Meeting at Leeds 20^th.- 22^nd. April 1956

The fifty-third meeting of the Morris Ring was held at Leeds on the Week-end

April 20^th to 22nd 1956 at the joint invitation of the Leeds Morris Men and the White Rose Morris Men.

A total of 115 dancers took part, representing the following 20 clubs & teams: - Bedford, Burton-on-Trent, Cambridge, Coventry, Derwent Valley, East Surry, Grenaside, King’s Collage N/C, Knaves of Bertelin, Leeds, London Rodney, Manchester, Newcastle, St. Albans, Stockton, Thames Valley, University Morris Men in London, Whitby Boy’s Sword Team, White Rose and the Winlaton Sword Dancers. Nine of these sent complete sides

Those who were able to arrive early enough met at the Leeds Town Hall at 6.30 on Friday evening and there was dancing in the Headrow Gardens at 7. A Morris Ale was held in the University Refectory from 7 to 11p.m. Many of the dancers slept on mattresses at the 18^th N.W. Leeds Scout Headquarters, Burley Road, while other took advantage of hostel or hotel accommodation. Those at the Scout hut enjoyed a first-class breakfast on both Saturday and Sunday mornings at Messer Henry Jenkinson’s Works canteen, Kirkstall Road, whither they were conveyed by coach. The

breakfasts were prepared and served by relatives and friends of the White Rose men.

All the men gathered at the scout headquarters at 9.30 on Saturday morning. The five tours covered Leeds, Bradford and surrounding places, and each tour travelled in it’s own coach- an innovation which more or less successfully over came the propensity of some car drivers to lose their way in unfamiliar country.

Tour A: Newcastle, Whitby Boy’s Sword Team to Hunslet, Rothwell, Wakefield, Middlestown, Flockton & Huddersfield.

Tour B: Burton-on-Trent, Derwent Valley & King’s Collage N/C to Headingley, Bramhope, Otley, Guiseley, Yeadon & Idle.

Tour C: Grenoside, Manchester & White Rose to Kirkstall Road, Headrow Gardens, Dewsbury Road, Gildersome, Pudsey, Bramley & Sanningley.

These three tours met at Broadway, Bradford at 4.30. The road was close to traffic for this show which was given in the presence of the Lord Mayor & Lady Mayoress seated on chairs hastily fetched at the last moment from David Fawthorp’s fathers shop nearby.

Tour D: Cambridge, London Rodney, Knaves of Bertelin & Winlaton to Halton, Kippax, Ledsham, South

Milford, Sherburn-in-Elmet, Cawood, Selby & Cross Gates.

Tour E: Leeds & Stockton to Roundhay, Thorner, Collingham Bridge, Wetherley, Spofferth, Harrogate & Harehills.

It is reported that two Morris Men on Tour B were (for reasons unknown to the Bagman) put in the stocks at Guiseley and promptly photographed in this un-dignified situation by the Squire Elect. The coach driver of tour D, being almost as hazy about the itinerary as car drivers often are, overshot the turning for Kippax & proceeded to reverse smartly into a following car which had halted immediately behind the coach. This manoeuvre had the unfortunate effect of telescoping the fan & radiator of the smaller vehicle, thereby spoiling a family camping holiday at it's very outset as well as causing a lengthy delay so that the men were at least half-an-hour late for the show at Kippex. Lunch and tea were taken by each tour on route and at 6.30 all the tours returned to the Headrow Gardens, Leeds for an hour’s show in front of the Town Hall. Apart from a slightly cool breeze the day was more typical of June then of April, and the town shows in particular were an undoubted success.

The feast was held in the University refectory at 8p.m., the guests being Alderman A. Adamson

(chairman of the Art Galleries Committee), Professor Johnson (Professor of Engineering, Leeds University) & Mr. E. Little (Chairman of the local English Folk Dance & Song Society). In all 103 men sat down to an excellent meal, after which the toast of "West Yorkshire & it’s ‘Morris" was proposed by the Squire Elect, Bill Cassie. In a commendably brief speech he welcomed the guests & expressed the gratitude of the Ring, & particular of the men present at the meeting, to both the City & the University for their hospitality. He also congratulated the two local Morris clubs on the excellent organisation of the meeting, the credit for which he understood was due principly to Norman Peacock & Milford Barstow. Alderman Adamson replied to the toast on behalf of the City of Leeds, welcoming the Morris Men to the City and suggesting that the local clubs might consider affiliating to the City Arts Guild. Bill Barrett (Squire of Leeds Morris Men) also replied on behalf of the organising clubs. The toast of  "The Morris Ring" was proposed by Professor Johnson who expressed the opinion that the Morris should be particularly welcome by a University since it is done simply because it is well worth doing. In his reply the squire thanked professor Johnson for his remark and expressed his pleasure

at the Ring coming North again – this time after an interval of only seven months- an indication of the vitality of the northern clubs. Before closing he referred briefly to two topics due for discussion, that of the length of tours at Ring meetings which he considered should be left to the direction of the organisers, and the difficult matter of publication of the Morris which had been raised by two clubs independently. Announcements were made regarding the arrangements for the following day and the Bagman then read from the Minute Book an account of the London Meeting in July 1955. The evening concluded with songs.

On Sunday morning the men gathered at the Town Hall at 10 o’clock and attended morning service at St. George’s church, Great George Street. The Squire read the first lesson. The sermon was preached by the Vicar, & it was soon apparent that his knowledge of the Morris had been derived solely from the report in the local evening paper of the night before. It is believed that one Morris Man took tea in the crypt after the service in response to a notice outside the porch. There was dancing in the Headrow Gardens, and later outside the Civic hall & Infirmary at an upper window of which the Squire-Elect was seen viewing

the men in the company of nurses. Lunch was available at Sam’s snack Bar & the Guilford Hotel and this first Ring Meeting in Yorkshire drew to it’s close. The Bag (including sale of programmes) amounted to £106.

W Fisher Cassie
15.9.56