From 1977 to the present -
over 45 years of high quality dancing, adhering throughout to the early objectives of
the team : 'original and true spirited morris style', 'precise and energetic
dancing', 'spectacular and original performance'.
And what a fascinating story it's been - the early establishment of the team
in the late 1970s, the consolidation and development throughout the 1980s
with a fine group of dancers, the parting of the ways in the early 90s between
musicians and dancers leaving the team on the brink of folding, the later
re-establishment and re-energising of the team with an influx of new musicians,
new dancers, and innovative new dances, and in recent years the addition of new
younger members who have helped carry the team forward with renewed vigour. To
date over 40 dancers have performed with the team, and hopefully all have
enjoyed their time in the side, as the team has always found a way to make their
performances entertaining and fun for both spectators and performers. As a
consequence, throughout its 45 years the side has consistently been invited to perform
at high profile events, and on several occasions has performed overseas including
various locations in Europe and also in the USA.
Today the side continues to look forward, not backward. but meanwhile
here is a bit more about how it all happened!
Berkshire
Bedlam's Early Days
(these notes are mainly extracted from Jeff Bates' brilliantly detailed notes
produced in 1979 - more of Jeff later!)
How did it all start?
Well, in or around 1973 the morris establishment was disturbed by two
revolutionary phenomena. The first of these was the formation of a ladies'
morris team at Bath University, an event subsequently repeated in many parts of
the country. The second phenomenon was the appearance of Berni Cherry's
Gloucestershire Old Spot Morris Dancers. On Whit Monday in 1974 and 1975 (and
subsequently) this team was invited to perform outside ‘The Talbot’ in
Bampton (Oxon.) by the Traditional Bampton Morris. Old Spot had strayed far from
the accepted concept of a morris side - they had taken and reconstructed an
entire extinct morris tradition from Gloucestershire (Longborough) and presented
this in a refreshingly colourful, precise and almost unbelievably energetic
fashion.
The formation of Berkshire Bedlam owes much to these Old Spot performances and
to a growing dissatisfaction with the established morris scene in general. The
first suggestions were made in July 1975, but the team's inaugural meeting was
not held until October of the following year. This side consisted largely of
students and staff of the Botany Department of Imperial College, and practices
were held at the College Field Station at Silwood Park. The enthusiasm of the
student members was such that they travelled to weekly practices from Central
London.
From the onset it was
decided that the team should adopt a single style of dancing and do this as
energetically as possible. The Fieldtown tradition (former dances of Leafield
and Field Assarts, Oxon.) was chosen after a certain amount of deliberation,
partly because of the large and varied repertoire, but also because the Fieldtown
side(s) had held a widely-acknowledged reputation for good dancing in the
Cotswolds. There was also undoubtedly an element of perversity, as current teams
at that time tended to dance Fieldtown in a somewhat 'fairy-like' fashion,
although in fact there was strong evidence that the dancing was energetic and
spirited. The costume, perhaps not surprisingly, was constructed along
similar lines to that of Old Spot and included red, white and blue rosettes, in
fact almost ubiquitous amongst the old Cotswold teams (but not Leafield) and,
very appropriate, as it happened for Jubilee year (1977). There were
considerable individual kit variations and a smattering of home-made top hats
which made the overall effect convincingly rustic.
The team became known as Silwood Morris and enjoyed a quiet but successful first
season. The standard of performance was reasonably good and noticeably livelier
than some established local teams. The climax of that season was an
energetically bacchanalian tour of the Cerne Abbas area of Dorset - however,
this was also the last occasion on which the original members danced together
because they had finished their undergraduate courses and were leaving the area.
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Silwood Morris 1977 -
(l to r) - unsure, Pete Townsend, Ron Withington, unsure, Alan Morton,
Mel Williams, Jeff Bates, (kneeling) Adrian |
Silwood Morris 1977 - an early dance
out. Early kit included corduroy breeches (inspired by Old Spot), and a
variety of largely own made top hats. |
Berkshire Bedlam 1979 - Rose and
Crown, Woodstock - standing (l to r) Chris Smith, Alan Morton, Steve
Garside, Stuart Barry, Ron Withington, Mel Willliams, ?(Reg?), Jeff
Bates - kneeling ?(Malcolm?), Ted Mansfield |
In the following Autumn efforts ware made to
preserve what had been achieved so far and the decision was made to 'go public'.
A small group of rather older recruits was gleaned from a local folk club and
the team remained viable. Just. However in November 1977 the side's name was
changed to Berkshire Bedlam Morris Dancers. This title was suggested by E.C.
Cawte’s paper dealing with border morris traditions where reference is made to
‘ye bedlam morris’. This name seemed to express perfectly our approach to
morris dancing although we later learned that John Kirkpatrick had already named
his successful border morris team the Shropshire Bedlams Morris. In the Spring
of 1978 the team moved its headquarters to St Paul's Church Hall, Wokingham
because of recruiting difficulties at the rather remote Silwood Park. After this
move in effect the team was restarted. The team's objectives were rationalised,
a set of ‘rules’ formulated and the costume redesigned. The move to
Wokingham proved successful and led to a steady improvement in the team's
membership, stability level of performance and reputation.
The revised objectives of the team were agreed to be the following
;
1. To develop an original and true-spirited morris style using information
about the Leafield tradition as a starting point
2. To dance precisely and in an energetic fashion
3. To present a generally spectacular and original performance
These objectives have remained the ideal for Berkshire Bedlam since their
inception!
Jeff Bates - No history of Berkshire Bedlam would be complete without
acknowledging the huge role played by founding member Jeff Bates during the first 10 years of
its life. Along with Ron Withington, Jeff carried out a large amount of research
on the Fieldtown dances, and then went on to became the real
inspiration and driving force behind the side as it developed, playing the parts of foreman, dancer,
musician, and the first Fool. Jeff was responsible for researching the music and
dances, and composed several tunes to fit some of the dances, many of which are
still used today. Without Jeff it is highly unlikely BB would have developed as
it did, and all those who have ever been a part of the side owe him a huge debt.
In
1979 Jeff produced a fascinating study of the influences which led up to the
formation of Berkshire Bedlam, including the part played by Old Spot, and
containing also some original research into Morris Dancing at Leafield, with
much information coming from the work of Cecil Sharp and other collectors. It
also contained some thoughts about BB as it had evolved and some aspirations for
the future. Called 'The Berkshire Bedlam Organ', it would be of particular
interest to anyone who would like to know more about the history of the Morris.
Click here to go to the report
The 1980s
Throughout the 1980s the side flourished, with a steady core of members without
ever having a huge side, and several of its own traditions emerged. An annual
'Dorset Tour' has taken place almost every year since 1977, a weekend dancing
tour usually just for the team members and families, based at the infamous
'Giants Head' camp site at Cerne Abbas. The
side also set up an annual ceilidh in November called the Berkshire Bedlam
Bunfight which has acquired a cult status of its own (see separate Bunfight page
for more details).
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1981 Dorset Tour |
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Several of the
members also formed their own band called originally the 'Heel and Toe' band,
and later "Kick Shins", which first played at the 1980 Bunfight and
quickly established itself as a fine ceilidh band in its own right. Kick Shins
went on to have a successful life of its own outside Berkshire Bedlam and is
still playing today - for more about them see the Kick
Shins
web site
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Kick
Shins
in 1987-ish |
10
mile pre-season training runs were set up with individuals times
monitored, the assumption being made that people don't do the morris to
get fit, they need to get fit to do the morris! And the 1980s saw a
number of cycling tours taking place to prove how fit everyone was - or
wasn't.
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Nearly
at the pub |
Jeff
already there
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Cycle
tour
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Not many
Morris sides can claim to be immortalised at the Royal Academy but this
portrait, depicting a scene from the 1980s featuring Dave, Stuart, and
Jeff in classic pose is still on display there today.
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1987 saw some major upheaval when founding father Jeff Bates decided that
10 years of leading the side was enough, especially when coupled with
niggling injury, and quit. The side though by this time was strong
enough to carry on without Jeff and continued over the next few years to
maintain the high standards which it had already established. |
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1987 Xmas Tour
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The 1990s
In the early 1990s the side's numbers started to decline, when several of the key members of the
1980s decided they too had had
enough. By 1992 the side was close to folding, and went through
the entire season without dancing out. However the following year things started
to look up again - some new dancers and, critically, new musicians came along, and the side
re-established itself. In 1994 they took part in
the ritual dance competition at the highly prestigious Sidmouth Folk Festival,
coming a very respectable joint 2nd, and partly because of that were invited back to
the Festival the
following year to take part as a town side.
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Sidmouth Festival Town side, 1995 |
The Sidmouth appearance was perhaps the catalyst for a very creative
period in BB's history, with innovative, inspirational and entertaining new dances being added on a regular
basis, and the side enhancing its reputation as one of the best regarded Cotswold sides
in the country. The 1990s also saw the development of
several inspirational spots for its annual 'Bunfight'
ceilidh, which helped the
side be seen as not only a fine morris team, but one capable of providing
broader entertainment for an audience as well as enjoyment for themselves. The side
continued to hold annual Dorset tours, still a highlight of each year's calendar,
and undertook some more ambitious tours including Denmark, Ireland, and
Guernsey.
The noughties....
In 2000 Berkshire Bedlam were invited to be the main Arena Cotswold side at the 2000 Sidmouth Folk
Festival, the largest and most prestigious such event in the UK. This reflected
the standards achieved and maintained by the team in previous years, with the core
of the side now having been together for some time. The event was a big success for the side
with very favourable reviews of the programme undertaken, which included
organising and performing in the Morris Party at the Anchor Gardens, and appearing several times on
the main Arena Stage, including a mesmeric performance of 'Dance of the Little
Fairies' in the Friday night finale show.
Over the next few years
the side cemented its reputation as one of the leading Cotswold teams in
the UK, with new and innovative dances continually being added to the evolving
repertoire. In 2003 BB were invited again to perform at Sidmouth, with shows on the Arena
stage including a special showcase of Morris over the ages
where they recreated a traditional 'Matachins' sword dance in spectacular style. 2004 and
2005 featured further leading festival and other high profile appearances,
including a filmed appearance on CBBC's Chucklevision programme, and in 2006 the side
formed an innovative and highly successful partnership with The Outside Capering
Crew to put on joint shows to larger audiences under the name 'The Big Caper'.
The Big Caper show would appear at a number of larger festivals over the next
few years, both in the UK and overseas, always receiving great appreciation from
audiences. Meanwhile in 2007 the side celebrated its 30th birthday in fine style with a celebratory
weekend of dance and further leading festival appearances including Sidmouth
once again, Towersey and more highly original Big Caper shows. They also came
within touching distance of a prize of £59,000 on the BBC's Eggheads quiz
programme - but remained untroubled by passing (small) fortune.
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BB
on Eggheads, 2007 |
2008 saw a continuation
of the side's high standards, with more high profile events, and further
development of the Big Caper shows. It also saw one of the side's most surreal
events, performing at a private birthday party for Sting at his Georgian mansion
in Wiltshire, including doing the Coconuts dance with guests including Sting,
Kevin Spacey, David Walliams and Robert Downey Junior. And the BB members were
more than happy to sign autographs for them afterwards. 2008 finished on a very upbeat note, with some promising new young recruits
joining towards the end of the year, and in 2009, apart from the usual array of
excellent events, the side filmed another appearance for CBBC, this time for a
childrens science programme called 'Spacehoppers', first transmitted in March
2010.
The 2010s....
The arrival of the new
younger members had given a welcome boost to the side's dancing capability, and
provided opportunities to field 2 sets at events for the first time for many
years. A welcome opportunity to demonstrate this, and the ever increasing
prowess of the newcomers, came with another prestigious full week appearance at
the Sidmouth Folk Week in August 2010. This included the highest profile
appearance yet for the Men in Black routine at the Late Night Extra ceilidh with
the Committee Band where the routine went down a storm, and it has
continued to remain a favourite of the side since its first development
in 2004.
2011 was another year of big events, not least the long awaited marriage of our
own Jameson to Emma, preceded by a minibus accompanied dancing weekend in
Sheffield and the Peak District, agreed to be great fun by all those who
attended and could remember it. In 2012, amongst further high profile events and
festival appearances, the side celebrated its 35th birthday by inviting many old
friends and guest teams to a memorable Olympic themed weekend of dance and a
whole lot more - complete with Olympic 'games', medal ceremonies, sports and
spots. The year finished with a fleeting appearance on ITV's Downton Abbey
Christmas Day special in front of 7.3 million viewers - a little larger than
most of the audiences in our history (so far...). Then in 2013 the team
fulfilled a long held ambition in travelling to the US for the annual Marlboro
Ale, leaving with reputation intact and the gleaming World Sally Championship
trophy. Closer to home were further highly successful festival appearances at
Towersey and the Sidmouth Folk Week, with both of these culminating in highly
acclaimed performances of the extended Men in Black routine.
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Men
in Black routine, Sidmouth LNE 2013 |
2014 and 2015 brought us
more of the same, with very successful festival appearances at Warwick and
Chippenham, and
another overseas trip along with The Outside Capering Crew to take part in a
festival in Hungary.
Another very successful Sidmouth appearance followed
in 2016, and 2017 brought the team's 40th birthday with another wonderful
celebration weekend at Billy Bedlam's Holiday Camp with great guest teams and
much frivolity. Another varied programme followed in 2018, and in 2019 the team attended
Whitby Folk Week for the first time, with a rich variety of events during the
week including a well received piratical ceilidh spot.
2020 and beyond....
2020 brought
an inauspicious start to the new decade with the arrival of coronavirus early in
the year, decimating outdoor events for us and the morris world throughout the
year and most of 2021. But despite that, and the possibility of one or two long standing side members
having put their Knees Up
for the last time, the side went into the next decade further stimulated for the future by the addition of a number of
excellent new recruits. Invitations to major festivals continue to arrive,
with appearances at Shrewsbury in 2022 and Towersey in 2023, another highly
successful week long appearance at Sidmouth in 2023, and in 2024 the Warwick
Folk Festival along with a second visit to the Marlboro Ale in the US
together with our good friends over many years, Windsor Morris. The end of 2024 also brought the welcome sight of some new young
recruits, giving us still more optimism for the side's future.
Throughout nearly all of the last 47 years, the annual Bunfight ceilidh has
continued to be an integral part of the BB year, with a part of every autumn
practice season given over to development of a suitable interval spot for
the Bunfight. The spot development process, never easy, sometimes daunting, but
always an adventure, has become one of the raisons d'être of the side, and if
nothing else each spot provides a talking point until time for next year's
spot.
For the future the side remain committed to maintaining the high standards
achieved throughout its history, while also continuing to develop and innovate.
This should continue to provide interest and enjoyment for themselves and their
audiences. Well that's the plan, anyway ....
BB at Sidmouth /
Whitby 1995
- 2023 |
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Sidmouth 1995 - (back) Mike,
Simon, Karen, Lee, Jane, Jameson, Malcolm, Colin, MalG
(front) Mike, Jerry
(+ not pictured - Paul) |
Sidmouth 2000 - Gareth, Mike, Jerry, Malcolm, Jane, John, Paul, Jameson, Bob, MalG
+ kneeling Rob
(+ not pictured - Simon, Lee) |
Sidmouth 2003 - (back) Tim, Lee, Jerry (middle) Malcolm, John, Rob,
Jameson, Mike (front) Sue, Simon, Bob (+ not pictured - Jane, Paul) |
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Sidmouth 2007 - (left
picture) Tim, Lee,
Jameson, Jerry's hat, Malcolm, Roy, Simon, Rob, plus (right picture) Sue and Bob
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Sidmouth 2010 -
(back) Malcolm, Simon, Roy, Paul, Jameson, Rob, John (middle) Mark,
Jerry, Lee, Will B, Alun, Will M (seated) Bob, Sue |
Sidmouth 2013 - Bob, David,
Malcolm, MalG, Rob, Will M, Roy, Alun, John, Mark, Sue, Jameson
(+ not pictured - Andy, Jerry) |
Sidmouth 2016 - (back) Bob,
Roy, David, Malcolm, John, Alun, Sue (middle) Jerry, Will, Mark, Paul
(lounging) Jameson |
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Whitby
2019 - Roy, Jerry, Charles, Tim, Rhys, Ben, John, Paul, Jameson,
Alun, Mark, Florent, Malcolm, Bob, (kneeling) Sue |
Sidmouth 2023 - Roy,
Karen, Jerry, Alun, Lee, Jen, Robert, Paul, Rhys, John, Jameson, Will
(kneeling) Ben, Charles, Tom, Malcolm
(+ not pictured - Jane, Mark) |
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Further reading !
Now you have a taste of BB's history, you might also like to read some of Jameson
Wooders personal views about Berkshire Bedlam and how it changed and developed
in its first 20 odd years, expressed in articles
contributed to 'Morris Matters' in 2000 and entitled 'Beyond
the Black Book with Berkshire Bedlam - a personal view of a Modern
Morris Tradition'. These articles (now combined into 1 Word
document) provide further fascinating insights on the
side's history, background and subsequent development. They also contain a review of the ideology and motivation of the
team, and are still very relevant for the Berkshire Bedlam of today despite the
further passage of time. Click here to download!
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