Our 4th All Hallows Gathering will contain a few changes. A fortnight ago I received an email from Angie Latham that said that she was stepping down from a few roles she held due to health reasons, and that this would include being Morris organiser for the Dark Gathering. Although I was saddened to hear of her health issues, I understood the need for her to cut down on her responsibilities. I want to take this opportunity of publicly acknowledging Angie’s hard work and commitment to the Gathering, and I personally thank her for her support and enthusiasm for this event from its small beginnings to the hugely popular happening we enjoy now. Take a bow Angie! 😀
Moving on… Catseye Morris are unable to perform at the All Hallows Gathering for what appears to be the foreseeable future. I am sure I am not alone in thanking the Catseye team for their unique contribution to the Gathering in the last couple of years. In their place this year will be another Cornish side, Wreckers Border Morris. Wreckers are an inclusive and energetic Morris side who are a lot of fun and we look forward to their performance alongside Beltane Border Morris and Wytchwood.
Finally, it has been decided that it would be a good idea to have, if possible, a Guest Side each year. So, the following invitation is going out to any side that would like to perform at our All Hallows Gathering:
We are sending an open invitation to any sides that consider themselves to be dark and edgy and preferably of Pagan persuasion (although not essential) to perform alongside Beltane Border Morris and Wytchwood Morris at the annual All Hallows Gathering at the Museum of Witchcraft & Magic. If you are interested please apply to Event Organiser
At the end of each Gathering we will make an announcement about which side has been chosen as Guest Side for the following year. Make sure you submit any offers early as we already have had interest shown from some Dark Morris sides.
There are several things planned for this year’s event but I will fill you in on those details nearer the time. In the meantime, enjoy a taste of Wreckers performing Evesham Wheel at Restomel Castle.
Now was the time for the whole raison d’être of the Dark Gathering – the meeting of the Welsh Mari Lwyds with Cornwall’s Penkevyll the Oss. This year we were going to try to introduce the Mari Lwyds into the proceedings in a different way – we were going to have a procession. However, there was one thing that we hadn’t factored in – that this year the clocks hadn’t gone back yet – so it was still light by 5 pm, the advertised time of the Lantern Procession. The Mari Lwyds traditionally don’t appear until at least dusk, and there was lots of debate about when to start the tribal drumming (the signal for the Procession to start) – and also when to light torches etc. You can just imagine the dialogue!
To add to the confusion there is no mobile signal in Boscastle so we couldn’t communicate with the processional group who were congregating in the car park the other end of the village – eventually we sent a runner and the Procession started.
What I didn’t realise until much later is how popular the procession turned out to be. It certainly attracted hordes of people who came out especially to see the Mari Lwyds and to join in the fun.
Here is some drone footage of the procession compiled by Dougie Latham and Paul Sumner:
Not only did we have music in the procession but at the Museum there was a troupe of drummers drawn from all sides and the general public, lead by Dave from Beltane Border Morris, who started a tribal rhythm. This was enough to entice Penkevyll from her temporary stable in the back of the Museum and she emerged to join her Teazers in raising the energy.
Laetitia as Teazer shot out of the Museum like a bat out of hell, whilst I followed at a more leisurely pace making sure I guided Penkevyll out safely to her waiting audience. At our emergence, a huge cheer went up and we began to dance up the energy. Laetitia was brilliant in her role as Teazer. She was really fired up and danced like one possessed – which is just what is required with this role in my opinion. By fortunate happenstance her transformation was captured on film, as can be seen here:
This sort of ‘overlooking’ of a person can also happen to the Oss Rider – in fact, it is encouraged. You allow the spirit of the role/Oss to ‘ride you’ but you have to be aware enough of where you are going and what you are doing at the same time. This can happen with other types of theatrical performance including dancing. Indeed I have personally witnessed this with some of the dancers from Beltane Border Morris as they fly around the space – every now and then they can shapeshift momentarily. It quite magical and intensely fascinating!
The role of Teazer is complex but in essence is to be a bridge betwixt the Oss and the crowd – to be able to travel and dance between those worlds. Just because I’m not as spry as I used to be doesn’t mean I can’t function in this way anymore. Sometimes moving very slowly can have just as much effect. I like having two Teazers. It makes sure that the needs of Penkevyll are being well attended to as well as dramatic energy raising dance being performed – and every now and then, the two forces meet – and there is a ‘frisson’.
After some frolicking around and general mischief-making with Penkevyll we caught sight of the torches of the Procession approaching and it was time for Penkevyll to meet her bone sisters who she hadn’t seen for nine long months!
It was a joyful reunion! The crowd marvelled at all the different Osses and Mari Lwyds and after the initial welcome, Penkevyll and Teazers disappeared into the Museum to make ready for the traditional pwnco ceremony which went with it’s usual idiosyncratic craziness. No matter how well we try and arrange this part, to date it has always been chaotic – ah well maybe next year…! 😉
Here’s the only bit of footage that I have found thus far of this year’s pwnco. Apologies to anyone of a nervous disposition as my singing is truly appalling and my Cornish not much better. Oh, and try ignore the very rude remark made by a member of the crowd at the beginning!
At last the Maris gained entrance to the Museum and they blessed it in their usual ways ending with the traditional libations of soul cakes and beer. On return to the outside world we found that we were just in time for the now iconic Fire Dance by Beltane Border Morris. This year I can share with you some unique drone footage compiled by those two IT wizards, Paul Sumner & Dougie Latham:
Although the small organising team work over the year to bring about the All Hallows Gathering, it seems to go so quickly on the day. There was just enough time left to mingle with the crowd and performers in the torchlight and savour the atmospheric and heady mix of exuberant, wild dancing and feeling the old ancestral spirits of Halloween draw ever closer.
Time to stable the Osses and Maris, and certainly time for all of our intrepid performers to make their way to the Welly (Wellington Hotel) where their well-deserved dinner was waiting for them along with foaming pints of ale – aka Party Time! 😀
Although we were treated to a high standard of singing again from many talented people including the Boscastle Buoys the local male voice choir; to me the stand-out song was from young Jake Sonny Rowlinson who sang a heartfelt rendition of ‘What’s the Use of Wings’. I’m fairly certain that there wasn’t a dry eye in the house…
At the Welly we had a great time and there were many things to be thankful for and to celebrate – but the main thing was that although there were a considerable amount of last minute obstacles and challenges, they were all successfully overcome.
Time for the accolades:
Many thanks and appreciation again to Angie Latham for all her hard work and commitment. Angie remains as our Morris co-ordinator and PR/Publicity person – take a bow Angie! 🙂
Another person who has tackled all sorts of queries and followed up ideas and suggestions on behalf of the All Hallows Gathering is Judith Hewitt, who is also the hard-working, seemingly tireless Manager of the Museum of Witchcraft & Magic. A huge thank you Judith for a job well done quietly and with grace. 🙂
Whilst mentioning the Museum we need to also thank Simon Costin for his continued support and enthusiasm for the event. Loved your costume on the night Simon! 😀
Our faithful MC, Steve Podger once again rose to the challenge and delivered an accomplished repertoire of information combined with tradition and folklore with great aplomb. Cheers Steve! 😀
With grateful thanks to our sponsors:
The Museum of Witchcraft & Magic
The Boscastle Chamber of Commerce
Finally a very special mention to the Hero of the Hour, Kevin Godley. This quiet, unassuming man truly saved the day when he stepped up to the challenge of taking on the role of Oss Rider of Penkevyll with no prior knowledge or experience of the role. He has supported the All Hallows Gathering from day one and was present at our very first attempt at a happening in 2014. When he heard that we had been let down at the last moment and that Penkevyll would be unable to appear without a Rider, he didn’t hesitate in volunteering. By doing so he averted what could have been a major upset, which would have made a nonsense of everything we had arranged with the Mari Lwyds.
On the day he performed to the best of his ability and really put his heart into riding Penkevyll – I was very touched by his reverence and respect in his dealings with the Oss. Afterwards he was so inspired by it that he wants to continue being one of Penkevyll’s Riders. So, although one rider fell by the wayside, we immediately acquired a new and enthusiastic new Rider – result! Congratulations Kevin – we are very proud of you! 😀
I’ll just leave this post here with one last jewel in the crown – an amazing video commissioned by us and edited by a very talented young man, called Kieran. It’s taken of the whole event and lasts almost an hour, so make yourself comfortable with your favourite tipple and enjoy the fruits of all our labours… Ladies & Gentlemen, I give you the All Hallows Gathering 2016!
It’s hard to know where to start on describing the events of the All Hallows Gathering 2016. From a small, seemingly inconsequential idea birthed in 2014, it has grown exponentially to become a remarkable happening that has attracted worldwide interest. Since Simon Costin, director of the Museum of Witchcraft & Magic, put out this video from the weekend, it has attracted well over a million hits!
It was estimated that over 300 people attended the Gathering and all accommodation in Boscastle was fully booked. In fact, it was stated by a member of the local Chamber of Commerce that the hotels and B&Bs could have booked their rooms four times over – so, phenomenal indeed! However, as a result of this remarkable interest in the Dark Gathering it has been agreed by all concerned that it cannot afford to get any bigger because the infrastructure of Boscastle cannot support this. Therefore all Morris sides and other performers, including Osses and Maris will have to be by invitation only.
However, I’m getting ahead of myself. This blog is about what the weekend was like and to try and share what the atmosphere was like with others who were not present. Quite a few of us, particularly the organisers met up at the Cobweb Inn on the Friday evening to relax, catch up, sort out last minute details and generally socialise.
It was during this general ambience that I was informed by my Oss Rider that he had decided for reasons best known to himself to withdraw from performing with Penkevyll. This could have had a very detrimental effect on the whole event’s proceedings but fortunately within minutes the situation was resolved by someone who heard what had happened and immediately stepped up to the challenge. A crash course in Oss riding and associated lore was then embarked upon and the possible calamity was averted. It appeared that the gods were definitely on our side that weekend as although there were quite a few potentially upsetting problems that presented themselves over the weekend, all of them got resolved in surprising and unexpectedly positive ways. There were definitely a lot of ‘silver-linings’ around! 🙂
Saturday morning dawned bright and clear and it was obvious that the weather gods had been kindly once again., although it has to be said that there were quite a few people specifically petitioning them! I personally had to be at the Museum early in order to put my new volunteer Rider through his paces as he became accustomed to the energies and logistics of Penkevyll.
Given that Penkevyll’s new Rider had only about 15 minutes of physical instruction, he did fantastically well. Then it was time to prepare Penkevyll for the evening’s performance as we knew we wouldn’t get time later to do this. She had a new headdress handmade by Laetitia with LED lights and it was rather fiddly to secure. Once done I then had to zip off to undertake a TV interview in the Museum pointing out and explaining various artefacts. Here’s a brief excerpt:
This was followed rather swiftly by a photoshoot for all the performers, Osses included, in the Museum Library where a temporary studio had been set up. Then, thankfully, it was time to get lunch of a grabbed sandwich and a cup of tea.
Me and Laetitia had decided some time ago that she would join me in teazing Penkevyll from now on. Nobody knows exactly what the future will hold and I wanted to be sure that Laetitia was ready to take over the Teazer role whenever that became a necessity. Given that I’m now nearer to 70 years of age rather than 60, it made sense to me to be prepared for this.
Also, in the folklore tradition and in the Morris world in particular, there has been an recent backlash towards the practice of ‘blacking-up’. Some of the comments directed towards sides and traditions that we respect have been particularly virulent and upsetting accusing them of racial incitement – which is a nonsense. As a sign of solidarity, both myself and Laetitia thought we would try this practice of blacking-up. We were both amazed at how much it altered our appearance and how effective it was as a disguise. Moreover we subsequently found out from our Welsh visitors from the Mari Lwyd party, that this was used in the past in their traditions. We have now decided that we will keep this look for any Midwinter excursions with Penkevyll.
The crowds who came to watch the afternoon’s entertainment came from near and far, and gathered well in advance of 3 pm the advertised start time. Subsequently, the dancing kicked off a full half an hour earlier. The action started with Wytchwood Morris from Worcester, and I got to play drum with them this year which was huge fun!
Wytchwood looked fantastic in the afternoon autumn sunlight which was a beautiful match to their autumnal coloured tatters. I particularly like Wytchwood’s energy and versatility and it was a brilliant start to the afternoon’s proceedings.
Next up was the fantastic Beltane Border Morris who delighted the crowd with their wild but highly skilled performance. Their dark, edgy dancing always thrills the crowd and I get mesmerised by their innovative music and drumming.
Finally it was the turn of Catseye Morris who looked particularly colourful this year and their dancing and music created an interesting contrast to the previous sides’ performances.
During the well deserved break at 4 pm I managed to get Angie Latham and John Isaac together and get a photo taken with them. I quickly ran into the Museum and ‘borrowed’ a copy of my book as Angie (Illustrations) and John (Photographs) were both excellent contributors to Village Witch.
Before we knew it we were participating in with the last dance of the day – the now traditional Rochester Thistle, performed by Wytchwood in which every side now joins in with.
Then it was time to bring out Penkevyll the Oss to send the Call to the Mari Lwyds.
The time approaches rapidly for the All Hallows Gathering – or the Dark Gathering as it is affectionately known now. This year it falls on Saturday 29th October and starts at the slightly later time of 3 pm. Attending Morris sides this year will be:
Directly as a result of the past few years’ success and subsequent upsurge into the local economy, we have received two sources of funding for our event.
Both businesses have given us generous sponsorship for which we gratefully thank them.
We have decided that we will welcome the Welsh Mari Lwyds with a Lantern Procession which will start at the main car park at around 5 pm and process accompanying the Maris down to the Museum. Bring your own lantern and dress up if you feel in the All Hallows mood!
In the meantime back at the Museum, Penkevyll the Cornish Oss will be raising the energies to send a Call out to the Mari Lwyds to come and join our celebrations. This will involve lots of tribal drumming. If you wish to join us with your own drum at this point please do so.
Finally, as an appetiser here is some footage put together by Dougie & Angie Latham of last year’s festivities:
Penkevyll and her Teazer – Photo credit: John Isaac
I’ve written this blog in two posts as there was so much information to impart and I thought I would do this in more manageable chunks – not to mention that all those photos, photo credits, and videos were beginning to make my head spin! :O
So on to the evening of the All Hallows Gathering. First of all we descended as a ravening hoard to the Cobweb Inn for some much-needed victuals and of course, beer! As is traditional at these Morris beanfeasts, someone started up a rousing and appropriate tune which we all merrily joined in with.
Once we were all adequately fed and watered, it was time to bring out the Osses and start our visitation of the pubs with our final resting place being the Wellington Hotel.
Penkevyll with Mari Celeste in the Wellington Hotel – Photo credit: Paul Sumner
Penkevyll with Mari Celeste in the Wellington Hotel – Photo credit: Paul Sumner
Performers in the ‘Welly’ – Photo credit: Dougie Latham
Y Fari Troellog – Photo credit: Paul Sumner
I had set up an evening’s entertainment of song, dance, music and storytelling – however, it soon became apparent that we had underestimated the sheer volume of people who descended on the pub. The poor bar stuff were doing their best but they didn’t have a moment’s peace until many hours later. Without a PA system it was useless even trying to tell a story, so a note for next year should we be in the same venue – book PA early! There also wasn’t the physical room for everyone to sit down let alone brandish musical instruments as people were sitting on the floor and stairs – so music and dancing was out. So that left belting out some rousing songs, which is what happened for the rest of the evening. My apologies to anyone who came along hoping to see a well-ordered evening’s entertainment although Steve Podger was gallant in his continuing role as MC making sure that everyone that wanted to perform got their turn.
The high point of the evening for me was when Will Fox got up to sing Tam Lin. This is a magical ballad of extraordinary potency. Although it is specific to Scotland the motif of transformation by the Fair Folk is repeated in many cultures worldwide. Traditionally, and certainly I have observed this myself, it is very difficult to sing and only certain folk can manage it without recourse to reading the words or stumbling/forgetting the lyrics. Will Fox managed it superbly. It was pure magic, I was very impressed and told him so the next day! I had intended to include an excerpt here as the whole song, although recorded at the time, will take some time to upload to YouTube. However, it’s not ready yet so in the meantime enjoy this photo of the young man concerned and Watch This Space….!
Will Fox – Photo credit: John Isaac
The evening eventually ended with the organising team having a quiet drink at the other end of the bar and reviewing the day’s events. We were all a bit staggered at how well it all went, how relaxed the atmosphere and how much so many people enjoyed it. We then said our farewells and departed for our various hotels and B & Bs.
The next day was spent getting feedback from the local businesses who were without exception delighted with the way that trade picked up at what was usually a very quiet time of year. So, the Gathering was excellent news for the local economy and the Chairman of Boscastle Chamber of Commerce was very pleased indeed and is looking forward to us coming again next year. This has also been confirmed by the Museum of Witchcraft and we have decided that it would be best for all concerned that in future the date for the All Hallows Gathering will be the Saturday nearest to Halloween. This means that next time we shall be doing it all over again on Saturday 29th October 2016. There will be a few new additions as well so lots to look forward to…!
At this juncture I would like to give a particular vote of thanks to my fellow conspirators who helped so much to get the All Hallows Gathering off the ground.
It was Angie who a year ago persuaded and encouraged me to pursue my idea of creating the All Hallows Gathering as a potential annual event. I was a bit daunted by the immensity of it, but she said that she would help and suggested that I ask others to do the same. I’m so grateful for that support, also not forgetting the skill and hard work in designing our publicity pamphlets and helping me network to get other Morris teams onside. All this she managed to fit in, as well as taking the big step towards self-employment this year for her newly set-up business of prints and greetings cards. Angie and her husband Dougie make a powerful and hugely creative partnership – check out their website and Facebook group here:
Steve I got to know through Angie as he is the percussionist in Wytchwood Morris and lately Shadow Hunters. I asked Steve to be our Master of Ceremonies as he not only is a famous raconteur within the Morris world, he also has a resounding voice which carries well in a crowd. Avidly interested in folklore and strange stories he was the best choice for this role and he produced sterling work; not only throughout the day but also during the evening where he kept perfect order with humour and aplomb. Many, many thanks Steve – you were fabulous! 😀
Phil & Viv Larcher
Viv & Mari Lwyd Larcher – Photo credit: Michelle Elliot
Phil Larcher – Photo credit: John Exton
It was a random message from Viv and Phil suggesting we meet up and bring Penkevyll to meet up with their Mari Lwyd again (they were visiting Cornwall to celebrate their anniversary) that first started all this off. Little did they know what they were inadvertently setting off! They are a very creative couple and produce some really unusual works of art some of which are on sale in the Museum of Witchcraft. Check out their Facebook page here:
Thanks for staying with it guys and for giving so much help and support all the way from Wales.
John & Sue Exton
John (Mari Celeste) & Sue Exton – Photo credit John Isaac
Although not a member of the organising team, I wanted to mention John and Sue because they are very new to the world of the Mari Lwyds. Their Mari has only recently been birthed, so to speak, and the All Hallows Gathering was Mari Celeste’s first outing and debut as a fully fledged Mari. Anyone who was present at the Gathering will agree with me I am sure, that both of them performed splendidly and the crowd loved them. Well done John and Sue, thank you for travelling down to see us and we hope that this was just the first of many more visits! 🙂
Finally, none of this would have been possible without the loyal and loving support of my partner Laetitia. In fact, if it wasn’t for her brilliant idea in the first place of making ‘a bit of a do’ of the Osses meeting at the Museum of Witchcraft, I wouldn’t be writing this blog and hundreds of people would have been deprived of enjoying such a spectacle that the All Hallows Gathering has become! Thank you m’dear – we make a formidable team! 😀
Laetitia & Cassandra – Photo credit: Angie Latham
So at last I have reached the end of this particular blog and believe me I am relieved to do that! It has been very intense but oh so powerful an experience! Before we left Boscastle last weekend we were hearing that some people as they were booking out of their accommodation, they were already booking up for next year’s event!
Thank you one and all who came and shared such a magical experience with us. See you all next year – and remember it’s on Saturday 29th October.
Remember this picture? It was taken at the end of last year’s All Hallows Gathering where we were taking refuge from the elements that raged whilst we were visiting the local hostelries in Tintagel with our Osses and accompanying band of revellers. So what were we up too? Someone suggested that the photo resembled an Agatha Christie denouement which made me laugh, however we were plotting …..! As a result of this I am delighted to be able to present to you the result of our scheming and proudly present:
A special Morris side named Dark Morris has been formed specifically to perform at Halloween, made up of accomplished dancers and musicians from various sides from around the country. We felt that this name conjured up the appropriate energies for All Souls night and was a suitable homage to the sad passing of Terry Pratchett who first coined the concept.
“DARK MORRISIn the spring, on Mayday, Morris dancers “dance the sun up” lest it fail to warm the land for the coming summer. This custom is widely observed across the Multiverse and especially on the Discworld, where the threat of stories and legends is real and such rites are more than just quaint old customs. Mayday is a festive occasion and many will drag themselves out of bed before dawn to watch and cheer on the dancers and the sun. Later in the day, perhaps after a nap, there will be more dancing, Morris as well as the maypole, with feasting and frolic and beer.
On or near the first of Ember there is another dance, the last of the year. There is no crowd of cheering spectators, no merriment, no music, no sound. The dancers trade their bright white beribboned costumes for black shrouds and perform in darkness and silence without bells, sticks or swords (or better, with bells of octiron that create a lacy counter-tinkle of silences}. This is the Dark Morris, without which winter may not arrive to complete the cycle, water the land with snow and prepare for the renewal of spring. Winter begets summer, death begets life, and a city-sized sun that travels faster than its own light needs all the help it can get.”Wintersmith – Terry Pratchett
The Museum of Witchcraft are looking forward to seeing everyone on Halloween and they fully support the visitation of the Osses who will be coming to perform the old tradition of pwnco to bless the premises. Later on the same evening there will be a Candlelight evening to view the exhibits – very atmospheric I would imagine. We, however, will be carousing around the local hostelries in Boscastle with the Osses ending up at the Wellington Hotel. There we will be performing from 8 till late providing live music, song and storytelling.
The word is out now and already over 100 people have said they are coming and we will be expecting lots more. Will you be one of them?
