BACKGROUND INFORMATION Informants:
Mrs Rowse of Treesmill in July and October 1983
Mr Arthur Biddick, Goonhavern, December 1983
This dance was collected from Mrs Rowse of Treesmill. A grand old lady of ninety who had lived in the area all her life. She explained that although the dance was often performed on festive occasions throughout the year, it was essentially associated with the Goldheys (Harvest Home) and the ceremony of 'crying the neck'. Indeed the dance could well have been started off with this cry: "I ave'm, I ave'm, I ave'm! What ave ee what ave ee what ave ee? A neck a neck a neck!" The neck being a Corn Dolly made from the last corn to be harvested (or the best corn). This neck was kept until the next year as a fertility symbol to encourage next year's crops. The Cornish for this 'neck' of corn is 'Pedn Yar' or 'Pen Yar' which literally means a chicken's head. It seems likely that Cock in Britches itself originates from a fertility ritual that seeks to ensure next years harvest by re enacting the tasks associated with growing and reaping the corn. The name 'Cock in britches' alludes to the fact that if you do not keep the weeds down they will handicap the corn, much as a winning fighting cock might be handicapped by wearing a special hobble to even the odds. It is a solo dance for ladies and Mrs Rowse explained that very full skirts were worn to emphasis the movement of the dance. Dancers usually carried a weeding paddle for the dance although Mrs Rowse described various farm implements as also being used. Clearly sharp and heavy farm implements are unsafe and impractical in many situations, however, and a broomstick might make a suitable alternative. The dance illustrates the words of the song that describes the sowing and harvesting cycle of corn. The important thing is to remember that three distinct actions are used in the dance one, in each verse: • The first verse illustrates the sowing of the corn using a seedlip and the importance of allowing sufficient to take into account waste. • The second verse describes the cutting of the corn with the two handed action involved in using a scythe • The last verse refers to threshing the corn with a flail and the novelty of fresh wheat bread after the barley bread which was grey. The song in fact would have provided mouth music for the dance. The first chorus refers to the 'weedin' paddle itself, a tool with a blade reminiscent of a shoe horn and a cross piece on a long pole used for pulling out long rooted weeds, especially docks and dandelions. The actions should represent the different uses for each of these tools, as the pictures below demonstrate: Sowing the seed Raking the seedCutting the corn with a zwy (scythe) Winnowing the corn Writing in the Cornish magazine (Vol I) Baring Gould discussed the ceremony of crying the neck and mentions that dancing was associated with this but gives no details. Mrs Rowse was able to provide us with all the words and firmly indicate the rhythm of the dance but could only remember the first couple of bars or so of the tune and part of the chorus so that we have had to reconstruct the remainder ourselves. We are confident that this is a reasonable reconstruction, however, Mrs Rowse approved of it and Arthur Biddick recognised both the tune and the dance as having been done by his teacher whilst at school. LINKS Cock in Britches For Kids! - Shalall Early Years Interpretation of the Dance DANCE NOTATION Formation
Solo dance for ladies holding a weeding paddle or similar implement. Steps
On toes, step right, left, right, kick the floor beside right toe with left heel. Repeat starting with left foot etc. Bars 1 - 2
Begin with four steps on the spot. 3 - 4
Place paddle across shoulders holding with left hand to imitate the yoke. Use right hand to imitate throwing seed from the seedlip whilst taking four basic steps as above travelling forward. 5 - 6
Lift paddle down with two hands and use to imitate raking haystack waste over seeds whilst taking four steps backwards. (Chorus)
Stand paddle on floor, keeping steady and upright
throughout with right hand. 7 - 8
All on toes: weight on right foot point left foot to left and return to centre; weight on left foot point right foot to right and return to centre. 8
Step back with left foot, then bring right back to left. Step forward with left foot bring right to meet. 9
Swing once around the paddle pivoting on right foot and pushing with left. 10
Weight on right foot point left foot to left and return to centre. Weight on left foot point right to right and return to centre. 11 - 12
Now swing round the paddle as per bar 9 but twice this time. using free left hand to carry skirt up and down in a wave pattern. Repeat the complete dance but imitate a scythe in bars 1 - 6 Repeat the dance again but imitating a flail in bars 1 - 6 TUNE/SONG The suggested tune for this dance is 'Cock in Britches', the tune originally collected with the dance. There is also a song that accompanies this tune which is as follows:
When the Seagull comes on land
Take the seedlip in your hand
Sow one for the rook and one for the crow
One to rot and one to grow
If that old crow eats more than his share
Rake the stack on, he won't be there (Chorus)
The weeds must go the corn to grow
So keep the paddle growing
Keep the paddle going
Keep the paddle going
The weeds must go , the corn to grow
So keep the paddle going Take the zwy and swing'en high
Take the zwy and swing'en high
If you can whet the zwy yoursel
Take the zwy and swing'en
If thees don't whet the zwy yoursel
I will whet en fer ee (Chorus)
Swing en high and swing en low
And we'll be there before ee
We'll be there before ee
We'll be there before ee
Swing en high and swing en low
And we'll be there before ee The corn it is for we to keep
Up on high we'll toss the sheet
The wind 'll blow the doust away
So say good bye to gertie grey
White bread and sweet milk
If ee don't come out I'll break the hilt (Chorus)
We'll thrash away, we'll thrash away
So keep the threshel going
Keep the threshel going
Keep the threshel going
We'll thrash away, we'll thrash away
Till we again start sowing.
