The Duchess Tree
Scottish Country Dance Instruction
THE DUCHESS TREE (S8x32) 3C (4C set) John Drewry Brodie Book1- 8 Reels of 3 on sides
Start: 1s dance in and cast, 2s cross up LH and 3s dance in, join nearer hands facing down and cast up. All take hands where possible
End: 2s in 2nd places opposite side, 1s and 3s end in middle, 1s nearer hands joined facing down and 3s nearer hands joined facing up
9-16 All set, circle left for 2 bars, Men turn Lady on right 2H once round and continue circle to places
17-24 1s+2s dance RH across and end facing up, 1s cast 1 place and lead up while 2s lead up crossing and cast 1 place
25-32 1s+2s dance Allemande
(MINICRIB. Dance crib compiled by Charles Upton, Deeside Caledonian Society, and his successors)
The Duchess Tree
John Drewry Brodie Book
Strathspey 8 x 32 bars 3 Couple Repeat 4 Couple Set Longwise Set
1-8 1s cast, 2s cross up, 3s cast up into reels of 3 on opposite sides, (finishing 1s facing down, 3s facing up, 2s facing in on opposite sides);
9-10 all set (1s 3s taking nearer hands);
11-12 6 hands round to the left halfway;
13-14 each M turn L on his right with both hands;
15-16 6 hands round to the left halfway;
17-20 1s2s right hands across;
21-24 1s cast and lead up WHILE 2s cross up and cast;
25-32 1s2s allemande.
(MAXICRIB. Scottish country dancing instructions compiled by Reuben Freemantle)
Dance Notes
13-14 Make some progression clockwise round the set while turning to make up for any lost ground in bars 11-12 and to ease the pressure in bars 15-16.
30-32 In the 2nd, 4th and 6th repeats, 2s complete the allemande normally WHILE 1s lead down to 4th place of the full set WHILE 3s step up.
Keith Rose's Crib Diagrams
Dance Instruction Videos
The Duchess Tree - Scottish Country Dancing Instruction VideoDance Information
The title of this dance refers to an ancient Lime tree on the Gordon Castle Estate near Fochabers in Moray, Scotland, just north of the Gordon Castle, Walled Garden.Alexander Gordon, 4th Duke of Gordon, KT (1743-1827), styled Marquess of Huntly until 1752, was a Scottish nobleman, described by Kaimes as the "greatest subject in Britain", and was also known as The Cock O' The North, the traditional epithet attached to the chief of the Gordon clan.
Alexander Gordon, was responsible for establishing the new village of Fochabers (pronounced "fok-a-bers", with emphases on the first syllable and a short 'a') by relocating cottages further to the south, away from Gordon Castle in around 1776. A stone pillar/cross was erected to mark the spot where the old cottages once stood.
A massive Lime tree once grew nearby this landmark. It became known as "The Duchess Tree" and was made more famous by being the subject of The Duchess Tree - Song written by William Marshall.
Round Gordon Castle the woods are green,
And the flow'rs are fair to see;
And dear is the shade of the leafy screen,
When we meet by the Duchess Tree.
Alexander Gordon was an enthusiastic supporter and patron of the music of William Marshall (1748-1833). Marshall, who was feted for his many strathspeys, acted as steward of the Gordon household. He was born in Fochabers, Scotland, and is widely regarded as one of the greatest composers of Scottish fiddle music.
An accompanying tune, a slow air "The Duchess Tree", was composed by J. Scott Skinner (1843-1927) a Scottish dancing master, violinist, fiddler and composer, (and published by J.B. Cramer And Co. in 1888). This is the lead tune for the dance.
The dance deviser, John Drewry, tells us in the dance notes that the tree was measured in 1911 and had a girth of 17 feet 5 inches (which is over 5m) and a circumference of 144 yards (that is over 130m).
Although the tree had disappeared by the time Drewry wrote the dance, he notes that it was famous in its time and was marked on ordnance survey maps.
The Stone Pillar Marking The Site Of The Old Village Of Fochabers On The Gordon Castle Estate And The Stump Of A Large Tree (Probably Not The Duchess Tree)
Dance information licensed under this Creative Commons Licence 3.0.
Text from this original Alexander Gordon, 4th Duke Of Gordon article on Wikipedia.
Text from this original William Marshall (Scottish Composer) article on Wikipedia.
Text from this original James Scott Skinner article on Wikipedia.
Image copyright Anne Burgess under this Creative Commons Licence 2.0.
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