Barry Care writes: Very sad to have to tell you all that Lawrence Adams, Squire of the Traditional Bampton Morris Dancers died yesterday, April 22nd after a battle against cancer.
Our thoughts go out to Carol his wife and indeed all members of his family.
From the Tradional Bampton Morris Dancers "who's who":
Although the Squire's father, Ken Adams was a dancer with the Traditional Bampton Morris Dancers for much of his life, Lawrence remembers getting to know Arnold Woodley toward the end of the 1960s through the "Pumpkin Club," a Bampton institution built around competitive pumpkin growing in which his dad and Arnold were stalwart participants. Following his brothers Andrew and 'Duke', Lawrence began dance training under Arnold with the boys side that Bampton was known for at the time. He first danced with the Traditional Bampton Morris Dancers on Whitsun 1973 and has been out with the side almost every year since then. For Lawrence, the reception given the side on its 1982 US Northeast tour was one of those formative experiences that meant Morris would be part of his life.
In 1989 Lawrence became the side's bagman, working closely with Arnold to organise and train the team and with the death of Arnold in 1995 he became the Squire.