| The Ladye Laytons Measures | |
Measure Ramsey [Douce 280] | Couples in procession Intermediate |
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| I | A1 | 1-8 | | 2 Doubles forward on left, right | | T figure | | | | The Ladye Laytons Measures. ¶ Honour, ¶
Two doubles forwardes & |
| A2 | 1-4 | | Face away from partner; Double forward on left | | | | one double to the lefte hande. |
| | 2-8 | | Double back on right | | | | one double backe. |
| B1 | 1-4 | | Face up; 2 slow Steps back on left, right | | Pull-back car pavan:
SSD back, forward | | | | two longe stepps & |
| | 5-8 | | Double back on left | | | | a double backwardes. |
| B2 | 1-4 | | 2 slow Steps forward on right, left | | | | two longe stepps & |
| | 5-8 | | Double forward on right | | | | a double forewardes, |
| C1 | 1-4 | | Double forward on left | | Doubles to nowhere:
D forward, back, forward, back | | | | one S forwards |
| | 5-8 | | Double back on right | | | | & a d backwardes, |
| C2 | 1-4 | | Double forward on left | | | | 1 d forwardes & |
| | 5-8 | | Double back on right | | | | 1 d backe, |
| D1 | 1-4 | | 2 slow Steps forward on left, right | | Pavan to nowhere:
SSD forward, back | | | | two longe stepps & |
| | 5-8 | | Double forward on left | | | | a d forwards, |
| D2 | 1-4 | | 2 slow Steps back on right, left | | | | two longe stepps & |
| | 5-8 | | Double back on right | | | | a d backe, |
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Reconstruction by Peter Durham. Original as transcribed by Ian Payne in “The Almain in Britain”.
Notes
Sources. This dance only appears in one source, Ramsey [Douce 280].
Performance. In this dance, use alman Doubles (step, step, step, lift). For the Steps, take a single step in 2 counts (step, and) without the alman step lift; while the source uses S or Singles in other dances, the Steps here are described as “longe stepps”, which seems to imply a single slow movement.
Reconstruction. A2 provides a question with its “double to the lefte hand” and “double backe”. Other reconstructions take this as a sideways double, then a double backward. This creates an unusual shift to the left from the line of dance that is not later resolved. Additionally, sideways doubles also don't appear in my reconstructions of any of the other measures. The source uses very similar text (“A .d. on your left hand”) in Black Alman; following that hint, I reconstruct the double at A2 1-4 here as a turn to the left and a double forward. The text for the following double differs from the Black Alman text, so I keep this as a double back, retracing the steps of the previous double. I choose to have the woman mirror her partner rather than follow him to the left for aesthetic reasons and consistency with symmetry in other dances from these sources.
Reconstruction. The S in C1 in the source is problematic; it creates a phrase that doesn't line up with the structure of the music or the dance. Following the symmetry of the dance, as well as the choices of other reconstructors, I choose to read this as an error in the text and substitute a double here. In the source, there are multiple corrections written in to the text, so it is perhaps not unreasonable to assume an uncaught error here.
Music. No music is given in the source. The authors of the DHDS pamphlet “Revels for 1588” observe that the Jown Dowland Lute-book contains “The Lady Laitons Almane” and point to Andrew Sabol's “Four Hundred Songs & Dances from the Stuart Masque” for a transcription, presenting a simplified form of the tune. In Steve Hendricks' version online at http://sca.uwaterloo.ca/Hendricks/Dowland/laitons.pdf, the first system corresponds to the A music in that version, the second B, the third C, and the three systems on page 2 are variations on D.
Recordings. I use the version recorded by The Broadside Band on “Revels for 1588”, available at http://www.dhds.org.uk/publications/bookcontents.html#1988. This version follows the repeat structure described here and is long enough for one time through the dance.