Sword Dancing - A Village Tradition
How many of the readers of ‘The Key’ visited the
folk festival at Saltburn in August of this year? They would have
been entertained by Morris dancers, folk singers and
‘black-faced’ clog dancers. The only sight missing was
the sight of sword dancing which was performed in the past by a
team from North Skelton.
Sword dancing is part of our pagan heritage of which Morris
dancers, mummers and the Maypole are just a few examples. Readers
of a certain age will remember seeing these dances and some must
have even practised and performed the sword dance at school.
The sword dance was a ‘solar dance’ connected with the
death and renewal of the sun. The swords, about 40 inches long
and very heavy, were not weapons but symbols of the sun. The team
consisted of six to eight men plus an accordionist to play the
beat and various followers including the ‘fool’. The
dances are rituals of the seasons and during the course of the
dance, the swords were wreathed into the ‘lock’ or
‘rose’ which made the emblem of the sun. This was
placed around the neck of the ‘fool’ who was ritually
‘slain’ to symbolise the end of the year.
During his research into folk dance, a Mr Rolf Gardiner visited
North Skelton. In his journal he describes his visit, including
some detail of the dancers practising in the ‘Band
Room’. His visit led to a revival in sword dancing and, with
the assistance of the Pennyman family of Ormesby Hall, eventually
to the formation of a second team in North Skelton, the
‘Primrose’ team at Lingdale and further teams at both
Boosbeck and Loftus.
Thanks to Rolf Gardiner’s involvement, the North Skelton
team travelled all over the area and taught visiting miners from
the Ruhr and Silesia and went on exchange visits with the miners
in Germany. The team performed at the Albert Hall in London and,
in 1932, acted as ‘guards of honour’ at Rolf’s
wedding at Southwark Cathedral. Rolf Gardiner’s association
with North Skelton Sword Dancers spanned the years from 1925
until 1939.
Sadly, sword dancing went into decline in the area but has
recently been revived at Lockwood Beck Primary School, Boosbeck.
Bob Evans, of William Street, North Skelton, was a member of the
sword dancer’s team and one day invited Rolf into his home
for tea. Bob’s daughter Jean (now Jean Tokarski), as a child
of 2-3 years, sat on his knee for most of the visit. Her Dad
later told her that Rolf had made such an impression on her that
on the day he got married she was broken-hearted! (Ed)
Ian Keeler