Ashdown Mummers What is Border Morris


The Border dances take their name from the Welsh border counties of England, the area in which they were 'discovered' at the end of the nineteenth century. In fact, they are found in many other parts of the country, but were largely ignored by the early researchers. The style of is that of the mere primitive Morris-daunce, at one time seen throughout the country. It should not be confused with the popular "Cotswold" Morris dances. The blackened faces go back to at least the seventeenth century, long before the Minstrel Shows, and is thought to have been to do with the anonymity of the dancers. It used to be said in the border area that you weren't a morris man unless you had a blackened face
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