Welcome to the Isca Morrismen Website - Home of the Traditional Morris Dancers from South Wales performing Welsh Border and Cotswold Morris dances together with local Mumming Plays, Wassailing ceremonies and the Mari Lwyd custom



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Folk Plays
 Historical Background of the Mumming and associated Folk Plays
 The Gwent Mumming Play based on a Chepstow Play published by Ivor Waters of Chepstow in his book Folklore and Dialect of the Lower Wye Valley
 Isca Mummers in Action
 Isca Mummers - The Early Years in Pictures
 Alderley Play
 Mari Lwyd

 Dance Repertoire Part 1
 Dance Repertoire Part 2
 All you ever wanted to know about our Traditional Monmouth Caps
 Our Officers responsible for our traditions over the years
 Each year since we were founded we have collected for various charities

 An Article celebrating our Silver Jubilee Year
 Twenty-One Years On - Reminisces on Life with the Isca Morrismen
 Isca Morrismen - The Beginning of Twenty-Two Years On - A Personal Reflection
 A mere phone call or? - the perenial lament of a bagman - a tale of a television special!
 A Fete Worse Than Death - An Article on the Morris Scene
 Fun with Bells On - Dancing that goes back to before records began was coupled with cans of beer to celebrate the arrival of May Day


Isca Morrismen Tradition - Folk Plays

The Isca Mummers performing the Chepstow Mumming Play in the Nags Head, Usk - Winter 2007Real Life - The Isca Mummers performing the Chepstow Mumming Play in the St Julian, Caerleon - Winter 2007

As well as our normal Morris Dancing repertoire, the side has a tradition of performing each year in the Christmas and New Year season. In the run up to Christmas, the Isca Mummers perform a Gwent Mumming Play. This is based on a traditional play from Chepstow in Monmouthshire, published by the late Ivor Waters of Chepstow in his book "Folklore and Dialect of the Lower Wye Valley".  The play has been performed almost every year since it's revival in 1979 with the characters continuing to evolve and the cast list expanding and contracting as in days gone by, and for the same reasons. At the very first public performance, much to their surprise, money was thrown at the Isca Mummers and at every performance since then a collection has always been taken in aid of children's charities with generally a different recipient being selected each year.

There were a number of these plays performed in this area where men used to visit inns and large houses to act out a doggerel play about St. George and a Turkish Knight. After an introductory speech by Father Christmas, there was a fight with broomstick swords between St. George (alias King George or Robin Hood) and the Turkish Knight. St. George was sometimes supported by a boastful character called the Valiant Soldier, and the Turkish Knight received similar help from Beelzebub. The Turkish Knight was always killed and then brought back to life by a Learned Doctor. The Mumming ended with the entry of Ragged Jack (or sometimes Little John) representing the downtrodden people. He collected money from the audience and the Mummers left for the next public house.

The Isca Mummers performing the Chepstow Mumming Play in the Carpenters, LlanishenReal Life - The Isca Mummers performing the Chepstow Mumming Play in the Ostrich Inn, Newland

In recent years there has also been a local revival on Twelfth Night of the Mari Lwyd (or Grey Mare) which starts from the Star Inn at Llanfihangel Tor-y-mynydd and visits several of the local houses. The Mari Lwyd ceremony has been described as a pre-christian horse ceremony and may be associated with similar customs spread throughout the world. The Mari Lwyd itself consists of a decorated horse's skull on a pole draped with a white sheet, the decoration varying depending on the original area of the performance.

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