| Morning Star | Bledington | Tune | Dance Link |
| Old Woman Tossed Up | Bledington | Tune | Dance Link |
| Maid of the Mill | Bledington | Tune | Dance Link |
| Highland Mary | Sherborne | Tune | Dance Link |
| Highland Mary | Bledington | Tune | Dance Link |
| Balance the Straw | Bledington | Tune | Dance Link |
| Jockie to the Fair | Bledington | Tune | Dance Link |
| Jockie to the Fair | Longborough | Tune | Dance Link |
| Princess Royal | Bledington | Tune | Dance Link |
| Princess Royal | Field Town | Tune | Dance Link |
Play 4 times from Mr Charles Benfield Oct 11th 1925
in presence of D. N. K.

from Mr Charles Benfield Oct 11th 1925

THE MAID OF THE MILL
from Mr Charles Benfield Oct 11th 1925
The version which Mr Benfield plays has been noted by Mr Sharp, this is as he sings it -
to the words "The Maid of the Mill she's a sweet pretty girl the maid of the mill for me"
The Dance
June 1924 Mr Benfield played the version of "Maid of the Mill" published by Mr Sharp, Set V, p.6. Although he occasionally played G natural in the fourth bar of the B music he usually playe G#. It was a "side-step dance", the B music being danced as follows:-
c twr * * * c twl * sw up
{÷ r l r l ÷ r l r hr ÷ l r l r ÷ ft j ÷
ss lb ------ ss rb -------
and then a half hey. This is repeated to places.
Aug 1925 "Idbury Hill" is an alternative tune
Oct 1925 "The Old Woman Tossed Up" & "The Morning Star" are also alternative airs for the side step dance.
(Bledington)
from Charles Benfield Sept 1924

(Bledington)
from Charles Benfield Aug 1925
in the presence of Ronald Gurney

The Jig
The footing for Balance the Straw is the same as that for Highland Mary
A Music
Shake up
ctw * * * sw up
{÷ r l r hr ÷ l r l hl ÷ ÷ ft j } that again
back step
Capers - Fore capers
out sw up out sw up sw up
{÷ rtb ft ÷ r W l ÷ ltb ft ÷ l W r ÷ ÷ ft j} that again
back step
Capers - Uprights
out sw up out sw up sw up
{÷ ra la ÷ l W r ÷ la ra ÷ r W l ÷ ÷ ft j } that again
back step
B Music
Side - Step
ctwr * * * ctwl * * *
{÷ r l r l ÷ r l r h r ÷ l r l r ÷ l r l hl }
ss lb ------- ss rb ----------
sw up sw up wave * * *
{÷ r W l r ÷ l W r l ÷ R L ÷ R L }

Copy made by Mr Joynes June 21st 1924
Jockie to the Fair

The Jig
This jig seems to have been known to all the morris men of the region, and to have been danced to a tune very like this one. It was usually danced by two dancers alternately. The most connected account was obtained from Mr. Richard Bond. The A music was six bars of step, shuffle and jump. The B music had a sise step for four bars like "Lumps of Plum Pudding" Then followed a number of half capers with single capers with waves to end up with. Mr Harry Taylor described the it as a "hard dance" by which he presumably meant it was tiring. The B music being so long gives plenty of scope for variations, different dancers as well as different villages did it differently no doubt. There was no doubt an augmented A music for capers.
(Bledington)
from Mr Charles Benfield Aud 1925
with the assistance of Ronald Gurney

Below was copied from Mr Robertson Scott's visitors book
The tune was noted by Mr Sharp from Richard Bond & written by him in the book
PRINCESS ROYAL Sung to Mr Sharp by Richard Bond (81)
R. B. 'Anybody that has a good ear can see by the tune what the steps are.' Sept 10-11 1923

The Tune
Aug 1925 On the occasion Aug when wefirst noted the tune & on aug when we heard it again Ronald Gurney & I were tolerably certain of the E flat. We found it impossible to be sure of all the notes in the early part of the B music.
Oct 1925 Mr Benfield played it at first with E natural but on repeating it twice consistently played E flat (except the two cases in the B music. Once he started the A music as in Richard Bond's version.
The Dance
The notation of the dance was first published by Mr Sharp & Mr MacIlwaine in the first edition of Part III. A revised version is given by Sharp & Butterworth in Part V
June 1924 Peter Fox & I saw Charles Taylor the old Oddington dancer dance part of the jig. In bars 879 of the B music he performed the following movements.
TOP OF PAGE RETURN TO First page table