Reminiscences of Paul Slater (ex-Green Oak, ex-Cheswold)

Green Oak was the team I learnt to dance with. The squire was Paul Davenport and the bagman was Dick Pennycate.

Paul was a student at High Melton Teacher Training College and I think had left before I joined the college in 1972. While he was there he formed (with others) High Melton Morris. I gather this dissolved when many of the team dissipated at the end of their studies, but did get back together occasionally for a dance. Indeed I danced with them (in their red, blue, and white) for the Queen's Jubilee for a one off (no Paul though):

I don't think High Melton existed in the strict sense of the word. It was at least dormant. I taught at Don Valley High School when I left High Melton in 1975 and I was dancing for Green Oak. I met Darryl (Benny) Ball at Don Valley, who used to dance with Davenport and others for High Melton. I understood they had a big falling out and split up. In 1977, Benny had called some ex-High Melton friends from around the country, lured them back to Doncaster and with me to fill the side we did one practice and then a dance out on Jubilee day. As far as I know, that was the only time they got back together. No one from Green Oak who was an ex-High Melton Dancer joined them that day, and I can only imagine Green Oak weren't dancing otherwise I'd have been with them. One of those who joined us at the 'reunion' dance was a tall thin chap called Rob. If you can contact Benny, he'll know a lot more about the early days.

Paul then started Green Oak and I found it through the folk club route. We practised at Bentley Reform Club every Wednesday night. Lots of dance outs, trip to Thaxted and eventually Ring membership. Paul & I were always friends and we used to go Rock Climbing together in Derbyshire on a Sunday quite regularly. I used to visit Paul & Liz at Rossington.

The ones who got me started with Green Oak were Mick Morley and Phil Dodds who were a year above me at High Melton. Phil left at some point but Mick carried on. I think he sometimes turned up at Cheswold to dance as well as we stayed friends.

Other memories of dancers:

Colin (had an old green van and several of us had lifts home in it after practice on Wednesdays at Bentley)

A young lad, Eric

Paul Davenport, Squire & musician

Dick Pennycate, Bagman and Paul's right hand (also High Melton and obviously stayed with Paul after the split). Dick would go and dance solo on Mayday dawn in the middle of woods somewhere

Mick Morley - heard from him a little while back

Phil Dodds

Stuart Swan - many of us always used to get a Chinese after practice (at Co-op Taps) and go back to Stuarts

Rob Gair. Rob did a travelling newsagent/confectionary business at High Melton - his Dad's shop being at Barnburgh. Rob got a house at Royal Avenue, Doncaster next door to Dick & Val Pennycate. I rented a room off Rob when I left College.

The women would sometimes join the practice and we'd do a bit of country dance. We had a go at Rapper and Longsword but I don't think we ever danced it out. We did do Mummer though more than once. We actually made a mess of the sprung wooden dance floor at Bentley Reform Club with the sticks but they didn't seem to mind that there were great dents appearing in it. Practice always ended with a sing often with Stuart leading the trad and Dick leading the rugby versions. Particular favourites were ‘Pleasant and Delightful’ with sound effects, ‘Lighthouse in Mobile’, ‘Dido, Bendigo etc’, ‘Fathom the Bowl’, ‘Black Velvet Band (Rugby version)’, and ‘Martin Said To His Man’.

Some of the dancers were not that keen on Green Oak's strict format, nor Paul's authoritarian style and became irregular or left. Some of us talked it over and it was decided that there was room for another Morris Side. We formed Cheswold in 1977. They wanted to dance but not with Green Oak. I was not that tied to Green Oak so I agreed to join them. I was to be first squire and we practised in the Corporation Brewery Taps. Names I remember were Colin & Barbara (?), Glynn, Jeff Prior, Geoff Wright, Pete & Joan (?), Stuart Swan and Norman Cook. We had a chap join us who was very good at Border and taught us some dances such as Ring of Bells and Brimfield Stick Dance, which made us distinctive from Green Oak. Paul at the time was reviving Kirtlington and they had gone very trad. - Cheswold were somewhat lighter.

We enjoyed some success and danced out with Green Oak on more than one occasion. I remember visiting them in Tickhill at their practice. Cheswold chose Sam Smith's colours - Black, White and Old Gold. I left Cheswold in 1979 to move down south with my job and I visited a few times to guest dance with them. I think Stuart took over as squire.

As I remember, Danum Morris was an interim name for the merry band of disaffected Green Oakers who wanted to dance but not with Paul & Dick. It quickly became Cheswold. Certainly Danum was one of the contenders for the name of the new side. I remember talking to PD about the new side and 'getting his blessing'. He didn't have a problem with it and we danced out together with the two sides very early on in Frenchgate. I remember waiting for the pub to open (White Swan? High bar - probably gone now) There was history between the individuals and politics of course but some of us just danced and encouraged others to.

Geoff Wright and I were at school together (Danum Grammar). I caught up with him years later when he was playing the accordian. He came to Green Oak but didn't get on with Davenport. He played quite often for Cheswold though. Known as Angus (Angus Prune from "I'm Sorry I'll Read That Again") I discovered him on the Session web site and had a reminisce quite recently. We both have barn dance bands now.

Addendum December 2004:-

Green Oak were a very traditional side and that influenced me and those I taught. I hope Cheswold carried some of that precision and meaning in their dance. Certainly I was (mostly) signed up to the Green Oak doctrine, especially the part about the meaning of the dance and the ritual magic.

Paul can rest assured that he never pissed me off.