Morris Dancing at Thaxted, Dunmow, Essex by Walter Hoyle 1964
This poster commissioned by the Post Office Savings Bank shows the Thaxted Morris Men rounding the top of Watling Street in Thaxted decked out in their famous red and white waistcoats.
Thaxted Morris Men was founded in 1911, early in the revival of interest in Morris dancing begun by Cecil Sharp and Mary Neal. In 1952 the Squire of Thaxted Morris Men was Alec Butler Hunter, who worked as director and production manager at Warner & Sons textiles of Braintree. He commissioned a new set of waistcoats for the group made from a fabric from Warners, known as “Norwich Weave”, The fabric had been designed in 1947 by Marianne Straub as curtain fabric for RMS Caronia, a Cunard White Star Line passenger ship. Alec Hunter gave his own waistcoat to Marianne Straub, and she in turn passed it on to the Fry Art Gallery. It is now on display in our current exhibition Fry’s Popular Delights.
The Thaxted Morris Men dance in Thaxted every Bank Holiday Monday, and stage a ‘Weekend of Dance’ over the Whitsun weekend at the end of May. For more details see: https://www.thaxtedmorris.org/
Fry’s Popular Delights runs throughout the season in the main gallery and the Bawden room until Sunday 25th October 2026.