Historical sources
Set formation
Difficulty
A1 (8) | 1st corners right hand turn (4) 1C and 2W circle left (4) |
A2 (8) | 2nd corners right left turn (4) 1C and 2M circle right (4) |
B1 (8) | 1C lead down a little and back into the middle of a line of 4 facing up (4) Lines lead up a double and back (4) |
B2 (8) | Hands four circle left (4) 1C lead up and cast down (4) |
Cecil Sharp added an extra turn into each of the A parts, making the timing very hard. Playford describes the A1 as The 1. man turn the 2. wo. by the right hand once round, then take the 1. wo. by the left, and all three hands quite round: Sharp interpreted take the 1. wo. by the left as "turn 1W by the left hand" whereas what was intended was simply that 1M take 1W's left hand in his right hand, bringing her into the circle, ready to circle left. There's not really time for both turns in the music – you can just about make it work with arm turns but it's not really in keeping with the style of other dances.