The Parson

Scottish Country Dance Instruction

The Parson A forty-eight bar Jig for three couples in a longwise set. Devised by John W Mitchell, Published in Whetherly Book 14.

1- 8 First couple cross below second couple and cast behind third couple, dance up between third couple, cast up behind second couple and cross back to own side giving right hand and finish facing out.
9-16 First couple cast off, cross over giving left hand, cast up to the top and cross down to second place on own sides; second couple cast up into top place on bars 15 & 16.
17-20 All three couples join hands on the sides and set twice.
21-24 First couple with their first corners advance and retire diagonally.
25-28 First couple with their first corners dance right hands across in a wheel, first couple finishing back to back with third corner, join nearer hands with first corner, raising the arms to make an arch; first couple are now facing their fourth corners.
29-32 Second corners advance and retire diagonally under the arches; first couple and their first corners dance out to finish on the sidelines on bars 31 & 32.
33-36 All join hands on the sides and set twice.
37-40 First couple with their second corners advance and retire diagonally.
41-44 First couple with their second corners dance left hands across in a wheel, as previously, finish back to back making arches facing third corners.
45-48 First corners advance and retire under the arches; first couple and their second corners dance out to finish on the sidelines on bars 47 & 48.
9-16 First couple cast off, cross over giving left hand, cast up to the top and dance down to second
25-28 First couple with their first corners dance right hands across in a wheel, first couple finishing
29-32 Second corners advance and retire diagonally under the arches; all finish on the sidelines.
41-44 First couple with their second corners dance left hands across in a wheel, as previously, finish
45-48 First corners advance and retire under the arches.

Repeat from second place. Recommended tune: The Parson

(Dance crib reproduced from The Whetherly Book Of Scottish Country Dances, revised and republished by Alison Mitchell)

Dance Notes

Editor's note to the 2025 edition
The original version didn't bring first couple to the correct side at the end. To retain the movement as described from bar 17 onwards, bars 9-16 have been changed. Subsequently, some modifications to the description from bar 17 onwards were necessary.

(Dance notes reproduced from The Whetherly Book Of Scottish Country Dances, revised and republished by Alison Mitchell)

Published in The Whetherly Book Of Scottish Country Dances Number 14, by John W Mitchell, revised and republished by Alison Mitchell. Instructions reproduced under the Creative Commons Attribution-NoDerivatives 4.0 International Licence (CC BY-ND 4.0).

Back to the top of this Scottish Country Dancing Instructions 'The Parson' page