Sunday 23rd March 2025
The launch of Max Crow Reeves‘ new ‘Morris’ photo book was held on the old unconsecrated burial ground on Sunday 23rd March 2025. The day of dance features 4 morris sides: The Belles of London City, Black Swan Border Morris, Brixton Tatterjacks and Blackhorse and Standard Women’s North West Morris, each bringing their distintive styles to the day, with poetry by Steve Micalef and John Crow and music by Louella JC. My co-creator Katy Kaos and I were in London Town for the event, and for the 250th Vigil for the Outcast, dead and alive, held at the gates in Redcross Way at 7pm on the 23rd of every month. It was a delight to conduct the Vigil for only the second time since completing my “official” 23-year magical working with the Goose on 23rd November 2019.
This work has taken up (and over) almost a third of my life, yet given so much back to me and others. Last Sunday, during my brief return to The Borough from my new home in Glastonbury, I felt so honoured and loved by those who’ve walked The Goose with me and are now taking the work forward, I kept welling up.
To name but a few of the hundreds of Friends of Crossbones who have helped save our holy ground from the developers: Sophie O’Leary (with us on the very first ‘Halloween of Crossbones’ and with whom we stayed on this last visit), Michelle Watson (who played The Goose in the 2010 production of ‘The Southwark Mysteries‘ and the late Niall McDevitt, the core of the original Liberty Crew, together with Jahnet Rani Ji, aka ‘De Light’, our Goose of Honour for most of the 13 annual Halloween Rituals). Vikki Bunmi (and her late partner Jim the Sax man) for all their my-life-support, Jennifer Cooper and Jacqueline Durban who brought their love and idiosyncratic syncretic Goddess-works to our original Halloween rituals and now the Vigils, Zanna (my turbulent ally, who came at protecting the graveyard from an entirely different angle to your Crow and is a crucial part of the magic mix that saved it from the tower-blocks) and Natalie for fighting the good fight. Lisa Newf, Giles Semper, Pete and Irene, Andy Lok, Nicholas Greaves, Danny Nemu, Susanna Lafond, Jack Cleere for teaching us how to live. Andy Hulme (the Invisible Gardener who gave us the key to a secert door). Sarah Davey-Hull who directed ‘The Southwark Mysteries’ (including the Crossbones mythos) in Shakespeare’s Globe, (23/4/2000) and Southwark Cathedral (2010) and is much-missed. Di Sherlock for first Goose and directing ‘The Anatomy Class’. Jimmy Cauty for guerrilla posters, Rob Barber for ‘Crossbones Girl’ and SallyRuth Davies for her Tarot. John Higgs for ‘Watling Street’ and all the other writers who’ve put our Crossbones legend in their books. George Nigel Hoyle and the other singers who sing the Goose songs in their own voices. Tuppy Owens, Tania Gee and Kian de la Cour, not least for Our Sexual Freedom Awards! All the sex workers brave enough to stand at the gates in a London back-street to tell their own stories. Sondra Hausner, the Oxford professor who wrote a book about why what we do at Crossbones gates is proper job authentic indigenous shamanism / (and showmanism 
). Lucy Coleman Talbot who supplemented the Goose legend with the social history of the pauper’s burial ground. Sarah Scarlet and Sara Mulryan who kept the faith (and the gates!). Mark Juhan for keeping psychedelic Gnosticism alive at the Vigils, David Luke and The Neuromagical Roundabout who made the pilgrimage that began with Don Santos blessing our Crossbones, to all the pagans (and Christians), the all faiths and none, the sex workers (and the office workers) who worked with us above and below.
). Lucy Coleman Talbot who supplemented the Goose legend with the social history of the pauper’s burial ground. Sarah Scarlet and Sara Mulryan who kept the faith (and the gates!). Mark Juhan for keeping psychedelic Gnosticism alive at the Vigils, David Luke and The Neuromagical Roundabout who made the pilgrimage that began with Don Santos blessing our Crossbones, to all the pagans (and Christians), the all faiths and none, the sex workers (and the office workers) who worked with us above and below.And so many more. If I accidentally left you off this off-the-top-of-the-head roll of honour, please accept these names as representing you and all the others unnamed – just as our ribbons with the names of the Crossbones Dead represent up the to 15,000 nameless. (Please excuse the Facebook name checks. I reposted that last paragraph from there.)
Artist and folklorist Ben Edge‘s new song, ‘Crossbones Lament’, comes with this video taken during The Day of Dance. Thanks for the John Crow name check too, Ben 
Here’s to many more merry meets, moots and taking it all to the next level. The Goose is loose in The Liberty! 
Here’s to many more merry meets, moots and taking it all to the next level. The Goose is loose in The Liberty! for more Crossbones songs by John Crow and Frank Turner go to VIDEOS
