The Ancient Men THE OUMM AND ITS BACKGROUND Edited by Roy Judge in 1970 and 1973 Revised and produced in chronological form by Ian Hall and Gerard Robinson in 1993 A Note of Explanation Written in 1993 C. The OUMM and its Background: Third This history was produced in three parts dur- Instalment. Sent out in May 1973 ing the years 1969 to 1973 by Roy Judge. It was designedly a compilation, and the lack of a single I sent out my initial Interim Report in the Spring of chronological sequence made it dicult to use. The 1970. Page two concerned the period before 1914 and original material has now been put in one sequence this was quickly expanded into my second oering, and produced in a format appropriate for 1993 by Ian ‘The OUMM and its Background: Part One 1899– Hall and Gerard Robinson. The relevant sections of 1914’, which I distributed in the autumn of 1970. the three original Prefaces are given below. Apart I had intended the next instalment to contain addi- from rearrangement of order nothing else has been tional material for the inter-war period and to be sent altered. out in the Spring of 1971. But in 1971 archival activ- ity was diverted into other very worthwhile directions. A. The Morris in Oxford: An Interim Report. First there was the Hampshire Tour based on Geof- Sent out in the spring of 1970 frey Fiennes’ home at East Worldham. This was a highly archival event in itself. Georey’s quiet pres- In the Spring of 1969, after some years of rather vague ence during the week and then especially his speech discussion about the ignorance of the present OUMM at the Feast and his playing for the nal Blue-Eyed concerning their predecessors in Oxford, I wrote a few Stranger created a remarkable sense of unity with the tentative letters to see whether it would be possible early OUMM. to nd out more about our history. Much to our Secondly Russell Wortley kindly included an ac- pleasure and somewhat to our surprise my enquiries count of the early days of the Oxford Branch as part were welcomed and I received a wealth of information of the Jubilee Symposium in the Folk Music Journal and a unanimously enthusiastic encouragement. Now for 1971. This kept my attention xed on the period my rst duty is to thank all those who have given so before 1914. A third distracting factor was a grow- much time in looking out old diaries and gathering ing interest in May Day (especially in the Jack in the their memories together. I would also thank those Green) in general, and in Oxford in particular, so that who have lent or given pictorial evidence, and those time tended to go into that. While all this was going who have given me hospitality in my researches. on, Francis Tabor, bless him, was continually produc- ing for me the most fascinating pieces of information B. The OUMM and its background: Part One about the OUMM of the late twenties, culminating in what amounted to a full log of the Cornwall Tour of 1899–1914. Sent out in October 1970 1929. During 1972 my own working life tended to be The Interim Report of February 1970 produced a busy and I did not get the chance to stand back and good deal of further information and several very consider how to handle the gathered material. Having happy incidental results. Among them were the gifts done just that certain things now seem reasonably to the men by Kay Barmby of the original OUMM clear. Morris Music Book and by Charles Bardswell of his original OUMM Morris bells. Georey Fiennes gave 1. I have made contact with a very good propor- the men his copies of the early EFDS Journal and tion of the people involved. I would thank ev- News and also oered a camping site at East World- eryone for their kindness, interest and help. ham for the tour of the Ancient Men in 1971. The OUMM archives, in fact, are ourishing; very 2. I have a fair outline of events from 1899–1914, many thanks to everyone for their help. and I can produce one for 1915 on. This instalment is self-explanatory. Again it is 3. I am not going to feel satised with anything really a chronicle, produced by ‘scissors and paste’, that I produce as being either complete or ade- rather than a history. Again I must apologise for my quate to its subject. typing.1 Again I would be very grateful for correc- tions and additional information. 4. I should however ignore this reluctance and pro- The next instalment will include the additional duce this instalment as a nal summary to be material on the period from 1919–1939, and I hope read with the other material. to send it out some time next Spring. 5. The nal Club Log Book would include all this 1Any infelicities in typing are now our fault, not Roy’s. material together with all possible illustrations GCR and IWH and any additional information that emerges. 2 The OUMM and its background 3 6. The hunt for Jack in the Green and May Morn- ing information would continue. As a celebratory nal gesture I had intended to begin typing this on May Day 1973, the Fiftieth Birthday of one particular May Morning, and the Sixty-rst An- niversary of that rst Branch of May. On looking the 11th May up in Hone, I nd that unbeknownst I am typing it on Old May Day. On further consideration this must actually be Old May Eve, which still seems somehow subtly appropriate. The OUMM and its background The Oxford Times (17 October 1908) gives a full account of this occasion, under the heading “Revival The Early Stages 1899–1910 of English Folk-Music”. An enthusiastic meeting, composed mostly of ladies, gath- ered at the Girls’ High School on Saturday afternoon to It is dicult to know how much of the London and hear a lecture on ‘Folk-Songs’ and to witness an exhibi- national background to supply. Its complexities could tion of Morris-dancing. Mr E. F. Davidson (HM Inspector be misleading when presented in this summarised of Schools) took the chair and briey introduced the lec- form, so I would refer the interested to Maud Karpe- turer, Miss Mary Neal, hon. secretary to the Esperance les’ clear and full account in the Life of Cecil Sharp Working-Girls’ Club in London. and the very interested to the Cuttings Books in the The latter reviewed the history of the movement, which Vaughan Williams Memorial Library. had crystallised into a course of dancing and singing The twentieth century revival in Oxford has, of lessons which that meeting would inaugurate in Oxford. course, always had a special character given to it A demonstration was given by boys and girls from Iey by the fact of the original historic meeting between Church School instructed by Miss Rosina Mallet a mem- Cecil Sharp and William Kimber at Sandeld Cottage ber of the Esperance Club. Mr William Kimber and Miss Mallet gave some exhibitions of other dances such as ‘Jock on Boxing Day 1899, and by the continued presence, at the Fair’. activity and inuence of Kimber during the next sixty At the conclusion of the performances which were years. enthusiastically applauded by the audience, Mr Scott In 1905 Mary Neal rst brought Kimber to Lon- thanked Miss Neal for the treat which they had enjoyed don to teach the Headington dances to her Working- and remarked that while on a recent tour in Norway he Girls’ Club in Cumberland Market. The rst edition had noticed these dances in that country and was agree- of the Morris Book in July 1907 was dedicated to “our ably surprised to nd them revived in England on his friends and pupils of the Esperance Girls’ Club” and return. its notation was based partly on the dancing of the The Oxford Chronicle picked out another point girls and particularly that of Miss Florence Warren from Mr Scott’s thanks. the chief instructress. For his part he was a Somersetshire man who had lived In November 1907 Mary Neal called an informal in that county for most of his life, and yet he had never conference “to talk over plans for putting at the ser- had the least idea of the existence there of these beautiful vice of all who wish for it, this great possession of enjoyable Morris dances. English folk-music in which it has been our good for- It also gives a story that Miss Neal was to tell many tune to be the means of reviving interest.” But al- times. ready Sharp was doubtful of the wisdom of further There was nothing in the least objectionable about these collaboration. “There was a fundamental dierence folk dances; none of the unhealthy inuences and emotions of attitude towards the dances between him and Mary were aroused. An old Somersetshire sailor had seen her Neal. He was fretted by her lack of artistic discipline club dancing and exclaimed ‘That’s the dancing of my and she no doubt considered him to be unduly repres- heart; I wouldn’t have missed it for two big apples.’ (Loud sive.” (Karpeles) laughter). Then he added signicantly ‘It’s what I call In April 1908 Mary Neal began the “Association clean dancing.’ (Applause). for the Revival and Practice of Folk Music”. (Incidentally, as reported in the Central Somerset The rst extant piece of Oxford documentary ev- Gazette for 13 June 1914, he also added ‘There’s no idence follows on from this, being a leaet issued by hugging in it.’) the “Oxford Society for the Revival of Folk-Dance”.