Original, triple minor:
| A1 (4) | 1C cast down into 2nd place and 2-hand turn or cross-hand swing |
| A2 (4) | 1C cast back up and 2-hand turn or cross-hand swing |
| B1 (4) | 1C cross, cast down into 2nd place and half figure of eight up through 2C, finishing facing down in the middle of 3C in a line of four |
| B2 (4) | Lines of 4 lead down for three steps and back (2) 1C go down and cast up into 2nd place, 3C optionally helping with gateposts (2) |
Modified for duple minor and more equal for 2C (what I actually call):
| A1 (4) | 1C cast down into 2nd place and 2-hand turn or cross-hand swing (2C can join in) |
| A2 (4) | 2C cast back down and 2-hand turn or cross-hand swing (1C can join in) |
| B1 (4) | 1C cross, cast down into 2nd place and half figure of eight up through 2C, finishing facing up in the middle of 2C in a line of four |
| B2 (4) | Lines of 4 lead up for three steps and back (2) 1C gatepost around 2C into progressed places (2) |
First cu. cast off into the 2. cu. places, then Arms round with both Arms, the same back again : First cu. cross over into the 2. cu. places, then go the half Figure, the 1. cu. lead down a-breast with 3. cu. the 1. Man goes round the 3d. Man, and the 1. Wo. the same with the 3. Wo. at the same time into the 2. cu. places ·: .
This is a three-time hornpipe, which is one of my favourite types of dance.
Arms round with both Arms is a very unusual thing to say. If a two-hand turn is what was meant, why not just say “turn”? I'm going to go for a cross-hand swing, because if you give right arm and also left hand then that's sort of what you get. I've only just noticed that on writing this up – I've done it as a two-hand turn in the past!
The B1 is tight. I find three-time hornpipes are often quite tight, and you have two options:
- The other couple (2C) move in sympathy with 1C to minimise the distance that 1C need to travel.
- Dance! That way you can cover the ground you need to.
I like to encourage both.
The dance is clearly originally a triple minor, but it really doesn't need to be. And it's actually easier as a duple minor as 1C don't have to find 3C at the end of a very tight phrase of music.
As is often the case, it's very uneven in favour of 1C; we might as well have 2C do the repeat rather than 1C in order to get us back home. If I'm modifying it then I might as well do that at the same time.
22nd Oct 2026:
Updated to make it optional for both couples to turn each time rather than just the couple that did the cast – it's what I tend to call and is how people tend to want to do it.
Also updated to make it optional whether to do a two-hand turn or a cross-hand swing – I still tend to call a two-hand turn and with this version it works really nicely for 2C to lead up before it in the A1, and 1C to lead up after it in the A2. However this is an adaptation as the original would have had 1C cast up and turn again in the A2, at which point that wouldn't have been an issue; and arguably a cross-hand swing works even better into the beginning of the B1, as you can more easily turn it into a right hand pull by.
All of this is just between you and your partner – it's fine for different couples to turn in different ways.
If you're looking for pronunciation, I've been told by a local to one of the villages of Barham (there's more than one) that it's /'bærəm/, not /'baːrəm/, at least there.