Scottish Country Dancing Dictionary

The Freeman Of Auchtermuchty

Scottish Country Dance Instruction

The Freeman Of Auchtermuchty 48 + 32 x 2 + 48 + 16 R Medley for 4 couples Rod Downey The Piwakawaka Collection
A demonstration reel medley for 4 couples, consisting of 184 = 48 + 32 × 2 + 48 + 16 bars.

PART 1, (48 Bars) begins in a longwise set, with 3C and 4C on opposite sides.
1-8 1L and 4M dance figures of eight on the sides around 2L and 3M with 1L giving LS and 1M RS (i.e. dancing in to begin); and similarly 1M with RS and 4L with LS around 2M and 3L. The ladies have precedence each time. 1C and 4C finish facing in, ready for..
9-16 1C and 2C, 3C and 4C dance double figures of 8 across the set, with 1C crossing down and 4C crossing up, the other couples dancing up/down into the figures.
17-20 All take hands on the sides and advance and retire.
21-24 1M and 2M, 1L and 2L, set and overlink. That is, they set and link, but finish in a line of 4 across the set between first and second places, in order from the men's side 1M, 2M, 1L, 2L, so that 2M and 1L are back to back. Similarly, 3C and 4C.
25-32 Reels of 4 across the set, but 1L and 2M don't pass the last left shoulder. Rather they curl, pulling back RS, to be back to back, with 1L facing the men's side and 2M the ladies' side. 2L and 1M face out. 3C and 4C dance similarly.
33-40 1L following 1M, 2M following 2L, 3M following 3L, and 4L following 4M, dance a chase clockwise around the set (so 1C chases 2C who chases 4C then 3C). On the last bar 2C and 3C a ½ turn (RH) to finish in a square set. The order from the top and clockwise will be 1C, 2C, 4C, 3C, and all the men have their partners on their right, but finish facing partner.
41-44 All set to partners twice, preferably with Coupe' and Pas de Basque, or some suitable Highland step.
45-48 All turn partners twice with RH and elbow grip and opening out to finish facing into the set with nearer hands joined.

PART 2 (64 Bars with two 32 bar parts), begins in a square set.
1-4 All set and petronella in tandem using skip change ¼ around the set.
5-8 All turn partners 1½ times RH and finish with facing in with nearer hands joined.
9-16 All dance 8 hands round and back.
17-32 All dance Scheihallion reels anticlockwise around the set (so passing LS in the middle) with ladies leading and men casting anti-clockwise, pulling back RS. Finish facing in with nearer hands joined with partner This ends the first part.

1-2 All set and petronella in tandem using skip change ¼ around the set.
5-8 All turn partners 1½ times LEFT hand and finish facing in.
9-16 All dance 8 hands round and back, beginning by going to the right. (i.e. 8 hands "back and round")
17-32 All dance Scheihallion reels clockwise around the set (so passing RS in the middle) again with the ladies leading, and men following the direction they are going at the end of the circles, beginning by casting pulling back LS. Finish facing partners.
This ends the second part of PART 2.

PART 3 (48 Bars) Begins in a square set, in order from the top, 4C, 3C, 1C, 2C .
1-4 All set to partners twice, preferably with Coupe' and Pas de Basque, or some suitable Highland step.
5-8 All turn partners twice with LEFT hand and elbow grip finishing with all facing anti-clockwise around the set ready for a chase.
9-16 All chase anti-clockwise around the set, and on the last 2 bars form 2 lines across the set with 2C and 3C turning half way round with LEFT hands. (Thus all ladies have their backs to each other and are facing partner.) The line across at the top will be between 1st and 2nd place and have the order (from the "men's" side) 2M, 2W, 4W 4M, and at the bottom (between 3rd and 4th places) 1M, 1W, 3W, 3M.
17-24 In the lines all dance a LS reel of 4, with 4L, 3L, 2L and 1L not doing the last shoulder to curl in pulling back LS, as if finish with back to back, but slightly less, shoulder to shoulder; with 4M taking 2L's left hand in his right, 4L taking 2M's left hand in her right, and similarly 1M taking 3L's right hand in his left and 3M using his right to take 1L's left. So all are in 2 lines facing the same way, down the set.
25-28 All set and reverse overlink (i.e. the person on the right goes in front, and the one on the left casts pulling back LS) to form a longwise set. The order is 2,4,1,3. Everyone is opposite their partner. 4C and 3C on opposite "sides".
29-32 All take hands and advance and retire.
33-40 1C with 3C, 2C with 4C, dance double figures of eights across the set, with 2C crossing down, 4C casting up, and 3C crossing up and 1C casting down to begin. 3C and 2C finish ready for...
41-48 2L and 3M, 2M and 3L dance figures of eight on the sides around the standing 1 and 4 couples. These begin by the active dancers dancing between the standing couples, and again the ladies take precedence.
This ends PART 3.

PART 4
1-2 All take hands on the sides and set.
3-4 3C, 2C cross over to opposite sides giving RH, 1C and 4C dance 4 hands across half way.
5-6 All set, taking hands.
7-8 1C, 2C and 3C and 4C dances 4 hands across half way giving left hands.
9-12 All dance 4 bars of turning pas de Basque (or high cuts), with arms raised.
13-16 All birl partner (or use propelled pivot turn) finishing in a line of 8 facing audience. (Alternative 9-16. At the end of bar 8, finish instead with both hands joined with partner in line in centre of dance, and then 1C, 2C and 3C and 4C dance all round reel time mirror poussettes (i.e.
3C moving to the ladies side and 4C to men's side to begin).)

(Dance crib compiled by the deviser Rod Downey, Johnsonville SCD Club Tutor)


Dance Notes

PART 3 is more or less palindromic with PART 1, although I chose not to make bars 25 to 28, reverse link and set, but kept it set and reverse link.

(Dance notes by the deviser, Rod Downey)


Dance Information

This medley was first devised 3/5/2020. Modified heavily on 14/12/2021, and then on 15/12/2021, once I had a chance to try it out.

The dance name comes from the fact that Jimmy Shand (whose music I teach a lot with) was brought up in the burgh of Auchtermuchty where there is a large statue of him. Jimmy was made a freeman of Auchtermuchty.

The dance was written for a specific set of tunes from a Jimmy Shand CD "Accordion Favourites (2010)", the tunes being "The Drummer (48), Loch Leven Castle (32 × 2), Glenlivet (48), and The Drummer (16)". Also the structure of the music is ABABAB for the pipe tunes and AABB for Loch Leven Castle, creating an interesting challenge to devise a dance to. It is a fabulous set of tunes, played brilliantly.

Suggest music is obvious, but does need to be slowed down. The dance is very energetic so some degree of fitness would be needed.

For the "more mature", it could be danced as a Strathspey, with the 48 bar parts played ABABAB, the 16 Bar, AB, and the 32 bar parts AABB. I would choose a Schottische or similar for all but PART 2, which would work with a traditional Strathspey. For example, you might try "The Braes of Busby" for PARTS 1 and 4, and "The Banks of Spey" (or something of that style) for PART 2. Clearly, you'd need a musician.

(Dance information from The Piwakawaka Collection Of Scottish Country Dances, reproduced here with the kind permission of the deviser, Rod Downey)


Published in The Piwakawaka Collection, reproduced here with the kind permission of the deviser, Rod Downey.

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