Please be aware that our history is one of using black paint to disguise faces as was the tradition of border morris. There may be old photos and videos throughout this site that you may find offensive. Moving forward we will no longer be sporting fully black faces as we do not wish to offend.

Armaleggan – the Oxfordshire Border Morris side with added Grrr…

We’re a mixed side – mixed genders, mixed ages, a mixture of tradition and innovation, and do not mind mixing our drinks.

We practice at Cumnor Village Hall just outside Oxford, and dance all over Oxfordshire, the Cotswolds and beyond.  Every penny of the money we collect is donated to a different local charity each year . To date we have raised over £23,000 for our  designated charities.

Armaleggan is a fun side to watch and a fun side to join in and be a part of. 

Come and see us,  book us for your event , or just try it and see.

Release your inner Grrrr…!
Practice is on Wednesday evenings from September to April at Cumnor Village Hall just outside Oxford (and, importantly, near the Vine Inn where Morris fuel is available).

Whenever we dance out we get asked a lot of questions. Here are answers to the ones that keep cropping up…

Why don’t you wear white and wave hankies about?
That’s Cotswold morris, the style that’s traditionally danced in Oxfordshire, Gloucestershire and other places in central and southern England.

So if it’s not Cotswold, is it Morris dancing?
Yes. This style of Morris is called Border Morris. It was traditionally danced in Herefordshire and Shropshire – the counties at the northern end of the Welsh borders. Cotswold Morris is athletic and sometimes elegant. Border is more rough and ready but has a lot more ‘oomph’.

Why do you look… like that?
It’s most probably all about disguise and anonymity. Border was traditionally danced by underemployed rural labourers in the industrial revolution of the 19th and late 18th centuries as way of supplementing income in the winter and around Christmas but the gentry and bosses frequently considered it an intemperate practice and little better than begging (not too dissimilar to our current practice, but now we intemperately ‘beg’ for a designated charity each year).
See Tatters for more information.

Why are you called Armaleggan?
Pick one of the following:
1. It sounds like Armageddon
2. We have arms and legs
3. Both of the above.

Would you like a beer?
Yes please.