The Bumpkin or Ninesome Reel is a Scottish Country Dance. It was published by William Campbell in about 1799 in Campbell's 14th Book of New and Favorite Country Dances & Strathspey Reels. It was interpreted by RSCDS in 1925 and published in RSCDS Book 2. It is J12×24+J8 3T, a Custom3 dance. It is a multipart dance. J296.
The RSCDS says this dance was "Collected in the town of Lanark", and also states it is found in A Companion to the Reticule, published, London, ~1840 (for young Ladies and Gentlemen, whose birth, connexions, or society, can lay claim to any district NORTH of the TWEED. While the Companion claims this was danced all over Scotland prior to the year 1815.
The SCDDB says the dance was devised by Walsh in 1754, and Book 2 says the dance was published in Walsh's Caledonian Country Dances 1748-1760. As far as I can tell Walsh did not publish a dance called "The Bumpkin", but he did publish "The Country Bumkin" in ~1750, but the figure is nothing like this one.
Walsh writes:
Two Cu. fall back•foot it and change over the like again cross over twice to below lead to the top•foot it and cast off•
However, William Campbell did publish The Country Bumpkin in his 14th Book (~1799), and he writes:
Six Ladies and 3 Gentlemen in 3 Lines — the middle Gentleman dances with his Hat on — all nine foot up the Room to the top in 3 Lines and turn and foot back again to their places — then the Gentleman in the middle sets to the Lady at the right hand corner, turn her the set to the Lady on the left hand corner and turn her and Hey:— the other two Gentlemen do the same with their corners and Hey at the same time then fall back to their places and foot up the Room as Before and then down again then the Gentleman in the middle foots to the other right hand corner turn round and Hey the other two Gentlemen do the same with their other corner and turn round and hey all at the same time then fall back to their places foot up as before and back again then the three Gentlemen foot to the three Ladies on their right hand turn then to the three Ladies on their Left turn and all Hey then foot up as before and back again then the middle line set to the bottom line turn round and set to the top line then turn round and all Hey up and down the room the Gentleman in the bottom line takes the Hat off the Gentleman of the middle line then falls into the middle line with his two Ladies repeats all the Figure over again the Gentleman of the top line then takes the Hat off the Gentleman of the middle line and with his two Ladies falls in the middle line and repeats all the figure over again — then finish with a threesom Reel across the Room.
Is Campbell making a distinction between "heys" (in the first parts of the dance) and "reels" in the last line, or is he just careless?
As written in the Companion to the Reticule:
4 3 8 9 5 1 2 7 6 This favourite SCOTCH DANCE is performed by six Ladies and three Gentlemen, arranged as the annexed figure, with their backs near the extremity of the room. The centre Gentleman (King), wearing a hat is represented by the figure 5, and the other two by 3 and 7, while the six outside figures represent the Ladies; and it may be remarked, that by adding these figures up or down, across or by the corners, the result will always amount to FIFTEEN.
It is necessary to premise, that the figure of the BUMPKIN consists of three separate parts, viz.,
THE (DANCING) PROMENADE, THE SETTING, AND THE REELING;
that the Bumpkin tunes consist also of three Parts, and that each of these must be played TWICE over. When the "Old Country Bumpkin" (p. 30) begins, the whole nine promenade to the further end of the room, the Gentlemen holding each of their partners by the hand;— they then all turn round by the right, join hands again, and return promenading to their starting place during the first part of the tune. While the second part is played, 5 sets to and turns 8 & 2 — 3 do 4 & 9 — 7 do 6 & 1; and so soon as the third part begins 3, 5, 7 reel with those they had set , and then return to their places as before. The tune is now begun for the third time, and the whole start again, turn and return as formerly, during the first part • When the second part begins, 5 sets to 9 & 1 — 3 do to 8 & 4 — 7 do to 6 & 2 and the gentlemen (3 5 7) now reel with their own partners during the third part of the tune, and return to their original places as before. The same tune being begun a fourth time, 5 sets to 3 & 7 — 9 do. to 2 & 4 — 1 do. 6 & 8 and after reeling during the third part, 4, 3, 8, exchange places with 9, 5, 1; and 3 (now King) taking the Hat, the Bumpkin is now danced over again in the very same manner to the tune of "Ailsey Marley" (p.30). Upon 4, 3, 8 then exchanging places with 2, 7, 6, and 7 (now King) taking the Hat, the Dance is repeated to the tune of the "New Bumpkin," (p.30), and carried on as formerly to where the second part of the Old Bumpkin tune has begun for the third time, viz., at this mark • 5 now sets to 9 — 3 do. to 4, — 7 do. to 2; and at that moment there additional Gentlemen join the Dance by setting to the unoccupied Ladies, 8, 1, 6, the music omitting the third part of the tune, and changing to the common time reel of Tullochgorum, which is played three times over; and thus concludes the BUMPKIN, as danced all over Scotland prior to the year 1815.
The SCDDB says that the reels are left shoulder reels, though I can find no indication of this in RSCDS Book 2, nor in any of the original sources.
The animation plays at 120 counts per minute normally, but the first time through the set the dance will often be slowed down so people can learn the moves more readily. Men are drawn as rectangles, women as ellipses. Each couple is drawn in its own color, however the border of each dancer indicates what role they currently play so the border color may change each time through the minor set.
An online description of the dance may be found here.
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The dance itself is out of copyright, and is in the public domain. The interpretation is out of copyright in the US, but I'm not sure of other jurisdictions. My visualization of this dance is copyright © 2023 by George W. Williams V and is released under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
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