Subscribe to our Newsletter

Cuckoo's Nest

Back to browse page
Source: R. Kenworthy Schofield, (1930) JEFDS Vol 3 (3) p51-57 "Morris Dances from Longborough"
Place Collected: Longborough
Date collected: unknown

Henry “Harry” Taylor was 68 in 1910. He had led the Longborough morris. The last time that Taylor danced with a side was at the Jubilee of 1887. Cecil Sharp noted his dances with the tunes, which Taylor sang to him; he is said to have never learnt an instrument, though Kenworthy Schofield implies that he was a fiddler. Clive Carey also noted some of his tunes.

Sharp was sometimes assisted by George Joynes (ca 1888-1964), a local fiddler who read music and sometimes played the tunes while Taylor demonstrated the steps. Joynes noted six more of Taylor’s tunes from his son, a fiddler, also called Henry, as part of his collection of morris tunes, which he made available to the Travelling Morris. It was stolen before WW2. The tunes noted by Kenworthy Schofield were obtained from Joynes.

Tunes noted by George Joynes from Harry Taylor jr.
1. Banks of the Dee
2. The Old Woman Tossed up in a Blanket (also noted by Sharp)
3. Constant Billy (also noted by Sharp)
4. Jockie to the Fair
5. Old Trunkles (also noted by Sharp)
6. Cuckoo’s Nest