Reel of Four ~ Wilson#1

This dance was probably danced for about a hundred years before anyone bothered to publish it. In 1808 Wilson published a reel of four which he appears to have devised, in 1811 he published another version which, presumably, he did not make up.

REEL OF FOUR

To be danced by two Ladies and two Gentlemen.

The Ladies and Gentlemen at A B C D move at the same time, in the direction shewn at a b c d, and hey round each other till they return to their places; they then set out the time, the Lady at A setting to the Gentleman at C, and the Lady at B to the Gentleman at D, which finishes the Reel.

On the other hand, the earliest Scottish source I can find is Smyth in 1830 who writes:

At the commencement, the Gentlemen place their partners at the end of the room, and stand either before or beside them. — If before them, all the four begin at once, but if otherwise the Ladies must begin first, each person describing the figure eight, and the Gentlemen set to the Ladies alternately.

Note that Wilson's picture shows a left shoulder hey, also Wilson has the ladies on the inside and the gents at the ends, while Smyth has the reverse. Smyth also has the gentlemen switch places each time through the reel.