It was great to catch the Dark Horse Morris group from Maldon at the Queen’s Head pub in Burnham last night. It couldn’t me more convenient for us (that’s our house peering over the ivy in the photo above).
Dark Horse dance the Border style but have created their own dances based around the local sea and sailing ship traditions of Maldon. They have ‘adopted the characteristic colours of the Thames Barges for their kit – Burgundy, Brown and Cream (the commonest sail colours) and Black (the normal hull colour)’ and ‘have a touch of white in [their] coats as Maldon is also famous for its own sea salt, made by the Maldon Crystal Salt Company‘ Good to see that culture and tradition are still alive and changing.
They also guise in engaging half-red, half-black facepaint distancing themselves from any hint of racist blackface. I like to think there might be a secret nod to anarcho-syndicalism in there too!
Dengie Bioregion 