Athelstaneford Medley

Scottish Country Dance Instruction

ATHELSTANEFORD MEDLEY (M-4x(S16+R16)) 4C set Marjorie Duffield Westlothiana

Strathspey
1- 8 1s and 4s set, cast in 1 place and dance ½ Fig of 8 round end couples, Ending in centre facing corners
9-16 All dance double diagonal reels of 4 passing LSh in centre and ending in original places

Reel
17-24 Set to and change places with corners RH, couples now in centre dance LH across once round
25-32 Set and change places with corners again RH, centre couples dance ½ RH across and retire to sidelines and set. 2413

(MINICRIB. Dance crib compiled by Charles Upton, Deeside Caledonian Society, and his successors)

Dance Information

This dance was inscribed by the deviser to Richard Foss, who retired as the session clerk from Athelstaneford Church after 40 years of service, in 1988.

The Saltire Flag flies all the year round in Athelstaneford and the deviser, Marjorie Duffield, tried to depict the shape of the flag in this dance.

Athelstaneford is a village in East Lothian, Scotland. It is near the town of Haddington and lies about 32 kilometres (20 miles) east of Edinburgh.

According to popular legend, Athelstaneford is where the original Scottish saltire - the white diagonal cross on a sky blue background - was first adopted.

On the eve of a battle between rival armies of Picts and Northumbrians in 832AD, Saint Andrew, who was crucified on a diagonal cross, came to the Pictish King Óengus II in a vision promising victory. The next morning the Picts saw a white cross formed by clouds in the sky. They won the battle and attributed their victory to the blessing of Saint Andrew, adopting his form of the cross as their flag, and naming him as their patron saint.

The leader of the retreating Angles, a man called Athelstan, was said to have been slain at a nearby river crossing, hence the name Athelstaneford.

Athelstaneford Parish Church

Published in Athelstaneford Medley, (which includes 2 useful diagrams) by Marjorie Duffield, published in the Westlothiana Book.
Dance information licensed under this Creative Commons Licence 3.0.
Text from this original Athelstaneford article on Wikipedia.
Image copyright Lisa Jarvis under this Creative Commons Licence 2.0.

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