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Little Totterington Home
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The Little
Totterington Furrey Dance is danced from dawn till
dusk in the village of Little Totterington on
the first Monday after the autumnal equinox, a date which used to coincide with
Suisby Fair, a celebration granted to the Abbots of Totterington
by King Henry III in 1226. The dance itself is now considered to have originated
much earlier, perhaps in a pagan ritual to ensure the return of spring,
fertility, or as a celebration of hunting rights. Radiocarbon dating by the Department of Archaeology at the University of Dearlcastle of some of the staves carried during the dance has proven at least a medieval origin, and modern replicas are now used during the Furrey
Dance.
The dancers are traditionally 12 men, one girl and a young boy from the
Claughton and Threlfall families. The dancers process around the village
on a route that they decide and change each year. The starting and
finishing points are, however, always St Godolphin's Church. The animal
skins worn by the dancers, and other items associated with the dance are
kept here during the year. The current costumes
were designed by the local vicar’s daughters
in the 1870s. The Furry Dance is now a tourist attraction, and visitors are advised that
there is limited parking within the village.