Metadata
WORK ID: YFA 37 (Master Record)
| Title | Year | Date |
| KIRKBY MALZEARD SWORD DANCERS AT AZERLEY | 1930-1932 | 1930-01-01 |
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Details
Original Format: 16mm Colour: Black & White Sound: Silent Duration: 18 mins 19 secs Credits: Sir Fred Moore Subject: Rural Life |
| Summary This is a film of Sir Fred Moore and his family at Mowbray Hall. Events which take place at the Hall include a fete and traditional dancing. The film also includes scenes of the village of Kirkby Malzeard complete with traditional sword dancing. |
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Description
This is a film of Sir Fred Moore and his family at Mowbray Hall. Events which take place at the Hall include a fete and traditional dancing. The film also includes scenes of the village of Kirkby Malzeard complete with traditional sword dancing.
The film opens with skaters on the pond at the bottom of Mowbray Park, including Sir Fred Moore.
Title: ‘Kirkby Malzeard 1930’
The grounds at Mowbray Hall, the trees, river, hut and bird feeders are covered in snow. A pack of beagles at Kirkby...
This is a film of Sir Fred Moore and his family at Mowbray Hall. Events which take place at the Hall include a fete and traditional dancing. The film also includes scenes of the village of Kirkby Malzeard complete with traditional sword dancing.
The film opens with skaters on the pond at the bottom of Mowbray Park, including Sir Fred Moore.
Title: ‘Kirkby Malzeard 1930’
The grounds at Mowbray Hall, the trees, river, hut and bird feeders are covered in snow. A pack of beagles at Kirkby Malzeard Market Cross are led off down the Ripon Road and the village's main street. They are followed by a group of people. Children are out playing in the snow and tobogganing.
Later in the summer, there are dogs in the Mowbray House Gardens at the bottom of the Church Bank, and gardeners are at work in the front rose garden. A woman passes through pushing a pram. A woman comes out of a house, outside Mowbray Gate Lodge by the Old Mill, and a man walks some dogs down a country lane. Another woman walks past pushing a pram, followed by a car. The car pulls up, and Sir Fred Moore gets out. Back in the Mowbray House Gardens a girl is skipping.
A couple of dogs are 'ratting' in some woods, forcing foxes away from their holes. A couple walk past carrying fishing gear, and the dogs play in the ford at Church Bank. Sir Fred Moore is out with an artist who is painting in the woods. Practicing their golf, a woman and a girl putt on the front lawn. There is a fete with people playing tennis, and women dance in couples on the lawn at Mowbray as well as Sir Fred Moore who dances with a young girl.
A girl is with some dogs by a church door. The vicar leaves through the door, and a woman enters carrying a bushel for the Harvest Festival celebrations. Two small children are in front of a large house. This scene is followed by two women greeting a delivery man at Miss Buckle's Shop in the Market Cross. There is also a man who fixes a street lamp in front of the 'Shoulder of Mutton.' Some small children play with hula-hoops. A group of men, led by Sir Fred Moore and the gamekeeper (possibly Mr Waite's grandfather), go hunting with their guns.
The next scene features workmen constructing a waterway and a farmer who guides his sheep over a bridge (possibly Long Swale's Bridge). A couple of dogs romp about in a wood, and ducks swim in formation in a pond (possibly in Lady Moore's formal garden.)
Intertitle: '1932 House Mowbray’
Ladies wander around the stalls at the garden fete.
Intertitle: 'Azerley Chase July 1932'.
A group of girls perform some traditional country dances on the lawn of the garden. They are followed by some older girls and adults dancing.
Intertitle: 'Kirby Malzeard Traditional Sword Dancers'
The sword dancers perform in front of a people who are sitting around the lawn. Then some girls play with a dog, and in the Mowbray grounds, they play in the hay. A car departs from the front of the house.
In the final portion of the film, there is an old sailing boat in the harbour at Salcombe. Children play in the garden of a holiday house, and a car departs with people waving though the open top. Back at Mowbray, a woman walks across the garden with a red setter, with Sir Fred Moore and others at the house. The film closes with a woman walking a dog at Brimham Rocks.
Context
This is one of two films made by Sir Fred Moore of his family and friends in the 1930s. The other film, made in 1935, covers a similar subject matter, including a fete and the sword dancers. Not much is known of the circumstances of the making of the films, but given that Sir Fred often pops up in them, they were presumably made with the help of family or friends. The films have certain commonalities with other films made in the 1930s by those who could afford to do so. In particular...
This is one of two films made by Sir Fred Moore of his family and friends in the 1930s. The other film, made in 1935, covers a similar subject matter, including a fete and the sword dancers. Not much is known of the circumstances of the making of the films, but given that Sir Fred often pops up in them, they were presumably made with the help of family or friends. The films have certain commonalities with other films made in the 1930s by those who could afford to do so. In particular those made by Sir William Worsley of Hovingham – see Context for Personalities In Hovingham Village made around the same time as this film. They also make an interesting comparison with the excellent films of the less well-off Lucy Fairbanks, filming in a contrasting urban environment in the 1930s – see Context for Out and About in Yorkshire (1950s).
Like so much of England, the land upon which Kirkby Malzeard stands became the property of a Norman knight, Sir Roger Mowbray (its older forms being Moubray or Moubrai), derived from Mowbray in Normandy. He had a castle there, which was pulled down along with his other castle at Thirsk after being besieged by Henry II in 1174. Hence Mowbray Castle and Mowbray House. Not much is left of Mowbray Castle except a few mounds and ridges, and Mowbray House, a typical mid 18th century country house on the eastern edge of the village. This was developed in theearly 1870's by a Mr Dickens who re-built and extended the building and laid out the pleasure gardens, before passing on to someone named Cathcart in 1875. Sir Fred Denby Moore acquired the property, possibly in 1921, and remained until 1952 when the estate went up for auction – with approx. 40 acres, mostly in the parish of Kirkby Malzeard, including Mowbray House, Low Lodge, a cottage, stables, garage, other outbuildings, kitchen garden, parkland, pleasure grounds and woodland. The present house is bounded on the north by St. Andrews Church & graveyard, on the north-east by the site of Mowbray Castle, on the east by the Creamery/Dairy, on the south by the Ripon/Grewelthorpe Road, and on the west by the Old Rectory and two one-time alms houses. In 1991 the stable yard had been restored and developed to form five houses & was for sale under the name of Mowbray Court. Kirkby Malzeard itself is set in the beautiful countryside of lower Nidderdale and Wensleydale, looking over the Vale of Mowbray towards the Hambleton Hills. Like many of the villages in this area, there is evidence of inhabitants going back 5,000 years, and even more from the bronze age beginning some 3,000 years later, and again when the Romans ruled the most of the land. The name however dates from a later age with the arrival of the Danes and the Normans. In the Domesday Book it appears as ‘Chirchebi’ - a Danish word indicating that the village lay near a church. The second part of the name comes from the Norman, ‘Malassart’, indicating that the area was a poor clearing in a forest. In 1307 Edward I granted a market charter to the community, making it a township of trading importance. Sheep were driven over moor roads from Pateley Bridge to a market with fairs; although there are conflicting accounts as to whether this ceased in 1816, or was re-established in 1816 after a gap of several centuries. The Market Cross that marked the centre of the market was re-built in 1866. The events leading up to this make for a cautionary tale; as related on the Kirkby Malzeard website: “The original Cross was pulled down and broken up by the owner of a house next to the cross. . . This annoyed the people of Kirkby who started proceedings with a view to compelling him to replace it. He refused, so the villagers pulled down the railings in front of his property and dislodged the corner stones of his house which encroached onto the road. This resulted in the house being pulled down and afterwards rebuilt as the house which now stands nearest to the Cross.” As well as the Market Cross and Mowbray House being Grade II listed, Kirkby Malzeard has a few other listed buildings, including St Andrew’s Church (dating back to 1150), The Shoulder of Mutton and the Mechanics Institute. The latter, opened in 1852 by the Marquis of Ripon, is rather remarkable in being still functioning according to its original purpose as a place for education and meetings. At present it hosts the Women’s Institute, theatre groups, pantomimes and music shows, as well as private functions, badminton, snooker and the use of the Reading Room. The Kirkby Malzeard website has a photo of Lord Halifax, standing next to Sir Fred Moore, re-opening the Institute in 1936 after it was reduced from two stories to one. The highlight of the film is probably the two kinds of dancing at the fete – the fact that Kirkby Malzeard doesn’t have a traditional village green might explain why the fetes were held at Mowbray House and Azerley Chase. Hugh Rippon, in his book on English Folk Dance, differentiates between ritual ceremonial dances, as evidenced by the Morris Dance, and social dances for display, where, usually, anyone could join in without having to learn anything too elaborate. He cites the first reference to the latter as being in 1579, ‘country dances’, which were literally just that. Rippon also states that all folk dances seem to have originated as fashion dances, and that they survived because they were popular at festivities. Alex Helm states that many of the sword dances are associated with the mummers’ play, with a dramatic story in which the victim is ceremonially beheaded (Helm, pp 20-21). It was only the long swords which were actually swords – others being often tools of trades – and only these could actually fit over a person’s head at the end of the dance, although they could be made of wood rather than metal. Those with knowledge of the different dances might be able to identify the ones seen in the film. The Kirkby Malzeard Longsword dance folded sometime in the late 1930s, after appearing in the 1935 film. However, a new group formed in 1986, the Highside Longsword. The accordion player of the Longsword dancers in the film may well be Bob Waite, whose son later became the Captain – the person who sings the calling on song – of the Highside Longsword. On their website they state that the origins of Sword Dances can be traced back to the 15th century when they were first described in Scandinavia. However, Charles Knightly disputes this and states that its prevalence throughout Europe makes it much older, connecting it to the mumming plays – see the Context for Pace Egg – and earlier rituals of sacrifice and resurrection (References, pp 215-217). The Highside Longsword also note that there were performances of sword dancing at the Ripon Millenary Pageant held at Fountains Abbey between 1820 and 1886, and that dances would be given annually between Christmas Eve and New Year in Kirkby Malzeard, starting at the Market Cross and visiting local villages. Given these performances at this time of year, there should be no surprise then when, on a snowy Boxing Day in 1899, the Quarry Morris men turned up in the garden of a vicarage in Headington, Oxford, to the astonishment of guest Cecil Sharp. Sharp subsequently duly recorded the Morris dancing of the time, and thereby kick started its twentieth century revival – he in fact discovered it in Kirkby Malzeard on his travels (see Douglas Kennedy). See the Context for The Flagcrackers Of Craven (1999) for more on Cecil Sharp and on Morris dancing in general. Sword Dancing is one of many types of Morris dancing. Rippon, who calls it the ‘linked sword dance’, states that this form originated in Northumbria, Durham and Yorkshire. A team can be of five, six or eight dancers, each having either a metal or wooden sword. The key is that as they intertwine between each other they never break the circle until they form of a six-pointed star, called the ‘lock’, ‘knot’ or ‘rose’. In the film there seem to be six dancers, with the Captain and one other, who may be ‘the fool’ who organises the spectators and collects donations. In the ‘rapper’ version, usually found in Northumbria and Durham, there are five dancers and the swords are called rappers, which are flexible and have two handles. The dancers are accompanied by musicians, playing either a drum and violin or an accordion. Douglas Kennedy, Director of the English Folk Dance Society from 1925 to 1961, gives a full account of the sword dance and its prevalence in Yorkshire in the early part of the twentieth century (see References). Another English, and Scottish, tradition that has survived is game hunting. The film shows Sir Fred leading a posse out to hunt with their guns, presumably for grouse. Despite bans on other forms of hunting, grouse shooting remains as prevalent as it was before the Second World War – although it remains an expensive pastime: moor owners earn £150 for every pair if birds shot down. The general change in opinion against blood sports seems to have left it unaffected, although there are those who campaign for it to be outlawed. As with hunting, the arguments for and against include reference to evidence on cruelty and on the environmental impact of moorland that makes it difficult for the non-expert to take an informed view. Those who support game shooting point to evidence that moors managed for grouse have better biodiversity habitats than those which aren’t; for example, with greater numbers of breeding upland waders. Some defenders of game hunting, such as the conservationist and broadcaster Robin Page, make use of these arguments: “Despite many leading naturalists and conservation organisations confirming the importance of grouse, the ridicule persists, and some ‘anti’ organisations state that they want legislation to ban grouse shooting – not only on the grounds of ‘cruelty’, but to ‘save wildlife; the ignorance, or hypocrisy involved is almost beyond belief.” (Page, pp 118-119) Those who take an opposing view dispute this, claiming that the sport is essentially for fun, and that environmental benefits are bogus. The RSPCA takes a neutral position on game hunting, but they have been increasingly concerned by the killing of birds of prey to protect game bird numbers: over a period of a year, between 1995/96, they recorded 56 "confirmed and probable" cases of raptor persecution, grouped heavily around grouse moors, within a 50km radius of Barnard Castle. Another concern is that moorland used for game hunting is becoming less effective in retaining rain water – hence exacerbating flooding – and that burning shrubs to maintain better breeding conditions adds to global warming. The UK's peat bogs contain up to 20 times more carbon than ordinary soils, with the total carbon content of the moors up to 20 billion tonnes - equivalent to 150 years of emissions from burning fossil fuels in the UK. Researchers Pat Bellamy and Guy Kirk, based at Cranfield, have reported that British soils and peatlands release around 13 million tonnes of carbon a year. - equivalent to 10 per cent of emissions from fossil fuels. See the Report in the New Scientist, Grouse-shooting popularity boosts global warming But fortunately it seems that the areas seen in the film, such as those around the Gardens at Azerley Chase, have managed to stave off the advances of urban life and remain a favourite place for those seeking the peace of the North Yorkshire countryside. Something that is open to many more than was the case in 1932. (with special thanks to Roy Waite for providing information on Mowbray House) References (With thanks to Mr and Mrs Don Waite for supplying notes on the people and places in the film) Alex Helm, The English Mummers’ Play, D. S. Brewer publishers for the Folklore Society, 1981. Douglas Kennedy, English Folk Dancing: Today and Yesterday, Bell and Sons, London, 1964. Charles Knightly, The Customs and Ceremonies of Britain, Thames and Hudson, 1986. Hugh Rippon, Discovering English Folk Dance, Shire, 1975. The Morris Federation Dance teams: North Yorkshire Celebrate North Yorkshire The English Folk Dance and Song Society Kirkby-Malzeard at British History Online Kirkby Malzeard community website Harrogate Council Village Design Statement Genuki entry on Kirkby Malzeard Highside Longsword Grouse moors: Under fire, The Independent, 13 August 2006 Animal Aid: Grouse Shooting |
