1820s
| Dance Title | Type | Deviser (or Editor/Publisher), Date, Interpreter | Music Performers | Formation |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tempete Dance ~ Chivers |  | Joseph Binns Hart ~1819 G.M.S. Chivers ~1825 |  | Four Face Four |
1860s
| Dance Title | Type | Deviser (or Editor/Publisher), Date, Interpreter | Music Performers | Formation |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Lancers-Quadrilles |  | John Duval 1817 William B. De Garmo 1868 | | Square |
| Les Lanciers | | John Duval 1817 William B. De Garmo 1868 | | Square |
1920s
| Dance Title | Type | Deviser (or Editor/Publisher), Date, Interpreter | Music Performers | Formation |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Eightsome Reel |  | Earl of Dunmore ~1870 RSCDS 1925 | | Square |
1930s
| Dance Title | Type | Deviser (or Editor/Publisher), Date, Interpreter | Music Performers | Formation |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Miss Mary Douglas ~ RSCDS | | Thomas Wilson 1816 RSCDS 1935 | | Triple Minor |
1950s
| Dance Title | Type | Deviser (or Editor/Publisher), Date, Interpreter | Music Performers | Formation |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Todlen Hame ~ RSCDS | | Thomas Wilson 1816 RSCDS 1951 | | Triple Minor |
1960s
| Dance Title | Type | Deviser (or Editor/Publisher), Date, Interpreter | Music Performers | Formation |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chelmsford Assembly | | Johnson ~1752 Bernard Bentley 1968 | | 3 Couple Longways permutation: 231 |
| Lord Anson for ever | | Johnson ~1750 Bernard Bentley 1968 | | 3 Couple Longways permutation: 231 |
1970s
| Dance Title | Type | Deviser (or Editor/Publisher), Date, Interpreter | Music Performers | Formation |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Goose and Gridiron | | Thompson 1768 Tom Cook 1975 Playford Assembly | Dave Bartley, Ruthie Dornfeld and Terry Wergeland | 3 Couple Longways permutation: 231 |
| Lady Lucy Ramsay | | Nathaniel Gow ~1805 RSCDS ~1977 | | Triple Minor |
| Mrs. Hill's Delight | | Nathaniel Kynaston 1710 RSCDS 1977 | | Triple Minor |
| Pretty Polly ~ RSCDS | | John Young 1710 RSCDS 1977 | | Triple Minor |
| The Virgin's Frolick ~ Bentley | | John Young 1718 Bernard Bentley 1977 | | 3 Couple Longways permutation: 231 |
1980s
| Dance Title | Type | Deviser (or Editor/Publisher), Date, Interpreter | Music Performers | Formation |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| A Man's a Man for a' That ~ RSCDS | | Thomas Wilson 1816 RSCDS 1981 | | Triple Minor |
| One More Dance and Then ... | | Johnson 1752 Charles Bolton 1986 | | 3 Couple Longways permutation: 312 |
| The Mock Match - Playford | | Henry Playford 1698 Charles Bolton 1988 | | 3 Couple Longways permutation: 312 |
| Le Débauché | | Johnson ~1752 Charles Bolton 1989 | | 3 Couple Longways permutation: 231 |
| Prince Edward's Jig | | Thompson 1757 Charles Bolton 1989 | | 3 Couple Longways permutation: 231 |
1990s
| Dance Title | Type | Deviser (or Editor/Publisher), Date, Interpreter | Music Performers | Formation |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rossmore | | John & William Neal 1726 Rich Jackson & George Fogg 1990 | | Triple Minor |
| Rossmore ~ 3 Couple | | John & William Neal 1726 Rich Jackson & George Fogg 1990 | | 3 Couple Longways permutation: 231 |
| À la Mode de France ~ Barraclough | | John Playford 1651 Michael Barraclogh ~1995 | | 4 Couple Longways |
| Nonesuch ~ Barraclough | | John Playford 1651 Michael Barraclogh ~1995 | | 4 Couple Longways |
2010s
| Dance Title | Type | Deviser (or Editor/Publisher), Date, Interpreter | Music Performers | Formation |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Ridicule — A Cotillion ~ Daye |  | Skillern & Challoner ~1808 Anne Daye ~2017 | Colin Hume | Square |
| The Ridicule — A Cotillion ~ Winston | | Skillern & Challoner ~1808 Alan Winston ~2017 | Colin Hume | Square |
2020s
| Dance Title | Type | Deviser (or Editor/Publisher), Date, Interpreter | Music Performers | Formation |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Gloucester - Chivers | | G.M.S. Chivers 1821 George Williams 2021 | | Four Face Four |
| Sicilian | | G.M.S. Chivers 1821 George Williams 2021 | | Triple Minor |
| The Bath Waltz | | Thomas Wilson 1816 Colin Hume 2023 | Colin Hume | 3 Couple Longways permutation: 312 |
| The Prussian Waltz | | Thomas Wilson 1816 Colin Hume 2023 | Colin Hume | 3 Couple Longways permutation: 312 |
| Hart's Tempẽte Dance | | Joseph Binns Hart ~1819 George Williams 2024 | Colin Hume | Four Face Four |
| Lady Mary Douglas | | Thomas Wilson 1816 George Williams 2024 | | Triple Minor |
| Hart's Tempẽte Dance | | Joseph Binns Hart ~1819 George Williams 2024 | Colin Hume | Four Face Four |
| Tempête ~ Liller |  | Johann Nicolaus Liller 1842 George Williams 2024 | | Four Face Four |
| Todlen Hame ~ Williams | | Thomas Wilson 1816 George Williams 2024 | | Triple Minor |
| Another Reel of Six ~ Wilson#2 |  | Thomas Wilson 1820 George Williams 2025 | | 3 Couple Longways |
| Margery Cree | | John Young 1721 George Williams 2025 | Colin Hume | 3 Couple Longways |
| Number of dances | Number of versions | Number with music |
|---|---|---|
| 31 | 31 | 6 |
Warning: The figures for each dance is generated programmatically by regular expression matching and may be in error. Also, for old dances, they reflect the figures used by the interpreter which may not match those of the deviser.
Grand Chain
Also known as: Grand Right and Left, Right and Left 6, 1st. 2d. & 3d. Cu: Right and Left, Chain Figure of six.
An online definition may be found here.
Bars: 8.
A "grand" chain is a chain that involves everybody in the set (A chain here means right and left). It is most often applied to square sets, and minor set with 3 couples in them.
In a square set you face your partner, pull-by with the right hand, face the next person, pull-by with the left hand, and so on until you get back to your original position. At 2 bars per change, this takes 16 bars to return home (8 bars to end diametrically opposed but still with partner for a half chain)
In a three couple set, the top (or bottom) couple face their partners, and everyone else their neighbors then pull-by right with the person you face, and left with the next, and so on until you get home. This is normally allotted 8 bars, but it takes 6 changes. In Scottish Country Dance the first two changes take 1 bar each and the third takes 2, then the 4th and 5th changes take 1 bar each, and the last takes 2.
History
John & William Neal call for a grand chain in their dance Rossmore published in 1726 when they say: 1st. 2d. & 3d. cu: right and left. They make it clear that the right and left applies to all three couples.
In 1752, John Johnson uses Right and Left 6 in Lord Anson for Ever.
The first use of the term "grand chain" I can find is in Cent Contredanses en Rond by d'Aubat de St. Flour, published ~1757: La grande Chaine contient 16. mes. & la grand demi-chaine 8. mes. This is a book of cotillions, so this figure is for a square set.
Thomas Wilson in his Complete System of English Country Dancing, 1815 gives a diagram and description of a three couple grand chain, though he calls it a "chain figure of 6". He reserves the term "grand chain" for quadrilles, see his other book The Quadrille and Cotillion Panoramma, 1822.
See Also
This website is copyright © 2021-2026 by George W. Williams V
My work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License. Most of the dances have more restrictive licensing, see my notes on copyright, the individual dance pages should mention when some rights are waived.