Who we are and Other Details

contacts, why name, who, what, where, why and when

How do I book Kemp's Men of Norwich for my event? top | home

E-mail the Bagman: Richard Woodham, e-mail , or, if not available
the Squire: Peter Mayne c/o Paston College Grammar School Road North Walsham,

Please note: We usually charge for a booked event, please discuss with the Bagman.

Who are we? top | home

We are an English Morris dancing side from Norwich, England. For a slightly jaundiced history click here and for a more factually correct version click here

Why are you called Kemp's Men? top | home

Kemp's Men are named in honour of Will Kemp, colleague of Shakespeare, fellow shareholder in the Globe Theatre, Europe's most famous comic actor amd morris dancer extraordinary. It is likely that several of Shakespeare's clown roles were written specifically for Kemp, but in 1599, the two fell out. This was perhaps inevitable given that Kemp believed that no production of Hamlet to be complete without a dog on wheels!

Whatever the cause of the quarrel, Kemp decided to demonstrate that he, not the upstart bard, was still the people's favourite and in a sort of 16th Century publicity stunt, he set off to dance all the way from London to Norwich. In spite of primitive roads and winter weather, he achieved the feat in just nine days* and wrote a book about the event ("A nine daies wonder"), and capitalised on the phrase "a nine days wonder", which had originated about 50 years previously. Some of the side, along with some stout folk from other sides like Golden Star, did a re-enactment in April 2000.

*This excludes the week or so be was holed up in a hotel in Bury St. Edmonds in heavy snow and the two half days which he decided not to include.

Who are the main contacts for Kemp's Men of Norwich? top | home

Squire: Peter Mayne c/o Paston College Grammar School Road North Walsham,
Bagman: Richard Woodham, e-mail .
Treasurer: Mike Jones, e-mail .
Foreman: Peter Salt

What do we do? top | home

We mainly dance Cotswold Morris dances, plus some local Norfolk dances.

Where can you find us? top | dance programme | home

During the summer, we dance every Wednesday night from May to September in and around Norwich and east Norfolk, lots of weekend events throughout the year (both in Norfolk and further afield) and anywhere else that takes our fancy. During the remainder of the year, it's whatever takes our fancy. Find out more about our usual annual routine and our dance programme. We practice on Wednesday nights from about 7.45pm to 9.30pm at St Mark's Church Hall, Hall Road, Norwich (just off the Inner Ring Road).

Why do we do it? top | home

We don't really know. We could discuss this over a pint or two though.

When do we do it? top | home

See our usual annual routine and our dance programme