MOSSLEY MORRIS MEN

Mossley Morris Men has a long history dating back to the early nineteenth century. In 1890, Mossley danced in The Royal Albert Hall, London at the English Folk Dance and Song Society Festival.

During the great excursions to the seaside after 1900, Mossley Morris Men regularly danced at Blackpool to entertain the crowds. Mossley was a keen guest at the Knutsford Folk and Dance Festival and danced at Preston Guild Hall in 1902. The side was an annual visitor to Marsden Morris Men and danced in the Huddersfield Carnival of 1903. They danced locally and were regular visitors to the villages of Saddleworth, Millbrook, Hurst Cross and many more throughout the area.

Mossley's last rushcart was the 1902 cart. It went to Stalybridge to celebrate the end of the Boer War. By the late 1920's the Mossley side was fading due to age. Young men were trained by the old masters for the annual Lord Mayor's Carnival of 1923. This was the last time the 'Mossley Dance' was seen in the town for some years to come.

The oldest surviving member of the Mossley side was Levi Leech. He was born in 1885 and started dancing in 1903 when he was just seventeen. He died in 1961 in Mossley.

The Mossley side was reformed in 1981. Manchester Morris Men visited the town to show the re-formed Mossley side how to dance the 'Mossley Dance' They formally handed the dance back to the town and its Morris Men. Thanks were also due to Saddleworth Morris Men who gave Mossley a great deal of support during their reformation. Today, Mossley go from strength to strength. A small rush cart rumbled through the town in June 2001 at the Mossley Carnival. It was pulled by the Mossley side and lots of youngsters from the local Junior Schools, the first cart for nearly eighty-years. It was a great moment, especially for the children, the older residents and of course, the town of Mossley and its Morris Men.