The Corporation
Country Dances, Ancient and Modern

Early Sources of RSCDS dances

None of the dances published by the RSCDS before book 13 were devised by the RSCDS, instead they were considered "traditional" dances. Many dances published in subsequent books fall into that category as well. I have tried to track down the sources of these dances and display here the earliest published versions of the dance's figure which I've been able to find.

Note: this is often different from the earliest dance with that name. The dance's name was often the name of the tune to which it was danced, and many tunes had multiple figures attached to them, so care must be taken.
Note also: there may very well be earlier sources than "the earliest published version ... which I've been able to find". Many early sources have been lost to the ravages of time, and others have simply escaped my notice. And in other cases the publication dates are uncertain, and which is earliest may be indeterminate.

In some cases the RSCDS mentions a source. Often I have found earlier examples of the dance. Sometimes I have been unable to find the RSCDS source and will present the earliest source I have found.

When I know the deviser, I mark the name in italics. In most cases for these old dances I only know the publisher.

When a dance source is marked with "†" it means I have been unable to verify the source of the dance, when it is marked with "‡" it means I have been unable to find any Scottish dance manual containing this dance (prior to 1924).

Hovering the mouse over a dance's devisor/publisher will (often) produce a popup containing the text of the original.

By default the list below shows only traditional dances interpreted by the (R)SCDS. I believe that Book 34 (1986) was the last book to contain any traditional dances. Before Book 13 all (R)SCDS dances were traditional, but Book 13 contains The Reel of the 51st Division, the first published modern dance. No further modern dances were published until Book 22 (1963), and after that some books contained modern and some traditional dances until Books 31&34, which contains both.

At the end I have several tables of statistics.

Order by:
Include:
(R)SCDS Book Range:
Containing figure:

(R)SCDS dances originaly published in Glasgow

(R)SCDS Book 1, 1924

Flowers of Edinburgh - RSCDS
J. P. Boulogne, Glasgow, 1827
The Ball-Room, or the Juvenile Pupil's Assistant; Containing the Most Fashionable Quadrilles, with Les Lanciers of Sixteen, As Danced in the Public & Private Assemblies in Paris

The earliest source I can find is Wilcock, 1868, who writes (on page 73):

  1. First lady passes behind the second and third ladies, crosses between the third and fourth ladies to the gentleman's side, passes behind the second and third gentlemen to the first gentleman's place, and set. The first gentleman follows the lady, but leads up the centre.
  2. The first gentleman repeats the above, the lady following and set.
  3. Lead down the middle and up again.
  4. Pousette

The RSCDS's choreography is the same as Wilcock's except for the standard problem that the RSCDS poussette is progressive and no one else's is (and lead down the middle and up is progressive to Wilcock but not to the RSCDS).

Also in Kate Hughes's manuscript, Dancing Book, Ireland, 1867.

The tune is a traditional Scottish one. It was synthesized using Colin Hume's software.

1-41W cast, followed by 1M, chase halfway around set finish below 3s
5-61W cast up, while 1M dance up middle finishing in partner's place
7-81s set
9-121M cast, followed by 1W, chase halfway around set finish below 3s
13-141M cast up, while 1W dance up middle finishing in own place
15-161s set
17-241s lead down and back, ending with both hands joined (2s move in as well)
25-321s+2s poussette
Meg Merrilees ~ RSCDS
J. P. Boulogne, Glasgow, 1827†
The Ball-Room, or the Juvenile Pupil's Assistant; Containing the Most Fashionable Quadrilles, with Les Lanciers of Sixteen, As Danced in the Public & Private Assemblies in Paris

Clementi published a dance of this name in London, but with a different figure.

In 1830 Smyth writes:

The two first couple figure partners first by the right and then by the left, all four down the middle arm in arm and up again, pousette and right and left.

The Lowes write:

First Lady swings the second Gentleman, first by the right hand, then by the left; at the same time the first Gentleman does the same with the second Lady; all four down the middle arm in arm, and up again, pousette, and right and left.
1-4M1+W2 right hand turn
5-8W1+M2 right hand turn once and a half ending between partners
9-16Line of four (near hands joined) dance down, turn alone, and dance up, on last bar 1s move ahead into poussette position
17-24Poussette
The Nut
J. P. Boulogne, Glasgow, 1827
The Ball-Room, or the Juvenile Pupil's Assistant; Containing the Most Fashionable Quadrilles, with Les Lanciers of Sixteen, As Danced in the Public & Private Assemblies in Paris

The Lowes write:

The first Gentleman turns the second Lady by the right hand, which he retains, and gives his left to the second Gentleman; the first Lady passes through below the Gentlemen's arms, and her partner following, they go down the middle, up again, and pousette.

Lady 1's path seems somewhat different in the Lowes' version than in the RSCDS's.

1-4M1+L2 right hand turn
5-8M1 retains L2's hand, joins with M2, balance in line, as L1 dances right shoulder around M1 (under his joined hands)
9-161s lead down, turn, come back, ending in middle, 2s moving in behind them
17-24Poussette

(R)SCDS Book 4, 1927

The Merry Dancers ~ RSCDS
J. P. Boulogne, Glasgow, 1827†
The Ball-Room, or the Juvenile Pupil's Assistant; Containing the Most Fashionable Quadrilles, with Les Lanciers of Sixteen, As Danced in the Public & Private Assemblies in Paris

The RSCDS attributes this to J. P. Boulogne's The Ball-Room, or the Juvenile Pupil's Assistant; Containing the Most Fashionable Quadrilles, with Les Lanciers of Sixteen, As Danced in the Public & Private Assemblies in Paris, 1827. Not having access to that work, I can't verify the claim.

It does have some resemblance to a dance of the same name in Skillern's Twenty Four Country Dances for the Year 1788. Which begins with cast, turn, cast, turn, circle. But that is followed by rights and lefts rather than reels.

It does appear in Kate Hughes's manuscript (Dancing Book) Dundalk Ireland, ~1867, (only she calls it "Merry Dance" (not "Dancers")) where she writes:

  1. Top couple turn with right hands cast of(f) one couple turn with left hands cast of(f) a seceaond (second) couple (8 bars)
  2. Six hands round (4 bars)
  3. Lead up to places (4 bars)
  4. Set at corners and turn (8 bars)
  5. Reell of three (8 bars)
1-41s right turn and cast down as 2s move up
5-81s left turn and cast down as 3s move up
9-14Circle six once round
15-161s lead up to 1st corners as 3s move down
17-201s+1st corners set and two hand turn
21-241s+2nd corners set and two hand turn
25-301s pass 1st corners left to start finishing reels on opposite sides
31-321s change by right hands
Waltz Country Dance
J. P. Boulogne, Glasgow, 1827†
The Ball-Room, or the Juvenile Pupil's Assistant; Containing the Most Fashionable Quadrilles, with Les Lanciers of Sixteen, As Danced in the Public & Private Assemblies in Paris

In (Glasgow, ~1868) Wilcock presents dance with a simpler but vaguely similar figure.

  1. First lady and second gentleman change places with the waltz step, passing on the right, (8 bars)
  2. First gentleman and second lady do likewise, (8 bars)
  3. Repeat Nos. 1 and 2 to places, (16 bars)
  4. First couple lead down the middle and up again. (8 bars)

Skinner in The People's Ball Room Guide, Dundee, ~1898 has a dance with this name, but it does not match this figure.

1-2Set to opposite
3-4Change with opposite passing right shoulder
5-6Set to partner
7-8Change with partner passing right shoulder
9-10Set to opposite
11-12Change with opposite passing right shoulder
13-14Set to partner
15-16Change with partner passing right shoulder
17-18Take hands in a right and balance in and out
19-20Men take two hands with lady on left and turn her under their joined arms, with her ending diagonally opposite her starting point
21-22Take hands in a right and balance in and out
23-24Men take two hands with lady on left and turn her under their joined arms, with her ending diagonally opposite her starting point
25-26Take hands in a right and balance in and out
27-28Men take two hands with lady on left and turn her under their joined arms, with her ending diagonally opposite her starting point
29-30Take hands in a right and balance in and out
31-32Men take two hands with lady on left and turn her under their joined arms, ending in ballroom position
33-40Waltz once and a half around the other couple to meet the next

(R)SCDS Book 6, 1930

Mrs. MacLeod
J. P. Boulogne, Glasgow, 1827†
The Ball-Room, or the Juvenile Pupil's Assistant; Containing the Most Fashionable Quadrilles, with Les Lanciers of Sixteen, As Danced in the Public & Private Assemblies in Paris

The crib diagram attributes this to Boulogne's The Ball-Room, or the Juvenile Pupil's Assistant; Containing the Most Fashionable Quadrilles, with Les Lanciers of Sixteen, As Danced in the Public & Private Assemblies in Paris,, 1827. A statement I am unable to verify.

It is present in Smyth's A Pocket Companion for Young Ladies and Gentlemen Containing Directions for the Performance of Quadrilles, Scotch, English, Irish, French, and Spanish Country Dances, Reels, &c., Edinburgh, 1830, and in the Lowes's Lowes' Ball-Conductor and Assembly Guide, Edinburgh, ~1831. Both of them call it "Mrs. McLeod" though. Smyth writes:

Four hands across and back again. Down the middle and up again, Set corners, and turn round, Set opposite corners and turn round, a reel of three on each side.
1-41s+2s right hands across...
5-8...and left hands back
9-161s dance down, turn, dance back to 1st corners
17-201s+1st corners set and two hand turn
21-241s+2nd corners set and two hand turn
25-301s pass 1st corners left to start finishing reels of three on opposite sides
31-321s cross by right hand to 2nd place own sides

(R)SCDS Book 8, 1932

Calver Lodge
J. P. Boulogne, Glasgow, 1827†
The Ball-Room, or the Juvenile Pupil's Assistant; Containing the Most Fashionable Quadrilles, with Les Lanciers of Sixteen, As Danced in the Public & Private Assemblies in Paris

The earliest source I can find is J. F. Wallace's The Excelsior Manual of Dancing, Glasgow, ~1872, who writes (on page 68):

  1. Half right and left by couples No. 1 and 2, and down the center four, (8 bars)
  2. Half right and left and back to places, (8)
  3. Reel of four, (8)
  4. Pousette, (8)

Statistics

Number of dances published by city (or region)

Glasgow7

Number of dances published by semi century

1800-18497

Number of dances by early publisher/devisor

J. P. Boulogne7

References

J. P. BoulogneThe Ball-Room, or the Juvenile Pupil's Assistant; Containing the Most Fashionable Quadrilles, with Les Lanciers of Sixteen, As Danced in the Public & Private Assemblies in Paris, Glasgow, 1827. Found in the RSCDS Archives.

Scans of old dance manuals are scattered about the internet. The Vaughan Williams Memorial Library, International Music Score Library Project, Scott Pfitzinger's Playford site, Richard Powers' website, Library of Congress, and The Library of Dance all provide primary sources. A number of other sites provide indeces of these sources: The Regency Dance site, The Library of Dance again, and my own site have all proven useful for finding old sources. Finally there is Robert Keller's index which does not provide sources directly but lists thousands of dances, the publications containing them, dates and a brief coded description of the figures. This last has proven invaluable for tracking down dances for which I had no complete sources.

And, of course, both the Scottish Country Dance Database and the Scottish Country Dancing Dictionary provide online descriptions of all the RSCDS books and often hint at early sources.

This website is copyright © 2021-2026 by George W. Williams V
Creative Commons License My work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License. Most of the dances have more restrictive licensing, see my notes on copyright, the individual dance pages should mention when some rights are waived.