Dressed in unmistakable outfits of white shirt and trousers, together with slate-blue top hats, hat ribbons and baldrics – or crossbelts – members are a familiar sight around West Norfolk in the spring and summer months.

Morris dancing is probably the most ancient form of dance in Britain. "Obviously, we are keeping an old English tradition going," said King's Morris bagman or administrator David Jackson.

"It is what Englishness is all about," he said.

Possibly derived from pagan fertility rites, each dance is performed with the men waving handkerchiefs or brandishing heavy sticks while executing intricate steps.

The morris men of Lynn were formed almost by accident, together with the women's team, the Ring O'Belles, which disbanded in 1999.

"In April, 1978, a public meeting was arranged to reform King's Lynn Folk Club, which had existed at various times since the 1960s," said Mr Jackson.

"During the course of the meeting, someone mentioned morris dancing, with the outcome that the King's Morris and the Ring O'Belles were formed as one organisation."

Some of the men were already morris dancers, so the teams were able to perform in public within a few months. Many of the original dancers were married couples. A fall in numbers led to the disbanding of the Ring O'Belles.

The King's Morris is a revival side – which means a team formed in a town that does not have a tradition of morris dancing. It is also a member of the Morris Ring, the national association of men's morris teams which has about 250 affiliated groups.

The team's dancing schedule consists of weekly rehearsals from October until April, and "dancing out" from May until September.

Public performances take place on Friday evenings at West Norfolk pubs and villages. On most bank holidays, the group travels further afield and presents a dancing tour of three midday performances. On occasion it has taken part in folk festivals and other teams' days of dance and has also visited Denmark twice, to take part in major folk events.

The King's Morris has a tradition of dancing in the Lynn area on Boxing Day to commemorate the day in 1899 when folklorist Cecil Sharp rediscovered morris dancing near Oxford.

The most important day of the year is May 1, the real May Day. Festivities begin with dancing the dawn up and, at noon, the team carries the Lynn May garland around the town, accompanied by the blowing of cows' horns.

"This is an old Lynn tradition which the team revived in 1983," Mr Jackson said. It is thought the May garland may have had its roots in the ancient Roman Floralia or May Games.

By the early 19th century, festivities in Lynn were being carried out by children.