The Newcastle Half Century
Scottish Country Dance Instruction
THE NEWCASTLE HALF CENTURY (J8x32) 3C (4C set) Sheila Trafford Newcastle Half Century Book1- 8 1s cross RH, cast (2s step up); 1L+2s and 1M+3s dance ½ RSh reel of 3 across (RSh to 4th corner to start)
9-16 1s dance Corner pass and turn with 1st corner (position), 1s pass RSh; 1s dance Corner pass and turn with 2nd corner (position) (2)(1)(3)
17-24 2s+1s+3s set, cross RH with partner; chase clockwise ½ round (3)(1)(2)
25-32 2s+1s+3s set and link twice. 213
(MINICRIB. Dance crib compiled by Charles Upton, Deeside Caledonian Society, and his successors)
Keith Rose's Crib Diagrams
Dance Information
This dance was devised by Sheila Trafford and published in Newcastle Half Century Book, a collection of dances published to celebrate the golden jubilee year (2000) of the Newcastle And District Branch Of The RSCDS.Recommended Music: The Half Century Jig by Freda M Phillipson.
Newcastle upon Tyne, or simply Newcastle, is a city and metropolitan borough in Tyne and Wear, England. It is England's northernmost metropolitan borough, located on the River Tyne's northern bank opposite Gateshead to the south.
The earliest known settlement in present-day Newcastle was Pons Aelius, named after a Roman fort and bridge spanning the River Tyne. This name, which translates to "Hadrian's bridge," was derived from the family name of Roman Emperor Hadrian, who established it in the 2nd century AD. The distinction of bearing the emperor's name implies that Hadrian might have visited the location and commissioned the bridge during his travels through Britain.
Following the Romans' withdrawal from Britain in 410, Newcastle fell under the influence of the mighty Anglo-Saxon kingdom of Northumbria. During this era, it was referred to as Munucceaster, which is sometimes modernized to Monkchester.
Conflicts with the Danes in 876 left the settlements along the River Tyne in ruins. After the conflicts with the Danes, and following the 1088 rebellion against the Normans, Monkchester was all but destroyed by Odo of Bayeux.
Due to its strategic location, Robert Curthose, son of William the Conqueror, constructed a wooden castle in Newcastle in 1080. The town subsequently became known as Novum Castellum, or New Castle. This wooden fortification was replaced with a stone castle in 1087. The castle underwent further reconstruction in 1172 under the reign of Henry II. Much of the keep that stands in the city today originates from that period.
With the advent of the motor car, Newcastle's road network was improved in the early part of the 20th century, beginning with the opening of the Redheugh road bridge in 1901 and the Tyne Bridge in 1928.
Opened to the public in 2001, The Gateshead Millennium Bridge is a pedestrian and cyclist tilt bridge that connects the Gateshead arts quarter on the south bank to the Quayside area of Newcastle upon Tyne on the north bank. It holds the distinction of being the first bridge designed to tilt ever constructed.
Skyline Of Newcastle Upon Tyne With The Tyne Bridges
Dance information licensed under this Creative Commons Licence 3.0.
Text from this original Newcastle Upon Tyne article on Wikipedia.
Text from this original Gateshead Millennium Bridge article on Wikipedia.
Image copyright JimmyGuano Creative Commons Licence 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
Back to the top of this Scottish Country Dancing Instructions 'The Newcastle Half Century' page