Thaxted Morris Men

Thaxted has been described as the spiritual home of the Morris and from the beginning of the Morris revival at the start of the twentieth century, there has always been a strong relationship between Thaxted Parish Church and the Morris in Thaxted. 

This relationship began in 1910 when Conrad Noel was Vicar of Thaxted. He and his wife Miriam invited the Esperance Club to send someone to Thaxted to teach Morris dancing and as a result the Thaxted Morris Dance Company was formed. They gave their first performance in 1911. Their successors, Thaxted Morris Men, are still dancing and are still involved with the church. Past and present members of Thaxted Morris Men include churchwardens, members of the PCC, servers and choir members.

When in 1926 groups of Morris dancers asked if they could meet in Thaxted and dance on Sunday, Conrad Noel said of course you can come and dance on Sunday. You'll go to church first and then dance. Since then, Morris men have met in Thaxted every year and on the Sunday of the meeting, the Morris men process to church, attend the service and dance afterwards.

This relationship is nothing new. In medieval times, it was usual to raise money for the parish church by holding so-called church ales, usually around Whitsun. As the name implies, this was an occasion for food, drink and dancing. Indeed some of the earliest written references to Morris dancing appear in churchwardens' accounts of these ales including one in 1526 from Great Dunmow which refers to the collecting of money from dancing in the church and the churchyard. 

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