1969
Madrigals, the Vauxhall Cresta and the bearded lady!

The early days of Dolphin were full of enthusiastic ignorance.  Ignorance of the dancing, and of the etiquette of the Morris. The Dolphin men weren’t really interested at that time in the pomp and ceremony they just wanted to get on with it, drink more than was good for them, and have a good time. None of them thought that there was another forty years to somehow fit in. It was a time of discovery and high adventure with a few unfortunate and, embarrassing incidents along the way; the (road-side piss-artists) to name but one.

This poster relates to 8^th March 1969. Prices: 7/6d, or 6/- for members!

Roy Dyson’s letter of August 1969 to Ewart Russell says: ‘During the last 18 months we have performed at four NTMC ceilidhs. There is little information available about the dates of the ceilidhs but there were several each year. The archive of photographs contains examples from these ceilidhs but being undated it is not possible to positively identify them to a particular ceilidh.

Above left: Ian Stewart (musician) 1 Colin Shaw, 2 Lawrence Platt, 3 Roy Dyson

4 John Whitelaw, 5 Ian Stevenson, 6 Bob Hine.

Above right: Laurence Platt (musician), 1 Colin Shaw, 2 Ian Stewart, 3 Probably Roy Dyson, 4 John Whitelaw, 5 Ian Stevenson, 6 Alan Burke. Bob Hine is standing at the back on the left.

Dolphin would dance at various locations in the county on the Saturday afternoon of an NTMC ceilidh, and on 8^th March 1969 it was at Radliffe-on-Trent and Cotgrave. The Newark Advertiser published a photograph of the team taken at the Rose & Crown at Cotgrave:

The accompanying write-up said:

‘The hat could not be passed round…Red tape meant that Morris Dancers, pictured on the forecourt of the Rose and Crown, Cotgrave, on Saturday had to curtail their tour without visiting Radcliffe as originally planned.

A delay in the passage of application forms through County Hall meant that the Dolphin Morris Men were also legally barred from having a traditional collection.

But the dancers soon skipped round that regulation. One of them accidentally knocked his hat off and the dancers engrossed in their performance were powerless to prevent about £3 accumulating towards expenses.

In the evening the dancers took part in a ceilidh of folk songs and dances at Nottingham, but one dancer, Ian Stewart, had to find a second bow for his violin – the first had been left at Cotgrave’

[Ian Stewart did own a violin at the time, but didn’t really master it and eventually sold it].

A ceilidh was held at Villiers Hall of residence at Leicester University on March 14^th 1969 and a fee of five guineas was requested to cover expenses. Initial difficulties in putting a team together due to NTMC commitments were overcome with little time to spare.

For Sunday 4^th May 1969 a street collection permit was issued in respect of performances given at: The Rose & Crown, Zouch; The Station hotel, Sutton Bonington; and The Windmill Hotel, Gotham. This was one of many events that would come and go with no images to refer back to and destined always to be a part of a soupy mix of memories that form into a single experience over time.

County Hall queried the number of separate street collection permit applications, and requested that a block request should be submitted so that permits could be authorised at a sitting rather than piecemeal.  Roy Dyson explained the situation of a new team still exploring dancing sites and gave reasons why it was difficult to comply with the request. The clerk decided that the explanation as ‘quite acceptable’.

It is evident that Roy Dyson was keen to comply with the regulations but that Colin Shaw would have dispensed with the red tape and gone out and danced regardless. On the balance of probability the likelihood of a challenge was low on the scale. Being asked to move on was more than likely the outcome, and there would have been a saving of time filling in all the paperwork, that is what Colin thought anyway.

There is a Christmas card in the archive from a Professor Britten, with a photograph of Dolphin dancing. Professor Britten was one of the senior staff at Sutton Bonington College and also the leader of ‘The Rowans’ - a madrigal singing group.   Ian Stewart was the contact and he says they were ‘a tea and cakes’ kind of outfit and were ‘pretty awful’, and not at all like the ‘zizzy spirit of Queen Bess’s Merrie England’. There was a joint tour with ‘The Rowans’ on Monday 19th May 1969 and the venues were: The Square, Bingham; Royal Oak, East Bridgford; and The Black Lion, Radcliffe. Ian Stewart can only recall that Dolphin behaved themselves: ‘nobody got pissed or belched in the middle of a madrigal!’

Sunday 22^nd June 1969; and the Dolphin men were booked at a folk festival at Nottingham College of Education, Clifton. A letter within the archive simply says:

‘Dear Morris Men,

Please come and dance at our festival 22^nd June, 2.30pm,

(signed) Us’.

P.S. Please provide own…

1. (han)kerchiefs  2. bells  3. logs (sticks?)  4. music.

The faithfully reproduced requests must, we presume, have been complied with by the side.

Thursday 3^rd July 1969; and Dolphin performed at the first of the ‘Medieval Markets’ at Newark. Organised by the Newark & District Tradesmen’s Association. Dolphin were billed with ‘The Ragamuffin Band’, ‘Rogues in Stocks’, ‘Strong Men’, ‘Ducking Stool’, ‘Dick Turpin and Horse Shoeing’, ‘Punch & Judy’ and a Merry-Go-Round that played throughout the evening!

In February 1969 Roy Dyson wrote to the Skegness entertainments committee informing them of Dolphin’s intended tour of Skegness during the summer season. In a letter of reply mention was made of the ‘Dairy Festival Exhibition that was to run between Thursday 24^th and Thursday 30^th July. The event was to include: displays of milking of cows, calves (for the children to look at); and the whole cycle of milk production. John Whitelaw recalls, ‘British Dairy Queen (non bovine) was on display and Quite attractive’. With a bit of luck Dolphin could just about steal the show as long as they didn’t clash with the milking demonstration at 3 pm.

Saturday 26^th July 1969 was the date decided upon. Sadly there are no photographs but it is understood that the lifeboat made an appearance when it was towed through the dancing set…

The letter from the, ‘Skegness Publicity, Foreshore and Entertainments Department’ suggested that Dolphin’s ‘contribution’ to the festival ‘would be most acceptable’.

In 1969 Dolphin danced at its first Bromyard Folk Festival but could not field a full team so joined a scratch side. Dolphin were part of the Ledbury tour and Roy received a cheque for 15/- (75p) for expenses. Roy’s letter of thanks says, ‘May there be many more like it!’ John Whitelaw recalls, ‘Where’s MY expenses – I DROVE!’

NTMC newsletter number 10 of 17^th October 1969 had a Dolphin recruiting advert ...

‘Morris beginners’ practices are now in

full swing every Tuesday night at Ian

Stewart’s house at Kingston…Transport

is laid on etc.’ The advert goes on to say that,

‘Practice for the more experienced members

is on Monday evenings as always’.

Although the advert states that practices occur on two separate evenings no one so far can remember it ever actually happening.

Saturday 25^th October 1969; and the fifth NTMC ceilidh had the pairing of Dolphin and Foresters Morris Men for the first time; and Owd Oss Mummers and NTMC singers as well. No wonder the ceilidh lasted over four hours – and still only 7/6d (6/6d for members)!

Bob Hine reflects on this union of Morris when he says, ‘It is interesting to see Foresters on the same bill. Dolphin’s average age must have been about 24 – we were very hostile to established “vicarage tea party” sides. We thought that the right place for Morris was as part of the folk revival’.

Foresters as a side were already sixteen years old when Dolphin had their first practice and so naturally the average age of their men was going to be significantly higher because of that. Foresters were already comfortable with their position and were seen as the ‘old men’ of Morris whereas Dolphin were still finding their feet (literally) and were young, fit and full of bravado and testosterone. Eventually the gap would narrow until apart from kit the differences would be few. Morris men tend to mellow with age and grey hair, a paunch and creaking joints become the norm for all but the few.

The Yetties as they appeared on their 2nd album. released in 1970.

Dolphin had also danced out during the day of the ceilidh at, The White Hart, Daybrook and Bulwell Market Place. Colin Shaw was a friend of The Yetties from his time living down in the south, and so the band actually went out on tour with the Morris Men. John Whitelaw recalls that one of the band, Bonnie, actually danced with the Morris Men on this tour.   The Yetties had turned profession in 1967 but no one thought to get a photograph for the scrapbook. While in Nottingham they stayed with Colin Shaw and were the booked guest at the NTMC the night before the ceilidh.   According to John Whitelaw the band charged a fee of £25 which covered both bookings!

NTMC newsletter number 12 dated 31^st October notes, ‘A top class display by The Dolphin Morrismen, the Foresters and a noteworthy (and totally unrehearsed) debut by the ‘Owd ‘Oss.

NTMC newsletter number 14 dated 14^th November 1969 records …

‘The combined might of the Dolphin Morrismen and the Newshouse Mummers descended on Sawley Community Centre last Tuesday night (11^th November) to take to the locals an evening folk entertainment of song, dance and plays. This is one of a number of such bookings the N.T.M.C. Touring Company has undertaken, always proving very popular.’

Newshouse Mummers eventually became ‘The ‘Owd ‘Oss Mummers. They started as ‘St Anne’s Well Mummers’ and the name varied according to where they were practicing. ‘Owd Oss comes from the Mansfield ‘Owd Oss play. Information supplied by John Whitelaw who was himself an ‘Owd Oss’ Mummer.

By 18^th November 1969 the membership is listed as being:

Colin Shaw, Roy Dyson, Ian Stewart, Laurence Platt, John Whitelaw, Bob Hine, John Baxter, Roy Harris, Jim Evans, Terry Paling, Mick Couldry, Norman Couldry, and Phillip Hunt.

1969 finished with an ‘Auld Lang Syne’ at NTMC. NTMC newsletter number 17 dated Friday 2^nd January 1970 records: ‘A great time was had by all at the ceilidh on December 20^th.The idea of having the ceilidh as a fancy dress do was a hit as well. The majority of people came in costume making quite a display, what with parsons and parlour maid’s, bunny-girls and scarecrows and even a fellow in drag [was this Lloyd Winston Watkins dressed as fairy nuff? says John Whitelaw]. The Dolphin men danced a most unusual and unorthodox selection – at least I’ve never seen a pirate, a commissar, a caveman (to name but a few) doing the Shepherd’s Hey, until that night’.

Mick Couldry donated his old Vauxhall Cresta to go with the records and the bottle of whiskey as prizes in the raffle. It was won by a ‘bearded lady’ from Ripley Folk Club!

The NTMC newsletter of 30^th January 1970 recalls the previous year and concludes, ‘during the year the Dolphin Morrismen have gone from strength to strength, adding new dances to their repertoire and new men to their side. They have made many successful public appearances and are in great demand for the coming season’.

NTMC poster designed by Ian Stewart in 1969