Annotation:Weymouth Quickstep (The)

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WEYMOUTH QUICKSTEP, THE. AKA – “Weymouth Fleet.” English, Quickstep or March (6/8 time). D Major. Standard tuning (fiddle). AABBCCDD. Weymouth, on the Dorset coast, has long been popular as a seaside resort. King George III came to bathe is the sea at Weymouth as a cure for his nervous disorder, and between 1789 and 1805 the King and members of the Royal Family spent fourteen holidays there. Weymouth features a fine sand beach that sweeps around the bay. The melody appears in the music manuscript collections of James Winder (1835, Wyresdale, Lancashire) and James Haslingden (Midlands?, 1827). The former had it as an untitled quick march, while the latter called it “Weymouth Fleet.”

Source for notated version:

Printed sources: Callaghan (Hardcore English), 2007; p. 94. Hall & Stafford (Charlton Memorial Tune Book), 1956; p. 11. Raven (English Country Dance Tunes), 1984; p. 112.

Recorded sources: EFDSS CD13, The Posh Band – “Hardcore English” (2007. Various artists). TMM1927 CD, The Posh Band – “English.”