May kings and queens dance around the poles

Many towns and villages in Oxfordshire marked the start of May with special events.

May Kings and Queens would be crowned and there would be dancing around the maypole, country dancing and plenty of May songs.

Many schools in the city and county would stage special events at this time of year, notably East Oxford School off Union Street.

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May celebrations were always a big occasion there, with parents and friends invited to sit in the playground to watch pupils dance around the maypole.

Picture 1 shows morris dancers entertaining the large crowd after the crowning of the May Queen in 1963.

Picture 2 was taken at the village school at Bletchingdon, near Bicester, where May Queen Laura Wing and Jack of the Green Michael Skinner, both 11, are seen leading the May procession.

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Former teacher Jill Daubney crowned Laura and presented Michael with a cauliflower as a sign of growing crops.

Two boys, Ashley Pollard and Mario Charlett, carried torches in the procession as a symbol of fire to smoke out demons.

Pupils who were members of the village band, played a grand fanfare and later, parents were entertained by dancing and singing and the antics of a hobby horse ridden by Stephen Tobin.

The May parade at Chalgrove, near Thame, in 1985 was led by the May Prince and Princess, Ben Merrick and Tamara Taylor, in Picture 3.

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Chapel Lane playgroup won the prize for the best float in the procession, with Chalgrove Cubs and the village youth club as runners-up.

They were among 10 floats that took part.

Members of the Royal Britain Legion’s women’s section won a special prize with their float of ‘beauties from outer space’.

Picture 4 shows the line-up at Charlbury, near Witney, in 1992 – May Queen Vickie Jeffs, 12, centre, with her attendants, left to right, Thomasina Vincent, seven, Laura Parker, nine, Gemma Vincent, 10, and Jessica Chapman, nine.

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