We formed in Highbridge, Somerset in 1972 and were accepted into the Morris Ring as a member club in 1980.

We take our name from the Chalice Well at Glastonbury, the cover of which is depicted on our logo,

We dance, in the main, the Cotswold form of Morris, but also some Border Morris.

We wear for Cotswold the traditional kit of white shirt and trousers with black shoes and red and blue baldricks, a form of medieval decoration.

We display our team emblem on the back of our baldrics and each dancer has a personal symbol on the front.

Our music is provided by our melodeon players Dick (our bagman) and Ken, washboard virtuoso Chas, concertina player Alan and new recruit Charles on violin.

Nobody is quite sure of the origins of Morris Dancing but we believe that it was based upon pre-Christian fertility dances, It has elements of circle dancing, resurrection and death and ritual combat deriving from our earliest pagan forebears,

The fertility dances (necessarily male) would have taken place on such ancient feast days as the first day of spring, the Solstices or Midsummer Day. When the Christians took over the old festivals, they would have danced on "high days and holy days".

During the 19 century, when most villages had their own Morris side, the custom started to wane. This has left only a few places with an unbroken tradition of dancing.

In 1899 Cecil Sharp started to collect and record Morris dances after seeing the Headington Quarry Men dance, Although most of the dances that you will see were collected by Sharp they, and the music have evolved over the years. The world of the Morris is clearly indebted to Cecil Sharp and his work.

People always ask us about the bells, sticks and wavers (hankies). The bells and the wavers are supposed to ward off evil spirits while the sticks represent ritual conflict.

Most people believe that it is has derived from the word "Moorish" from when the Moors invaded Europe from North Africa in the 9 century, It may be that the blackened faces worn by many sides were "Moorish" and that the dances were home grown.

Other more recent research suggests that the origins may be much earlier as "morris est" in Latin means "it is the custom. ,. ', Who knows Sparticus could have been a Morris man!

In 1934, six clubs founded the Morris Ring. This has now, with the passage of time, grown to some 250 clubs dancing Cotswold Morris, NorthWest Morris, Longsword, Rapper Sword or performing Mumming Plays.

If you require my more infomation about the Morris Ring or Morris Dancing just ask one of the men or, if you wish, contact the Ring Bagman, Charlie Corcoran, on (01162) 773830.

If you are interested in joining us we are based at Brent Knoll Village Hall where we meet every Thursday between September and April at 8:00pm

There is always room for more men and you would be made most welcome.