| Where: | South East London and the City (varies annually) |
| When: | 1st May |
| Time: | From 11 -ish/noon all afternoon into early evening |
The old May Day custom of parading a Jack in the Green at Deptford, a man encased in a framework entirely covered with greenery, is one of the lesser-known modern revivals though it dates back to the early 1980s. The Blackheath Morris side go out in the City and South East London with Fowlers Troop and their Jack every May 1st – their route varies from year to year so check their website for final details. Jack wears an elaborate floral crown and is accompanied by dancing and music wherever he goes, and when he returns to the Dog and Bell in the late afternoon, he is ceremonially “slain” and greenery is distributed to the crowd.
Helpful Hints
This custom takes place on May 1st NOT on the Bank Holiday unless it falls on the 1st, too. In 2025 the route starts at 11 at the Dog & Bell and ends there at 6pm- details are published near the due date and for full itinerary and map check out the Facebook link below and scroll ’til you find it.
Click here for the Facebook group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/1370502546475532
Click here for the event website (currently out of action but will hopefully either be fixed or replaced soon), which will have the full schedule for the day : http://www.deptford-jack.org.uk/
Please note that it is Blackheath Morris, not the Fowler’s Troop, who perform the morris dances at various pubs along the way. Fowler’s Troop exists specifically for Jack in the Green and includes members of Blackheath Morris side, Deptford Molly Dancers and other individuals such as myself. The original Fowlers Troop was photographed in 1906 as seen here:
http://www.deptford-jack.org.uk/fowlerstroop1900s.htm
A recreation of this photo was staged 100 years later,
Hi Steve!
Thanks for putting me right about the dancing and for sending a copy of the marvellous photo! I’ve amended my article accordingly.Hope to see you there one day (this year we’re in Cornwall!)
Kind Regards,
Averil
Jack now returns to the Dog and Bell in the late afternoon and for last couple of years has been ceremonially slain (Similar to Hastings Jack but a lot less crowded ) The Green is then thrown to the crowd.
Many thanks for the update Ian- I’ve added a note to the article.It’s a while since we’ve been to Deptford and it’s really helpful to have new developments shared!
Best wishes,
Averil