Scoot Dance:

Cock in Britches - An Bal Whenny

Remembered by Mrs Alberta Rowse, Treesmill (1983).The contact for Mrs Rowse was actually found thanks to Daphne Du Maurier. Her then nurse Terry Jones danced in the early days of ‘Cam Kernewek’. Terry mention the dancing to Mrs Du Maurier, who explained that an acquaintance of hers, Alberta Rowse, remembered some dancing from the Treesmill area. Merv and Alison Davey followed this lead, and met Mrs Rowse in December 1983 when she was 92. Mrs Rowse had lived in the area all of her life. She explained that although the ‘Cock in Britches’ dance was often performed on festive occasions, it was essentially associated with the Goldheys (Harvest Festival) and the ceremony of 'Crying the Neck'. ‘Crying the Neck’ is a Cornish custom where, when the last crop of corn has been harvested, the harvester would cry ‘I ave’m, I ave’m, I ave’m’, which would be answered by ‘what ave ee, what ave ee, what ave ee?’, and the harvester would cry ‘a neck, a neck, a neck’. The neck was a corn dolly made from the last of the corn to be harvested. It was kept until the following year as a fertility symbol to encourage the next year’s crops. You can see Cock in Britches performed with the crying of the neck on DVD Two. Mrs Rowse explained that 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 emphasise the movement of the dance. Dancers usually carried a weeding paddle for the dance although Mrs Rowse described various farm implements as being used. Most Cornish dancers now use a broom stick as an 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 symbolises sowing of the corn using a seed lip, and the raking of the corn.

·        The second verse symbolises cutting the corn using a scythe.

·        The final verse symbolises threshing the corn with a flail.

Arthur Biddick also remembered the dance in North Cornwall.

 

Formation: Solo dance for ladies. Originally the dance would have been performed using a weeding paddle, but today most Cornish dancers use a broom stick instead.

Steps (TRAVELLING STEP)On the toes, step on the right, then left, then right toes then kick with the left foot. Then repeat this starting by stepping on the left foot, then right, then left and kicking with the right foot. This step is used throughout the dance, other than for the chorus.

Bars

1 — 2 Begin with four of the above steps on the spot holding the broom stick in your right hand.

3 — 4 Lift the broom stick over your head and place it on you shoulders to imitate the yolk of the seed lip. Imitate throwing seed from the seedlip whilst taking four steps forward.

5 — 6 Lift the broom stick off your shoulders, and with two hands move the stick in small movements from the right to the left, imitating raking the seed whilst taking four steps backwards.

(Bars 7—12 are the CHORUS)

7 Again on the toes and with the weight on right foot, point the left foot to left and return to centre. Repeat this with the weight on left foot , and pointing the right foot to the right and returning to the centre.

8 Step back with the left foot, and then bring the right foot to join the right foot. Step forward with the left foot, and step forward with then bring the right foot to meet.

9 Swing once around the broom stick, pivoting on the right foot and pushing with the left.

10  Repeat bar 7

11 — 12 Repeat the swing in bar 8 twice.

13 — 14 Repeat bars 1 — 2

15 — 18 Dance four steps forward and four steps back, this time using the broom stick to make large swinging movements from right to left, imitating cutting the corn with a scythe.

19 — 24 Repeat bars 7 — 12, the Chorus.

25 — 26 Repeat bars 1 — 2

27 — 30 Dance four steps forward and four steps back, this time using the broom stick to imitate the flail, pointing the stick downwards and them upwards as you move.

31 — 36 Repeat bars 7 — 12, the Chorus.

Mrs Rowse was able to give a few bars of the tune that used to be sung, and Merv Davey took this to rework it as the tune for Cock in Britches above.

Cock in Britches

Verse One:

When the Seagull comes on land,

Take the seed lip 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 and he won't be there...

The weeds must go the corn to grow,

So keep the paddle going

Keep the paddle going. keep the paddle going,

The weeds must go, the corn to grow

So keep the paddle going

Verse Two:

Take the zwy and swing it high,

Take the zwy and swing it high,

If you can whet the zwy yourself,

Take the zwy and swing it,

If you don't whet the zwy yourself

I will whet it for thee

Swing them high and swing them low

And we'll be there before thee

We'll be there before thee

We'll be there before thee

Swing them high and swing them low

And we'll be there before thee

Verse Three:

The corn it is for we to keep

Up on high we'll toss the sheet

The wind will blow the dust away

So say good bye to gertie grey

With whitest bread and sweetest milk

If thee don't come I'll break the hilt

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.

 

Visit Cornish National Music Archive for more versions of this tune