Long Meg And Her Daughters

Scottish Country Dance Instruction

1-4 1st man crosses down between 2nd couple and casts up round 2nd woman to the centre line while 1st woman crosses over and casts off round 2nd man to end on the centre line.
5-8 1st couple, giving left hands, turn one and a quarter times to face each other in a line of four across between 2nd couple in 2nd place.
9-16 1st and 2nd couples dance 8 bars of "Black Petronella":
 1-4: 1st couple petronella to end far apart on the centre line, then set. Meanwhile 2nd couple set, then petronella to face each other on the centre line between 1st couple.
 5-8: 2nd couple petronella to end in 2nd place on opposite sides, then set. Meanwhile 1st couple set, then petronella to face each other in a line of four across between 2nd couple who face clockwise.
17-24 1st and 2nd couples dance half an inverse Celtic Reel (8 bars) offset by 2 bars from usual:
 1-2: 2nd couple dance round a quarter anticlockwise to the ends of the centre line while 1st couple dance three quarters round their partner by the right shoulder to face the same gender member of 2nd couple in a line of four up and down the set.
 3-4: 1st and 2nd couples pass left shoulder. 2nd couple face their partner, 1st couple face anticlockwise.
 5-8: Repeat bars 1-4 of this figure from new places, but on the last bar 1st couple pass both 2nd couple and each other left shoulder to end facing up, nearer hands joined, in the centre between 2nd couple who are back on their own sides in 2nd place.
25-26 1st couple dance up to face out in 1st place on opposite sides while 2nd couple set.
27-32 1st and 2nd couples dance three quarters of a double figure of eight. 1st couple start by casting off as 2nd couple cross up.

(Dance crib compiled by the deviser, Murrough Landon, CC BY-SA October 2023)

Keith Rose's Crib Diagram

Long Meg And Her Daughters - Full Size And Key To Symbols

Dance Instruction Videos

Dance Information

The "Black Petronella" figure comes from Lochiel's Farewell to Tony Szeto by Ruary Laidlaw and others.

Its alignments can be taken to represent Long Meg with the Celtic Reel as the adjacent stone circle.

Recommended music: Suggested tune: Morpeth Rant (Traditional); suitable recording Morpeth Rant (Robert Whitehead and the Danelaw Band: Dancers Choice 2).

(Dance information by the deviser, Murrough Landon, CC BY-SA October 2023)

The site consists of 59 stones forming an oval enclosure approximately 100 metres across, with a single tall sandstone monolith-known as Long Meg-standing just outside the circle to the southwest. Most of the other stones are made from local rhyolite, and several are aligned in a way that may indicate astronomical or seasonal significance.

The monument is believed to have been constructed during the later Neolithic period or early Bronze Age. The layout and scale suggest it may have been used for ceremonial or social gatherings. Long Meg itself is around 3.6 metres tall and is decorated with faint carvings, including spirals and cup marks, which may have held symbolic meaning.

The circle is one of the largest in Britain and is part of a broader tradition of stone circles found throughout the British Isles. The site remains accessible to the public and is located on private farmland. Its preservation has allowed it to become a prominent example of megalithic architecture in northern England.

Long Meg And Her Daughters
(Long Meg Is Near The Bottom Of The Picture)

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