Francis Shergold, who died aged 89, was the former squire and president of Bampton Traditional Morris Men, whose single-minded dedication helped to preserve morris dancing in Oxfordshire villages, and bring it to a wide and appreciative audience through concerts and folk festivals all over Britain.

The purpose of the Bampton Festival was to celebrate the 350th anniversary of The Old Grammar School. The newspaper article describes the history of the building. The festival was a village-wide celebration which ran fro 13th July to 20th July 1985. The festival included concerts, talks, old photographs, a garden contest, morris dancing and music.

Series of Photos of Morris dancing in Bampton in the 1980s

Musicians playing for Bampton Morris Men series of photographs of the musicians. Mathew Green, Colin Bathe, and Roly Brown

Photograph of William Nathan 'Jingy' Wells with his first, homemade fiddle 1936

Keith Chandler - Morris Dancing. Who, What, When & Why, the story of Bampton Morris through the ages from 1620 to 2015

Booklet on William Wells 1868-1953 Morris Dancer, Fiddler & Fool by EFDSS
An outstanding figure in the revival of English folk music makes a contribution to this Journal. ‘Jinkey’ Wells of Bampton-in-the-Bush, Oxfordshire, died a few years ago after a prolonged illness had cut him off from his beloved Morris and deprived his village and his many friends of a gay and cultured personality. While he enjoyed moderate health and certainly long after he was blind he was the leader and fiddler of the Bampton Morris Men who capered and stepped in the lanes and gardens of the village throughout Whit-Monday. He himself knew the custom was ancient and part of an England that was fast disappearing. With the May Day garland carried from house to house by the children and the cake borne on the swordhe looked upon the six white dancing figures and the black-faced fool—a part which he himself had made memorable in his youth—as a living element in the historic mode of life of the English peasant. One of his greatest experiences was his first meeting with Cecil Sharp who was able to confirm his own views of the deep-rooted nature of this dance tradition. Sharp paid his tribute to Wells in his description of the Bampton Morris dancers in The Morris Book, Part III.

Booklet about Bampton Traditional Morris written by Arnold Woodley referencing The Ragman

Ernie Hunt known as Rocky, Dicky or Arab. A very popular Character who had a heart of gold and was apparently somewhat slow. He was involved in everything in the village. He entered the Shirt Race every year on his three wheeler bike,. He was also the clown in the Morris Dancing team. He worked for the Air Ministry and the RAF put him forward for a Queens Recommendation Medal because he was a very good and loyal worker.

The Mummers Christmas Eve 1997