Last Updated 7th February 2001
[p83 - Souvenir Programme of the Derby Ring Meeting]
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Meeting at Derby 6th-8th September 1957
The sixtieth meeting of the Morris Ring was held at Derby on the week-end September 6th-8th 1957, at the invitation of the Burton upon Trent Morris Men.
About 200 dancers took part representing the following 28 clubs: - Bedford, Burton upon Trent, Cambridge, Colchester, Coventry, Derwent Valley, East Surry, Foresters, Gloucestershire, Greensleves, Grenoside, Headington Quarry, Jockey, King’s Collage N/C, Leeds, London Rodney, Manchester, Newcastle, Northampton, North Shelton, "White Rose" Sword Dancers, Oxford University, St. Albans, St. Helens, Stafford, Thaxted, Uttoxeter, Westminster & White Rose. There was apologies for absence from the Britannia "Nutters" who would have come but for the illness of their musician.
The meeting was based at the Diocesan Training College where all meals as well as excellent sleeping accommodation were provided. This centralisation was a great convenience to the men though some may have felt in retrospect that it also entailed an unwanted degree of segregation from the inhabitants of the city. It is understood that
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the sole condition imposed in connection with our use of the college was that beer, which had never before passed its portals, should be delivered at the back entrance in a plain van.
The Morris Ale on the Friday evening was held in the dining hall of the College and a running buffet was provided. The Squire appeared at about 9 p.m. having been delayed by the phenomenal amount of traffic on the roads, and by this time an unusually large number of teams had arrived, The North Skelton Boys team gave a good performance of their dance and the Webley (Bampton) was tried out under the Bagman’s guidance. Dancing rose gradually to a climax shortly before 11 o’clock when the Ale was brought to a close with Step Back and Green Garters. Most of the men dispersed to their single or double study bedrooms in the College, while the remainder made their way home to their lodgings
After an inauspiciously rainy Friday evening the weather cleared and we were again blessed with a fine & sunny week-end. Soon after breakfast the men were issued with packed lunches and sorted themselves into
[p87 - Menu for Feast - Derby Ring Meeting]
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seven tours, Tour H having been cancelled & the men on that tour distributed among the others. The Jockey Men gave an unpremeditated show to a party of Lancashire lads & lassies in Dovedale to the accompaniment of continuous shrieks of laughter. Tour G, led by Kenneth Loveless, finding the appointed dancing situation in Nottingham completely deserted & obviously valueless, thereupon proceeded boldly to the Market Place where highly satisfactory show was given to a large crowd. By dividing their forces in the afternoon this tour was able to cover some of the places allotted to the cancelled Tour in addition to their own pitches. Tour B visited Winster where contact was made with several of the Winster Morris Dancers and Fred Hamer called on Mrs. Fletcher who was for so many years been their friend & patron. All tours returned to the Training College for tea at 4 p.m. & then proceeded by car to Markeaton Park on the outskirts of Derby for the combined show at 5. It was decided at the last moment to divide forces in the park & parties of dancers where dispatched to the far corners. Owing to the lack of proper preparations this manoeuvre proved valueless, the occupants of the park being
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entirely congregated on the asphalted car-park where the main show was given. There was a moderately large crowd.
The Feast, at 7.30 in the Collage dinning hall, was a first-rate meal, consisting of soup, hot roast pork & vegetables, choice of cold sweets, cheese & coffee. The guest included His Worship the Mayor of Derby (Councillor W. White), the Provost of Derby (the Rev. R.A. Beddoes), the City Constable (Mr. Mr E.V. Staines), William Kimber (celebrating his 85 birthday on Sunday), Bob Kreft (of Country Dance Society of America)& the Squire's father Mr. Cassie.After the observance of the formal toasts the Squire invited Stan Belfield (Squire of the Jockey Men’s Morris Club) to propose the toast of the Morris Ring. In the course of an entertaining speech Stan mused on some of the reasons, more or less reputable, that men might have for attending Ring Meetings. The Squire in his reply welcomed the North Skelton boys team who are the direct inheritors of their local tradition. He also welcomed Bob Kreft as representing English dancing in the States. He asked the clubs to consider and make known their views on instructional meetings and urgged the importance
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of maintaining the separate identities of the various Morris traditions. The toast of the County Borough of Derby & the Burton upon Trent Morris men was proposed by Ted Ward of the Foresters Morris Men who mentioned that the fame of councillor White, particularly in his work for youth, had spread at least as far as Nottingham. He expressed also the thanks of the Ring to the Burton upon Trent club for the excellent organisation of the meeting, particularly to their Squire, George Manning, whose boys had carried out the printing of the programme booklets & menu cards. Replying to the toast His Worship the Mayor welcomed the men & wished them a successful & enjoyable week-end. George Manning replied on behalf of his club, mentioning how much they were indebted to the Principal & domestic staff of the College and also to the Civic & Cathedral authorities for their kind co-operation. He also mentioned the hard work put in by other members of his club, particularly the Bagman, Frank Harris. Finally he produced & presented to the Squire a large tin of "Genuine Kangaroo Tail Soup", to rejuvenate him.
After accepting this strange gift the Squire rose to address Bill Kimber and to
[p91 - Order of Service - Derby Cathedral - Derby Ring Meeting]
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congratulate him on his 85th birthday which he would celebrate on Sunday. He then presented him with a cheque for £20 from "all his Morris sons". Bill was greeted with prolonged ovation & made a speech of thanks & good wishes in which he recalled dancing for Cecil Sharp during a lecture at Queen’s Hall, when Sharp said the dancing was the important thing not the talk. The Squire announced that two clubs, Coventry and Newcastle, were celebrating their 21st birthdays this year, and a toast was drunk. Songs were contributed by Ken Loveless, Bill Astley, Wallie Newall & Jim Phillips and at 10 o’clock Ken brought the Feast to a conclusion with a concertina solo "The Bells".
Dancing in the streets was not allowed. Some men viewed films of the Lichfield Instruction meeting at Cecil Sharp House (Sep.1956), which were shown in the College hall, while others expended their energies in the grounds of the College & its houses of residents until midnight.
On Sunday morning a Meeting of club representatives was held in the Common Room at 9.30, and at 10 the teams formed a procession from the College to the Cathedral for Sung Eucharist
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for which a special service sheet were provided. Kenneth Loveless danced his way through his sermon and nobody could be surprised to see him playing his concertina with equal gusto for the dancing which took place afterwards in Cathedral Road.
This memorable meeting concluded with lunch at the College and it should be mentioned that a welcome & unexpected visitor at this juncture was Joe Raines, the Winster accordionist, who had driven over on his motor-cycle to see us
[Signed]
Bill Cassie 6/IX/58
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