To the wearing of bells, stitched upon thongs and tied to the shin, there
would seem to be no exception amongst the Morris-folk, even from the
earliest times. The celebrated Kemp, who danced the Morris all the way
from London to Norwich in 1599, and whose picture we reproduce, wore his
bells in the traditional manner.
The records show that, even in recent times, both treble and tenor bells
were worn, each carried by the opposite files of dancers. There are
accounts also of bells with four different tones. But nowadays certainly
the rule is that bells all of a kind are worn by all the dancers--latten
bells, if that be still the correct name for the kind of bell to be found
upon the harness that children use when they play at horses. The shin-pad
that carries the bells varies to some extent in the details of its
construction; the number of bells also varies. Sometimes the vertical
strips and lateral ties of the pad are of ribbon or braid; maybe oftener
of leather. Sometimes the bells are stitched upon the lateral ties, top
and bottom; it is more usual, however, to fasten them on the
perpendicular strips. The whole bell-pad is some seven inches square, and
is worn midway between knee and ankle. Kimber, as will be seen (plate
opposite), wears twelve bells on each leg, in three perpendicular rows of
four each.