'It's an important day for the village' - Morris dancers bring music and joy to village near Banbury

Dancers from three groups or teams entertained village residents and pubgoers by parading through the village before meeting at The Bell Inn for a celebration in the afternoon.

Men from the Adderbury Morris Men and Adderbury Village Morris Men started their dances at around 10:30am.

They are later joined by the village women's team, Sharp and Blunt, at lunchtime.

The Adderbury Day of Dance originally dates back to 1975, one year after the Adderbury Morris Men were formed.

However, the tradition of Morris dancing in the village dates much further back, with records of teams in the village existing in the 18th century.

Squire or leader of the Adderbury Morris Men David Gunby said: “There may have been teams in the village earlier than that, but that's the earliest record.

"That team died out in the 1880s, but fortunately, in 1917, a woman called Janet Blunt moved to the village. She was a folk song collector, and along with William Walton, the last remaining squire of the village's Morris team, they managed to document the dances and tunes.

"From that, we have collected a number of dances that, according to Walton, the old Morris teams of Adderbury danced back in the 18th century.”

The day takes place on the last weekend of April, as it has always done, with dancers from the Adderbury Morris Men starting at the former Old Wheatsheaf pub on the Green.

They continue to start the day’s celebration at the building despite it no longer being a pub, as it is believed William Walton was formerly the landlord of the pub.

David said: “It is an important day for the village, and the villagers seem to appreciate it. All three teams from the village get together and put on a show.

"We tour around the village, joining up with the other two teams then splitting up again before finally all joining together at The Bell Inn at 4pm.”

Next year's 50th anniversary of the Adderbury Day of Dance promises to be a big occasion for the village and a milestone in the Morris dancing revival.

For more information visit https://www.adderburymorris.org.uk/