General Stuart's Reel
Scottish Country Dance Instruction
GENERAL STUART'S REEL (R8x32) 3C (4C set) Castle Menzies RSCDS Book 101- 8 1M sets to 2L and casts 1 place, 1L sets to 2M and casts 1 place
9-16 1s turn 1st corner RH and pass partner RSh, turn 2nd corner LH pass partner RSh to face 1st corners
17-24 1s dance 'Hello-Goodbye' setting and end BtoB (1M facing up and 1L facing down)
25-32 1s give RSh to 2nd corner and dance reels of 3 on sides with 2s+3s and cross RH to 2nd place on own sides
(MINICRIB. Dance crib compiled by Charles Upton, Deeside Caledonian Society, and his successors)
General Stuart's Reel
Castle Menzies MSS RSCDS Book 10
Reel 8 x 32 bars 3 Couple Repeat 4 Couple Set Longwise Set
1-2 1M2L set;
3-4 1M cast;
5-6 1L2M set;
7-8 1L cast;
9-12 1s turn first corners by the right and pass by the right to face second corners;
13-16 1s turn second corners by the left and pass by the left to face first corners;
17-24 hello-goodbye setting, finishing 1M on the centre line between 2s facing up, 1L between 3s facing down;
25-30 2s1s3s reels of 3 on opposite sides (1s giving right shoulder to second corners);
31-32 1s cross to 2nd place on own sides.
(MAXICRIB. Scottish country dancing instructions compiled by Reuben Freemantle)
Dance Notes
3-4 2M step up.
7-8 2L step up.
13-16 The original instructions don't say explicitly how the 1s get to first corners; passing by the left flows better.
17-24 hello-goodbye setting: set back-to-back facing first corners, then facing from opposite side lines, then back-to-back facing second corners, then 1M facing down between 2s and 1L facing up between 3s, finishing 1M facing up and 1L down ready to give right shoulders to second corners. Travel on the first beat of the left foot step only and rotate on beats 2 and 3; the right foot step should be on the spot, facing corner or partner appropriately.
31-32 Although the original instructions have 1s crossing by the right, crossing by the left fits better for 1M ready to face the new 2L at the beginning of his 2nd repeat and is conveniently modified to crossing down by the left at the end of the 2nd, 4th and 6th repeats.
Keith Rose's Crib Diagrams
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General Stuart's Reel - Scottish Country Dancing Instruction VideoDance Information
General Stuart's Reel (also known as The New Way Of Gildon) original manuscript in The Register Of Dances at Castle Menzies (pronounced "ming-iss"), was published in 1749, and is now kept in the A K Bell Library in Perth, Scotland.It was interpreted by RSCDS in 1935 and published in RSCDS Dances Book 10.
The Jacobite Army, sometimes referred to as the Highland Army, was the military force assembled by Charles Edward Stuart and his Jacobite supporters during the 1745 Rising that attempted to restore the House of Stuart to the British throne.
Starting with less than 1,000 men at Glenfinnan in August 1745, the Jacobite army won a significant victory at Prestonpans in September. A force of about 5,500 then invaded England in November and reached as far south as Derby before successfully retreating into Scotland. Reaching a peak strength of between 9,000 and 14,000, they won another victory in January 1746 at Falkirk, before defeat at Culloden in April. While a large number of Jacobites remained in arms, lack of external and domestic support combined with overwhelming government numbers meant they dispersed, ending the rebellion.
Charles Edward (Louis John Sylvester Maria Casimir) Stuart (1720–1788) was the elder son of James Francis Edward Stuart, grandson of James II and VII, and the Stuart claimant to the thrones of England, Scotland and Ireland from 1766 as Charles III.
In 1734, his cousin, the Duke of Liria, who was proceeding to join Don Carlos in his struggle for the crown of Naples, passed through Rome. He offered to take Charles on his expedition, and the boy of thirteen was appointed general of artillery by Don Carlos.
During his lifetime, Charles Edward Stuart was also known as "the Young Pretender" and "the Young Chevalier"; in popular memory, he is known as Bonnie Prince Charlie.
"Prince Charles Edward Stuart, 1720-1788" Allan Ramsay (1713–1784), Oil On Canvas, c. 1745
Dance information licensed under this Creative Commons Licence 3.0.
Text from this original Jacobite Army (1745) article on Wikipedia.
Text from this original Charles Edward Stuart article on Wikipedia.
Image copyright Allan Ramsay, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons.
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