This is a combination of two articles which I wrote for the Society for Creative Anachronism's newsletter, the Letter of Dance . This article is an attempt to inspire interest and research into Scottish dancing, with the eventual goal of reconstructing some of these dances. This article mainly covers the 16th centruy, but there are a few references from the late 15th and early 17th centuries. In the sixteenth century there was a distinction between courtly and non-courtly dances. After thys doon, the playde a rownde, the wich was daunced by the Lorde Gray ledynge the said qwene, acompayned of many lordes, ladyes, and gentylwoemen.
Lat see quha hobbillis best.
We sall leir thow to dance, Within ane bony littill spaice, Ane new paven of France. These quotes indicate that both brawls and pavans were dance in Scotland at this time. France is the source of both dances. This is understandable, given the long-standing relationship between Scotland and France. Another courtly dance is the trece.