R.K. SCHOFIELD
Visits to Bledington and Longborough
June 1924 to Oct 1925
| Trunkles | Bledington | Tune | Dance Link |
| Old Trunko | Longborough | Tune | Dance Link |
| Cuckoo's Nest | Longborough | Tune | Dance Link |
| Country Gardens | Longborough | Tune | Dance Link |
(Bledington)
June 1924 Both Mr Benfield & Mr Hitchman saw this dance performed by the Travelling Morris on June 19th. On June 20th Peter Fox & I were told
1.)that we "put more steps to the tune" than they did.
2.)that the Bledington men did not bend forward in fore-capers.
3.)that they kicked forward not back in their uprights.
We gathered that their dancing was less boisterous.
Aug 1925 Mr Benfield played the tune to Ronald Gurney, Alf Peck & myself with the following B (salute) music.
Avoiding the modulation of the published version.
Oct 1925 Douglas Kennedy & I assertained from Mr Benfield that the half gyp was sometimes done with a "hook-leg", but that more usually with a back-step something between the hop-back of Mr Franklin (Field Town) & the shufffle back-step of Mr. Simpson (Sherborne) done at half time. This may explain comment !.0 of June 1924 as referring to half gyp in which the quick shuffle back-step was used.. A slight but not definite indication was obtained from Mr. George Hathaway (now of Stow-on-the-Wold) that the quick-shuffle was sometimes done in Bledington perhaps more in jigs. It may have come in after Mr Benfield stopped dancing as Mr George Hathaway belonged to the "revived side".
Walton July 1924
The Longborough versions of "Old Trunkles", "Cuckoo’s Nest", "Old Woman Tossed Up - -", and "Constant Billy" together with a version of "Jockie to the Fair" (which is inserted among the jigs) were copied from manuscripts in the possession of Mr Joynes of Longborough. He had taken these tunes down from Mr Henry Taylor (juniour) a fiddler who had learnt them from his father Mr Henry Taylor (senior).
Slight alterations have been made in copying. The first two were in 2/4 time, this has been changed to 4/4. In Old Trunkle C1 Music has been added as only C2 was recorded in the manuscript.
One of the tunes in this collection is called "Old Morris". The first five bars appear to be a corrected version of the last five bars of "Constant Billy" and have been used as such. The rest of "Old Morris" is almost the same as "Banks of the Dee" noted by Mr Sharp from the late Mr Franklin of Field Town.
Added Sept 1924
Mr Henry Taylor (senior) tells me that "Banks of the Dee" was a Longborough dance. He could not remember the tune but was satisfied when I whistled him the Field Town version. I conclude therefore that the rest of "Old Morris" is "Banks of the Dee", & have inserted it as such.
OLD TRUNKLE
Copied by Jim La Touche from Mr Joynes M.S. June 21st 1924
Old Trunkle
(Longborough)
Tune reconstructed from the manuscript written by Mr Joynes from the playing of Mr Henry Taylor (junior)
The Dance
Longborough Version (from Mr Harry Taylor June 2x)
Formula Movements A music
A1 Footup A1,A2,A2, Rounds A3 Whole Hey
B Music Corners Salute
tw * sw up wide out sw up wide
{ ÷ r l r hr ÷ ft Ju ÷ r hr hr ÷ ft Ju÷ ÷
advance meet retire position
C Music
C1 first time. Corners cross over with side-step and galley right
C1 second time. Corners cross-over with half capers (with twists) and galley right.
C2 first time. Corners cross-over with Longborough r.t.b.’s or fore Capers and galley right.
C2 second time. Corners cross-over with Lonborough whole-capers or Uprights and galley right
(Longborough)
Copied exactly from M.S. noted by Mr Joynes from fiddling of Mr Harry Taylor (junior)
Tune from Mr Henry Taylor (junior)
The Dance
June 1924 Longborough Version
Formula movements to A music - Foot up, half gyp, whole gyp, half rounds, whole hey
B Music - first & third time
All face down
wave * * * wave * * *
{÷ R L ÷ R L ÷ R L ÷ R L }
Nos. 5&6 -------- Nos. 3&4 ---------
tw * * * out swup wide
{÷ r W l r ÷ l W r l ÷ r hr hr ÷ ft Ju ÷ ÷
All gal ---------
the footing is for odd numbers, even numbers reverse feet
B Music
second & fourth timeAll face up and dance as before, 1 & 2 starting (with outside feet0
Aug 1925 The Travelling Morris danced this to Mr Taylor on the vicarage lawn. He appeared quite satisfied & expressed surprise that we had remembered it.
(Longborough)
Tune:- Sung by Mr Henry Taylor to myself & Alec Hunter Aug 1925. He told Rolf Gardner in 1923 that Country Gardens used to be danced in Longborough, he could not then recall the tune but was satisfied with the Headington version (omitting the ‘C’ music). The tune noted by Mr Sharp as Country Gardens (Longborough) is a version of Highland Mary.
The Dance
(Longborough)
A Music
I gathered both from Mr Henry Taylor & Mr. Ned Hathaway (who is living in the alms houses at Stow -on-the Wold & used to dance ‘2’ in the Longborough) that in side-step dances the formula movement - footup (probably with jumps both times) half gyp, whole gyp & back-to-back were often used.
B Music
Side-step & half hey (repeated) as in London Pride. When describing the dance to Rolf Gardiner he insisted that the second bar is a 4/3 step & intimated that he had had difficulty with his own side on this point. Apparently the footingshould be:
twr * * * twl * sw up wide
{÷ r l r l ÷ r l r hr ÷ l r l r ÷ ft j }
ss lb -------- ss rb --------
