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The AAAHS 2004 XMAS meeting was a departure from the usual formal lecture, in that it involved a dancing display by the Vale Islander re-enactment group. Traditional dance displays were interspersed with short explanations of their costumes and musical equipment. After an excellent Xmas buffet AAAHS members joined in with the dances, to everyone's great amusement. The event was generally considered a success, in particular a good choice for a Christmas event.
Their website www.vale-islanders.org.uk |
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Vale Island DancersA 17th Century Dance Group, named after the Island Villages of Charney Bassett, Goosey, Stanford in the Vale, and Hanney in the Vale of the White Horse. The group dance traditional English country (rather than Court) dances from the time of the English Civil War. For public performances, the group dresses in the costume of the period. The dancers are always happy to perform at local events and charity functions.The group meets at Charney Bassett Village Hall on Tuesdays at 8pm. New dancers and musicians are very welcome. Historical References fromhttp://www.oahs.org.uk/oxo/vol%207/Arkell.doc Places wholly or partly surrounded by streams bear the suffix -ey from O.E. -eg, or -ieg, island. Some are appropriately named to this day, for all or part of the parishes are islanded among branches of the Thames: for instance, Osney, Binsey and Hinksey (Osa's, Bynni's and Hengest's islands) near Oxford, and Chimney near Shifford (Ceommenige, c. 1070, probably 'Ceomma's island'). Charney (Ceornei 821, Cernei 1086) is similarly situated on a large island of the Ock (formerly Cern) and one of its tributaries. Others, however, are survivals and sole witnesses of a time before the land was drained, when every stream presented an obstacle to travellers and a safeguard to settlers because its valley was choked with marsh and swamp and often flooded from side to side after rains. Nowadays, when the swamps have become alluvial meadows and the streams are crossed at every road by neat bridges in place of the fords, one sometimes has to consult a large-scale map to understand the origin of the names. A good example is Tubney (Tubbeneia, 1166, Tobenie, 1086) 'Tubba's island,' which is on relatively high ground but almost completely surrounded by streams. Goosey (Goseig, 821) 'goose island,' and West Hanney (Hannige, 956, Hannei, 1086), apparently from O.E. hanena ieg, 'wildfowl island,' are not on true islands but are divided by the Ock tributaries flowing north from the downs-Stutfield, Land, Childrey and Letcombe brooks. Rosey Copse is islanded between the Ock and the Rosey or Holywell Brook, south of Shellingford; the derivation is probably from O.E. rysc, 'rush.' Pusey (Pesei, Peise, 1086), 'peas island,' presumably takes its name from the peninsula between streams at Pusey Lodge Farm, east of the village. |
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