Keith Chandler, Oxfordshire

That was very nostalgic. I was present at that series of lectures, and Roy actually refers to me obliquely (as the man researching the census) when he says we might one day know where George Arthurs was born before moving to Ilmington (we do - Snowshill, Worcs!). I had just left University, where I had written an 80,000 word dissertation on the social history of the south Midland morris. And it was these lectures that first really alerted me to the fact that, although he was (and is still) a great raconteur, much of what he had been telling us for years (I had heard him at Sidmouth in 1976, and perhaps 1972 or 73) was wrong. Looking at them again now I'm reminded exactly how erroneous many of his facts were. But he had the widest grasp of anyone at the time (only Russell Wortley coming close), and all we researchers who followed in his footsteps owe him the greatest debt. And, of course, he and I still exchange letters about once a month.

Some of my early published work contains errors, but I hope they don't come back and bite me in the bum too often.

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Keith also asked me to mention the republication of his two books on the history of the morris, plus many previously published articles and one unpublished piece (on the Forest of Dean Morris) which are due to appear soon on a CD ROM from Musical Traditions.

For further details go to the Musical Traditions site and see the news section, item 22.

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