Scottish Country Dancing Dictionary

Corn Rigs

Scottish Country Dance Instruction

CORN RIGS (R8x32) 2C (4C set) RSCDS Book 4

1- 8 1s cast down own sides, turn inwards dance back to top
9-16 1s dance full Fig of 8 round 2s
17-24 1s lead down the middle and back
25-32 1s+2s dance Poussette

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


Keith Rose's Crib Diagrams


Dance Instruction Videos

Corn Rigs - Scottish Country Dancing Instruction Video

Dance Information

Corn Rigs (also known as Corn Rigs Are Bonie) is a Scottish Measure (a Measure is a tune closely related to a reel, but a little closer to a march) dating from the 17th century.

The tune was a popular choice among early song writers, notably Allan Ramsay who used it as one of "Peggy's" songs 'My Patie is a Lover Gay' in his play, The Gentle Shepherd (1725), the chorus of which was-

"O, corn rigs, and rye rigs.
And corn rigs are bonnie.
And gin ye meet a bonnie lass,
Prin up her cockemony."

Corn Rigs - Song (also known as The Rigs O' Barley) is a Scottish song written by Robert Burns around 1782 to be sung to the air 'Corn Rigs Are Bonie'.

Corn rigs, an' barley rigs,
An' corn rigs are bonie:
I'll ne'er forget that happy night,
Amang the rigs wi' Annie.

The 'Annie' referred to in the song is believed to be a reference to Anne Rankine, the youngest daughter of John Rankine of Adamhill who married John Merry, the inn-keeper at New Cumnock, where Burns once stayed.

Rigg is an Old English language word meaning a bumpy fell or ridge, or dweller at a ridge or range of hills.

The rigs referred to in the song Corn Rigs (also known as The Rigs O' Barley) were the traditional drainage system which was based on dividing fields into ridges around three feet high, and then ploughing then from end to end, the resulting furrows then drained excess water from the land above it, here planted with corn.

Corn Rigs Song - Information Video

Riggs Of Corn
Rigg Or Ridge Of Corn


Dance information licensed under this Creative Commons Licence 3.0.
Text from this original Rigg article on Wikipedia.
Text from this original Anne Rankine article on Wikipedia.
Image copyright Simon Carey under this Creative Commons Licence 2.0.

Back to the top of this Scottish Country Dancing Instructions 'Corn Rigs' page