Cornish dance
Encyclopedia
Cornish dance originates from Cornwall
in the British Isles
. It has largely been shaped by the Cornish people
and the industries they worked in. In most cases, particularly with the step dancing, the dances were still being performed across the region when they were collected.
Cornish
dance can roughly be divided into 3 areas: 'Scoot' or step dancing, 'Furry' or Feast Day dances and dance which you will often find in a 'Troyl
', the Cornish equivalent of a céilidh
.
Church statutes The earliest documentary account which may refer to dancing in Cornwall is the statute banning (inter alia) round dances in churchyards issued in 1287 by Bishop Peter Quinel
of Exeter.
Cornish verse dramas The Cornish-language Ordinalia
of 1375 contains invocations to dance at the end of Origo Mundi and Resurrectio Domini. Later Cornish verse-dramas have similar passages.
Morris and mumming There is copious documentary evidence of morris dancing and mumming from 1466/7 to 1595. Iconography at Altarnun church suggests performance of the Mattachins about 1525.
Country and social dancing The MS of John Giddy (c1740) has music for Minuets, Rigadons, and Hornpipes. The Morval House
MS (c1768) and the Francis Prideaux MS indicates familiarity with minuets and a wide range of country dances. By the time of the MS of John Old of Par (1808) some Scottish country dances are also being danced. To these quadrilles, waltzes and polkas were added as the century progressed, as shown by many documentary and MS references.
Community dancing The tune of the Helston
Furry dance
is used by Weekes in his 1608 madrigal Since Robin Hood, which suggests a late medieval origin for such celebrations. Community or Furry Dances are hinted at from 1700 when Edward Lluyd noted that ‘Elygen’ (Illogan) held its ‘feast or furri day the first Sunday before or after St. Lukes’ The 1781 journal of Christopher Wallis, Helston Attorney, mentions the Hendre (ancient) Furry Day at Helston. Such community dances, often associated with fairs or religious feasts seem to have been very widespread in Cornwall.
Dance was reported in The Gentleman’s Magazine of 1790. In the West Briton in 1959 Ashley Rowe wrote. ‘In the peace rejoicings at the defeat of Napoleon in 1814 Truro danced the Flora for several hours; at Falmouth they danced until midnight on the Wednesday, Friday and Saturday; Penzance people also danced.’ According to Wm. Penaluna, writing in 1834, the Furry was danced in Penryn on 3 May and in Sithney and the Lizard on the 1st May. Rowe also notes ‘When Victoria was pronounced Queen in 1837, Falmouth and Chacewater danced the Flora.’ On Coronation day 1838 Trewoon, near St. Austell, held its Flora Dance and at Truro the Mayor led the dance, which lasted till the small hours’ He also tells that St. Mawes celebrated winning a lawsuit over fishing rights by dancing the Flora in 1842.’ It was seen in St. Ives in 1884. Even the Newlyn riots
of 1896 were accompanied by Paul
brass band playing Jon the Bone (Helston furry)! The earliest evidence of Padstow’s May Day revel
is 1802, though, like furry dances, the tradition is probably much older.
Troils In fishing communities a dance or ‘troil
.. always terminated the pilchard season. This was a feast for those connected with the cellars, each cellar having its own troil. After the feast, which was given in the loft, games and dancing followed. These were kept up until the small hours of the morning, the music being provided by a fiddler.’ In 1870 Bottrell considered music integral to harvest home, feast days, even visits to the mill. He mentions 3-hand reels, jigs and ballads sung for dancing. M. A. Courtney
, writing in about 1880, mentions a circle dance in Mounts Bay on the feasts of St. John
and St. Peter. A ‘snake-walk’ dance at a tea treat c1900 was described in the Cornish Tales of Charles Lee, possibly the composer of the song Lamorna. Gorseth Kernow
piper Merv. Davey’s grandfather, Edward Veale, remembered seeing the step dance, Lattapuch, in the Unity Fish Cellars, Newquay in the 1880s. These reports are born out by dance collection. In 1997 set, linear and step dances were still in living memory.
Geese dancing ‘Geese dancing
’ was also popular. Margaret Courtney mentions geese dancers and a ‘hobby horse’ near Lands End about 1812. Writing in about 1880 Robert Hunt also described geese dancers. His guisers performed in the 12 days of Christmas and on Plough Monday with a disguise of tattered paper headgear. One was often a man dressed as a woman. They sang ‘popular ditties’ and performed a mummer’s play. In The Delectable Duchy ‘Q’ tells of mummers, guise-dancers and darky parties in c1892. Bottrell describes guise-dances as light-hearted plays in doggerel with music and dance interludes. Perhaps these shows, formalised in Nance’s Cledry Plays were the last evolution of the mummers’ art. Many mummers’ plays have been collected in Cornwall, notably by Robert Morton Nance
. Morris is often associated with mumming and some tunes used for morris are in Cornish MSS, but there is no evidence of the dance in 19th century Cornwall.
Cornwall
Cornwall is a unitary authority and ceremonial county of England, within the United Kingdom. It is bordered to the north and west by the Celtic Sea, to the south by the English Channel, and to the east by the county of Devon, over the River Tamar. Cornwall has a population of , and covers an area of...
in the British Isles
British Isles
The British Isles are a group of islands off the northwest coast of continental Europe that include the islands of Great Britain and Ireland and over six thousand smaller isles. There are two sovereign states located on the islands: the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and...
. It has largely been shaped by the Cornish people
Cornish people
The Cornish are a people associated with Cornwall, a county and Duchy in the south-west of the United Kingdom that is seen in some respects as distinct from England, having more in common with the other Celtic parts of the United Kingdom such as Wales, as well as with other Celtic nations in Europe...
and the industries they worked in. In most cases, particularly with the step dancing, the dances were still being performed across the region when they were collected.
Cornish
Cornwall
Cornwall is a unitary authority and ceremonial county of England, within the United Kingdom. It is bordered to the north and west by the Celtic Sea, to the south by the English Channel, and to the east by the county of Devon, over the River Tamar. Cornwall has a population of , and covers an area of...
dance can roughly be divided into 3 areas: 'Scoot' or step dancing, 'Furry' or Feast Day dances and dance which you will often find in a 'Troyl
Troyl
Troyl is a colloquial Cornish word meaning a barn-dance or céilidh, a social evening of dance, music and song.. - Etymology :Edward Lluyd knew the Cornish verb troillia - to twist, twirl, whirl, spin round. Edward Veale of Pentire, Newquay used the noun troil in the 1880s to describe a Cornish...
', the Cornish equivalent of a céilidh
Céilidh
In modern usage, a céilidh or ceilidh is a traditional Gaelic social gathering, which usually involves playing Gaelic folk music and dancing. It originated in Ireland, but is now common throughout the Irish and Scottish diasporas...
.
Early history
Mediæval toponymy Cornish stone circles and rows are often called maidens. Significantly, medn is late Cornish for stone. The associated legend (of petrifaction for dancing or playing on the sabbath) is clearly post-Christian. The timing of language change from Cornish to English suggests mediæval naming, though some may be more recent. The stone circles and rows apparently suggested circular and linear dances to their namers, reflecting the popularity of mediæval rondes and farandoles.Church statutes The earliest documentary account which may refer to dancing in Cornwall is the statute banning (inter alia) round dances in churchyards issued in 1287 by Bishop Peter Quinel
Peter Quinel
Peter Quinel was a medieval Bishop of Exeter.-Life:Quinel was born about 1230, to Peter Quinel and his wife Helewis. He may have been educated at a university, because in 1262 he was given the title of master, which implies a university education. He had the office of archdeacon of St...
of Exeter.
Cornish verse dramas The Cornish-language Ordinalia
Ordinalia
The Ordinalia are three medieval mystery plays written in Cornish from the late fourteenth century. The three plays are Origo Mundi, , Passio Christi and Resurrexio Domini...
of 1375 contains invocations to dance at the end of Origo Mundi and Resurrectio Domini. Later Cornish verse-dramas have similar passages.
Morris and mumming There is copious documentary evidence of morris dancing and mumming from 1466/7 to 1595. Iconography at Altarnun church suggests performance of the Mattachins about 1525.
Country and social dancing The MS of John Giddy (c1740) has music for Minuets, Rigadons, and Hornpipes. The Morval House
Morval, Cornwall
Morval is a rural civil parish and hamlet in south Cornwall, United Kingdom. The hamlet is approximately two miles north of Looe and five miles south of Liskeard....
MS (c1768) and the Francis Prideaux MS indicates familiarity with minuets and a wide range of country dances. By the time of the MS of John Old of Par (1808) some Scottish country dances are also being danced. To these quadrilles, waltzes and polkas were added as the century progressed, as shown by many documentary and MS references.
Community dancing The tune of the Helston
Helston
Helston is a town and civil parish in Cornwall, England, United Kingdom. It is situated at the northern end of the Lizard Peninsula approximately 12 miles east of Penzance and nine miles southwest of Falmouth. Helston is the most southerly town in the UK and is around further south than...
Furry dance
Furry Dance
The Furry Dance, also known as The Flora , takes place in Helston, Cornwall, and is one of the oldest British customs still practised today...
is used by Weekes in his 1608 madrigal Since Robin Hood, which suggests a late medieval origin for such celebrations. Community or Furry Dances are hinted at from 1700 when Edward Lluyd noted that ‘Elygen’ (Illogan) held its ‘feast or furri day the first Sunday before or after St. Lukes’ The 1781 journal of Christopher Wallis, Helston Attorney, mentions the Hendre (ancient) Furry Day at Helston. Such community dances, often associated with fairs or religious feasts seem to have been very widespread in Cornwall.
19th-century community and social dance
Furry Dances There are many 19th century reports of furry dances. The Helston FurryFurry Dance
The Furry Dance, also known as The Flora , takes place in Helston, Cornwall, and is one of the oldest British customs still practised today...
Dance was reported in The Gentleman’s Magazine of 1790. In the West Briton in 1959 Ashley Rowe wrote. ‘In the peace rejoicings at the defeat of Napoleon in 1814 Truro danced the Flora for several hours; at Falmouth they danced until midnight on the Wednesday, Friday and Saturday; Penzance people also danced.’ According to Wm. Penaluna, writing in 1834, the Furry was danced in Penryn on 3 May and in Sithney and the Lizard on the 1st May. Rowe also notes ‘When Victoria was pronounced Queen in 1837, Falmouth and Chacewater danced the Flora.’ On Coronation day 1838 Trewoon, near St. Austell, held its Flora Dance and at Truro the Mayor led the dance, which lasted till the small hours’ He also tells that St. Mawes celebrated winning a lawsuit over fishing rights by dancing the Flora in 1842.’ It was seen in St. Ives in 1884. Even the Newlyn riots
Newlyn riots
The Newlyn riots were a major civil disturbance that occurred in Newlyn, Cornwall, UK on the three days beginning 18 May 1896 ; it arose from the local fishery and the trade in fish.- Background :...
of 1896 were accompanied by Paul
Paul, Cornwall
Paul is a civil parish and village in Cornwall, United Kingdom. It is situated two miles south of Penzance and one mile south of Newlyn.The village of Paul is represented on Penzance Town Council...
brass band playing Jon the Bone (Helston furry)! The earliest evidence of Padstow’s May Day revel
'Obby 'Oss festival
Padstow, in Cornwall, UK is internationally famous for its traditional Obby 'Oss day . Held annually on May Day , which in Cornwall, largely dates back to the Celtic Beltane, the day celebrates the coming of Summer....
is 1802, though, like furry dances, the tradition is probably much older.
Troils In fishing communities a dance or ‘troil
Troyl
Troyl is a colloquial Cornish word meaning a barn-dance or céilidh, a social evening of dance, music and song.. - Etymology :Edward Lluyd knew the Cornish verb troillia - to twist, twirl, whirl, spin round. Edward Veale of Pentire, Newquay used the noun troil in the 1880s to describe a Cornish...
.. always terminated the pilchard season. This was a feast for those connected with the cellars, each cellar having its own troil. After the feast, which was given in the loft, games and dancing followed. These were kept up until the small hours of the morning, the music being provided by a fiddler.’ In 1870 Bottrell considered music integral to harvest home, feast days, even visits to the mill. He mentions 3-hand reels, jigs and ballads sung for dancing. M. A. Courtney
Margaret Ann Courtney
Margaret Ann Courtney was an author resident in Penzance, Cornwall, UK in the late 19th century. M. A. Courtney is best known for her book Cornish feasts and folklore , first published in 1890...
, writing in about 1880, mentions a circle dance in Mounts Bay on the feasts of St. John
Golowan Festival
Golowan is the Cornish language word for the Midsummer celebrations in Cornwall, UK: widespread prior to the late 19th century and most popular in the Penwith area and in particular Penzance and Newlyn...
and St. Peter. A ‘snake-walk’ dance at a tea treat c1900 was described in the Cornish Tales of Charles Lee, possibly the composer of the song Lamorna. Gorseth Kernow
Gorseth Kernow
Gorseth Kernow is a non-political Cornish organisation, which exists to maintain the national Celtic spirit of Cornwall in the United Kingdom.-History:...
piper Merv. Davey’s grandfather, Edward Veale, remembered seeing the step dance, Lattapuch, in the Unity Fish Cellars, Newquay in the 1880s. These reports are born out by dance collection. In 1997 set, linear and step dances were still in living memory.
Geese dancing ‘Geese dancing
Guise Dancing
Guise dancing is a folk practice celebrated between Christmas Day and Twelfth Night in Cornwall, UK...
’ was also popular. Margaret Courtney mentions geese dancers and a ‘hobby horse’ near Lands End about 1812. Writing in about 1880 Robert Hunt also described geese dancers. His guisers performed in the 12 days of Christmas and on Plough Monday with a disguise of tattered paper headgear. One was often a man dressed as a woman. They sang ‘popular ditties’ and performed a mummer’s play. In The Delectable Duchy ‘Q’ tells of mummers, guise-dancers and darky parties in c1892. Bottrell describes guise-dances as light-hearted plays in doggerel with music and dance interludes. Perhaps these shows, formalised in Nance’s Cledry Plays were the last evolution of the mummers’ art. Many mummers’ plays have been collected in Cornwall, notably by Robert Morton Nance
Robert Morton Nance
Robert Morton Nance was a leading authority on the Cornish language, nautical archaeologist, and joint founder of the Old Cornwall Society....
. Morris is often associated with mumming and some tunes used for morris are in Cornish MSS, but there is no evidence of the dance in 19th century Cornwall.