I have known about the Flamborough Long Sword Dancers for many years, but never had the chance to see them perform – until this year. It was worth the wait, as it was a real treat to visit Flamborough and see an honest local tradition being performed by, and for, the good folk of Flamborough. There were no big crowds of posers or yuppies (only there to be ‘seen’), just local families, young uns and old folk, turning out to support a Flamborough tradition.
By the time i arrived there was a crowd gathering outside the Rose and Crown, with the sword dancers present, and a dozen or more musicians – including Jim Eldon on fiddle.
The men’s sword dance team were joined by a junior team who were a group of young girls learning the sword dance through the local school. The junior team danced alongside the senior team at all 4 venues, starting at the Rose and Crown, then The Seabirds, followed by the Victoria Club, and finally at the Dog and Duck Square. The junior team did a cracking job for such a long and complex dance, and the crowd showed their appreciation each time they danced.
After wanting to see the Flamborough Long Sword Dance for many years, it was great to finally see the senior team perform the dance, which has its own style and arrangement of steps and sets. The dance is quite intricate and required the men’s full concentration, but there was still time for some good natured banter.

(The older gentleman with the Tambourine seen in some of the above photos is Richard Traves who has been involved with the Flamborough sword dance most of his life, starting in the Junior team over 70 years ago.)
The final performance of the day was in the Dog and Duck Square in the middle of the village. It was after 3.00pm before everyone arrived there, and then the music started up once more for the junior team to perform their dance, even though it was a cold day and they were getting tired. Again, the crowd gave them a great cheer because they deserved it. The men’s team performed the final dance – circling around, stepping in, then weaving under and over, in and out, all through the set before finally raising ‘The Lock’ to the crowd one last time. There was a final three cheers for the dancers and the musicians, and then that was the Boxing Day tradition done for another year. Some folks headed into the pub for a drink and a warm, while others stood in the square chatting for a while before heading home.
After thoughts
It was a memorable visit to Flamborough to see the Longsword dance after waiting all these years. The friendly atmosphere of the event reminded me of the Haxey Hood in the 1990’s before it began to attract big crowds, or the Barwick Maypole raising before it was ruined by the health and safety concerns. Some how the Flamborough people have managed to keep their sword dance tradition authentic. There is no big show or fuss, just a community effort to keep their tradition alive.
Maybe that is what the circle of swords locked together represents – the crowd of people surrounding the dancers, – all with their individual lives, but linked together as part of the Flamborough community?
Although i was only a visitor for the day, it felt like i was welcomed into that circle, and was able to be part of their Boxing Day tradition.
Rattle Up My Boys – Link to an article about the Flamborough Longsword