Handed Down

A chance meeting in a meadow, a false young man and a philosophical ending… it’s that folk favourite the Banks of the Sweet Primroses, beloved of collectors and Broadside publishers alike. In fact it’s part of the history of so many folk song collectors that we’ve taken the opportunity to follow one of them on their collecting expedition.

But what really happened in that meadow and why did the young man get such a dressing down? We’ve got all the theories and a few of our own, and even a potential Civil War origin for the song itself. And while we’re out walking in the morning fields there’s a perfect opportunity for some gratuitous medieval weirdness.

Oh yes, we’re back!

Music

The Banks of the Sweet Primroses (instrumental) was collected from W. Buckland of Buckinghamshire in 1943 by Francis Collinson and is found in the New Penguin Book of English Folk Song.

The Banks of the Sweet Primeroses (sung, first verse only) was collected and arranged by Cecil Sharp. It appears in Cyril Winn, A Selection of Some Less Known Folk-Songs vol.2 pp.64-65

Adieu Sweet Lovely Nancy was sung for me by Phil Beer at Shrewsbury Folk Festival 2022.

Maids Looke Well About You can be found here. The tune used is Cold and Raw

Medicines To Cure The Deadly Sins can be found here. The tune used is The Agincourt Carol.

The extract of Peggy Gordon sung by Isobel Anderson has been used with her permission. You can find her albums on bandcamp and they’re highly recommended https://isobelanderson.bandcamp.com/ 

References

The Hammond Brothers:
https://www.williambarnessociety.org.uk/the-hammond-brothers/


https://www.efdss.org/learning/resources/beginners-guides/35-english-folk-collectors/2441-efdss-henry-and-robert-hammond 

Folk Songs from Dorset: https://archive.org/details/folksongsfromdor00hamm 

Purslow, Frank (1968) The Hammond Brothers’ Folk Song Collection. Folk Music Journal 1(4) 236-266

Marina Russell on Tradfolk: https://tradfolk.co/tradfolk-101/female-source-singers/ 

Vaughan Williams' collection of the song:

http://blackmorehistory.blogspot.com/2008/08/vaughan-williams-and-essex.html 

http://www.patrickcomerford.com/2015/03/through-lent-with-vaughan-williams-32.html 

https://carolinedavison.substack.com/p/vaughan-williamss-journey-into-folk-9de

An early broadside version of the Sweet Primroses from the Bodleian Library: http://ballads.bodleian.ox.ac.uk/static/images/sheets/10000/06733.gif

The definition of a broken token ballad was written by Chat GTP after some training, and read by Steven Shaw.

The Wexford Carol - also known as the Enniscorthy Carol - is said to be one of Europe's most ancient Christmas songs, but the truth is even more interesting. In this festive episode I take a look at the singing traditions that produced this lovely song, and put out a little theory of my own.

Thank you for following the podcast during 2022, I'll keep making episodes while people keep listening.

Have a wonderful Christmas!

Music
Wexford Carol (instrumental)
All You Who Are To Mirth Inclined (recorder consort)
Carol for St Sylvester - W. Devereaux
O Viridissima Virga (extract) - Hildegard von Bingen
The Wexford Carol


References
The video that started it all off - Aileen Lambert sings The Enniscorthy (Wexford)  Carol in St Aiden's Cathedral, Enniscorthy: https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=440082454271246

Oldest version of The Sinners Redemption, from the Roxburghe Collection c. 1634 https://ebba.english.ucsb.edu/ballad/30252/image 

Details of the Sheffield Carols tradition from Tradfolk: https://tradfolk.co/customs/customs-customs/sheffield-carols/ 

List of the Kilmore Carols with original source books: https://www.hymnsandcarolsofchristmas.com/Hymns_and_Carols/Images/Wadding_Devereux/christmas_carols_of_waddinge_and.htm 

Copy of “A Pious Garland” http://snap.waterfordcoco.ie/collections/ebooks/177052/177052.pdf

Facsimile of “A Garland of Old Castleton Christmas Carols” https://recordoffice.wordpress.com/2015/12/06/advent-calendar-day-6/ 

You don't find many traditional songs where the woman becomes pregnant out of wedlock and yet it all turns our wonderfully. But then Willy O' Winsbury is not your run-of-the-mill folk song. King’s daughter Janet knew what she wanted… and it seems that her father wanted it too. Once he’d established that Willy wasn’t too foreign that is. He especially noticed his blond hair and milky white skin… oh dear.

As well as picking up on some of these themes, the episode looks at the twists and turns of this song’s journey over time and the real events that may (or may not) have prompted it. There’s also a review of medieval virginity tests and musings on why a light scorching of the nether regions might actually be a good outcome, all things considered. 

Music

L’Homme Armé (Anon) Medieval popular song

De moi doleros vos chant (Gillebert de Berneville) 13th Century song

Lord Thomas of Winesberrie (Kinloch – Ancient Scottish Ballads – see below)

Instrumental: Fair Margaret and Sweet William (ballad from the Percy/Parsons correspondence) 1770s – though the tune may be more recent

Johnny Barbary (tune from Bertrand Harris Bronson – see below)

Fause Foodrage 

Willie O’Winsbury

References

Mainly Norfolk have an excellent overview of the song and its recorded versions: https://mainlynorfolk.info/anne.briggs/songs/willieowinsbury.html 

Kinloch, George Richie (1827) Ancient Scottish Ballads: https://archive.org/details/ancientscottishb00kin/page/90/mode/2up 

Karpeles, Maud (1934) Folk Songs From Newfoundland

Fresno State University’s Traditional Ballad Index:  https://www.fresnostate.edu/folklore/ballads/C100.html

Child, Francis James (between 1882-98) The English and Scottish Popular Ballads v2 (Child 100) https://archive.org/details/englishscottishp21chilrich/mode/2up 

Bronson B H (1976) The Singing Tradition of Child’s Popular Ballads https://archive.org/details/singingtradition0000bron/page/n5/mode/2up 

Bronson B H (1959) The Traditional Tunes of the Child Ballads

http://aalt.law.uh.edu/AALT7/CP25(1)/CP25_1_194_8-10/IMG_0334.htm A legal document relating to the lease of property by Thomas, son of William de Winsbury

Cartwright, Jane (2003) Virginity and Chastity Tests in Medieval Welsh Prose in Bernau A, Evans R and Salih S (2003) Medieval Virginities University of Toronto Press.

Many of us know The Keeper as a slightly odd - but fun - song from our school days. All together now:

JACKIE BOY!

MASTER!

No need to shout! reprimands a weary teacher.

But away from the sanitised and bowdlerised versions of our childhoods lurks a dark song of sexual pursuit. You didn’t really think all those does were female deer, did you?

We talk about Camus, the band Andrew has been a part of for four decades, and explore its influences from the Northumbrian, Shetland and Irish traditions. The band’s version of The Keeper combines different versions and makes some deliberate choices. They often run a competition for keen-eared listeners at their gigs, and if you listen to this episode you will get the answer, and if you then go to one of their gigs you’ll win a free CD!

As we talk about this traditional song and its themes, we also chat about the time that Andrew asked Martin Carthy about guitar tunings in a folk club toilet, and a rare sighting of Steve Roud at St Neots' folk club (but did he join in with the chorus?)

Andrew is a Northumbrian piper and we chat about the way that the lockdown brought together the national and international Northumbrian piping community, creating such a surge of competition entries that the queen of Northumbrian pipes Kathryn Tickell herself had to get involved.

If you’ve ever wondered how this podcast got started, stay tuned because all is revealed! This leads to a chat about children’s songs on which Andrew – or Professor Burn as he’s also known – is an expert. Will you, like me, suddenly remember those childhood skipping songs? And, in a world of wonderful diversity, what new songs from around the world can we hear in today’s playgrounds? 

Music

The Keeper (trad) performed live by Camus at the Ely Folk Club. You can see a video of this recording here https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9uB0EVItk8w

Roaring Boys (Brian Cleary) performed by Camus. You can see a video of this recording here https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aOxoCBwxaUQ

Equinox Hornpipe (Andrew Burn) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Optcf45MD_Q 

There are also excerpts from two sets of tunes from Camus’ 2021 EP Time and Again:

• Da Day Dawn (trad), Christmas Day I’ da Morning (trad), Da Alamoutie (trad). Three traditional Shetland tunes. 
• Three Day Week/Alan Burn’s Memorial Jig (Andrew Burn). 

Time and Again can be found on various streaming services, please visit the band’s website for all the links, and there's a preview of the forthcoming album here.

Other links

The Mudcat thread that Andrew references, featuring Malcolm Douglas, can be found here.  

The Opie archive can be found here.  

You can find out more about Professor Andrew Burn’s research interests here. 

Our first ever live show was recorded on 4th September 2022 as part of the Folk at the Folk Festival. This is a field recording of an acoustic show in a beautiful but very echoey space with the bells of Gloucester Cathedral occasionally in the background, so the audio is a little different from usual.

Features the following:

• Sainte Nicholas by Godric of Finchale (12th Century)
• Account of Eleanor and Rosamond from the French Chronical of London (14th Century)
• Fair Rosamond (trad - New England)
• Extract from The Knight's Tale by Geoffrey Chaucer
• Extract from The Lark Ascending by George Meredith
• The Lark Ascending/Lark in the Morn (tune)
• Letter to The Times from G. Henry Latchmore concerning Cecil Sharp (1931)
• Version of Lark in the Morning collected by Cecil Sharp (1 verse)
• Version of Lark in the Morning collected by Vaughan Williams
• Doffin Mistress (trad)
• Extract from the diary of Samuel Pepys
• Barbara Allan's Cruelty from the Roxburge Collection (1 verse)
• Barbary Ellen (compiled from two Appalachian versions)
• I Dreamed a Dream (Ashley Hutchings)

Thanks go to my family, especially Steven Shaw, for listening to all of these songs and tunes endlessly over the summer.

Sitting in a quiet(ish!) part of the site, near the river, Jo tells us why The Castle of Dromore is so special to her and her daughter.

I met up with Louisa on the final day of the festival. Her favourite song is the beautiful The Flower of Magherally, and she sang a wonderful verse with the unorthodox accompaniment of a drumming workshop.

We're in the bar at Shrewsbury Folk Festival. Katie Whitehouse talks about running a management agency for folk artists, and why Reg Meuross's song England Green and England Grey will be a folk song for future generations.

Backstage at Shrewsbury Folk Festival, Marion talks about the music of the late Sandy Denny, and why The Lady is her favourite folk song.

Backstage at the Turtle Doves stage of the Shrewsbury Folk Festival, Phil Beer told me why he loves the song Adieu Sweet Lovely Nancy.