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Gresley Manuscript Dances

Marie Morrison
(Fionnabhair inghean Donnchaidh Guthrie)

Pernes on gre / de 2

Source: Gresley Manuscript D77 / Box 38 p60

Trace forthright vj singlis / ather torne o_er about et forthright vj singlis Agen /

After the end of þe trace rak both toged^er and torne / then face to face vj singlis ethire ......... (contrary) od^er and iij retrete Ayen / then A flowerdelice of both at onys / then change place and torne face to face / then A flowerdelice and come to ged^er

Talbott / de 2pß

Source: Gresley Manuscript D77 / Box 38 p55

After the hend of the trace trett retrett and dept the / furst furthright þe second contrary hyme and turne face to face / Then brawle at onys and then come togydder / Then trett and retrett togeder with 3 singlis forth and chance handes on the same wyes again then togeder 2 doblis 2 rakis and a turne

Lebns de disinens / de 2

Source: Gresley Manuscript D77 / Box 38 pp63-64

After the end of þe t^race the first iij forth and _torne while the second retrett iij bake then com togeder and ethir torne in oders plas / then þe last man iij forth et torn while the first retrett / then come togeder in such wys as þay ded afore and then either end in ther own place then trett and retrett and torn

Esparnß / de 3pß Trace / 3

Source: Gresley Manuscript D77 / Box 38 pp54-55

Al the vj singlis w^þ a trett / þhen þe first man goo compas till he come behind while þe medyll retrett thre and þe last iij singlis and þe medil iij singlis levyng the last / on / the left hand and the last iij retrett et thus þe medill endyth before þe ^last in þe meddist / and þe ferst behind þ9 dinnce iij tymes ß calling any man as he standdith// After þe end of the t^race þe first iij furth outward truþing ayen hie / face / then þe last contur hym and the meddil to þe fyrst et then þe first to his place / then the last to the medyll and þe medyll to þe last mans place / the first and the last change place while the medyll tornyth / Al at onys retrett iij bake / bak al at ons / then / the first torne whill the last torne in his own place / then al togeder thre furth

 

Esperans             (Master Trahaearn / Peter Durham / http://peterdur.com/dayofdance/2003/Esperans.htm)

A1-4       All do 6 singles, LRLRLR, then single L (trett) close.

   5-8      #1 compass steps left (1 double LRLR), then 3 doubles (LRLR) 'til in last place

                #2 do 3 singles back, LRL+ close

                #3 do 3 singles forward, LRL + close

                #2 do 3 singles forward, LRL + close

                #3 do 3 singles backward LRL + close (ENDS = #2, #3, #1)

That again (ENDS #3, #1, #2)

That again (ENDS #1, #2, #3)

B1-8       Single Hey (3 singles + close)

C1-8       #1 & #3 change places (1 double LRLR)

                #2 turn in place (LRLR) (ENDS #3, #2, #1)

D1-2       All do 3 steps backward (LRL+close, shift weight to right foot)

E1-2       All do 3 singles forward (LRL + close)

F1-3       #3 & #1 (first in line and last in line) turn single (LRL + close)

   4-6       All do 3 singles forward (LRL = close)     

If we take the 3 in the margin to mean repetitions, the entire dance is repeated 3 times until it ENDS #1, #2, #3); conversely, one rep. ends with the dancers in the order #3, #2, #1 (reversed).

 

 

 

 

 

 

Northumberland

Gresley Manuscript D77 / Box 38 pp71-72

Trace

Togedd^er three sig=lis wi^þe A stop trett and rtrett then þe first ma torn in his own place whill the last torn the meddyll Abowytt  togedd^er Agin wi^þe three singlis and A stop trett and retrett then halfe A torn and torn Agayn 3 togedd^er then Again wi^þe iij (?) singlis and A stop et trett and retrett then þe first torn þe meddyll About while þe last ma torn in his own place / then ev^ery man A mevyng / then þe first And the last torn owthard go=ing forth vj singlis the 2^d forth=Right torn All face to face and þe thred brayll

The toþe ^r two cum to hym and goo to þe^er place Again / then þe 3^d and 2^d brayll / the meddyll cum to þem and go to his awn place Agayn / then the first and þe last lepe to=gedd^er þe meddyll lepe Alone/ then þe meddyll throw while other two ..........hym turnying All face to face/ All at onyc A flo^wrdelice the first and þe meddyl rak tell þay mett whil þe last retrett / A flo^wrdilice at onys   þe meddell and þe last rake whyl þay mett while the first retrett than All cum to gedder

Prenes A gard / de tribß

Source: Gresley Manuscript D77 / Box 38 pp59-60

After the end of the t^race the first man lepe þe secnd lepe the iij thred torne / then / the last lepe þe secnd lepe þe first torne the first lepe þe last lepe þe medill torne / then / the medill forth iij singlis wþ halfe a torne whill þe first and the last retrett / then the first torne þe last lepe / then þe medill man throth while þe first et the last et the last change place and the medill to his place agayn / then the first t^orne retrett et rake / whill the 2d t^orne rake and retrett and þe third retrett rake et torne / then / all at onys a flowrdilice et com to/geder

Eglamowr / de tribß

Gresley Manuscript D77/ Box 38 p 64*

After the end of the t^race The first thre forth þe secnd þe same the 3^d the same then the first ma outward on the left shoulder and goo behend þe 2^d the same the 3^d þe same / then the first out þe 2^d out þe 3^d out

 

 

Resources

££££ Banys, John; The Gresley Manuscript Derbyshire Record Office Facsimile of Ms D77M/Box 38

£££ Fallows, David; “The Gresley Dance Collection, c1500” RMA Research Chronicle Vol. 29, 1996 pp 10-20

££ O’Sullivan, Margaret; “The Derbyshire Medieval Dance Project” Journal of the Society of Archivists, Vol. 20, No. 2 1999

Nevile, Jennifer; “Dance Steps and Music in the Gresley Manuscript”  Historical Dance Vol. 3, no. 6, 1999 (Available at http://www.dhds.org.uk)

Wilson, David; “Performing Gresley Dances:  The View from the Floor”  Historical Dance Vol. 3, no. 6, 1999

Da Borgia, Messer Guiseppe Francesco; “The Gresley Dance Collection” Letter of Dance, Vol. 5 (Available at http://www.pbn.com/~lindahl/lod/vol5/gresley.html) (No sources cited)

Gray, Norman Hoskuld Atiasson of Iceland:  Notes on the Gresley Dance Collection (Available at http://members.ozemail.com.au/~grayn1/gresley/Gresley.html#unknown and http://www.pbn.com/~lindahl/del/sections/gresley.html)

Huggert, Robert, 2002; Dances from the Gresley Manuscript Circa 1500 (Available at http://www.hants.gov.uk/basdance/gresley.html)

Nevile, Jennifer; “Dance in Early Tudor England:  an Italian Connection?”  Early Music, Vol. 26, no 2, May 1998

Durham, Peter; “Esperans” (Available at http://www.peterdur.com/dayofdance/2003/Esperans.htm)

Durham, Peter; “Ly Beus Dysotonys” (http://www.peterdur.com/dayofdance/2001/handout.htm)

Reed, Ken, 1995 “Steps for Dance Reconstruction” (http://www.nachtanz.org/Kreed/danrecon.html)

Gaita – “Eschewyinge of Idleness” (www.btinternet.com/~gaita)

Barony of Cynnabar:  (http://www.cynnabar.org/downloads/)

Navarro, Esquivel; Discursus sobre el arte del dancado (Seville, 1642)

 

“Related sites” -- Minstrels’ Guild of Drachenwals – Secular Music in 15^th Century England

Main Rose Moresk Links & info – The Moresk in England, 1450-1540 (The last paragraph of this article says, “Although there is no indication that Banys’ dances were moresks, they do not match other dances of the period known from Italy, Spain, France or Flanders; and, in view of what we can infer about the development of the Moresk in England around 1500, it is reasonable to restore them among “moris” lines, and to re-enact them in costume appropriate to Epiphany Revels at the country house such as Dakelow in Derbyshire.”

(see also) Forrest, John; The History of Morris Dancing, 1458-1750, 1999 University of Toronto Press

 

Of interest re: possible parallels to rapier in defining the steps: “tret(t), retret(t), compas, rak(e), doblis, singlis

Pugliese, Patri J. “Parallels Between Fencing and Dancing in Late 16^th C Treatises”  Symposium on Historical European Swordsmanship, Massachusetts Center for Renaissance Studies, April 30, 2005, and in their newsletter Autumn 2005.

Martinez, Ramon (Maestro); “Spanish Fencing from the 16^th-18^th Centuries,” Hammertz Forum, August 1999

Negri, Cesare; Le Gratie d’ Amore (Milan 1602)

Corrsin, Stephen D.; Sword dancing in Europe : A History, 1996 Enfield Lock, Middlesex, UK

*Marozzo, Achille – Opera Nova, 1516

*Agrippa, Camillo – Trattato di Scienta D’Arme, 1553

*Italian:  diGrassi (1594), Saviolo (1595), Fabris (1606), Capo Ferro (1610)

*Spanish:  Carranza (1553), Narvaez (1599) & Thibault (1628)

*French:  Sanct Didier (1573)

*these manuscripts, and others, may be found at http://www.latourdulac.com/fencing/rapierSources.htm and http://www.aemma.org/onlineResources/library_body.htm