I am known to sing in the Tap and Spile on occasion. My family are often with me. Les from Hull sometimes sings in the Tap and Spile. At other times in the Endeavour or the Black Horse. Apart from that I can't think of anyone else from Whitby Scratch who does anything other than pass through the Tap in the way every other morris team passes through when not dancing. (obviously this makes me part of a conspiracy to make folk elitist and exclusive??? I somehow think not!).

FolkieDave -
A coffin... belongs to a local celebrity name of Count Dracula. It was first seen being carried through the streets of Whitby carried by a number of men in black. I think it was advertising the Dracula Experience. For two or three years someone from the Scratch borrowed it from the Count and toted it during the final parade.
At no point has ANYONE suggested that it might have caused any offence, and I would suggest that any such suggestion is simply manufactured to suit somebody's attempt to denigrate our presence.
Personally I never really saw much point to the coffin. It took too much effort to carry and prevented at least 4 of the crew from dancing. That said, it is more appropriate to Whitby's legend of literature than anything else in the procession.

Tripping of dancers :-
NEVER. We are dancers and know the problems which can be caused by a fall during dancing. Nobody in the Scratch - or any other dance team I can imagine, would deliberately cause another dancer to fall. Mishaps and accidents happen, but no morrisman or woman would EVER deliberately cause one.

Right - I've got work to do, so may return to this discussion at some later point.
Quack!
Geoff.