The Cup Hill Morris team was formed in Hambledon and took its name from the nearby Hydon’s Ball hill, which was also known as Cup Hill.
Its members danced on the 179-metre summit to see in the dawn on May Day and to welcome the arrival of spring. They recited an old rhyme associated with the hill: “On Hydon’s top there is a cup, And in that cup there is a drop. Pick up the cup and drink the drop, And place the cup on Hydon’s top”. Afterwards the Morris team and spectators would walk down the hill to dance at the village local, the Merry Harriers, and share a breakfast and a few pints.
Cup Hill Morris also danced in many other local pubs, villages and towns.
However, time took its toll and with no new recruits, Cup Hill Morris team disbanded. But the tradition of dancing on Hydon’s Ball on May Day remains and is now undertaken by the Fleur de Lys ladies Morris team, from the Guildford and Godalming area, with support from former Cup Hill Morris dancers and musicians.
Below are some photographs of Cup Hill Morris in its heyday.