T.Ratcliffe (1914b)

Main Variant

Transcription
Old-time Conntry Dances.

With the revival of folk songs and dances there
has come into the mouths of many folk much
speech about morris dancing, maypoledancing,
singing games of children, and what not; and it
seems to my thinking that the result is a curious
mixture of one thing and another. Very many
years ago my grandmother, who when, I knew her
was much older than most folk are today, talked
a good deal about morris dancers, mummers, and
dancing about the maypole, and her talk was to
the effect that two of these dancings were widely
distinct. That, in fact sword dancing was not
morris dancing, but that dancing about the maypole
was really morris dancing. In her young days,
which would be about 150 years ago, these amuse-
ments were fairly common in all country places,
so she could not well be mistaken. Dancing about a
maypole and dancing with swords were always quite
distinct. Sword-dancing saw some changes in my
own time; for I have a recollection of the men who
came round as sword-dancers beginning by laying
swords cross-bladed on the ground, and dancing in
and out the blades before beginning their hand-
play in the air. Yet it is rather a puzzle to me
when looking backwards, for I cannot reconcile
what I read with my own faint memories or my
more distonct ones.

I well remember the plough boys or "plough
Bullockers" - the latter term mostly used, because
when they brayed the plough up, against the door-
stone - the action was called "bullockin'." I only
remember one grass plat in front of a house being
turned up with the plough, and one run over it
was quite enough to bring the "passive resister"
into line with the custom; but I have known
several door-stones lifted by the plough; Most
village houses, had a row of slab-stones from the
road up to the front door, and it was these stones.
which were sometimes lifted by the plough lads;
whom, however, were not all those who followed
the plough, but any who were "up to a lark,"
whereof it was currently said that "one lark as
good as two thrushes!"

No doubt Tom Miller described partly what he
saw and partly what he was told. I also can re-
member parties of wandering youths, who carried
a pole from which they unrolled coloured streamers,
then danced round until they had re-wound them,
all to the music of a fiddle-tune. - THOS. RATCLIFFE,
Worksop.