Black Bess Border Morris
In 1997 a small group of women wanted to become morris dancers. They found an
experienced dancer to teach them, and borrowed a church hall in Dawlish, dancing to taped
music.
They had no name at that time, learning to dance was more important than finding
names.
During that first year, they acquired a musician and a drummer, but lost the use of the
church hall, so practices were held in the drummer’s garage.
This was not a very satisfactory state of affairs, luckily another church hall was found in
the village of Kingskerswell just outside Newton Abbot on the Torquay Road. This village was
fairly central to the various places where the dancers lived and became their permanent
headquarters.
By 1998, they were ready to appear in public, but still lacked a name and a ‘kit’.
One evening, relaxing in a pub after practice, it was decided to do something about this.
Now, the tradition they learned to dance in is “Border” from the Anglo-Welsh border and the
banks of the river Severn, normally performed in disguise - “tattered” coats and blacked-up
faces (very messy when washing the black off in pub toilets after a performance!)
“Lets wear masks instead!” suggested one dancer, and this suggestion was unanimously
approved. “what sort of mask?” asked the Drummer. The fateful moment had arrived! “Black
ones, just covering the upper face!” was the reply.
The Drummer joked “You’ll look like a bunch of highwaymen, better wear tricorne hats as
well, and cut the tatter-coats in the shape of 18th century waistcoats! and we could call
ourselves something highwaymanish, like ‘Black Bess’!”
But this was no joke: Black Bess Border instantly came into being, and performed their
first “out” at the Dawlish Folk Festival in that same year 1998.
