Thaxted Morris Dancers, Thaxted, Essex
Thaxted is a small town in Essex that can be traced back to the Doomsday book of 1086. The Thaxted Morris Dancers was founded in 1911 by Conrad Noël, Vicar of Thaxted, as a reaction to the boom in interest in Morris dancing begun by Cecil Sharp. It is the oldest revival side in the country and, except for the war years, has met every year since; making it the only club in the country to have done so.
Waistcoats
The Thaxted Morris Dancers wear a distinctive crimson and cream waistcoat which is woven in worsted wool and cotton. Floats are woven into the cloth and then the pile is cut to create a fringing effect. The original was designed in the 1930’s by famed textile designer Marianne Straub.
Richard had worked with Marianne Straub at Warner and Sons in the 1960’s and when the time came for the original waistcoats to be replaced Thaxted Morris Dancers approached Richard at Humphries Weaving to weave the new decorative cut pile cloth.
Project reference:490
Marianne Straub also designed another fabric called the ‘Surrey’ that Humphries Weaving were later asked to reproduce.
