastern counties of England a church service was held that included a plough being brought into the building to form the centrepiece of the worship and for it to receive a blessing. Then, on Plough Monday, the ploughboys would return to work at the start of the ploughing season. Often on this day a plough was taken in a parade through the town or village and money sought from farmers and the well-to-do, welcome funds for workers whose employment was at a low ebb over the turn of the year. Sometimes these festivities were accompanied by morris or sword dances. Individual villages came up with their own traditions unique to their location. One such example centred on the fenland villages of Ramsey and Whittlesey. Every year they paraded a straw bear through the streets drawn by the ploughwitches!

These traditions continue. Sometimes it is in a revived form (as at Whittlesey today), but elsewhere it is an unbroken survival of a traditional custom. In the village where I live a church service, complete with plough, is held every year. This year it is on the Sunday 13th January when the thousand year old Norman building will once again echo to "We plough the fields and scatter".

Today's photograph shows what appears to be an early twentieth century plough. It stands next to a farm, a reminder of the days when ploughing in autumn for winter wheat wasn't the usual way, and ploughs were pulled by real horses rather than the horsepower of an enormous tractor. I took my photograph on a frosty morning when the sun was low in the sky. It seemed an appropriate subject for a conversion to sepiatone.

photograph and text © Tony Boughen

Camera: LX3
Mode: Aperture Priority
Focal Length: 5.1mm (24mm - 35mm equiv.)
F No: 2.8
Shutter Speed: 1/160
ISO: 80
Exposure Compensation:  -0.33 EV
Image Stabilisation: On