Scottish Country Dancing Dictionary

Nottingham Lace

Scottish Country Dance Instruction

NOTTINGHAM LACE (R96) Sq.Set Jenny Bradley Nottingham Lace and RSCDS book 53

Part 1
1- 8 All dance ½ Grand Chain and set to partners, ¾ turn RH to end with Ladies in centre for LH across
9-12 Ladies dance LH across ½ way while Men dance ¼ way round clockwise, Ladies ½ turn nearest Man RH
13-16 Men dance LH across ½ way while Ladies dance ¼ way round clockwise and all ½ turn partners RH
17-24 All repeat bars 9-16 to original places

Part 2
25-32 1L and 3M change places RH, cast behind 4s and change places RH to join end of line while 1M and 3L dance similarly behind 2s, all set
33-40 All advance and retire, 1s+2L+4M also 3s+2M+4L circle 4H round to left to end in line across (1s and 3s in centre of line)
41-48 All advance and retire, circle 8H round ½ way to end in Sq.Set opposite to original places

Part 3
49-72 Repeat Part 2 with 2s and 4s as dancing couples, all ending in original places

Part 4
73-96 Repeat Part 1

(MINICRIB. Dance crib compiled by Charles Upton, Deeside Caledonian Society, and his successors)


Nottingham Lace
Jenny Bradley Nottingham Lace
Reel 96 bars 4 Couple Repeat 4 Couple Set Square Set

  1-24 Chorus:

  1-4   all half grand chain;

  5-6   all set to partners;

  7-8   all turn by the right ¾;

  9-10 Ls left hands across halfway WHILE Mn dance clockwise one place round the set;

11-12 all turn second corner (on partner's side) by the right halfway;

13-14 Mn left hands across halfway WHILE Ls dance clockwise one place round the set;

15-16 all turn partner by the right halfway;

17-24 repeat previous 8 bars, finishing in original places.

25-26 1L3M 1M3L cross by the right up and down;

27-28 1M 3L cast to the left WHILE 1L 3M cast to the right;

29-30 3L1M cross by the right up and down behind 2s WHILE 3M1L cross by the right up and down behind 4s (finishing in lines with 1L4M4L3M on the Mn's side facing 1M2L2M3L);

31-32 all set on the sides;

33-36 all advance and retire;

37-40 1s4M2L 2M4L3s four hands round to the left (finishing in lines across, 2L1M1L4M facing down, 2M3L3M4L facing up);

41-44 all advance and retire;

45-48 all eight hands round to the left halfway, finishing opposite original places in the square set.

49-72 Repeat bars 25-48 with 2s 3s 4s 1s dancing as 1s 2s 3s 4s, respectively (and treating the 2s position at bar 48 as the "top" of the set), all finishing in original places.

73-96 Repeat chorus, bars 1-24.

(MAXICRIB. Scottish country dancing instructions compiled by Reuben Freemantle)

Dance Notes

On the chord, make eye contact with second corner (three dancers away on partner's side) in preparation for bars 11, 19, 83 and 91.

  1-4   Quick; only one bar per hand.

11-12 Second corner was three dancers away on partner's side at the start of the dance.

    -40 At the end of the four hands round to the left, the supporting dancers (who were in the middle of the preceding advance and retire) must release hands, not the dancing couples (1s and 3s) so that 1s and 3s finish in the middle of the new lines across.


Keith Rose's Crib Diagrams


Dance Instruction Videos

Nottingham Lace - Scottish Country Dancing Instruction Video

Dance Information

Nottingham's prosperity was founded on the textile industry and it is famed worldwide for its lace-making during the Industrial Revolution.

Lace making by hand using a cushion, pins and small bobbins was the earlier cottage industry; it was killed off by the mechanization of lace-making, most notably in Nottingham, from the late 18th century onwards. Nottingham Lace became the generic, and somewhat pejorative, term for all machine-made lace, wherever it was produced in the UK.

Nowadays, traditional lace making is a craft hobby with many enthusiasts producing elegant lace for decorating garments, household textiles and furnishings.

Nottingham Lace - Information Video

Bobbins lace making
Traditional Lace Making In Progress Using Bobbins


Dance information licensed under this Creative Commons Licence 3.0.
Text from this original Nottingham article on Wikipedia.
Image copyright Norbert Kaiser.

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