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Dance Loch Leven Castle 3862

Reel · 32 bars · 2 couples · Longwise - 4

Devised by
Unknown
Intensity
80 88 88 88 = 87% (1 turn), 60% (whole dance)
Formations
Steps
  • Pas-de-Basque, Skip-Change
Published in
Recommended Music
Extra Info
Loch Leven Castle

There is an old saying, “Those never got luck who come to Loch Leven” and for a good many of Loch Leven Castle’s unwilling guests that was all too true.

Loch Leven, in Kinross-shire, is dotted with seven islands. St. Serf’s, the largest, contains the ruined Priory of Portmoak and on Castle Island is Loch Leven Castle.

All that remains of the castle today is the ancient tower and a few crumbing ruins., It was a royal residence in 1257 when Alexander III and Margaret of England were taken by force from the castle to Stirling by the factions warring for control over the king who had not yet reached his majority, Alexander having been only eight years of age when he was crowned in 1249 and ten when he was married to Margaret.

The island castle was besieged by the English in 1301 and again in 1335 by Edward Balliol, the English supported son of John Balliol, “Toom Tabard”. (See “The Auld Alliance”) After Robert II came to the throne in 1371 he granted Loch Leven Castle to Sir William Douglas of Lugton.

Loch Leven Castle was the prison of various illustrious Scots and one English earl. Alexander Stewart, Earl of Buchan, whose brutish activities earned him the title “The Wolf of Badenoch”, was imprisoned in the castle by David II, along with his father, the future Robert II. Archibald, 7th Earl of Douglas, was held there in 1429 during the reign of James I. Patrick Graham, Archbishop of St. Andrews, who took the side of Rome in the matter of the Pope’s rights as opposed to those of James III, was held prisoner in the tower on Castle Island but, as a religious, was allowed to die on St. Serf’s Island in 1478. The English captive was Thomas Percy, 7th Earl of Northumberland (1528–1572), an active supporter of Queen Mary whose actions naturally enraged Elizabeth of England. He was held there for three years before being returned to Elizabeth’s hands for trial and eventual beheading at York in 1572.

Loch Leven Castle’s most famous prisoner was Mary who was taken there after the defeat of her forces at Carberry on 17 June, 1567. Her gaoler was Lady Margaret Erskine, widow of Robert Douglas, formerly mistress of Mary’s father, James V, and the mother of Mary’s half-brother, James Stewart, Earl of Moray. Mary signed her abdication while at Loch Leven on 4 July, 1567, and Moray became Regent. On 2 May, 1568, the queen with the aid of young Willy Douglas, an orphaned cousin of the family, and George Douglas, son of Lady Margaret, escaped from the island. The story of the queen’s daring escape is told by Sir Walter Scott in his novel The Abbot. Mary’s Hamilton and Campbell supporters met the army of the Earl of Moray at Langside on 13 May and after that defeat the queen rode south and crossed by boat into England and an unlawful imprisonment from which she was only released by her execution nineteen years later.

Loch Leven Castle 2/4L · R32
1–
1c lead down the middle (2c up) ; turn RH ½, lead up to (2,1x)
9–
L-Chain, finish in promhold facing up (2M+1W turning more to 1pl, 1M+2W turning less to 2pl)
17–
2M+1W & 2W+1M Promenade, on last 2 bars 2M casts off to P and 1M dances up to 1W for
25–
1c+2c Poussette
Loch Leven Castle 2/4L · R32
1-8
1s lead down, 1/2 turn RH, lead up to 2nd places opposite sides
9-16
1s+2s dance Ladies Chain
17-24
2M+1L followed by 1M+2L Promenade & end with 1M dancing to own partner as 2M casts to 2nd place to meet his partner
25-32
1s+2s dance Poussette

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Sinn Araon (Krasnodar) at Russian SCD Festival, 2017.

Added on: 2017-07-18 (Ilana Steiner)
Quality: Demonstration quality

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1996 RSCDS teaching video

Added on: 2020-07-26 (Murrough Landon)
Quality: Demonstration quality

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Edinburgh Scottish Dancers at Newcastle, 2024.

Added on: 2024-02-13 (Murrough Landon)
Quality: Demonstration quality

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Graziani family, Bologna, 2020

Added on: 2020-06-03 (Murrough Landon)
Quality: Good

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(No short description.)

Added on: 2012-12-17 (YouTube Automatic Downloader)
Quality: Reasonable

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Added on: 2016-07-03 (Martina Mueller-Franz)
Quality: Informal/Social (RSCDS)

NameDateOwnerLast changed
FSCDC Class 5 November 2019 2019-11-05 Anselm Lingnau Nov. 6, 2019, 9:03 a.m.
Nürnberg Gartenstadt (2022-06-13) 2022-06-13 Roland Ritthaler Sept. 26, 2022, 5:17 p.m.
Oldenburg 2017-02-27 2017-02-27 Martin McWilliam Feb. 26, 2017, 2:37 p.m.
Budapest Local Club 17.01.2013 2013-01-17 Zoltán Gräff Feb. 14, 2013, 4:58 p.m.
Rhein-Main-Mini-Social, 6. Dezember 2019 (MZ) 2019-12-06 Narhalla Dancers Nov. 17, 2019, 10:17 p.m.
Budapest Local Club 05.03.2013 2013-03-05 Zoltán Gräff March 5, 2013, 11:08 p.m.
RSCDS Book 21 2015-09-20 Angelika Schmidkonz Sept. 20, 2015, 12:41 p.m.
Rhein-Main-Mini-Social, 4. Februar 2020 (F) 2020-02-04 Anselm Lingnau Jan. 21, 2020, 2:18 a.m.
Budapest Local Club 04.04.2013 2013-04-04 Zoltán Gräff April 4, 2013, 11:27 p.m.
Rhein-Main-Mini-Social, 4. November 2019 (DA) 2019-11-04 OnYourToes Darmstadt Sept. 29, 2019, 9:30 a.m.
Bonn 2022-03-07 2022-03-07 Uta Hasekamp March 8, 2022, 9:58 a.m.
Trinity9thMarch 2019-03-09 Hamish Gibb March 5, 2019, 6:27 p.m.
Kuckucksnest Summer Course 2018: class 2018-06-29 Verena Ebling June 29, 2018, 1:37 p.m.
DA 2018-05-25 Chris Ronald May 21, 2018, 8:03 p.m.
Pathhead Charity SCD 2019-02-08 Jim Armstrong Feb. 2, 2019, 12:11 p.m.
Budapest Local Club 02.04.2013 2013-04-02 Zoltán Gräff April 3, 2013, 3:29 p.m.
DAA Friday June 22 2018-06-22 Ken Saunders June 18, 2018, 8:56 p.m.
Linlithgow SCDC 22 November 2019 2019-11-22 John Watkins Nov. 17, 2019, 10:52 p.m.
Potters Pairs 2017 - Friday 2017-02-19 ChArLy Candia March 19, 2017, 4:50 a.m.
150314 Märzenhopfer 2015-03-14 Meinhard Reiser Feb. 12, 2015, 12:45 p.m.
2018 SEHSCDS Mondays 2018-07-02 Dance ForFun July 2, 2018, 3:52 p.m.
Delaware Valley RSCDS Hogamany 1991 - 1992 1991-12-31 Andy Peterson Jan. 6, 2018, 9:51 p.m.
Hamburg Class 2017-04-27/05-04/05-11 2017-05-13 Dieter Lange May 13, 2017, 7:34 p.m.
Chiswick ~ 161002 Social Dance 2016-10-02 James Wilson Oct. 8, 2016, 5:14 p.m.
DA 180413 at Pearl, 519 8th Avenue, 12th floor, room H 2018-04-13 Sue Ronald April 9, 2018, 7:57 p.m.
Dance Scottish NYC Experienced Class 2024-Jan-04 2024-01-04 Margaret Mackenzie Jan. 2, 2024, 4:34 a.m.
Budapest 2013 Welcome Dance – 26 April 2013-04-26 Anselm Lingnau Jan. 9, 2013, 1:54 a.m.
RSCDS Dancing Achievement Award (DAA) Very Advanced Truus de Ceuster Aug. 19, 2017, 9:26 p.m.
WSCDS October 25 2023-10-25 Charlotte Holton Oct. 23, 2023, 10:31 p.m.
The Sunday Class Dance on RadioGH - 2023-04-30 2023-04-30 Amanda Peart April 30, 2023, 6:39 p.m.
Oldenburg 2017-05-01 2017-05-01 Martin McWilliam April 27, 2017, 8:23 p.m.
Pinewoods Scottish Session 2, July 11th-16th, 2016 Sue Ronald Feb. 9, 2016, 9:46 p.m.
Kingston Social December 2023 2023-12-16 Alexander Jeffries Nov. 16, 2023, 10:20 p.m.
Kuckucksnest Easter Course 2018: last evening 2018-04-01 Verena Ebling April 17, 2018, 10:31 p.m.
Oldenburg Potters Pairs Welcome 2017 2017-05-05 Martin McWilliam Jan. 12, 2017, 8:20 p.m.
DA 2018-08-11 Chris Ronald Aug. 7, 2018, 5:28 p.m.
FSCDC Class 6 March 2018 2018-03-06 Anselm Lingnau March 13, 2018, 10:57 p.m.
CGB Easter Workshop (Kuckucksnest) 2018 2018-03-30 Anselm Lingnau Aug. 6, 2018, 9:57 p.m.
DA 2018-09-01 2018-09-01 Chris Ronald Aug. 28, 2018, 9:52 p.m.
Delaware Valley RSCDS Hogmanay - 1993-1994 1993-12-31 Andy Peterson March 31, 2018, 7:10 p.m.
25 Years of Dancing 2016-07-02 Edwin Werner June 1, 2016, 10:48 a.m.
HoHoKus 5 July 2016-07-05 Deborah Leary July 4, 2016, 2:37 p.m.
Kuckucksnest Summer Course 2018: class 2018-06-29 Verena Ebling June 29, 2018, 1:37 p.m.
Delaware Valley RSCDS Spring Ball 1997 1997-04-19 Andy Peterson April 1, 2018, 4:15 a.m.
29th Bonn Ball - All about Mary Stuart 2022-06-11 Eva-Maria Beckmann March 17, 2024, 3:07 p.m.
RSCDS Dancing Achievement Award (DAA) Truus de Ceuster June 8, 2015, 4:25 p.m.
SWS 2018 2018-01-01 Margaret Chambers July 19, 2018, 12:09 p.m.
Summer School 2018 Week 4 Very Advanced Technically Challenging (2) 2018-08-06 SchloBDancers Heidelberg Aug. 26, 2018, 9:21 p.m.
Chemnitz_Friday SCD Chemnitz Feb. 6, 2018, 6:27 p.m.

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This dance ranks 1270th out of 1388 rated dances in the database. (More info.)

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