1 - Ely Minster (1698) - Dominating the flat countryside, "the ship of the Fens" is a splendid, and strikingly different, English cathedral. Ely began life as a Anglian monastery for nuns and monks until the Danish invasion in 869 left it completely destroyed. Some 100 years later, the site was reconsecrated as a Benedictine monastery, but it wasn't until late in the 11th century that building work began on the present church, and in 1109 Ely was given cathedral status. This great feat of Norman architecture is epitomised in the 248ft long nave of the church, which has remained largely unaltered over the centuries.
2 - Recruiting Officer (1710) - The tune is perhaps better known as "Over The Hills And Far Away" and was also published in Thomas D'Urfey's Pills to Purge Melancholy (Originally in 1706). It first appeared in "The Recruiting Officer", a comedy by George Farquhar. "The Recruiting Officer" was an immediate hit when it opened at Drury Lane in 1706 and became the most frequently performed play of the 18th century.
3 - Catching of Quails (1675) - This dance is mentioned by name in a play called "Misogonus" (1560) by Thomas Rychardes, and therefore appears to be at least 100 years older than Playford. In NUMBERS XI ... "v31 Suddenly the LORD sent a wind that brought quails from the sea, flying three feet above the ground. They settled on the camp and all around it for miles and miles in every direction. v32 So all that day, all night, and all the next day, the people worked catching quails; no one gathered less than fifty bushels. They spread them out to dry all around the camp."
4 - The Waits (1657) From The York Waits ... Before they turned to music full time the waits had been night watchmen and, although their guard duties diminished, they continued to keepe the night watches in the weeks leading up to Christmas, playing at various points to mark the hours and wake the citizens.
6 - Dainty Davy (1701) Spaw's favourite character. Apparently, "it is believed that this was originally danced with six dancers by Morris teams, very long ago".