In the early days of 1926 I was lecturing at the University Settlement in Liverpool. After the lecture a number of us sat round a fire until the small hours, and amongst other subjects Welsh folk-dancing was mentioned. Were there any Welsh dances? If so, what were they like?

I said that everywhere I had been I had searched and inquired, but apart from scraps and oddments had found little of any value, an had almost come to the conclusion that it was an absolute waste of time to attempt to retrieve from the past anything more than a few steps of any traditional Welsh dance.

Mr. Sam Jones, the well-known journalist, who was then doing freelance work, became, in a short time very enthusiastic, and suggested that a press campaign should be started. I was not much enamoured of such methods of publicity, but as all my private enquiries and correspondence seemed to be coming to an end, I agreed to his suggestion : after all, it could do no harm and might bring something of value to light.

Thereupon, letters and short articles began to appear in most of the Welsh papers published in the vernacular, as well as in the English papers which circulate the Principality.

My worst fears were realised. Readers with anything to communicate were asked to write direct to me, and I received numerous MS. dance tunes copied from early 19th   century printed books. Then letters began to arrive couched in the following style : "Dear Sir. On reading your letter in the ---- in which you ask for particulars of any Welsh dances which readers may know of, many years ago an old woman who lived at ----- used to say when she was a child she remembered dancing an old dance, but she couldn't remember how it was done. I hope this information is of use to you."

I received the names and addresses of several people who were said to know or to have taught Welsh dances, but on further inquiry and, in some cases, visits, all turned out to be specially composed dances of the "pretty pretty" type, invariably to the tune of the "Ash Grove" and usually written for the local children.

But one letter of interest did come. A letter from Mrs. Gryfydd Richards of Llanover, asking if I had ever heard of the "reel" that used to be danced there. Mrs. Gryfydd Richards stated that she could remember most of it, having danced it with others when a girl, her father, who was harpist to the Llanover family, playing the tune.

She further stated that there was another old dance they used to do called "Rhif Wyth" (Figure of Eight)

I wrote asking a few questions, and on finding that the "reel" was for two sets of women and one man and that she could remember seven figures, I arranged to go to Llanover at once to collect the dances.

Mr. Sam Jones, who was then in Swansea, met me at Abergavenny and shortly afterwards Mrs. Gryfydd Richards joined us; we borrowed a room of some size at the hotel and I proceeded to take down the dance as Mrs. Richards explained it. As there were the necessary three of us, we managed very well, and fifteen figures were danced out, Mrs. Richards having told us that she had remembered some more figures the previous night.

I soon saw that we had something distinctive from any other known dance in either England or Ireland, and when I realised that I was engaged in noting down the first traditional Welsh dance that had ever been put on paper I felt my responsibilities and determined that it should be put down exactly as Mrs Richards danced it. On her part, this perfectly charming old lady - the sole remaining link with the past when all the great Welsh county families kept their private harpers (for she had taken her father's position and was expert on the triple harp) - was most particular and careful that I should get the dance down in the most correct way.

I also noted the "Rhif Wyth", an English Country dance with, however, different steps and quite a different style from the English way of dancing these Longways dances.

Later, I again had the pleasure of visiting Mrs. Gryfydd Richards in her delightful home, where she played old tunes to me on the harp and where one or two knotty points which have since arisen in the dances were solved.

I have always encouraged the use of the name "Llanover Reel" in preference to the local name of "Welsh Reel"; I think that such an honour is due to the village which kept alive, even in a deteriorated form, a Welsh reel when others had forgotten all their dances.

The notation and instructions for both dances are found at the end of this book, and I wish to emphasise the importance of dancing it in the correct style.

It is not an English dance and yet when I saw the Monmouthshire Branch of the English Folk Dance Society (who had applied to me in 1927 for the notes of the dance) perform it, I was sorry to see they had turned it into an English Country Dance - as far as they could.

The polka and skipping steps they used, the extent of ground covered, the general style were all quite untraditional.

At the National Eisteddfod held at Holyhead in 1929 the Llanover Reel and other Welsh dances were given by an excellent team from the Holyhead County School.

Now what is this Llanover Reel? We have here, I believe, a purely Welsh dance, but one which has lost a number of its Welsh steps. There is nothing similar known in England, but in Ireland the "Galway Reel" has certain approximations.

The Galway Reel is also for sets of one man and two women, certain features such as the "Hay", "Facing the Harp", "Round the Room", the unusual manner in which the women turn in the "Bridge" and others are common to both dances; but whereas the Irish dance has the usual elaborate Irish steps, the Llanover Reel has but two easy and probably deteriorated steps.

If truly Welsh dances are found it is only to be expected that they would approximate more to the Irish type than the English.

The traditional names of the Llanover Reel are English; this is possibly a concession to the guests entertained at Llanover Hall. It is known that from 1800-1860 this dance was performed there whenever the family had distinguished guests, and on such occasions English would be the language in use. The names are not always, however, such as would be given to English figures of a similar character. Thus the English "forward and back a double" appears as "Facing the Harp"; "Turn your partner" as "Round Two,"  thereby differing from the Llangadfan dances in which English terminology is used throughout.

I believe that in old times steps much more elaborate were used in the Llanover dances than are now known, and the amount of solo "jigging" necessary in performing the reel, as noted, becomes very monotonous without such steps. I see no reason why old Welsh steps should not be incorporated in this dance.

As regards the music, it will be agreed that the traditional tunes are poor.

The "reel" tune is really a variant of an old dance air known as Jone's Hornpipe, and published in 1794.

When I first produced the dance I used an air collected by Mr. H. O. Hughes in Bangor which appeared in the Welsh Folk Song Society's journal, vol. 2, p. 282, under the name of Mae Nhw'n D'wedyd. This fine Dorian modal tune seems to lend itself admirably to the Llanover Reel.

The music library of Llanover Hall was recently dispersed. There was, apparently, nothing in it in manuscript relating to dances - at least, I could find nothing.