Mary Neal and the Suffragettes Who Saved Morris Dancing

At the beginning of the 20th century Morris dancing had all but died out in much of England. It was militant suffragettes and slum girls who kick-started the revival that returned the forgotten dances of the countryside to towns and villages across the nation. As a result of their commitment to preserve and pass on the dances, the Morris survived as a living tradition that is still performed to this day. And the impetus to do so came from the women¿s aspiration to change society for the better, the same impetus that drove them to militant action and to prison.The Morris revival and the militant suffrage movement were inextricably linked. The leader of the dance revival, Mary Neal, was a life-long radical campaigner for the rights of women and children. With her friend Emmeline Pethick she ran the Esperance Girls¿ Club in one of London¿s most deprived areas. She and Emmeline both sat on the national committee of Mrs Pankhurst¿s militant Women¿s Social and Political Union, the most notor