The Butterchurn (Dempsey)

Scottish Country Dance Instruction

1-4 1st couple set and cast off, 2nd couple step up on bars 3-4
5-8 2nd and 1st couples turn right hand, ending in allemande hold facing up
9-16 2nd and 1st couples allemande
17-24 1st couple lead down the middle, changing places (1st man dances below 1st woman who dances across under her arm) as they turn to dance back up, to face out in partner's original place
25-28 1st woman and 2nd man turn left hand once and a half while 1st man and 2nd woman turn right hand once and a half
29-32 1st couple dance a half figure of eight around 2nd couple

Repeat having passed a couple

(Dance crib compiled by the deviser, Shelagh Dempsey, December 2000)

Dance Information

The butter churn is a mechanical apparatus historically employed to transform cream into butter.

Traditionally used in domestic and agricultural settings, particularly during periods when manual churning was prevalent, this device typically consists of a cylindrical container with a handle. The handle facilitates the agitation of cream, resulting in the separation of butterfat from liquid components.

The churning process involves repetitive vertical or horizontal movements, inducing physical changes in the cream that lead to the formation of butter.

Even though we have modern technology that has replaced hand-churning butter, these old devices still matter. They help us understand how people used to process food in the past.

A Butterchurn

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