Annotation:Mrs. Hepburn Belches
X:1 T:Mrs. Hepburn Belches M:2/4 L:1/8 R:Country Dance Tune C:John Bowie B:John Bowie - "Collection of Strathspeys Reels and Country Dances &c." (c. 1789, p. 1) Z:AK/Fiddler's Companion K:Bb V:1 F|BFBF|cFcF|df (e/d/)c/B/ |AGFF|BFBF|cFcF|df f/e/d/c/|{c}B2z:| |:c|fcfc|gcgc|afg=e|f_edc|BfBf |cFcf|df (f/e/)d/c/|c2B:| P:Trio f2 gf|d2e2|f2-gz|f2-gz|f2 gf|(Bd).fz|{d}c2 (cd)|B2z2!fermata!:| V:2 F|DFDF|AFAF|[DF]F GG|C2C2|DFDF|AFAF|FDEF|D2z:| |:z|AAAA|eeee|fA BG|AGFE|DFDF|ADAF|F[DF]EF|E2-D:| |:d2 ed|B2c2|d2ez|d2ez|d2 ed|D-Bdz|{F}E2 EF|{E}D2z2!fermata!:| V:3 clef = bass z|B,,2B,,2|F,,2F,,2|B,,2E,2|F,2F,,2|B,,2B,,2|F,,2F,,2|B,,2F,,2|B,,2B,:| |:z|F,,2F,,2 |C,,2C,2|F,2C,2|F,,2z2|B,,2B,,2|F,,2F,,2|B,,2F,,2|B,,2B,:| |:B,,B,,B,,B,,|B,,B,,B,,B,,|B,,B,,B,,B,,|B,,B,,B,,B,,|B,,B,,B,,B,,|B,2B,,2|F,2F,,2|B,,2z2!fermata!:|
MISS HEPBURN BELCHES. AKA - "Miss Hepburn Belches," "Mrs. Hepburn Belches of Invermey." Scottish, March and Country Dance (2/4 time). G Major. Standard tuning (fiddle). AABB'CC. "Mrs. Hepburn Belches" was printed in John Bowie's A Collection of Strathspey Reels and Country Dances &c. (c. 1789, p. 1) along with figures for a country dance. 20th century recordings of the tune by Jimmy Shand, Adam Rennie, and others give the title as "Miss Hepburn Belches."
Invermay is an estate in the Strathearn area of Perthshire alongside the Water of May, a small river that runs out of the Ochil Hills and into the River Earn. Parts of the river run through a narrow and steep gorge clothed with silver birch trees, which, at the time of Bowie's c. 1789 publication, had paths and bridges providing extensive views of the Water of May. The narrowest part of the gorge is called the Humble-Bumble after the noise made by the water as it rushes through the gorge. The old estate of Invermay (dating to the 14th century) was bought by the Belsches (note spelling) in 1717 and the name Hepburn Belsches was created in the late 1700s when John Belsches, married Mary Hepburn. See also "annotation:Birks of Invermay" for further remarks.
