This plaque commemorates Ysobel Stewart of Fasnacloich, a key figure in the preservation of Scottish country dancing. Born in 1882 and living until 1968, she co-founded the Scottish Country Dance Society in 1923 alongside Jean Milligan. Their aim was to ensure that traditional Scottish country dancing, which had seen a decline in popularity due to the emergence of continental and American ballroom dances, would not be lost. The society she helped establish played a crucial role in collecting and republishing these dances, ensuring their continuity and maintaining a distinct cultural heritage.

The memorial plaque reflects a period when traditional Scottish cultural practices, such as country dancing, were at risk of diminishing. The early 20th century saw a significant shift in social dancing preferences, with styles like the waltz, quadrilles, one-step, and foxtrot gaining prominence. It was against this backdrop that individuals like Ysobel Stewart championed the effort to revive and standardise Scottish country dancing. The society she co-founded, later granted royal status, became instrumental in documenting dances from historical manuscripts and living memory, thereby shaping the modern form and continued popularity of Scottish country dance globally.

The plaque dedicated to Ysobel Stewart is located at 12 Coates Crescent in Edinburgh. This address serves as the headquarters for the organisation she helped establish. Visitors to this site will encounter a tribute to one of the pivotal figures behind the enduring legacy of Scottish country dancing. The location is an active hub for the society, making it a fitting place to reflect on the efforts to conserve and promote this aspect of Scottish culture.

The Royal Scottish Country Dance Society (RSCDS), was founded on 28 November 1923 as the Scottish Country Dance Society by Jean Milligan and Ysobel Stewart of Fasnacloich, who wanted to preserve country dancing as performed in Scotland, country dancing having fallen into disuse after the influx of continental ballroom dances such as the waltz or quadrilles and, later on, American-style dances like the One-step or foxtrot. (The SCDS did not become the RSCDS until 1951.) The RSCDS collected dances from living memory as well as from old (17-19c.) manuscripts and republished them in a series of books. Most of these dances needed some interpretation, and the dance style itself underwent serious standardisation, becoming much more balletic instead of the easy-going style that was the norm in the early 20th century, and which the RSCDS's founders considered sloppy and untraditional. After some argument, in the late 1940s the RSCDS also started publishing newly devised dances. Today the RSCDS numbers some 11,000 members all over the world, served from the headquarters in Edinburgh, and the continuous well-being of the Scottish country dance scene is largely due to the efforts of the Society. The RSCDS offers teacher training and holds an annual summer school in St Andrews, Fife for four weeks in July and August. In addition to the annual summer school, the RSCDS offers a winter school in February and a youth orientated Spring Fling in April, which is held in the UK and Europe respectively.

Ysobel Stewart

Nearby locations in Edinburgh