Roy Dommett drew my attention to the description of this dance, which was as far as I know discovered in a contemporary newspaper by John Kirkpatrick. At the time, Bedlams were doing a version of the dance with an extremely complex sticking chorus which John had devised. In desperation at an MF workshop I dropped the chorus and replaced it with a simple sticking which I cobbled together on the spot. Stags like it so much, that they bought the company, so to speak, and it became a firm favourite.

Of course, we've changed it somewhat. Well, all of it except one figure, in fact. But the name remains the same.

Formation

The dance is for a longways set of eight: Stags step whilst sticking on this one.

Stepping

Red Stags use a low single step, which originated in the "Weobley Marsh Dances" where I pontificate about it at great length. This dance will work well with a high-knee single-step, the Bedlams step, a double step, or the travelling step which is described in "The Iron Drayman" processional, although in each case the set is bigger.

Chorus

Facing across the set, each person sticks with their opposite using forehand movements with the tips of the sticks. The rhythm is:

Figures

The figures are all heys. The first three all start with tops and bottoms facing into the set whilst the middles face their nearest end. The last figure, which is the Lichfield hey, starts facing across the diagonals.

Double Hey

The top couple face down, second couple up, third couple down and the bottoms face up.
 
Put inside arms round the waist of the other person in the couple. Naturally, it helps if you change the stick over to the outside hand.
 
Start a hey by passing the couples right shoulder to right shoulder, then pass left shoulder to left shoulder in the middle, and so on.

Single Hey

Heys for four done singly along each line. Tops start by passing right shoulder with the seconds and so on. Turn round at the end of the line

Grand Chain

A chain figure. Sart by passing right shoulders with the same person you started the single hey with. But at the ends of the lines, instead of turning round, cross over (left shoulders) with the person at the end of the other line. Cross over and dance along the other line, cross back at the other end and continue round to place.

Lichfield Hey

A "standard" Lichfield Hey. It's not so far out of area and we like it.
 
One and four, five and eight positions are first diagonals, Two and three, six and seven are second diagonals.
 
First diagonals cross over into opposite places for two steps, passing right shoulders, second diagonals cross over for two steps passing right, take two steps on the spot to turn so that the people on the ends of the set are facing across and those in the middle facing each other along the sides of the set.

now pass left shoulders with the person opposite for two steps and immediatelyfirst diagonals positions pass right shoulders to start the second part of the figure. Four repeats of the figure return to places for the final sticking.

Sequence

Once to yourself
Chorus
Double Hey
Chorus
Single Hey
Chorus
Grand Chain
Chorus
Lichfield Hey (double length music)
Final Chorus

Music

Stags use the tune "Return from the Waterside", which I wrote for my wife. That's what you get for being married to a musician - no flowers, just tunes.