Scottish Country Dancing Dictionary

Neidpath Tower

Scottish Country Dance Instruction

Neidpath Tower 4x32 bar Strathspey for 4 Couples Rod Downey They Stole My Wife From Me last Night Collection
A four couple 32 bar Strathspey

1-2 All take hands on the side and set.
3-6 All turn partners two hands twice.
7-8 All take hands on the side and set.
9-16 Grand chain 1 bar per hand. To begin first couple and fourth couple cross, and the second and third couples face on side.
17-24 First couple and fourth couple dance figures of 8 on the side, dancing in to begin. Hands should be given and first couple should dance between the second and third couples before the fourth couple each time. On the last bar, second couple and third couple should dance in to finish ready for...
25-28 first couple and second couple; third couple and fourth couple dance half poussette. second couple and third couple finish on side, whereas first couple and fourth couple finish ready for...
29-32 first couple and fourth couple dance half poussette.

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


Keith Rose's Crib Diagrams


Dance Instruction Videos

Neidpath Tower - Scottish Country Dancing Instruction Video

Dance Information

This strathspey, Neidpath Tower, was devised on 22nd February, 2005 in Wellington, whilst sitting out as part of a spare couple during the dancing of Neidpath Castle.

Evidently, the dance is a four couple version of Neidpath Castle by Derek Haynes.

The tower of Neidpath Castle is not square but rather the shape of a parallelogram with rounded corners.

Recommended music is "Neidpath Castle," but there is no 4 x 32 recording.

Acceptable alternative would be a pastoral 4 x 32 Strathspey such as "St John's River," or "Blithest Lass of Bon Accord."

(Dance information from They Stole My Wife From Me Last Night Collection Of Scottish Country Dances, reproduced here with the kind permission of the deviser, Rod Downey.)


Neidpath Castle is an L-plan rubble-built tower house, overlooking the River Tweed about 1 mile (2 km) west of Peebles in the Borders of Scotland and was probably built by Sir Simon Fraser (d.1306) of Oliver Castle between 1263 and 1266.

Neidpath Castle - Information Video

Neidpath Tower
Neidpath Castle - Parallelogram With Rounded Corners


Published in They Stole My Wife From Me Last Night Collection, reproduced here with the kind permission of the deviser, Rod Downey.
Dance information licensed under this Creative Commons Licence 3.0.
Text from this original Neidpath Castle article on Wikipedia.
Image copyright Dannie Calder under this Creative Commons Licence 2.0.

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