Although it’s now some years since we had a performance of Maypole Dancing in the Village, it had been a very strong tradition for almost 100 years. The series of Maypole dances that we used were adapted from those first performed in the village in the 1900’s. They were based on traditional maypole dances recorded in Cecil Sharp’s English Folk Dances manual from 1890. In 1972 I became Headteacher at The Primary School and took over the teaching of these traditional dances, and adapted and re arranged them, and the music available, to suit our needs. One of the first things I did was to drop the double plait dance which if danced enthusiastically by the children could cause the pole to swing violently from side to side and topple over during a performance. This was particularly so as we had to rehearse the dances on the hard surface of the playground. Also as the music available was from a very worn 78 wax disc I had a local folk dance group led by David Hayns make a special recording of the tunes used in the Christleton tradition. One of these tracks was later used by the BBC for a Maypole dance during an “It’s a Knock Out” television programme from Windsor.

Many of the tunes used were traditional nursery rhymes, and the children and audience would always shout “pop” when the phrase “Pop goes the weasel” was played from the tune of that name. The dances themselves had descriptive titles including, single plait, double plait, barbers pole, spiders web and gypsies tent. Among the photographs shown is one from the Village Fete of 1907 which shows that in those early days the dances were performed by the girls and infants (including boys) from the old School in Quarry Lane. In the 1930’s the teams were made up of all girls, but from the late 60’s and early 70’s there were always mixed teams of sixteen from the Junior School in Pepper Street. (now the Parish Hall) The Christleton Maypole was made out of a strong piece of octagonal oak 16ft tall on a wooden base was designed to carry 16 ribbons (eight pairs of dancers) and the dances were timed to allow the revolution of the ribbons in time with the bar sequences of the music. There were 4 ribbons of each colour, red, blue, green and yellow and they had to be made of braid at least 15ft long. The children were paired off in numbers 1 to 8 with the lead couple always no1. They always set off from a predetermined place, and this set off the pattern of places around the maypole. The red and blue ribbons were always 1, 3, 5 & 7, and the green and yellow 2, 4, 6, & 8. We always tried to keep continuity by having the same couple dancing together each time where possible, and to be either an even or odd number, as the patterns were different from each direction.

These combinations would ensure that delightful patterns appeared when each dance was performed. Concentration was essential, and the 20 minute duration needed great fitness. The patterns that emerged were delightful, unless someone lost concentration, then chaos could ensue! I used to plan three weeks of regular ½ hr a day practice to ensure a successful team. The children would have a distinctive dress code, which varied from time to time, but coloured scarves in the colours of their ribbons would remain the same. As we nearly always performed on solid surfaces the maypole had to be strong and secure, and often reserves would sit at the base of the pole in the middle to add strength. The pole was heavy and difficult to transport, but with support from parents and friends and City Council help, the children regularly gave performances in Chester. These included on the Meadows for The Battle of Rowton Moor re-enactment, on the Racecourse for the Lord Mayor’s Parade, on the Town Hall Square for the City Council Publicity Team often with the Deva Folk Ensemble. Teams also performed alongside the Chester Mystery Plays on the Cathedral Green, and at the Old Hall in Tatton Park for Knutsford May Day Celebrations. This was highlighted by meeting “The Green Man” a figure from folklore as illustrated. Teams also performed regularly with dancers from Sweden, Poland and Czechoslovakia, as well as at each Village Fete on the Primary School Field, High School Field and at Faulkners Lodge.

Displays for celebratory occasions on the Village Green were very special and often drew large crowds outside Jim Partington’s Butchers Shop. These displays were wonderful publicity for the Primary School in Christleton, and we were one of the very few school’s in Cheshire, to maintain this perhaps “unique” English tradition. Sadly when I retired after thirty years of teaching the Maypole, no one was able to take on the responsibility, and other curriculum needs took precedence. Maypole Dancing is perhaps “out of fashion” these days, but it certainly kept the youngsters very fit, as it was a non stop aerobic activity for twenty minutes at a time. I hope the accompanying photographs give a good representation of the success of the traditional Maypole displays in the village.