THE COXBENCH LONG SWORD DANCE

Thomas Ratcliffe we know was born at Coxbench about 1840 and that between 1851 and 1881 he moved with his parents to Worksop, at about the age of 15 by reference to parish registers and census returns of those dates. There are three pieces from him one dated 1914 another more specific 1920 and another as yet undated piece, probably between the two. The earliest piece speaks of the dance opening with stepping over the swords on the ground followed by the more usual figures. He speaks of being bemused because what is recorded and written elsewhere is different to what he remembers being performed In his village In 1851. The 1920 piece is more specific and would seem to be describing an actual dance because of the amount of detail. The third piece is more general but gives very specific detail of the dress largely confirmed by the 1920 document but has the dance end with a lock figure, like Grenoside.

From the manuscript piece we get further specific directions of a final figure of a lock that is made displayed and then dissembled, after four figures danced at increasing tempo, which again is quite distinctive though not so rare, occurring at least at Grenoside and Haxby.

We could if we take the 1920 document see the Coxbench dance as unique in the country in not having a lock figure anywhere in the dance. I doubt this since there is such a fertile mumming/guising tradition in the area and without the lock figure there is nothing to suggest the idea of immolation of a sacrifice the central idea of the guising, sword and even the morris traditions. We may conjecture following Thomas Ratcliffe grandmother that sword dances were more wide spread in this area than E.C.Cawte's survey suggests, for he has Newbold near Chesterfield as the most southerly appearance. On the otherhand, there is the textual tenet of giving strength to the most difficuit but if we do this then we have to disgard some of Thomas Ratcliffe's information and we have little alternative but to take him on face value if we are to trust any of his information and we must take into account that he is not always intending to give the same degree of detail when he speaks of sword dancers.

There are other interesting features of this information, namely that there is no suggestion of any singing or death resurrection snippet (calling on song), other than in the play text and that much is made of the increase of tempo to the same tune, the only other tradition where much is made of this is Grenoside, the suggestion of stepping concluded with a smack is there elsewhere but without so much emphasis and there seems to be some indication of a dance in two halves, again like Grenoside.If we take all the Information together then we have a dance with the following features:a.)swords are placed on the floor and every dancer steps over them.
    a.)A circle is formed and they danced round 3 or 4 times.
    c.)Movements as in a normal sword dance.
    d.)There is a distinctive concluding smack at the end of a phrase of stepping.
    e.)A lock made and disengaged at the end.
    f.)Same tune is used throughout
    g.)Six men and a fiddler in distinctive dress or is it seven.
    h.)Four figures danced to quickening music.
    i.)There is much detail about dress, including bells.

    The information taken as it is presents certain problems:-
    1)Is the stepping over the swords at the beginning or end.
    2.)How does the lock fit in.
    3.)The quickening tempo rules out certain figures i.e. they need to be figures that do not have  the hiltipoint cooflguration. At least anything more complex than a circle is ruled out given the limitations of the long swords.
    4.)Is it six dancers and a musician or seven dancers.
    I know of three long sword traditions that could shedd light on these problems. At Grenoside there is a dance in two parts that has a quickening second part with the lock at the beginning of the first part. The other is Bellerby where the lock is placed on the ground and then the dancers step to it and then perform a hey. The third is Ampleforth where there is play in two parts.

Using the information in the three accounts of the dance let us see what can be achieved by conflating them.

First Version
We begin with laying the swords down first and ending with the lock. The problem here is that there is no natural climax to the two halves of the dance.

----I recollect the men beginning by laying the swords cross bladed on the ground and dancing in and out
--in which three sets of swords were put on the ground crossed, one set at the apex of the other in a line
--the leader danced right up the row footing it in each angle. while the rest kept stepping to the music.
Then the other five followed the leader and it ended with the usual stamp. before beginning their hand play in the air.
They stopped and formed a ring, the fiddler outside.
They danced round in a circle three or four times
--then at a signal from the fiddler each man brought his foot down with a smack
--the music went on at a quicker pace the fiddler playing the same tune,
About four changes took place in the dancing to quicker music and The dance always ended by the seven [dancers] so engaging their swords that the whole was held by the leader above his head then
--the seven dancers each took his own sword by the hilt and at one pull disengaged them.

Second Version

If you take all of the Long Sword Traditions both those collected and published and all the other evidence that has been collected, where there is enough to give a different danceable remnant, it would be interesting to see if there are any common figures. To do this it will be necessary to standardise the terminology by looking at all of the descriptions of the figures making up the dances, c.f. Table 1. This will bring to light any common elements that occur among the traditions. The pattern produced so far c.f. Table 1, is interesting in that it is those figures executed in the hilt/point formation that show a common group of figures, some occurring in all traditions. This must mean that given the geographical distribution c.f. Map 1 that we can posit the hypothesis that the Long Sword traditions originate from an underlying common source c.f. Sharp's introduction to The Morris Book 1 (Second Edition) and the Sword Dances of Northern England. The explanation surely lies in the limitation placed on the hilt/point figures by the constraint of the rigid swords. It is even more interesting that where, what I will call the set figures exist, that there is no such pattern, which must make them products of later or separate development since there is no restriction on what can be done once you move away from the cirde.

By analogy, then, some figures can be inferred, small amendments to detail like being right handed can make it a tradition in itself. Some figures can be considered as a common element of the long sword dances and are scattered throughout their dispersion. A possible notation that takes care of all of the considerations of the information could be:-

First Group of Figures

Second Group of Figures

Ring

Step Over Your Own Sword

1 raises left hand above head, turns to left and steps over his own sword, turns clockwise and faces centre followed by 2,3,4,5 & 6.

Single under turning right.

6 5

1 4

2 3

2 & 3 face and raise their sword, 1 passes under the arch, raises right aim turns left, passes outside 3, facing the centre steps to place followed by 6 & 4. During which 2 crosses hands left under right, at the end turns round clockwise. After 4 has passed 3 turns counter clockwise under his left arm. Repeat each each taking lead.

Single over

2 & 3 stoop down hold sword twelve inches above the ground, 1 steps over it, raises right arm, turns left, passes outside 3 to place, 6,5, & 4 follow passing under l's sword. After 4 3 jump: sword turns left counter clockwise to resume place.

Arches under.

4 & 5 make an arch, after 1 & 2 have passed under I raises right arm passes under own sword turns to his left round

5,2 raises left aim passing under it turns to his right round 4. After passing under arch 1 & 2 raise arm: as high as possible and facing pass sword over head of the 4 dancers.

Arches over.

4 & 5 stoop down as single over, 1 & 2 advance step over sword followed by 6 & 3, stands up turns left while 4 stands up.

Form Set

Circle

Clash.

Form a Set

Lay Swords on ground, Step to swords

Hop Scotch

6 5 4

X B XX E XX H X

X X X X X X

Music A X D X G X J

X X X X X X

X C XX F XX I

1 2 3

All stepping Reel Step I phrase of Music

1 steps forward to A and steps one phrase then thus:

r Ah BH BHh DH Eju Eh HH HHh JH step

l AHAh CT CT Fju GTGTh IT Ith step

reel step one more phrase

2 Steps at A and then up set

steps to 3's place all move up

3 follows then 6 5 4 moving up as before

All step in place stamp to finish.

Would be possible to do it so that one man steps down swords whilst next man steps at A

Figure 9

Reel

On signal pick up swords

Form a circle 1,3 & 5 anticlockwise, 2,4 & 6 clockwise passing right and left shoulders holding swords vertical.

Form Set and step

Plaiting

Take bold of point of sword of man opposite and in pair: dance forward four steps and back fours steps. Form a set and stop.

Roll

Take hold of swords as before.

1 & 6 raise swords and move down and change places with 2 &5

1 & 6 stoop down and change places with 3 & 4 at same time 2 & 5 raise arms and turn round on own axis 2 cl 5 ccl repeat to place.

Form set and step.

Lock, show to audience, undo by pulling out at a signal, walk off.

Dancers come together in ring placing sword over left shoulder march round in step clockwise, clasping point of sword infront in left hand on or near right shoulder changing from shoulder to shoulder every bar. Dances turn inwards lower arms to side stand still and step. (All turn outwards to left and repeat in counter clockwise direction. No stepping.) Dancers form lock by, crossing right hand well over left, let go point of neighbours sword, using both hands presses hilt of own under point of adjacent sword.

Step in ring. holding lock up. Step round to display Lock, continue stepping and at a signal draw swords continue stepping in set sword over shoulder Stamp to finish.

Alternative Figures 2-6

Double sword under

1 & 2 make arch, 6 passes under turns under right arm, faces 1 stands close to and outside 2 making a second arch with 1.35 & 5 in turn pass under the double arch turn to left and return to places3 & 4 passing under 5's sword get out as double over.

Double sword over.

2 & 3 stoop down, 1 steps over raises left hand above head₁ quarter turn clockwise stoops down beside 3 Raises left hand to make an arch with 6's sword, 4 steps over swords, turns left, passes round 3 & 1 to place followed by 5 & 6,4 & 5 pass under 6's sword. When 4 has passed under 6, 3 raises right arm passes it over his head and round his left shoulder. After 6 has stepped 3 steps over, 1 stands up half turn counter clockwise back to place, 3 turn left to place, while 2 stands up, raises both arms and turns under completely counter clockwise.

None of this takes into consideration the Play that is a much fuller version at Coxbench than most. At this point I give the text in its entirity it appears in Ratcliffe's Manuscript.

This may shedd further light on the sword dance in the following way:-

1.)The introduction speaks of a dozen people, three with blackened faces, dressed in tatters and the others in soldier uniform:. This could be a reference to the sword dance and extra characters of the play.

2.)There are seal references to 'game' and I would suggest refers to the 'hop scotch' figure, which is a major element of the Coxbench dance.

3.)There are two death resurrection episodes and appearances of the Doctor. What is the point of this other than to accompany the dance.

We may have here a playt hat goes with the dance but how do the two fit together, there is another tradition with an expansive play in two distinct parts at Ampleforth.

There are two considerations:-

A.)The entrance of the Noble Captain who may well be the leader of the sword dancers. This character's reference to 'game' is the point at which the dance takes place beginning with the 'hop scotch' figure. If the Captain enters the Lock and the swords withdrawn then we come to the second reference to the Doctor. With the second appearance of the Doctor he uses a pill like in the Ampleforth play and following this tradition is the place for the second part of the dance with its differing figures, not a selection of the others.

It may well be that there are two versions of the dance one ith the play and one without. This would fit with Ratcliffe's grandmother's assertion that in her time long sword dances abounded in the area.

The second form would be as follows:-

First Part of Play

Lay swords on ground, Dance over,

Clash

Ring,

Step over own sword

Single under,

Single over,

Arches under,

Arches over,

Clash,

Rose, Captain goes in, all draw swords, captain falls to ground.

Second Part of Plav

Reel, each figure to increase in speed.

Repeat

Plaiting, Roll,

Lock

We have two possibilities the dancers either wore tatters or soldier uniform:, the other characters definitely wore tatters. Both possibilities would fit into the long sword tradition, perhaps it depends on which of the forms of the dance is performed.

Hop Scotch Fgure - Done to Eyam Morris Tune (version of Winster Processional)

Rest of dance to any Lng Sword Tunes. Staffordshire & Nottinghamshire Hornpipes could be used.

A feature of the Derbyshire Morris Traditions is that there is some distinctive movement at the end of every 4 bars. This is where the stamp would come in. Another is the use of the step hop and the real step for the hop scotch. The tradition is on the furthest edge of the area and would reasonably have been expected to have had some unique features.