The Young Widow ~ Wilcox

John Griffiths published A Collection of the newest and most fashionable Country Dances and Cotillions in Providence, RI in 1788. It is the first known such work published in the United States.

The Playford Assembly (Graham Christian) calls this an English Country Dance, but Cracking Chestnuts (David Smukler) calls it an early Contra Dance; showing how uncertain the boundary between the two styles is. I call it an American Country Dance, as something between the two (but it really could pass as an English dance)

Cross Hands --- back again -- lead down the Middle, then turn your Partner up again, and cast off -- the Gent. casts off one Co. to the Ladies side and the Lady to the Gent. Side -- ballance all six -- set and go all round -- second and third Co. balance in the Middle, opposite to each other -- then Half right and left in the Middle.

Asa Wilcox has a slightly different version in her Asa Willcox's Book of Figures:

First & second Gent^m. set together passing first & second Ladies set back again lead Down one Couple back again cross over one Couple six hand half round. top Couple & third Couple set half right & left.

Saltator, A Treatise on Dancing, Boston, 1802:

First couple down the out side, back, down the middle, promenade round, the gentlemen fall in between the second couple and the lady between the third, balance six side-ways, first couple promenade round, fall below the second couple, right and left.

Yet another version appeared in London, in Fentum's A Favorite Collection of Country Dances for the Year 1803.

Left and Hands 3 on the Ladys side, the same on the Gents, down the middle up again, right hand and left.

And in an anonymous publication from Boston in 1807 titled Cotillions & Country Dances.

The 1^st & 2 Couples 4 hands round and back 1^st Couple down the middle [illegible, might be cross] cast off, hands round, 1^st couple stand Still while 2^d & 3^d balance to each other & right & left.

Wilcox's version of the dance appears to take 24 bars, but the normal tune for this dance takes 32. Griffiths has 4 bars of setting before the circle and another 4 bars after, and adding those would be the obvious way to match these figures match the tune.

If I were actually to dance this, I'd have the 3s do the set advancing stuff too. But Wilcox doesn't say to do that, and this example tries to do what she says.