The Falkland Beauty

Scottish Country Dance Instruction

1- 8 1s pass RSh to face 1st corners, sets to corners (1 step each), 1s turn to 2nd place opposite sides, 2s+1s+3s advance and retire
9-16 1M circle 3H round to left with 2L+3L as 1L circle round with 2M+3M, 1s ½ turn 2H to top of set for Poussette
17-24 1s+2s dance Poussette. 213

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

Keith Rose's Crib Diagram

The Falkland Beauty - Full Size And Key To Symbols

Dance Information

The site originated as a medieval stronghold of the MacDuff earls and passed into Stewart hands in the late fourteenth century. Over the next two centuries it was transformed into a royal retreat, used for hunting in the surrounding forest and for courtly entertainment. James II granted Falkland the status of a Royal Burgh, and his successors expanded the palace, adding new ranges, halls and private apartments. Much of the surviving architecture reflects the influence of James IV and James V, who introduced Renaissance forms and brought craftsmen from France to decorate the building. The South Range, with its carved stone medallions and the Chapel Royal, is the best‑preserved example of this work. The palace complex also includes the real tennis court built for James V in 1539, one of the oldest courts of its kind still in use.

Although Falkland served as a place of leisure, it was also linked with several episodes of political tension. Members of the royal family were held there during periods of conflict, and both James V and James VI escaped from the palace during power struggles with rival factions. The building suffered damage during the mid‑seventeenth century when troops of the Commonwealth were stationed in the area, leaving parts of the earlier structures in ruins.

Falkland Palace

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