Brackley is one of only 7 Cotswold Morris sides listed by the Morris ring as ‘traditional’, and the only one to survive in Northamptonshire. The side can’t claim to have the earliest record, nor can it claim the longest continual existence. Nevertheless we have records dating back to the early 1700s, and there’s a strong local belief that the Morris Men were associated with the presentation of an engraved solid silver communion plate dated 1623. Each of the attachments below is a chapter in our long colourful story.
1. The 1500s – ‘Early Beginnings’
2. The Brackley Silver Paten of 1623 – ‘Rudely scratched’
3. The 1700s -‘ Gaily Bedizoned’
4. The 1800s – ‘Witless Buffoonery’
5. The early 1900s – ‘Skill and Tenacity’
6. The Reformation of 1959 – ‘The Magdalen Boys’
7. The modern side – ‘From Boys to Men’
8. May Day – ‘A Worthy Tradition’
9. Mumming, St George – ‘Here come I’
10. The August Summer Tour – ‘A good pair of boots’
11. The Brackley Fool – ‘Insolence’ and ‘Buffoonery’
12. The Musician – ‘Every note has its step’
13. The Kit -‘ Napkins Scarves and Garters’
The Story of the Brackley Morris Men- Notes & Sources