About Widdershins Ceilidh Band

Widdershins Ceilidh Band

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In The Beginning
The band was formed more than 20 years ago and for a number of years was called The Broadgate Band, named after the local farm in Westerdale on the North Yorkshire Moors in whose barn it first performed. Two of the original members Melodeon/concertina player Adrian Hopley and Bass/mandolin player Dave Chapman (men of the moors) then met up with fiddle player Gillian Edwards and caller Nigel Staton from Robin Hood's Bay (folk of the coast) and Widdershins was born.

So Who's Left?
Widdershins was greatly influenced by the introduction of ex Bully Wee keyboard player Phil Moore (another coasty despite his name) with his great feel for the style of music and his sometimes uncontrollable flare and ex jazz drummer Jack Gibson (man of the moors) with his tuned percussion and his wooly gloves cellotaped to the skins.

Both Jack and Phil also play with the Rough Diamonds backing blues man Steve Phillips.

This line-up has remained constant for longer than we care to recall.

But What On Earth Does Widdershins Mean??

Literally widdershins means to progress in an anti-clockwise direction or moving AGAINST THE SUN , but here in North Yorkshire the significance of moving widdershins is built into local folk legend.

The area is famous for its sailors from Captain Cook of Australia fame and Scorseby (Inventor of the crow's nest), through the whalers that sailed from Whitby harbour to the most humble collier or inshore fisherman. These fearless mariners would never turn their ships widdershins for this was as sure to bring on bad luck as the sighting of a mermaid.

After a good meal the local toffs would never pass the port decanter around the table widdershins just as surely as you wouldn't walk under a ladder, for to do so is to tempt fate.

In the past, local folk of the North Yorkshire Moors feared and respected hobs and faeries as can be seen in the naming of local places on the moors like Hob Hole, lonely spots on the high moor like Hob On The Hill (location for the background picture) or often told tales like The Hart Hall Hob and the Farndale Hob. People believed the existence of faeries on the moors was revealed by the many rings of toadstools that grew where they had danced in the night.

Every child knew that to dance round these faerie rings either nine times or widdershins would put them in the faeries' power and they would be taken away to work for them.

Showing off to the local girls on Fairy Cross Plain in Fryup Dale, local lad, Thomas Skelderskew tried both ---- just before he disappeared ............The rest is local history!!