"The Spectator" brought me here, as I was reading up on the character of Sir Roger de Coverley which Addison and Steele created for their publication in 1711. According to their narrative this dance was invented by their protagonist's great-grandfather
This is an illustration of the steps to the Sir Roger De Coverley dance, but it is NOT the accepted tune! This tune is another old English tune, The Keel Row. Technically, the dancers are all too close together and the tempo is too fast, whether playing the Keel Row or the proper Sir Roger tune, For it done right, see ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-iye3JoD5LUo.html for the correct tune, with the right spacing and tempo!
Indeed, it is a country dance and there is a tune of the same name which fits the dance perfectly. Almost certainly the dance was devised to go with the tune which is in 9/8 time. The keel row does not work well with it, which is why the dancers are struggling to stay in time.
