Abbots Bromley Horn Dance the 19th century the dance remained the traditional prerogative of the Bentley family, eventually passing to the Fowell family in 1914. The Fowells continue to run it to this day. Such an ancient origin for the dance has been doubted by some folklorists, who point out that while the reindeer antlers date to the 11th century, reindeer were long since extinct in England and Wales (and probably Scotland), and there is no evidence that any domestic reindeer herds remained at that time. Therefore, even more confusingly, the antlers must have been imported from Scandinavia at some point between the 11th
Abbots Bromley Horn Dance 1221. The Horn Dance takes place on Wakes Monday, the day following Wakes Sunday, which is the first Sunday after 4 September. Violet Alford, a prominent student of folklore and folk dance, wrote in 1940 that the dance had previously taken place on the Twelfth Day, during the first week of January. According to Robert Plot, it has also been performed on Christmas Day and New Year's Day, in addition to the local Wakes Monday, though upon its revival in 1660 it was confined to the latter alone. The dance starts at 08:00 with a service of blessing in St