"Guising comes from the term to disguise, and as in Cornwall the easist and most readily available thing to cover faces with was dust from the mine workings, black it is. As this was a form of begging from your neighbours and the people you worked for, people would go in disguise so they would not be recognised."

I know that this is one of the received wisdoms about blacking up, but how true is it? As I said earlier, the piece in EDS said that there were only a few documented cases of blacking up associated with morris before the advent of minstrelsy in Britain in the mid 19th century.

Can anyone clever illuminate, please? (And by clever, I mean I'd be grateful if you have attributable sources for your information.)