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The Moulton Crows |
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Ask anyone who was born and bred in Mid Cheshire what they know about Moulton and they will be sure to mention The Moulton Crows.
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| It all started in the 1920’s when many of the village’s menfolk had been laid off from work in the salt works, which then lined the banks of the River Weaver from Newbridge to Winsford. Apparently it was choreographed by a former dancing teacher and was known as "The Relic of the Cornfields". It is quite possible that the dance was adapted from an earlier tradition. The original dance was performed by an all male troupe. | ||||||||||||||||
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It starts with a line of men dressed in black crow suits with yellow beaks surrounding a scarecrow which had pigeons hidden in its costume. The dancers dance as if they are crows scavenging the newly ploughed field. Eventually the farmer enters with his gun and shoots at the crows. A new figure dressed in a white crow suit comes on to represent the dead crow, (originally the pigeons were released at this point). The dance continues as if the crows have landed and are feeding again. Finally we see the scarecrow come to life and follow the crows as they leave. |  |
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Men and youths of the village who toured all the local fetes and shows performed the original dance. In more recent times the children of Moulton School have performed the dance as the finale to the village fete (known as the Crow Fair) | |||||||||||||||
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One of the original adult scarecrows | |||||||||||||||
(NB this is a 2 MB download which requires Windows Media Player, WinAmp etc) |
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