Quick links to 1954 1955 1956 1957 1958 1959
This is version 2 of these diaries. Contains some added information based on photos and press cuttings in the archives.
Abbreviations used:
- SB1: First scrapbook of ATMD, covering up to 1971
- NBH: North Berks Herald
- MD: Mayor’s Day
Italic font like this is comment added at the time of typing this out (2017) or during revision 2 (2022).
Unless otherwise marked, the text is taken from Jack Hyde’s third notebook. It is not always transcribed word for word.
[There is an entry in the accounts for Jan 1954 of 5 tickets for the Royal Albert Hall at 5s each, though no description of who went or whether this was in conjunction with going to a Ring reps’ meeting as in the previous years.]
February 25th: Meeting Caldecott House. Practice 8-10pm, childrens’ playroom. Tom (Hemmings), MF (Major Fryer), R.Annetts, Fred Coxhead, Charlie Brett, John H(emmings), John Mooring, John Grimsdale, L.Bardwell. Drinks at the Anchor (£1-7-3 1/2). Maj Fryer returning Mace after repair, then took it back, for alteration to box. It was decided to attend Ring Meetings at Aylesbury, Bedford and Coventry and Windsor Day of Dancing. Suggested tour on 12th June in company with South Berks. Balance sheet for 1953 passed as read.
March 18th: Meeting Caldecott House. Present C.Brett, J.Grimsdale, Maj Fryer, L.Argyle, L.Bardwell, J.Hyde. Invitations to Sutton Courtenay June 5th and Walden, Jordans accepted provisionally.
April 1st: Meeting Caldecott House. Practice from 8.15 to 9pm. Charlie B, J.Mooring, J.Grimsdale, R.Annetts, L.Argyle, L.Bardwell, Maj Fryer, J.Hyde. Drinks at the Anchor (15/9 1/2). Decided to go to Sutton on June 5th and made plans for the tour on June 12th.
April 15th: Practice meeting Caldecott House. Tom, Charlie, John Grimsdale, John Mooring, J.Hyde, Maj Fryer, Mr Bardwell, W. Kent. 1) Tour on June 12th; 2) Coronation Horns mounting; 3) Sutton Courtenay fete June 5th, Wargrave men proceed direct; 4) Walden Jordans May 15th team and time of starting; 5) Windsor May 29th. Drinks Anchor (8/5).
April 29th: Meeting Caldecott House. 1) Practice; 2) Tour June 12th details; 3) Horns mounting; 4) Walden Jordans start 1.15. Present Tom, Charlie, J.Mooring, J.Grimsdale, L.Argyle, J.Hyde, L.Bardwell, Maj F, W.Kent. Drinks Anchor (15/9 1/2).
May 13th: meeting at Anchor: arrangements made for Jordans, May 15th, start 2pm.
North Berks Herald of 14th May 1954 p1 announces Abingdon Morris Dancers forthcoming plans: Walden Jordans (Beaconsfield) the following day, Windsor day of dancing on May 29th, Sutton Courtenay’s children’s sports day June 5th, and a tour on June 12th, election of the Ock Street Mayor June 19th, Aylesbury (Morris Ring) in July and Ring meeting at Coventry in September.
Saturday May 15th 1954: Jordans (Bucks). Arrived 3.30pm (raining), dancing in barn, left 6pm, drinks (£1-3-1). Received gift of £1 from Mr Pennyfather, Sutton Courtenay, plus a fee of £3-10-0. Maj F, Fred C, Chas B, J.Hyde, J.Mooring, L.Argyle, J.Grimsdale, F.Jordan. [The North Berks Herald of 14th May 1954 (p1) describes the forthcoming visit to Walden Jordans (Beaconsfield, Bucks) at the invitation of the Bucks English Folk Dancing Society and how the intention was to have both country and morris dancing on the village green. The ATMD scrapbook (SB1) has some fine black and white photos of this event, and the dancing was described as being in the Mayflower Barn. One of these is a group photo: C.Brett, J Hyde, T.Hemmings (mayor), J.Mooring (fool, holding horns), F Fryer (music), L Bardwell (as a dancer), L Argyle; J Grimsdale, F Jordan: LB, LA and FJ are wearing plain sashes.]
Saturday May 29th 1954: Windsor. Left 1.15, arrived 2.30 (raining). Danced in street and at British Legion Hut. Maj Fryer, Fred C, Chas B, Leslie A, J.Mooring, J.Grimsdale, J.Hyde, Mr Bardwell, F.Jordan, E.Constance. Collection 12/11 1/2 handed to Windsor Folk Dance Club, per Rupert Tofield, South Berks Bagman. Drinks at Burchetts Green. Receipts £2-10-0, expenses £1-2-7 1/2.
Saturday June 5th 1954: Sutton Courtenay fete. Arrived 3pm (raining), spent 2 hours in garage, no dancing. Meeting postponed until June 7th. Received £1 (in August), transport expenses 12/0. [The North Berks Herald of 14th May 1954 (p1) describes this as the childrens’ sports day.]
Saturday June 12th 1954: Tour: Wantage, Uffington, Shrivenham, Faringdon, Longworth, Fyfield, Dog House, Shippon. Departed Abingdon 2pm, arrived Wantage 2.45, raining, no dancing. Proceeded to Shrivenham, still raining, no dancing. Had tea, then Faringdon, bypassed Longworth to Southmoor, took drinks at Waggon & Horses, stopped at Dog House, nothing doing. Went on to Shippon, had drink, stopped raining 8pm, gave display at the Prince of Wales. Receipts £1-13-10, expenses 19s1d (teas 8/6, drinks 10/7).
June 15th: Meeting, Anchor, re election of Mayor. Charlie, John M, R.Hemmings, J.Hyde. 1) Tea at Cross Keys; 2) Squire’s visit; 3) Procedure; also 4) Smock on loan from Miss Brewer, returned to Miss Glass, 29 Victoria Road; 5) Re Stratford outing, letter read from Maj Fryer, letter sent to Mr Clark, Midland organiser; 6) Tour – suggest first open date. Expenses drinks 5/7, bladder 1/0.
Saturday June 19th 1954: Election of the Mayor of Ock Street. Voting took place between the hours of 12 noon until 4.30. During the afternnon, the Mayor of Abingdon [Gerald O’Connor] and the late [previous] Mayor Alderman [Percy] Holmes registered their votes. Alderman Holmes also declared the result which was as follows: Tom Hemmings 131, Raymond Hemmings 37, Charles Brett 35. The traditional ceremony of chairing the newly-elected Mayor of Ock Street was carried out. Tea was taken at the Cross Keys, presided over by the Squire of the Morris Ring, Mr Geoffrey Metcalf. Dancing in the streets from 6pm until 10.30, finishing up at the Saxton Arms, Saxton Road. Tom, Maj F, Reg A(nnetts), F Cox, J M(ooring), J G(rimsdale), C B(rett), Les A(rgyle), B.Coxhead, Ray H(emmings), John H(emmings), E.Constance. Receipts £7-9-1 1/2, expenses £4-0-5 (printing £1-18-0, teas £1-6-0, drinks 12/6, taxi 4/0). [The polling station was probably outside 144 Ock Street, which was the house of Tom Hemmings, a couple of doors down the street from the Cross Keys.] [North Berks Herald of 25th June 1954 p1 has a photo and some description of the event – including the story that the ‘applewood chalice-shape cup’ was ‘presented to the Hemmings family by Edward VII’. It also has a photo that shows Tom Hemmings in the chair, Les Argyle (in plain sash) is one of those carrying the chair, the other dancer at the front also seems to have a plain sash.]
Saturday June 26th 1954: Caldecott House fete. Dancing by the two boys teams. Maj F, JH, RH, Tom H, JM, FJ. Receipts nil, expenses nil.
July 15th: Meeting Caldecott House. Agenda: Stratford Aug 3rd, Sutton Fete, Coventry. Expenses 6/9.
July 29th: Meeting Caldecott House. Practice from 8.15 to 9. Met at Anchor. Select team for Stratford Aug 3rd. Wargrave men decide not to attend Salisbury Ring Meeting. Sutton Courtenay fete, start from Saxton 3pm. Tom, Ray, Maj F, Fred C, Charlie, John M, John H, Bryan Coxhead. Expenses 17/6.
Tuesday August 3rd 1954: Stratford. Left Abingdon 1pm, arrived Stratford 2.45. Gave three dances in Memorial Hall, tea 4.30. Danced along riverside, outside White Hart and outside Dirty Dick. Left Stratford 8.30, arrived Abingdon 9.45. Tom, Ray, Maj F, Fred C, Bryan C, John M, John G, Charlie, J Hyde, W Kent, E Constance (+ Mrs Fred Coxhead & Albert). Collection £7-14-4, expenses £6-5-3 1/2 (2 men lost time £3, tea & tip £2-15-6, car park 2/-, drinks 7/9 1/2). [This was the day after the August Bank Holiday Monday. There is no mention of transport but it is unlikely that all 13 people would have fitted into the shooting brake.]
Saturday August 7th 1954: Sutton Courtenay Fete. Commenced dancing in the garden of Sutton Manor House at 3.45. Tea 5pm. Dancing 5.30-6.15. Drinks at New Inn. Arrived back at 8pm. Transport provided by Mr Linnagar’s van. Maj Fryer, Tom, Ray, Charlie, JM, JH, Mr Bardwell, E.Constance. Receipts £3-2-4 (gift from Mr D Astor £1, collection 12/4, fee £1-10-0), expenses (drinks at New Inn) 18/2 1/2). [David Astor was the owner of Sutton Courtenay Manor, and editor of the Observer.]
August 19th: Meeting Caldecott House. Tour, Coventry, Ring Letter, Sutton, Mr Bardwell. Expenses 8/0 1/2.
Saturday August 21st 1954: Tour. Left Abingdon 2.15, visited Wantage, Uffington, Shrivenham, Faringdon, Longworth and Shippon, arrived back 9.15. Maj Fryer, Reg Annetts, Fred Coxhead, R.Hemmings, C.Brett, E.Constance, L.Argyle, J.Mooring, J.Grimsdale, F.Jordan, J.Hyde. Tom did not go. People and money scarce. Slight rain at first, thunderstorm evening. Collection £3-2-6 1/2, expenses £1-5-4 (tea 15/11, drinks 9/5).
September 9th: Meeting Caldecott House, re Ring Meeting Coventry Sept 11th-12th. Start from Abingdon 7.30am, proceed Blacknall Road, Ock Street. Team: Tom Hemmings, Major Fryer, J.Mooring, E.Constance, W.Kent, C.Brett, J.Hyde, L.Argyle, J.Grimsdale, Ray Hemmings, L.Bardwell, B.Coxhead. Expenses 8/9.
September 11th-12th 1954: Coventry Ring Meeting. Arrived Coventry 9.30. Paid £1-7-6 for extra men. Brian Coxhead lodgings for Saturday. Tours Saturday, displays in park, Sunday service cathedral ruins. Arrived home 4.30. [SB1 has a press cutting from Coventry Evening Telegraph 13-9-54, also a photo of Abingdon dancing – L.Bardwell is playing, T.Hemmings is mayor and J Hyde recognisable as one of the dancers.]
September 17th-18th 1954: Concerts Checker Hall, Abingdon. Two performances each evening, 8.30-9.30. Friday: Tom, Ray, J.Mooring, L.Argyle, L.Bardwell, J.Hyde, Charlie B, E.Constance, Maj Fryer. Saturday: Tom, Ray, J.Hyde, Maj Fryer, Fred C, L.Bardwell, Frank J, J.Mooring, J.Gillett, E.Constance.
October 7th: Meeting Anchor. 1) Balance sheet quarter ending Sept 30th; 2) correspondence; 3) practice meetings; 4) Royal Albert Hall; 5) Horns.
Thursday October 14th: Practice, Caldecott. First visit of Michael Bell and R.Blencowe. Expenses 9/6.
October 28th: Practice, Caldecott. Expenses 5/6.
11th November: Meeting, Caldecott. 1) Baldricks, 2) Horns. [Possibly this is the first time that a change in kit from a sash to a baldrick was discussed – the change came in 1956]
November 25th: Practice Meeting, Caldecott. Meeting commenced 8pm. M.Bell. Drinks at Anchor 10/7 1/2. Paid John Grimsdale for lost time £1-10-0.
Meeting arranged for Thursday December 9th cancelled. Further meetings held over until the new year.
As this year’s notebook entries in particular have a good list of persons attending each time, here is a list of all those who are recorded as dancing or playing for the Abingdon Morris Dancers in 1954.
- Tom Hemmings (Mayor of Ock Street)
- Major Fryer (music)
- Reg Annetts (Wargrave man)
- Les Argyle (also member of Oxford Morris Men)
- Len Bardwell (music when needed, otherwise danced. Also prominent member of Oxford Morris Men)
- Charlie Brett
- Ernie Constance
- Bryan Coxhead (Wargrave man)
- Fred Coxhead (Wargrave man)
- John Gillett (South Berks man, formerly Wargrave man)
- John Grimsdale
- John Hemmings (son of Ray, carried the Horns)
- Ray Hemmings
- Jack Hyde (bagman)
- Frank Jordan
- Bill Kent (Wargrave man, driver)
- John Mooring (aka Slim)
- Michael Bell novice
- R.Blencowe novice
Jack Hyde’s third notebook only has entries for the early part of the year. What is entered there is transcribed here, but for the rest of 1955 and succeeding years we don’t have a full record, only what is in the first scrapbook (SB1), in press cuttings, or other archive material.
Meeting arranged for January 13th 1955 cancelled owing to heavy snow.
February 3rd: Meeting Caldecott House. Practice commenced 8pm, practiced Maid of the Mill. Personnel: T.Hemmings, Maj Fryer, F.Coxhead, M.Bell, B.Coxhead, J.Hyde, R.Hemming, C.Brett, L.Bardwell, J.Mooring, J.Grimsdale, R.Blencowe. (1) Business meeting proposed by J.Grimsdale to take place on Feb 10th “Cross Keys” 8.30. (2) Ring circular re meetings for 1955. (3) Letter from Ring bagman re club representatives held at Cecil Sharp House Jan 8th 1955 – no decisions taken, awaiting further information from London. Next practice meeting Feb 17th 1955.
[that is the last entry in Jack Hyde’s notebook apart from an entry ‘Meeting Caldecott March 24th 1955, but with no further details]
28th May: dancing at Burford. The archives have 2 small B&W photos of Abingdon dancing at Burford, labelled ‘Princess Royal’ and ‘Brighton Camp’ and this date. These photos also have D.J.J. written on the back (Deena Jackson – Stuart Jackson’s mother and daughter of Tom Hemmings). One dancer in the Brighton Camp photo is a novice with no sash. The Princess Royal photo has E Constance holding the horns (he has a rosette on his shirt), T Hemmings as mayor, L Bardwell playing concertina, Jack Hyde is one of the dancers.
10th June: North Berks Herald article announces the annual election of the Mayor of Ock Street to be held on 18th June “when residents of Ock Street will record their votes at the Morris Mayor’s house, 144 Ock Street between noon and 4pm. The newly-elected Mayor will be ‘chaired at about 5pm. Traditional Morris dances will be performed by the Abingdon team in Park Road and Park Crescent, Abingdon, during the afternoon, and in Ock Street and vicinity during the evening.” [Previous elections had been held outside the closed ‘Happy Dick’ which was 143 Ock Street. 144 Ock Street was the other side of the street near the Cross Keys and was Tom Hemmings’ home.]
Saturday 18th June: Mayor’s Day The North Berks Herald of 24th June has 3 photos and an article reporting Tom Hemmings winning by 165 votes to John Grimsdale’s 43 votes. “Mr Hemmings, who is 68, has been folk-dancing since he was a boy. His nephew, nine-year old Maurice Hemmings, is mascot or ‘Emblem of the Dance’ to the Abingdon Morris team.” The article mentions that there were 11 dancers, including the fool (Jack Mooring) and musician (Len Bardwell). Dances at Abingdon Hospital and Albert Park included ‘A nutting we will go’, ‘Curly-headed Ploughboy’ and ‘Sally Luker’. Result announced by the Mayor of Abingdon, Coun.H.J.Polley. The history of the horns and the fight for them is reported, though the article describes it as being between the morris teams of Ock Street and ‘the east of Abingdon, beyond the Vineyard’. [The archives have an original of this article] [SB1 also has photocopies of 1955 reports and articles about this Mayor’s Day from The Times Weekly Review 23.6.55, John Bull 18.6.55 and Oxford Mail 20.6.55. SB1 has several good quality photos of Mayor’s Day 1955 and we can pick out the following from them:
Tom Hemmings (mayor), Len Bardwell (music), Ray Hemmings, Johnny Grimsdale, Les Argyle, Frank Jordan, Slim Mooring (fool), Charlie Brett, Jack Hyde, Ernie Constance (has rosette on shirt as well as sash), Maurice Hemmings (boy). L Argyle, F Jordan and M Hemmings are wearing plain sashes, not the old checkered ones. There is also a man in the procession not in morris kit but wearing a hat and EFDSS badge (It might be Percy Hemmings making a guest appearance).]
Saturday 25th June: Founder’s Day, Dr Barnardo’s childrens’ home, Caldecott House. Dancing at this event is reported in the North Berks Herald of 1st July 1955. Morris dancing by both the boys of the home and the Abingdon Morris Men. Programme was opened by folk dancing from Caldecott House girls.
There was a big Ring Meeting in London 8th-10th July (50th anniversary). Abingdon are not on the list of clubs reported as going to this in the article in Morris Ring Circular no 14, Jan 1989, but there is a small B&W photo in the archives marked ‘Tower Hill London Ring Meeting 1955’ which shows Len Bardwell in what looks like Abingdon kit playing the concertina. This photo also is marked D.J.J (see Burford above).
Material for 1956-59 is quite limited. There are some entries and photos in Scrapbook no 1 (SB1), press cuttings from the North Berks Herald (NBH) and Oxford Mail (OM), miscellaneous items in the paper archives including balance sheets (BS) for 56,57 and 59, plus an online reference.
Balance sheet for 1956 first half year (BS56-1) mentions expenses for drinks at meetings on 8th March, 19th April, 31st May, 22nd June. All except the latter would have been practice meetings.
Saturday 12th May 1956 : London. The online archive of the folk collector Peter Kennedy describes sound recordings in Trafalgar Square made on this date of seven Abingdon morris dances, with Francis Fryer as musician ( http://folktrax-archive.org/menus/cassprogs/116abingdon.htm ). Sadly, these recordings are no longer commercially available. BS56-1 records for this date ‘Folk Dancing Abbey Grounds’ with receipts of £5/8/10. At first this might appear to mean dancing in Abingdon’s Abbey Grounds, but the high receipts and the above recordings in London suggest that the Abbey in question might be Westminster Abbey.
Saturday 9th June 1956 : Pageant Day – no further details in BS56-1 except for receipts of £1 from Major Fryer + £1/2/3 collection. Major Fryer’s £1 was later spent on drinks in the Cross Keys on the same day. [There is a photo of Abingdon morris processing in town (going past Coxeters furniture shop) and it is no doubt part of a larger event as Maurice Hemmings is carrying a sign saying ‘The Morris Dancers’. All apart from young Maurice are wearing the new crossed baldricks rather than a sash. Identifiable are Maurice Hemmings (boy holding sign), Slim Mooring (fool), Tom Hemmings (mayor, carrying sword and cup), Stuart Jackson (boy), Len Bardwell (concertina), ? J Grimsdale (horns), Ray Hemmings, Frank Jordan, Charlie Brett. The chair (empty) is being carried. Most likely this is the Pageant referred to in the balance sheet on Saturday 9th June 1956, two weeks before Mayor’s Day. If so, it is probably the first time the Abingdon team appeared in the new baldricks.]
Saturday 23rd June 1956 : Mayor’s Day. Tom Hemmings 183 votes, John Mooring 71. Reported in OM (25.6.56 p6) and Auckland Weekly News (New Zealand). Dancing 6-8pm in Ock Street as well as after the election and chairing. NBH of 25th June 1956 p1 has 3 photos: Tom Hemmings with sword and cup; Stuart Jackson (8) and Maurice Hemmings (10) with the horns; dancing in Ock Street and there is further reporting on p11. The Oxford Mail (2004 and in a magazine called Reflections) had a posed photo of 1956 chairing with John Gillett and Charlie Brett at the front, probably F Jordan and B Clark at the back, T Hemmings in the chair, Slim Mooring (fool), J Grinsdale holding horns which are out of shot and S Jackson (boy) at the front. There are also good quality prints in SB1, not all of which were in the papers. One of dancing in Ock St has J Mooring (fool), J Grimsdale (horns), T Hemmings (mayor), recognisable dancers are B Clark, C Brett, F Jordan and R Hemmings, plus one with no baldrick (? R Annetts). Group photo* has J Grimsdale, C Brett, E Constance (holding horns), B Clark, ??, T Hemmings (mayor), ? F Coxhead (no baldrick), J Hyde, L Bardwell (with concertina); J Mooring (fool), S Jackson, F Jordan, M Hemmings, F Fryer (seated with melodeon), poster behind with date (23rd). Third picture in SB1 of dancing has J Grimsdale (horns), S Jackson and M Hemmings (mascots), J Mooring (fool), and dancers C Brett, B Clark, J Hyde, F Jordan, F Coxhead, J Gillett. Another photo probably Mayor’s Day 1956 has Len Bardwell (concertina) leading the procession with T Hemmings (mayor) on foot; F Fryer is walking alongside but not playing; E Constance carrying horns. Other photos also probably Mayor’s Day 1956 show dancing outside the Cross Keys and L Bardwell leading a procession (no chair). *There is another photo of exactly the same group apart from Len Bardwell, slightly different poses but definitely the same place and people.
Saturday 7th July: Buckland , probably a fete as BS56-2 records a fee of 1 guinea (£1/1s) collected, but also 16/8d spent the same day on ‘drinks on tour (Buckland)’.
Friday 14th to Sunday 16th September: Abingdon Ring Meeting. Saturday 10 separate daytime tours. Evening procession to Abbey Grounds for a public display, followed by a feast in the Corn Exchange. Sunday morning procession to St Michael’s church followed by dancing in Ock Street and Market Place. [There are photos of Saturday evening dancing in the Abbey Grounds and the procession to and from it. One shows Kenworthy Schofield playing pipe and tabor. Others show dancing by the Archway and in Ock St outside the Ock St Horns. There are several photos of the Sunday procession to St Michael’s Church. Of the 2 photos of Abingdon, distinguishable are T Hemmings (mayor), C Brett, S Mooring (fool), L Bardwell (concertina), E Constance (horns), S Jackson (boy), R Hemmings, B Clark, F Jordan, L Argyle. In one Abingdon are followed by a boy’s team in all white, baldricks, white pumps and straw hats – they may be Barnardo’s but if so they have now got white trousers. One of the other teams photoed in the procession was Headington Quarry. We also have some video of this weekend, courtesy of Doc Rowe. It is in colour but has no sound. It shows the dancing in Abbey Grounds with procession and going into the church on Sunday. There is no footage of Abingdon dancing but brief shots of Tom Hemmings with the young Stuart Jackson, L Argyle, S Mooring and E Constance.]
Friday 2nd November 1956: The Queen visited Abingdon for the celebration of the 400th anniversary of Abingdon Town charter. Morris dancing before the Queen at the bottom of Conduit Road. Pathe News footage also shows Barnardo’s Boys* dancing (not an Abingdon dance, but what looks like Headington). The archives have the official programme for the Queen’s visit, plus a sheet of supplementary information, which describes route: Abingdon station (1215) 4 cars proceed along Broad Street, Park Road, Conduit Road, Ock Street, High Street to County Hall with morris dancing as procession passes end of Conduit Road. The Queen re-opened County Hall and after a tour of the museum there was a bun throwing. After lunch the Queen’s car left for Wallingford via Ock Street and Drayton Road. According to SB1 there was Morris Dancing in Ock Street until the queen had left town. BS56-2 records a collection of 18s2½d. NBHerald 9.11.1956 (Royal Visit supplement) has a photo of Tom Hemmings and the morris dancers. [One photo** in SB1 is of a procession down Conduit Road, led by L Bardwell (concertina), E Constance (horns), S Jackson (mascot), L Argyle (melodeon), T Hemmings (mayor), S Mooring (fool). Another shows the Barnardo’s Boys dancing, now in all white with top hats, baldricks (with a B in the middle) and black shoes – music is provided by J Hyde (harmonica), L Argyle (melodeon) and L Bardwell (concertina), while T Hemmings (mayor) stands behind the music, S Mooring fools alongide and J Grimsdale (jacket over kit) looks on. Photo of dancing in Ock St with the crowd behind metal barriers, T Hemmings (mayor), E Constance (horns). L Argyle (melodeon), L Bardwell (concertina), S Jackson (mascot, hands in pockets), R Hemmings, B Clark, F Jordan, C Brett, J Hyde, J Grimsdale dancing, S Mooring fooling in background and a short man or boy looking on, wearing kit but with an old style sash. ** Same photo of procession in Conduit Road appeared in a special supplement of the NBH 9th Nov 56. Group photo taken in Ock St (same metal barriers) shows R Hemmings, L Bardwell (concertina), F Jordan, B Clark, E Constance (horns), T Hemmings (mayor), C Brett, S Jackson (mascot), J Grimsdale, J Hyde, S Mooring (fool), L Argyle kneeling in front with melodeon and at the back are two men probably from Wargrave, perhaps F Coxhead and R Annetts, though F Fryer seems to have been absent. There is also British Pathe video of this event which includes a snatch of the Barnardo’s Boys dancing (not an Abingdon dance) in Conduit Road as in the second photo and a brief shot of E Constance with the horns.]
* SB1 has undated photos of the Dr Barnardo’s Home Boys team from 1956, stating that they were trained by Jack Hyde and Len Bardwell. One shows them dancing at Caldecott House at a function, maybe their fete. The other one shows them dancing at Trinity Church (again probably a fete) with Les Argyle playing the melodeon. They wore straw hats with flowers, baldricks with a rosette, white shirts, dark trousers (long or short according to age), white plimsolls. In the Trinity photo there are sticks on the ground, but both photos show handkerchief dances. They did not do Abingdon dances. SB1 says they were trained by L Argyle and L Bardwell. This was a different boys’ team from the one based at Boxhill school.
It is often stated that the Queen’s visit in 1956 was the first time the Abingdon morris dancers changed their uniform from a sash to crossed baldricks in the green and yellow colours of the Abingdon town council, and that the council had paid for these new baldricks. From the archives, neither of these seem to be true. Photos from the 9th June Pageant and Mayor’s Day 1956 show the team already wearing the new baldricks in June and whilst there is a total expenditure of £3/2/6 for braid and cotton in March and May 1956, there is no record of any income from the council or anyone else to pay for this. The change had probably been planned for some time as ‘baldricks’ was a topic of the meeting of 11th November 1954.
Material for 1956-59 is quite limited. There are some entries and photos in Scrapbook no 1 (SB1), press cuttings from the North Berks Herald (NBH) and Oxford Mail (OM), miscellaneous items in the paper archives including balance sheets (BS) for 56,57 and 59.
Saturday 11th May 1957 : visit to Westminster: 11 men for tea and feast so this was probably Westminster MM day of dance.
Saturday 25th May 1957 : tour with Headington. Expenses were £6 for a coach and £4 for teas. £9/7/3 was collected.
Saturday 1st June 1957 : Windsor. Collection was £1/10/0 and Major Fryer contributed £1. Expenses for the day were 17/2 for drinks, and a 10s tip (maybe for a driver?).
Whit Monday 10th June 1957 : Harwell Feast and Radley WI fete, Wick Hall. £3 fee, £6/1/2 collection and Maj Fryer contributed £1/10s. Drinks came to 18/10. NBH 14.6.1957 p1 described the morris at Radley WI fete. NBH 14.6.1957 p11 also had a fanciful article about the morris called ‘With Streamers & Bells’ (copy in SB1).
Saturday 22nd June 1957 : Mayors Day was reported in the North Berks Herald (28-6-57 pp1&2), Oxford Mail (24.6.57) and the News Chronicle. Tom Hemmings 157 votes, John Grimsdale 28, Charlie Brett 48. Polling station was 144 Ock Street (Tom’s house), Ald F Stimpson was returning officer. There was BBC coverage by Bernard Braden and Barbara Kelly as one of 4 talks about the Thames, for which payment of 10 guineas was received in September. NBH 21.6.57 p2 had an announcement of the election on the following Saturday describing the candidates Tom Hemmings, John Grimsdale (‘well known football referee and former secretary of local Horticultural Society’), and Charlie Brett (‘scribe to the morris dancers’). NBH of 21.6.57 wrongly says the voting result will be declared at the Happy Dick (NBH of 28.6.57 says the procession returned to the Cross Keys). [SB1 has 5 good quality photos labelled 1957 Mayor’s Day (probably taken by Milligan). 1. Mayor’s Day group photo: J Grimsdale, J Hyde, B Clark, F Jordan, E Constance (horns), L Argyle; C Brett, F Fryer (seated, melodeon, wearing jacket over kit), T Hemmings (mayor), S Jackson (mascot), L Bardwell (concertina); S Mooring (fool). J Grimsdale hat has a white flower on the brim. L Argyle is present (but was not in any MD56 photos). No Wargrave men in photos. 2. Dancing in Ock St, good crowd standing round: L Argyle, B Clark, F Jordan, J Grimsdale (note hat), J Hyde, C Brett. 3. Shot of dancing taken from upstairs window, same dancers in same positions as in 2, Fryer playing while seated, E Constance with horns, T Hemmings mayor and S Mooring (fool). 4. J Grimsdale and S Mooring with horns and mayor and mayoress of Abingdon (Clement Barber and wife). 5. Chairing T Hemmings in Ock St, same location as other photos (close to Cross Keys and TH’s house): F Jordan, C Brett, J Grimsdale, E Constance (horns), S Jackson are identifiable. News Chronicle of 24-6-57 has a rather patronising article about Mayor’s Day – among other things it mentions ’30 girls from an upper class school at Wantage’ in the audience. A photo showing among others B Clark and T Hemmings at the White Horse, with F Fryer seated in the background is also probably 1957 – in SB1 a copy of this is on the same page as the News Chronicle press cutting.]
Saturday 29th June 1957 : Winchester Ring Meeting (14 men at 7s each plus 6s6d each lodging = expenditure of £9/9/0). Copy of the programme is in SB1. Abingdon Morris Men were on Tour G with East Surrey.
Saturday 21st September 1957 : Kingston Ring Meeting (9 men tea & feast at 10/6 each, drinks 5/6, tip £1). Copy of the programme is in SB1. Both Abingdon Morris Men and Abingdon Morris Boys were on Tour D with Northampton, taking in Maidenhead, Windsor and Hampton Court Palace among others.
Saturday 7th September 1957 : Banbury Band fete (fee £5)
Material for 1956-59 is quite limited. There are some entries and photos in Scrapbook no 1 (SB1), press cuttings from the North Berks Herald (NBH) and Oxford Mail (OM), miscellaneous items in the paper archives.
Saturday 21st June 1958 : Mayor’s Day Tom Hemmings Mayor with 146 votes, C Brett 48, J. Mooring 30. Fred Stimpson wasreturning officer. Described in Oxford Mail 23rd June 1958. [Photo in NBH 27.6.58 (Mayor of Ock Street Rides in State’) shows T Hemmings in chair and B Clark, J Hyde, C Brett and J Grimsdale visible in the chair party. An uncropped copy of the same photo in SB1 clearly shows a schoolgirl in uniform looking on. A photo of dancing in Ock St with several girls in the same uniform therefore suggests this is 1958 Mayor’s Day. Other photos taken at the same time show F Stimpson announcing the result outside 144 Ock St (Tom’s house) and the chairing party led by S Mooring (fool, carrying horns) and L Bardwell (concertina). The ‘upper class schoolgirls from Wantage’ referred to in the 1957 News Chronicle article seem to have come back for a second year. There are no photos of Mayor’s Day 1958 showing the hornbearer – Ernie Constance died in 1958 but we don’t know exactly when.]
Apart from the above, there is nothing in the scrapbook or archives about 1958.
Material for 1956-59 is quite limited. There are some entries and photos in Scrapbook no 1 (SB1), press cuttings from the North Berks Herald (NBH) and Oxford Mail (OM), miscellaneous items in the paper archives including balance sheets (BS) for 56,57 and 59.
English Dance & Song magazine April 1959 magazine featured Abingdon morris on the front cover and an article (both of which were for Mayor’s Day 1955!)
Saturday 9th May 1959 : Westminster day of dancing, 12 men for lunch (3/6 each) and the Feast (4s each).
Saturday 13th June 1959 : Kennington fete . Fee £3/10s.
Saturday 20th June 1959 : Mayors Day . Tom Hemmings 114 votes, Ray Hemmings 62, described in OM 22.6.1959: p1. A photo (via Facebook) shows George Pickard helping to carry the chair, and it is thought to be 1959 because Slim Mooring is the fool behind him (he had finished by 1960), and the horns aren’t decorated with roses as they were in 1960, also J Grimsdale is the hornbearer.
Saturday 18th July : Wortley (?) church fete . Fee £6.
5th-7th September : Headington ring meeting . 11 men attended, expenses included lodgings. The feast was quite expensive (10s each) and Major Fryer made a donation of £2 to help pay for the weekend expenses. SB1 has photos of dancing in Bury Knowle park. One of these is of 4 Abingdon men with the horns, not dancing. C Brett and S Mooring (fool) are recognisable, the dancer between them looks like Frank Purslow (in full kit) and the one on the left with his back to the camera has a rosette on the back of his hat. In a shot of Abingdon dancing, L Argyle, J Hyde, L Bardwell (concertina) and S Mooring (fool) are recognisable.