Scottish Country Dancing Dictionary

The Yellow-Haired Laddie

Scottish Country Dance Instruction

THE YELLOW-HAIRED LADDIE (Minuet ¾ time 4x64) 4C set Johnson RSCDS Book 12

1- 8 1s lead down below 2s and turn with RH
9-16 1s dance DoSiDo and turn RH to end in 2nd place
17-32 2s repeat above Fig
33-40 1s cast 1 place, lead up the middle, turn RH to 1st places
41-48 1s dance DoSiDo and cross over RH to change places
49-64 1s turn next dancer on sides RH 1½ times, turn 3rd dancer LH 1½ times, turn 4th dancer RH 1½ times and cross RH to 4th places

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


Keith Rose's Crib Diagrams


Dance Information

The title of this dance, The Yellow-Haired Laddie, comes from The Yellow-Haired Laddie - Song first appearing in print in The Tea-Table Miscellany, 1724.

The yellow hair'd laddie sat down on yon brae,
Cried, Milk the yowes, lassie, let nane o' them gae;
And aye as she milkit, she merrily sang,
The yellow hair'd laddie shall be my gudeman.
And aye as she milkit, she merrily sang,
The yellow hair'd laddie shall be my gudeman.

Many verses were written to accompany the air (first published in Mrs Crockat's Music Book, 1709), by many poets.

The Yellow-Haired Laddie Song - Information Video

There is also a Scottish highland dance The Yellow-Haired Laddie - Highland Dance Video Ladies step dance, sometimes danced today at Highland games around the world, as part of Scottish National dances repertoire.

The Yellow-Haired Laddie
The Yellow-Haired Laddie, From Songs Of Scotland Prior To Burns, Printed Music, c. 1890


Image copyright (cropped) https://digital.nls.uk/special-collections-of-printed-music/archive/90579554 under this Creative Commons Licence 4.0.

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