The side colours are black, white, red and gold and the dancers' costume (kit) is made up solely from these colours. Gold is pretty hard to achieve in fabric, so a suitable yellow is used in its place.
Kit for dancers
The dancers' kit consists of the following items:
- bright white shirt, long sleeves rolled up to the elbow and shirt tucked into the waist of the breeches;
- black breeches, reaching to just below the knee, secured by a black belt
- bright white knee-length socks;
- bell pads are worn beneath the knees of each leg, strapped to the top of the calves;
- black shoes;
- red baldrics with a fabric badge showing the Dartington Morris logo;
- baldrics have no adornment other than the Dartington Morris logo; the Squire wears a metal badge over the logo; past holders of Morris Ring offices are permitted a small official badge depicting this;
- white wavers (handkerchiefs) worn tucked into the belt of the breeches;
- hats are not normally worn while dancing;
Exceptions to the dancers' kit (eg for cultural or health reasons) may be permitted only at the Squire's discretion.
For stick dances, we use long and short sticks made from hazel wood, with red and yellow tape at each end.
We are proud of our kit and our appearance, so of course all kit should be worn clean and fresh and tidy. The Squire is responsible for standards of kit and will bring any shortcomings to the attention of the individuals concerned.
Baldrics
Baldrics are a pair, with one over the left shoulder to right hip, and one over the right shoulder to left hip, secured at the cross front and back. The fabric badge is stitched to the cross of the baldrics on the front.
At the rear cross is a pair of fabric strips, one red, one gold; this is repeated where the baldrics cross on the left and right sides.
Bells and baldrics are provided to dancers by the side and therefore belong to the side; they must be returned when a dancer leaves the side or is no longer dancing.
Bell pads
Each bell pad is made of leather with 25 bells of varying sizes, in five rows of five bells.
Alternate bells have attached beneath them a pair of fabric strips, one red and one gold.
White handkerchiefs ('wavers')
The wavers are made from bright white cotton-like fabric and are approximately 50cm x 50cm.
Kit for musicians
The costume of musicians is not prescriptive, other than it should be generally in the club colours of black, white, red and gold (or yellow).
Kit for other characters
We have other characters that form part of the side: collector, fool, animal, barker. There is no prescriptive kit for such characters as they bring their own characteristics to the side.
Updated November 2024.