The Original Horwich Morris Dancers were formed in 1891 in response to a team from Chorley appearing in the first Horwich Rose Festival. This team, which was trained by Mr. Harry Barlow who was employed at the L&Y Railway locomotive works (the main employer in Horwich at the time) made its debut in the 1892 Rose Festival. At this time, all other teams danced in shoes, but Horwich wore clogs from the start. In 1893 Horwich won a major competition in Rochdale.