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File:Sir Roger De Coverley.mp3 Sir Roger de Coverley

The tune has had a long history in English country dance, retaining its popularity almost until the present-day. One source gives that the air is printed in Playford's Dancing Master, 1650, p. 167 (though other sources say it did not appear until later editions of the Dancing Master starting in 1669).

Dr. Rimbault (Notes and Queries, i. No. 8) gives the earliest printing as Playford’s Division Violin (1685). Kidson finds it first published in Henry Playford’s Dancing Master, 9th edition of 1695 (p. 167), printed with dance directions, and it was retained in the long-running Dancing Master series of editions through the 18th and final one of 1728 (then published by Playford's successor, John Young).

The tune is mentioned in an odd political tract entitled A Second Tale of a Tub: or the History of Robert Powell, the Puppet-Show-man (1715).

A crowd of spectators was present for an organ performance, at the conclusion of which the various factions in the audience began to call for their favorite tunes. Amongst the crowed were:

a parcel of brawny fellows with Mantles about their shoulders, and blew caps about their heads. Next to them sate a company of clownish look’d Fellows with leather breeches, and hob nail’d shoes...the great booby hod nailed fellows whose breeches and lungs seem’d to be of the same leather, cried out for “Cheshire Rounds,” “Roger of Coverley,” “Joan’s Placket,” and “Northern Nancy.” Those with the Blew bonnets had very good voices, and split their Wems in hollowing out—“Bonny Dundee”—“Valiant Jockey,” “Sauny was a Bonny Lad,” and “’Twas within a Furlong of Edinburgh Town.”

...more at: Sir Roger de Coverley - full Score(s) and Annotations