Salisbury, Edwin

Dancer

Collection date: Jun 1906

Area: Warwickshire

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Edwin Salisbury, leader of Bidford Morris (1869-1931): The Bidford-on-Avon morris side revived by D’Arcy Ferris in 1886 continued to perform sporadically. It was led initially by George Salisbury (1867-1890) and then by his younger brother Edwin Salisbury.

Edwin was baptised on 25/4/1869 at Tibberton, Worcestershire (15 miles W of Bidford). He was the 2nd child of Charles Salisbury, agricultural labourer of Tibberton, and his wife Caroline (née Houghton) of Bidford. When Charles died in January qr 1869, aged only 24, Caroline had to worry about her 2 infant boys and went back to live with her father Job Houghton in Bidford until she was remarried on 2/7/1871 to Richard Edkins, labourer. They had a son Henry Edkins (who sadly died in 1883 aged 10) and a daughter Sarah.

Edwin grew up in Bidford and became an agricultural labourer like his stepfather. He married Mary Elizabeth Gould on 19/10/1892 and they had 2 sons and a daughter. Edwin died on 22/2/1931 aged 62, leaving £1,450.

When Sharp saw the Bidford side at Foxlydiate House nr Redditch on 2 June 1906, Edwin was leader, aged 37 at the time. Edwin’s photograph appeared in the first Morris Book (1st edition) in 1907. His great grandson Tony Parsons is a member of the current Shakespeare Bidford Morris side (formed in 1959) – see http://www.shakespearemorris.org.uk 

For more biographic details of the Bidford side over time, see Keith Chandler ‘Morris Dancing in the English South Midlands 1660-1900 – A Chronological Gazetteer’ Hisarlik Press 1993 pp216-221

See also profiles of Lady Margesson, John Robbins and D'Arcy Ferris.