A tribe of Hell's Angel morris dancers are being studied in an attempt to unlock the secrets of their wild history.

Anthropologist Rebecca Blackman believes the Wild Hunt bedlam morris troupe could be channelling the spirit of ancient Englanders when they don their startling black costumes for dances.

The 37-year-old has braved the west Croydon team’s Tuesday night practices to gain a better insight into their rituals.

She is looking forward to trying it herself, once she completes the research for her masters degree in April.

She said: “When I went on the internet to see which morris groups there were in London they stood head and shoulders above the rest.

“It all looks very ancestral and in some ways tribal – and it kicks the stereotype of morris dancing being quite fuddy-duddy and naff."

The primitive and noisy style, which is thought to date back 1,000 years, stands in stark contrast to the flowers, bells and white trousers commonly associated with morris dancing.

Team member David Young, 66, described his group as “an unusual marriage between medieval mummery and the Hell’s Angels”.

He said: “People laugh at morris dancers, and quite rightly – we laugh at ourselves a lot – but we are one of the last repositories of ancient English culture.

“It feels like we are being treated like a David Attenborough project.”

The team has been approached in the past to represent the dark hordes of Mordor at a Lord of the Rings festival, and are a staple of the annual Witchfest celebration at Fairfield Halls.

Miss Blackman said: “I want to find out what it is like behind the mask, whether they become something different when they put it on.

“They have invited me to take part, and once the hard work is done I will definitely have a dance with them – I can’t refuse.”

For more about the group log on to wildhunt.org.uk.