A man has accomplished a 100-mile (160km) morris dance from London to Norwich recreating a journey undertaken by William Shakespeare's clown in 1600.
Rick Jones, from Catford, south east London, set off from London Bridge on 23 April (St George's Day and the day Shakespeare is traditionally said to have been born as well as died) and danced his way through Essex and Suffolk before arriving in Norwich, Norfolk, on Friday.
He completed the trip despite being stopped by police and enduring pain from stinging nettles and blisters.
He will officially finish his dance on 6 May at St John Maddermarket church.
In keeping with the journey undertaken by Shakespeare actor Will Kemp, he will dance again from St Stephen's Street up to City Hall to meet the lord mayor, before jumping over the wall at the church to celebrate his feat, just as Will Kemp did in 1600.
London to Norwich Shakespearean morris dance completed
2 May 2015
BBC News
Rick Jones danced about 12 miles a day through East Anglia
A man has accomplished a 100-mile (160km) morris dance from London to Norwich recreating a journey undertaken by William Shakespeare's clown in 1600.
Rick Jones, from Catford, south east London, set off from London Bridge on 23 April and danced his way through Essex and Suffolk before arriving in Norwich on Friday.
He completed the trip despite being stopped by police and enduring pain from stinging nettles and blisters.
He will officially finish his dance on 6 May at St John Maddermarket church.
In keeping with the journey undertaken by Shakespeare actor Will Kemp, he will dance again from St Stephen's Street up to City Hall to meet the lord mayor, before jumping over the wall at the church to celebrate his feat, just as Will Kemp did in 1600.
'Out of hospital'
"I had a real adventure," said Mr Jones, 58.
"I met loads of people and that becomes the story, really.
"I was stopped by the police in Suffolk who wondered what was up when I was dancing down the A134 outside of Bury St Edmunds.
"Someone apparently thought I'd got out of hospital or something, so I had to prove I had danced the whole way."
He went through towns and cities including Chelmsford, Long Melford and Thetford
It is thought Kemp embarked on his trip to prove how popular he was with the public after falling out with Shakespeare when he was turned down for a role in Hamlet.
He told the story in his account "Nine Daies Wonder".
Mr Jones' dance began on the anniversary of the day Shakespeare was believed to have been born in 1564.
He chose to complete it in nine days, as the title suggests, despite finding out only after booking hotel rooms that it actually took Kemp 23 days because his dancing was so vigorous.
During the trip Mr Jones visited Southwark, Romford (both in London), Brentwood, Chelmsford, Braintree (all in Essex), Long Melford, Bury St Edmunds (all in Suffolk), Thetford, Hingham and eventually Norwich (all in Norfolk).
He finished his journey in Norwich despite having a run-in with the police
Will Kemp and his extraordinary morris dance, 1600
In 1600 Will Kemp morris-danced from London to Norwich. Kemp was an actor, a jester and a friend of William Shakespeare. It is suggested that he undertook the journey when Shakespeare turned him down for the role of the clown in Hamlet.
The following year he wrote an account of his journey entitled: Kemp's Nine Daies Wonder. However, the journey actually took him 23 days.
'Satterday no sooner came but I returned without the citty through Saint Giles his gate, and beganne my Morrice where I left at that gate, but I entred in at Saint Stephens gate, where one Thomas Gilbert in name of all the rest of the cittizens gave me a friendly and exceeding kind welcome'.
He wrote the following poem of welcome for Norwich:
Master Kemp his welcome to Norwich
W With hart, and hand, among the rest,
E Especially you welcome are:
L Long looked for as welcome guest,
C Come now at last you be from farre.
O Of most within the citty, sure,
M Many good wishes you haue had;
E Each one did pray you might indure,
W With courage good the match you made.
I Intend they did with gladsome hearts,
L Like your well willers, you to meete:
K Know you also they'l doe their parts,
E Eyther in field or house to greete
M More you then any with you came,
P Procur'd thereto with rump and fame.
On the wall of the Maddermarket Theatre in St. John's Alley in Norwich there is a plaque marking the spot where Kemp ended his morris dance and where, to celebrate, he jumped over the wall of the St. John Maddermarket Church.
Kemp is also commemorated in a new walkway connecting Bethel Street to Theatre Street in Norwich. The walkway lies at the back of the Forum and is called the 'Will Kemp Way'.
In Chapelfield Gardens in Norwich there is a wooden carving by Mark Goldsworthy which commemorates Kemp's journey.
London to Norwich Shakespearean morris dance completed - BBC News
Rick Jones, from Catford, south east London, set off from London Bridge on 23 April (St George's Day and the day Shakespeare is traditionally said to have been born as well as died) and danced his way through Essex and Suffolk before arriving in Norwich, Norfolk, on Friday.
He completed the trip despite being stopped by police and enduring pain from stinging nettles and blisters.
He will officially finish his dance on 6 May at St John Maddermarket church.
In keeping with the journey undertaken by Shakespeare actor Will Kemp, he will dance again from St Stephen's Street up to City Hall to meet the lord mayor, before jumping over the wall at the church to celebrate his feat, just as Will Kemp did in 1600.
London to Norwich Shakespearean morris dance completed
2 May 2015
BBC News
Rick Jones danced about 12 miles a day through East Anglia
A man has accomplished a 100-mile (160km) morris dance from London to Norwich recreating a journey undertaken by William Shakespeare's clown in 1600.
Rick Jones, from Catford, south east London, set off from London Bridge on 23 April and danced his way through Essex and Suffolk before arriving in Norwich on Friday.
He completed the trip despite being stopped by police and enduring pain from stinging nettles and blisters.
He will officially finish his dance on 6 May at St John Maddermarket church.
In keeping with the journey undertaken by Shakespeare actor Will Kemp, he will dance again from St Stephen's Street up to City Hall to meet the lord mayor, before jumping over the wall at the church to celebrate his feat, just as Will Kemp did in 1600.
'Out of hospital'
"I had a real adventure," said Mr Jones, 58.
"I met loads of people and that becomes the story, really.
"I was stopped by the police in Suffolk who wondered what was up when I was dancing down the A134 outside of Bury St Edmunds.
"Someone apparently thought I'd got out of hospital or something, so I had to prove I had danced the whole way."
He went through towns and cities including Chelmsford, Long Melford and Thetford
It is thought Kemp embarked on his trip to prove how popular he was with the public after falling out with Shakespeare when he was turned down for a role in Hamlet.
He told the story in his account "Nine Daies Wonder".
Mr Jones' dance began on the anniversary of the day Shakespeare was believed to have been born in 1564.
He chose to complete it in nine days, as the title suggests, despite finding out only after booking hotel rooms that it actually took Kemp 23 days because his dancing was so vigorous.
During the trip Mr Jones visited Southwark, Romford (both in London), Brentwood, Chelmsford, Braintree (all in Essex), Long Melford, Bury St Edmunds (all in Suffolk), Thetford, Hingham and eventually Norwich (all in Norfolk).
He finished his journey in Norwich despite having a run-in with the police
Will Kemp and his extraordinary morris dance, 1600
In 1600 Will Kemp morris-danced from London to Norwich. Kemp was an actor, a jester and a friend of William Shakespeare. It is suggested that he undertook the journey when Shakespeare turned him down for the role of the clown in Hamlet.
The following year he wrote an account of his journey entitled: Kemp's Nine Daies Wonder. However, the journey actually took him 23 days.
'Satterday no sooner came but I returned without the citty through Saint Giles his gate, and beganne my Morrice where I left at that gate, but I entred in at Saint Stephens gate, where one Thomas Gilbert in name of all the rest of the cittizens gave me a friendly and exceeding kind welcome'.
He wrote the following poem of welcome for Norwich:
Master Kemp his welcome to Norwich
W With hart, and hand, among the rest,
E Especially you welcome are:
L Long looked for as welcome guest,
C Come now at last you be from farre.
O Of most within the citty, sure,
M Many good wishes you haue had;
E Each one did pray you might indure,
W With courage good the match you made.
I Intend they did with gladsome hearts,
L Like your well willers, you to meete:
K Know you also they'l doe their parts,
E Eyther in field or house to greete
M More you then any with you came,
P Procur'd thereto with rump and fame.
On the wall of the Maddermarket Theatre in St. John's Alley in Norwich there is a plaque marking the spot where Kemp ended his morris dance and where, to celebrate, he jumped over the wall of the St. John Maddermarket Church.
Kemp is also commemorated in a new walkway connecting Bethel Street to Theatre Street in Norwich. The walkway lies at the back of the Forum and is called the 'Will Kemp Way'.
In Chapelfield Gardens in Norwich there is a wooden carving by Mark Goldsworthy which commemorates Kemp's journey.
London to Norwich Shakespearean morris dance completed - BBC News
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