9 - Hunsdon House (1657) From here: Henry VIII's Great Tudor House - Sir William Oldhall built the original house in 1447 in the form of a tower which would have looked something like Tattershall Castle in Lincolnshire, being constructed of brick. The barrel vaulted cellar still exists as do buttresses and some masonry. Edward IV bought the property around 1471 and granted it to Thomas Howard when he was made Duke of Norfolk. His son reduced the height of the tower around 1524, having considered it unsafe at the time. Henry VIII possessed the house from about 1525 and carried out a programme of building through to 1534. It was then a great Tudor house of palatial proportions, having royal apartments and a great gallery, and was a very early example of a pre-Elizabethan E-plan mansion. It had a moat, which was filled in towards the end of the 18th century, and a gatehouse and summerhouse which still exist. King Henry was a frequent visitor. He liked to eat in private in Oldhall's tower. However, the house was largely used as a residence for the King's three children. Prince Edward spent much of his youth at Hunsdon, notably throughout the year 1546 when his portrait was painted there with the house in the background. Legend says that Princess Mary here taught her young sister, Elizabeth, to play cards.
The dance is older than Playford ... here is some further information ... "Though the dance appears first in the 3rd version of Playford, an earlier version exists in the Lansdowne manuscript 1115 (a lawyer's memorandum book from 1648). This has been transcribed and discussed in James Cunningham (1965) 'Dancing in the Inns of Court'."
17 - Hearts-Ease (1690) The Heartsease, or Wild Pansy, very different in habit from any other kind of Viola, is abundantly met with almost throughout Britain. Though found on hedgebanks and waste ground, it seems in an especial degree a weed of cultivation, found most freely in cornfields and garden ground. It blossoms almost throughout the entire floral season, expanding its attractive little flowers in the early days of summer and keeping up a succession of blossom until late in autumn.
20 - Hole in the Wall (1698) "Hole in the Wall" was not published as a Playford dance until 1698 because the music wasn't composed until 1695. It is one of the 36 English country dance tunes discovered to have been composed by Henry Purcell which were then taken by dancing masters to write dances to. Originally entitled "Hornpipe", "Hole in the Wall" is one of those truly elegant and beautiful tunes in 3/2. The Hole in The Wall is quite a common pub name.
Well done Mitch for 9, 17 and 20. Nobody's got close for 12, and I thought it was commonly known. Still, I often think the easy ones are hard and vice versa.