The origins of Border Morris dancing are not known but it was certainly practised as early as the seventeenth century across the English counties bordering Wales, i.e., Herefordshire, Shropshire and Worcestershire. Hence the name, Border Morris. Border sides danced only at Christmas trying to raise money to supplement meagre working income. Each side had just had one or two dances, enough to allow them to pass the hat round for donations. It seems logical that Border derived from the older style of Cotswold Morris but there are many differences. Border’s dance steps were very simple compared to Cotswold’s while its movements were much more exaggerated and vigorous. It seems faces were blacked in order to hide identities in what was actually illegal begging. Costumes were rudimentary and varied, including smocks, carnival costumes (see photo top right of the Brimfield border side) or plain white shirts decorated with a few coloured tatters. One of the first sides to revive Border dancing was Siulrian Border Morris whose kit was based on early photographs of the defunct Upton-on-Severn side; a black bowler hat, black trousers and a white shirt with a coloured sash and a few strips of coloured rags. Their outfit is illustrated above right. These comparisons led Cecil Sharp to observe that Border was a “degenerate” form of Cotswold Morris by which he seems to have meant that it was of a lower quality.
In the early 1970’s dancers Roy Dommett, Dave Jones, John Kirkpatrick and others began collecting and promoting dances and tunes from the borders. None of the original sides were active by then but surviving dancers and musicians proved guidance on dances, steps, tunes and kit. A completely new Morris world emerged. There was no consistency in dance steps or movement. Stepping was so vaguely recalled that revivalists had to fill the gaps very creatively. Kirkpatrick went even further defining a whole new style of dance as now performed by the Shropshire Beldams and Martha Roden’s Tuppeny Dish. Dances featured as many dancers as could be mustered rather than set numbers. Dancers used short sticks although a couple of hanky dances were documented from Upton and Pershore. Identifying tunes was even more problematic as there didn’t seem to be any prescribed tunes for the dances, it seems musicians simply played what they fancied.
Today, Border Morris has evolved into something very different from these roots with little an original performer would recognise. The most obvious change is that Border is now an all year activity not just for a few days at Christmas. As only nine or ten original dances survived most current dances have been written since the 1970’s and conform to modern interpretations. Outfits fall broadly into two groups, both featuring jackets covered in tatters, but neither of which have any real historical context. The first group, illustrated above right, has a very colourful appearance with tops covered in short coloured tatters. Many of these sides perform Cotswold and Border dances and so risk being neither fish nor fowl. The second group, illustrated below right, cultivates a much darker image, heavily influenced by pagan, gothic, punk even heavy metal themes. Their tatters are long and predominantly black with a few contrasting colours. Top hats with tall pheasant feathers have become de rigueur, along with grungy fishnets. This group perform only “Border” style dances and adopt an intense, engaging style which conveys something dark and mysterious. All this would probably seem very strange to original dancers who were just doing whatever they could to earn a few extra pennies. Modern Border has established a strong following and even though most of what we see now is completely made up, it has a feel of something primal that genuinely attracts performers and crowds.
Further Reading
The History & Development of Dark Border Morris (2016) by Dr Chloe Middleton-Metcalfe
Bordering On The Insane (1979) by John Kirkpatrick
Border Notes (1983) by Roy Dommett
Border Morris: A Brief Outline by Andy Anderson