Handed Down

George Collins is a handsome young man with his whole life ahead of him, so why does he die within a few short verses and leave a trail of devastation in his wake? Today's episode takes us back to supernatural legends from medieval Northern Europe, in which brave young men are easily seduced. We also travel across the Atlantic to meet a dying hobo who wandered into this song sometime in the late 19th Century.In the end, these legends are a legacy of the things we didn't properly understand. Nonetheless, if you do meet a beautiful maiden by the riverside it's best just to back away, jump on your horse and ride home as fast as you can.MusicVerses from two different versions of George Collins as recorded in the Folk Song Society Journey 1909: https://archive.org/details/sim_folk-song-society-journal_1909_3_13/page/300/mode/2up Traditional Breton TuneFaroese Folk Tune  –  Grímur á MiðjanesiIncidental music – Rosebud in JuneThe historic American recording, and many others, can be found here: https://www.mustrad.org.uk/articles/collins.htm Final song: This is the version sung by Shirley Collins on The Sweet Primroses, 1967. I've slowed it down and recorded it with a guitar accompaniment which is somewhat inspired by Dolly Collins' beautiful organ arrangement. ReferencesBluegrass Messengers - George Collins- Barbara M. Cra'ster 1910https://archive.org/details/englishscottishp22chilrich/page/278/mode/2up?view=theater https://www.mustrad.org.uk/articles/collins.htm https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gwerz_an_Aotrou_Nann https://balladspot.blogspot.com/2016/03/sir-olof-and-elves.html https://books.google.co.uk/books?id=xlIJAAAAQAAJ&pg=PA161&redir_esc=y#v=onepage&q&f=false https://archive.org/details/sim_folk-song-society-journal_1909_3_13/page/300/mode/2up https://archive.org/details/folksongsofsouth00coxj/page/110/mode/2up 

What a time we had, talking about the bones and the spirit of the Wassail. The Lunatraktors, Carli and Clair, get right to the heart of things with their "Broken Folk" which provides an anchor, a refuge and solace, a shamanic art and a collective experience. They are experts at asking questions of our tradition, and passionate about telling the stories that have been hidden or lost.The Wassail is about apples and cider and community and collectivism and so much more, and Lunatraktors' embodied approach to folk turns this an intense experience. We explore both the light and the dark of recent history and ask: what will be left when the apocalypse comes? Folk. The answer is folk, and it can be deeply healing.But in the end you have to laugh. Their music can be dark and tragic but it is also playful and fun and, after we'd unpicked the state of everything, we were all gurning.Content warning: This episode includes a discussion about suicideMusicNow The TimeRigs of the TimeUnquietApple Tree WassailSongs are all from Lunatraktors, and if you want more please visit their website: https://www.lunatraktors.space/ or find all the points of connection on linktr.ee/lunatraktors 

After all the festivities of Christmas Day are over, what could be better than to run around the village and hunt a tiny little bird with all your neighbours. This special St Stephen's Day episode explores the strange custom of wren hunting in the British Isles. Hang on to your hats, it's going to be a weird one.MusicHunt the Wren, a Manx songMedieval French tune (known to me as 'Dancing Bears' but YMMV)The Cutty Wren, to the tune of Green Bushes (thanks A. L. Lloyd!)ReferencesMany thanks go to two websites: Mainly Norfolk and the Ballad Index, for such detailed information about this song.Other references include:Mona Melodies: https://www.manxmusic.com/media/History%20photos/MONA%20MELODIES%202020%20full%20transcription.pdfCharles Barrow (1820) Mona Melodies https://www.manxmusic.com/media/History%20photos/MONA%20MELODIES%202020%20full%20transcription.pdf A W Moore (1891) The Folklore of the Isle of ManGeorge Waldron (1744) The History and Description of the Isle of ManVallancy, Charles (1770) Collectanea de rebus hibernicis. T. Ewing, Dublin https://archive.org/details/collectaneadere09vallgoog/page/n1/mode/2up https://mainlynorfolk.info/ian.campbell/songs/thecuttywren.html John Aubrey's Remaines of Gentilisme and Judaisme https://archive.org/details/remainesgentili01aubrgoogMuller, S. (1996). The Irish Wren Tales and Ritual. To Pay or Not to Pay the Debt of Nature. Béaloideas, 64/65, 131–169. https://doi.org/10.2307/20522463 

This little Irish love song has quite a back story. To trace its origins, we have to travel back in time to a very subversive harp festival, dig into the Irish harper tradition and follow the fortunes of some proper characters. There's a tiff between an Irish and an English poet, a moody watcher on a hillside, and what does Judy Garland have to do with it all? Find out in our brand new episode!MusicThe Airy Bachelor, tune collected in Donegal by Herbert Hughes The Coolin, traditional Irish tuneThe Pretty Girl tune as arranged by Edward Bunting in A General Collection of the Ancient Music of Ireland, 1796 Dinogad's Smock, 12th Century Welsh tuneEleanor Plunkett, Turlough O'CarolanJudy Garland sings The Pretty Girl in “Little Nellie Kelly” (1940): Judy Garland: A Pretty Girl Milking Her CowPercy Grainger's version of The Pretty Girl: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LPpQ4h26lBMBeethoven, "Sweet Linnet": https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1Zpz94lzCoE Song: The Pretty Girl Milking Her Cow / Lament for Owen Roe O'Neill (according to Clannad) Sources and referencesA general collection of the ancient Irish music: containing a variety of admired airs never before published, and also the compositions of Conolan and Carolan. Edward Bunting (1796) https://archive.org/details/generalcollectio00bunt/page/n11/mode/2upThe Song of O'Ruark, Prince of Breffni https://www.musicanet.org/robokopp/eire/thevalle.htmThank you to the contributors to the Mudcat Café whose discussions 25 years ago gave me most of the research I needed for this podcast: mudcat.org: Info: Pretty Maid (Girl) Milking a CowThank you to Stones Barn in Cumbria and the Barnstoners who set me on this course and kept me going.

When a Christmas carol is also a folk ballad you know it's not going to be the usual angels/shepherds/kings extravaganza. This one doesn't disappoint, with a lovely garden, a jealous Joseph and a fruit-related miracle.But, as ever, all is not as it seems. Continuing the theme of weird Christianity from last month's episode, we get to explore medieval mystery plays and alternative gospels, and in 5th Century Syria we discover a scholarly and forthright Mary who doesn't need an angel to fight her battles for her. Have a wonderful Christmas!MusicVerse from Jean Richie's recording of The Cherry Tree Carol, Kentucky The Cherry Tree Carol, collected by Maud Karpeles and Patrick Shuldham-Shaw from John Partridge of Cinderford, Gloucestershire (Verse 1) Verse from a Jean Richie version, Kentucky, recorded by Joan Baez Instrumental: Version arranged by D Gilbert and W Sandys (19th Century) Benedicamus Domino (Plainsong, anon) The Cherry Tree Carol, version sung by Shirley Collins, 1959 Orthodox Chant and Ney (flute) from FreeSounds ReferencesRoyston, Pamela L (1982) "The Cherry-Tree Carol": Its sources and analogues https://scholarworks.iu.edu/dspace/bitstream/handle/2022/1762/15(1)%201-16.pdf?sequence=1 https://www.biblicalarchaeology.org/daily/biblical-topics/post-biblical-period/the-origins-of-the-cherry-tree-carol/ https://d.lib.rochester.edu/teams/text/sugano-n-town-plays-banns-proclamation https://www.academia.edu/29076122/The_Origins_of_The_Cherry_Tree_Carol_How_a_Christmas_carol_links_the_modern_Middle_East_and_medieval_England https://dokumen.pub/mary-and-joseph-and-other-dialogue-poems-on-mary-9781593338398-2011007425-1593338392.html https://mainlynorfolk.info/lloyd/songs/thecherrytreecarol.html https://www.hymnsandcarolsofchristmas.com/Hymns_and_Carols/Notes_On_Carols/cherry_tree_carol-notes.htm https://balladindex.org/Ballads/C054.html

This unusual song was a feature of the 60s and 70s folk revival - a real show stopper and something of a curiosity. But underneath it lies a thousand years of European folklore, and a further thousand years of vivid theology.So, my friends, we're going on a metaphysical journey to the underworld. Have you been charitable in your life? Did you give a cow to the poor, or 'hosen and shoon' to a beggar? Did you judge rightly? Have you been moving your neighbours' boundary stones? Better take stock, because the journey is long and dangerous.We're going over the thorny moor and the high Gjallarbrui; we're glimpsing heaven and hell and as for the final judgement, we've got a ringside seat. There are angels and ghosts and, surprisingly, gossip.This is a song that has to be experienced rather than studied, so follow me. We're going to have a weird time.MusicL'Homme Arme, 15th Century song by Johannes RegisSainte Nicholas, 12th Century song by Godric of FinchaleMarglit og Targjei Risvollo, traditional Norwegian songDraumkvedet, traditional Norwegian balladChiamando, un'astorella, 14th Century Italian songLet All Mortal Flesh Keep Silence is based on the Cherubic Hymn in the Orthodox Christian tradition and dates back to least 275 AD. The English translation from Greek was made by Gerard Moultie and set to a traditional French tune, Picardy.The Lyke Wake Dirge (traditional version)The Lyke Wake Dirge, tune by Harold Boulton, arranged by Malcolm LawsonThe Lyke Wake Dirge, set to the 14th Century song Ad Mortem Festinamus ReferencesMainly Norfolk: The Lyke Wake Dirge (Roud 8194; TYG 85) (mainlynorfolk.info)Draumkvedet in translation: https://lyricstranslate.com/en/draumkvedet-dream-poem.htmlHarald Foss - Draumkvedet: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8k7ne8YMIIsGardiner, E. (2021). Visions of Heaven and Hell: A Monastic Literature. The Downside Review, 139(1), 24-43. https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/0012580621997061#body-ref-fn107-0012580621997061 Isaacson, Lanae H. “‘Draumkvædet:' The Structural Study of an Oral Variant.” Jahrbuch Für Volksliedforschung, vol. 25, 1980, pp. 51–66. JSTOR, https://doi.org/10.2307/849056. Accessed 31 Oct. 2023Carlsen, C (2012) Old Norse Visions of the Afterlife (PhD Thesis, University of Oxford) https://ora.ox.ac.uk/objects/uuid:9b3b8518-912e-4425-8748-dea135e695d0/download_file?file_format=application%2Fpdf&safe_filename=THESIS02&type_of_work=ThesisJohn Aubrey's Remaines of Gentilisme and Judaisme https://archive.org/details/remainesgentili01aubrgoogDante's Divine Comedy: https://www.owleyes.org/text/dantes-inferno/read/canto-13 The Lyke-Wake Dirge: the revival of an Elizabethan song of the afterlifehttps://earlymusicmuse.com/lyke-wake-dirge/Hurdy Gurdy sample, battle sounds, stormy ambience and various owls from FreeSound

The sheep are all sheared and we're dancing and drinking in the warm June sun. We're transported back to simpler and more innocent times with more than a whiff of nostalgia the loss of our connection to the land. And yet nothing is ever quite as straightforward as it seems, and this song is no exception. While delving into its theatrical past I once again get into that most thorny of issues – what is a folk song, and what should we do with them today?But mostly I have lots of fun singing about sheep.MusicInstrumental version was collected by John Broadwood in c.1843The original stage version, The Sheepsheering Song: https://www.vwml.org/search?view=search&q=rn812Sheep-shearing song, collected by the Hammond brothers: https://www.jstor.org/stable/4434118 Cecil Sharp – Folk Songs from Somerset: https://archive.org/details/FolkSongsFromSomerset/page/n3/mode/2up (my version takes a few liberties)The Horses Go Fast: https://www.jstor.org/stable/4434118?read-now=1&seq=2#page_scan_tab_contents  ReferencesMainly Norfolk on The Sheep Shearing Song: https://mainlynorfolk.info/steeleye.span/songs/thesheepshearingsong.html Eric Saylor: Folksong revival in the early 20th Century https://www.bl.uk/20th-century-music/articles/folksong-revival-in-the-early-20th-century https://www.efdss.org/learning/resources/beginners-guides/35-english-folk-collectors/2446-efdss-cecil-sharp Shudofsky, M. M. (1943). Charles Johnson and Eighteenth-Century Drama. ELH, 10(2), 131–158. https://doi.org/10.2307/2871662 John Francmanis (2002) National Music to National Redeemer: The Consolidation of a 'Folk-Song' Construct in Edwardian England. Popular Music 21 (1) 1-25As always, I'm grateful to the contributions of those who have posted on Mudcat over the years.  

It's the first of May and we have a May Mini episode about the song Staines Morris, also known as the Maypole Dance. But did you know it started life in a puritan era farce? It was a joy to find out more about one of my favourite songs, and I hope you'll like it as much as I do.Thanks as always go to Mudcat Cafe and Mainly Norfolk websites without which I hardly know where I would start my research, and to Stones Barn who gave me the confidence to sing again.Other references:Stanes Morris in Playford (including the dance moves): https://playforddances.com/dances/stanes-morris/Acteon and Diana full text: https://quod.lib.umich.edu/e/eebo/A34847.0001.001/1:6?rgn=div1;view=fulltextPopular Music of the Olden Time by William Chappell: https://archive.org/details/popularmusicofol01chapuoft/page/126/mode/2up 

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!MusicThe 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.64-65Adieu 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 RawMedicines 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/  ReferencesThe 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) 236-266Marina 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-9deAn early broadside version of the Sweet Primroses from the Bodleian Library: http://ballads.bodleian.ox.ac.uk/static/images/sheets/10000/06733.gifThe 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!MusicWexford Carol (instrumental)All You Who Are To Mirth Inclined (recorder consort)Carol for St Sylvester - W. DevereauxO Viridissima Virga (extract) - Hildegard von BingenThe Wexford CarolReferencesThe 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.pdfFacsimile 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.  MusicL'Homme Armé (Anon) Medieval popular songDe 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 ReferencesMainly 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? MusicThe 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=9uB0EVItk8wRoaring Boys (Brian Cleary) performed by Camus. You can see a video of this recording here https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aOxoCBwxaUQEquinox 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 linksThe 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 ChaucerExtract from The Lark Ascending by George MeredithThe 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 WilliamsDoffin Mistress (trad)Extract from the diary of Samuel PepysBarbara 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.

Irish singer Molly Donnery shares her favourite folk song, My Belfast Love, shortly before going on stage with The Haar at Shrewsbury Folk Festival.

Singer songwriter Reg Meuross shares his favourite folk song, Bob Dylan's Girl from the North Country

In the first of a mini-series of short interviews at the Shrewsbury Folk Festival, Iain talks about his favourite folk song Flower of Scotland and sings a very beautiful version.

Put on your Sunday best, we're going to the fair!A handsome young man, a  moonlight tryst and a young woman is left to bear the consequences. It's an age old tale, but why did it become so popular in the early 19th Century? We might have the answer. We're also looking more widely at English fairs through the ages; the fun, strange and sometimes scandalous things that happen there, and the songs people sing about them.This episode features bit of mild swearing thanks to our cheeky friend Samuel Pepys.MusicBrimbledon Fair is from Folk Songs From Somerset by Cecil SharpSelby Fair words are from the Bodleian Library Ballad Index, but I made the tune upThe Ewan MacColl version of Bartholomew Fair can be found hereThe full words of Jockey to the Fair can be found at the Bodleian Library hereThe tune behind the Thomas Hardy extract is Brigg FairThe full version of Ramble Away is the one I learned from Shirley Collins' recorded versionYou can find the full lyrics of Answer to Young Ramble Away (if you really want to!) here and the tune is a Derrydown Fair variant that I found on  Mudcat.ReferencesThere are some great discussions about Ramble Away on the Mudcat Cafe, and the Mainly Norfolk website has a very informative summary about the song.The episode features extracts from A tour thro' the Whole Island of Great Britain 1724-1727 by Daniel Defoe (which also features on the Mainly Norfolk website), from the Mayor of Casterbridge by Thomas Hardy and the diaries of Samuel Pepys. Vic Gammon (1982) Song, Sex and Society in England 1600-1850 Folk Music Journal 4 (3) 208-245 https://www.jstor.org/stable/4522105

It's another epic ballad this week as I catch up with Franz Andres Morrissey to learn more about this song, that was originally collected in Scotland. We also chat about the ups and downs of the Swiss folk scene, have a good old gossip about Robert Burns, and I learn where Martin Carthy gets his tunes from.Brown Adam, or Broun Edom, is a rare song with some old, even pre-Christian, themes and motifs. It unfolds in true storytelling style and includes such colourful characters  as a False Knight, a faithful Lady, and Brown Adam himself, a magnificent young Smith. Shenanigans ensue and there's quite a bit of gratuitous bird shooting before the story moves on. Who needs Netflix when you've got songs like this?Franz is an academic (though he carries it  lightly) and an experienced folk musician, and we talk about his book, Language, the Singer and the Song. We also discuss his play which tells the stories of slavery through words and song.His band Taradiddle (https://taradiddle.ch) has just recorded an album that will be out soon, and there's a rumour that there'll be tour dates announced shortly. You can hear more of Franz's music on Soundcloud.MusicBrown Adam was performed and produced by by Franz. The episode also features three live recordings by Taradiddle: Benediction Song, Who's The Fool Now, Hey Ca' Thro and Leaving Limerick. You can find more here. There's also a snippet of the song that Franz and I recorded together remotely, Now Westlin Winds.AcknowledgementsFranz and I met through The Barnstoners, a self-organising group of musicians who have all been to the fabulous Stones Barn run by Maddy Prior and Rose-Ellen Kemp up in Cumbria. It goes without saying that we're big fans of theirs and recommend them highly.

Bessy (or Betsy) Bell and Mary Gray were two bonny lasses, and they may even have been historical figures, but the plague came from yon borough town and slew them both regardless. And thus was created a most romantic and picturesque place of pilgrimage.Bessy Bell is also a tune and we take a look at it's surprising history, from being scrawled in a book of sermons to the part it played in the heyday of a theatrical phenomenon. The tune we sing today isn't the traditional one; a quite different tune accompanied this song for a couple of hundred years. And yet there's a far better tune lurking in an old broadside, and I'm giving it a world premiere as the tune for Bessy Bell and Mary Gray.MusicInstrumental version of Betsy Bell and Mary Gray (trad)Betsy Bell and Mary Gray in the style of Maddy Prior and Martin CarthyHarp improvisationBessy Bell tune (trad)Go To Bed Sweet Muse (Robert Jones)Bessy Bell to the tune of A Health To Betty (trad)Beggar's Opera Overture (Johann Christoph Pepusch)'Twas Within A Furlong of Edinburgh Town (tune from Playford but sometimes attributed to Henry Purcell; words quite possibly by D'Urfey, arranged by Jayne Morrison)Betsy Bell and Mary Gray - full song (trad)FX from Freesound contributors djangoaltona, inchadney, boodabomb and bruno-auzetReferencesFrancis James Child (1904) English and Scottish Popular Ballads https://archive.org/details/englishscottishp1904chil/page/n13/mode/1up Letter written by Major Barry: http://journals.socantscot.org/index.php/arch-scot/article/view/168/166 Highland Notebook, Robert Carruthers: https://books.google.co.uk/books?id=CZsHAAAAQAAJ&printsec=frontcover&source=gbs_ge_summary_r&cad=0#v=onepage&q&f=false Bertrand Harris Bronson (1976) The Singing Tradition of Child's Popular Ballads: https://archive.org/details/singingtradition0000bron Fourpence Halfpenny farthing, from A Pepysian garland : black-letter broadside ballads of the years 1595-1639, chiefly from the collection of Samuel Pepys (1922) https://archive.org/details/pepysiangarlandb00pepyuoft/page/322/mode/2up Bessy Bell from Orpheus Caledonius https://digital.nls.uk/special-collections-of-printed-music/archive/91483447 Oxford Book of Nursery Rhymes: https://archive.org/details/oxforddictionary0000opie/page/n9/mode/2upJulie Bumpus (2010) BALLAD OPERA IN ENGLAND: ITS SONGS, CONTRIBUTORS, AND INFLUENCE: https://etd.ohiolink.edu/apexprod/rws_etd/send_file/send?accession=bgsu1276055885&disposition=inline Miscellaneous works of that celebrated Scotch poet Allan Ramsay: https://deriv.nls.uk/dcn23/1056/7480/105674805.23.pdf Edinburgh Literary Journal, 1829 https://www.proquest.com/openview/f7929bf2f574263f/1?pq-origsite=gscholar&cbl=2773 

It's May. The meadows and hedgerows are in bloom, the sun is ablaze and the lark is on the wing.Song: The Lark in the Morning - CSPoem: The Lark Ascending (extract) by George MeredithTune: The Lark Ascending by R Vaughan Williams/The Lark in the morning (jig)Poem: The Green Cornfield by Christina RosettiSong: All Things Are Quite Silent - CarysPoem: Extract from The Night's Tale by Geoffrey ChaucerSong: The Skylark, words by Fredrick Tennyson, tune by Neal Jolly - Neal JollyPoem: Extract from Cymbeline by William ShakespeareTune: The Chirping of the Lark, from Playford, arr. J ShawLetter regarding a lecture given by Cecil Sharp, dated December 23rd, 1931 - Paul ReeveSong: The Lark in the Morn, as collected by Cecil SharpSong: The Lark in the Morn - Paul ReevePoem: To a Skylark (1805) (extract) by William WordsworthTune: My Singing BirdPoem: To a Skylark (extract) by Percy Bysshe ShelleySong: Kate of Arglyn, collected by Cecil Sharp from John Murphy in Marylebone Workhouse 1909Poem: The Lark Song by James W Wilt - Diana WhittakerSong: O Nancy My HeartPoem: To a Skylark (1825) (extract) by William WordsworthSong: Pleasant and DelightfulPoem: To the Lark by Robert HerrickSong: Lark in the Clear Air - Diana WhittakerPoem: Lottie Lane (broadside ballad)Song: Lark in the Park by John Devine - John DevinePoem: Limerick by Edward LearTune: Lark in the Morn arr Lynne Morley - Lynne MorleyLark song FX recorded by urupin, from FreesoundWhere not attributed, songs and poems performed by Jenny ShawSome of the songs were discovered using the Vaughan Williams Memorial Library, others came out of our memories or our imaginations.The Barnstoners is a group of people who have loved their time at Stones Barn and continue to stay in touch. This podcast would never have been born without the support and encouragement of The Barnstoners, and the hugely empowering tuition at Stones Barn from the amazing Rose Ellen Kemp and Maddy Prior.

When I interviewed The Haar about the song Wild Rover, we had such a great chat about music that there was just too much to fit into a single episode! So, for all you music lovers out there, here are Molly, Cormac, Adam and Murray talk about their musical backgrounds and why they love traditional music so much.Do buy their new album Where Old Ghosts Meet because it's excellent, and while you're at it you might want to snap up their equally wonderful first album too.The Haar are:Adam Summerhayes – fiddle Murray Grainger – accordion and vibrandoneon Cormac Byrne – bodhrán Molly Donnery – vocal Episode includes short excerpts of Wild Mountain Thyme and Whiskey in the Jar from Where Old Ghosts Meet.Handed down is presented and produced by Jenny Shaw.

The Wild Rover is a sailors' song, known in most of the places where seafarers from these isles gathered.  But I can guarantee you've never heard it done like this before!In today's episode I'm with The Haar, shortly before the release of their new album Where Old Ghosts Meet. We chat about this song, described as being like a handshake for sailors meeting in far away places, and why they chose to add a new verse.They also talk about their approach to traditional music, and improvising in a style in which a whole host of musical backgrounds and traditions meet. What could be more fitting for such a well travelled song?The Haar are:Adam Summerhayes – fiddle Murray Grainger – accordion and vibrandoneon Cormac Byrne – bodhrán Molly Donnery – vocal You can find their website at http://thehaar.ie/The episode includes excerpts of the following songs, all from their forthcoming album:Danny BoyDónal ÓgCarrickfergusWhiskey in the JarWild Rover (in full)You can buy the album at https://thehaar.bandcamp.com/ and I would heartily recommend it.

We're diving even deeper into this Lancashire favourite, thanks to today's guest Colin Ormston. His research uncovers an enigmatic pair of brothers and a treasure trove of songs and local lore, and we get to hear the original tune and arrangement of this popular song.You can find Colin's research and copies of the two original songbooks here and his folk website here. You can also hear his music on Youtube.The original podcast with guest Peter Madeley can be found here.Music etcInstrumental version of Old Pendle (modern version) recorded by Peter MadeleyOriginal tune for Old Pendle played by Jenny ShawPendle Witches (from Songs of the Pendle Country Book 2) played by Jenny ShawOld Pendle (full song) recorded by Colin Ormston and 3DSpoken excerpts from Songs of the Pendle Country Book 1

The Doffin' Mistress was the overseer in a linen mill who took care of the young mill girls. Jennie Higgins shares her early memories of singing this Northern Irish industrial song with her sister, and the importance it has as an early song of female empowerment.In the same vein, we talk about Jennie's important work in supporting female artists through the Folky Union of Women, and her new mythbusting segment on the fantastic Thank Folk For Feminism podcast.IMPORTANT: Jennie is making an album called Where Are The Women and needs your support! If you'd like to hear more of her music, and see women's perspectives better represented in folk music then please back her Kickstarter.

In 1845, Sir John Franklin set off on his doomed voyage to find the North West Passage and was never seen again. Said to be written by his wife Jane, it's the tragic love story that makes it a stand-out song to this episode's guests, Reg Meuross, David Harbottle and Freya Jonas. Featuring tracks from their album Songs of Love and Death, we talk about how the project developed from a lockdown collaboration into a fully fledged album and forthcoming tour. Along the way we talk song writing and getting into the heart of an authentic story, and touch on another tragic seafaring tale - that of Hull's own Lil Bilocca.There's also a true tale of secret folk contraband passed from musician to musician in Devon, and a lovely surprise announcement towards the end of the recording.MusicAll featured songs are from the album Songs of Love and Death and include:Oxford GirlAnachie GordonAdieu Sweet Lovely NancyAs I Roved Outand of course Lord FranklinThe trio will be touring during March and April, and you can catch them on the following dates:18th March - The Gather, Ennerdale 13th April Folk at Ash - Kent 14th April John Peel Centre - Suffolk 15th April Sound Lounge - Sutton 16th April Green Note London (matinee) 17th April Cantonacre - Stroud 17th June Beardy Folk Festival Further details and tickets here.Handed Down is presented by Jenny Shaw with episodes coming out twice a month. Please subscribe on Apple, Google, Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts, and if you like what you hear then please share it with someone you know.

This short ballad fragment from New England is a remnant of a lively strand of folklore going back 850 years. The characters are real but the stories are fanciful, so buckle up for a wild ride and a gratuitous quantity of early music.MusicThe Lamentable Ballad of Fair Rosamond on the English Broadside Ballad Archive - to the tune of Chevy ChaseSainte Nicholaes by Godric of Finchale (11th Century) - find out more hereO Viridissima Virga by Hildegard von Bingen (12th Century) Summer is Icumen In, anon (14th Century)Flow my Tears by that notorious Elizabethan Emo, John DowlandThe Unfortunate Concubine on the English Broadside Ballad Archive - to the tune of The Court Lady (also known as Confesse, his tune) Chevy Chase again, this time on recordersEn amours n'a si non bien, anon (15th Century)Alleluia, anon (in medieval style with organum)Fair Rosamund, based on the version in Folk Songs of New England by Eloise Hubbard LinscottReferencesFrench Chronicle of London: https://www.british-history.ac.uk/no-series/london-mayors-sheriffs/1188-1274/pp231-237 England's heroical epistles, by Michael Drayton: https://quod.lib.umich.edu/e/eebo/A20814.0001.001/1:5?rgn=div1;view=fulltext 

There's a lot going on in this American folk song  - a lost love, a fight, jail and a miscarriage of justice. This is a song that has wandered its way around the Southern and Western states of the US and was popularised by Burl Ives. It's found in several versions, including one sung by Vikki Appleton Fielden's mother, which has some unique features. Vikki and I talk about memories of her mother who learned the song at a coffee house and sang it at concerts and family gatherings alike.We also chat about the joy of singing Broadway songs, folk dancing, being a Yankee in Yorkshire, and what it's really like to record at the iconic Abbey Road Studios.This is a bumper episode, but it's full of all kinds of interesting stuff. If you want to hear a Bulgarian folk song here's your opportunity. We also get to hear snippets of a couple of Vikki's hilarious parody songs, and a more sober song of modern times.But can you solve the mystery of the song's bridge? It can't be found anywhere on the internet, so where is it from? Send us a tweet if you know! @handeddownpod MusicSir Gav Gets Hitched was written by Vikki Appleton Fielden based on The Marriage of Sir Gawain (Child Ballad 31), sung by Vikki and with instruments by Lynne Morely (of John Barleycorn fame) and Jon Loomes. You can hear the full version on Soundcloud here.Interesting Times was written and performed by Vikki Appleton Fielden (lead vocals) with Ciarán Boyle (bodhran), Pete Grassby (melodeon, backing vocals) and Aeron Z. Jones (producer, guitars, mandolin, bass guitar, backing vocals). You can hear the full version on Vikki's Bandcamp here.Trŭgnala Rumjana is a Bulgarian folk song, here's a version in four-part harmony on Youtube. Poor Boy, and other song fragments performed by Vikki, some of them spontaneously.You can visit Vikki's website at: yorkshireyankee.comAcknowledgementsVikki and I first met at Stones Barn and we're big fans of theirs.

How did an English song of love and loss vanish completely, only to pop up in a remote part of the Appalachian mountains as one of their many "love songs"? In tracing its story we come across the colourful characters who played a part in bringing it to the wider world. We cross the water in the cramped steerage quarters of a transatlantic sailing ship, and fly back over the ocean on the wings of a little bird to find an older song that may have been its source. MusicThe first verse of Pretty Saro is based on a version collected in North Carolina by Cecil Sharp and Maud Karpeles.The mountain dulcimer version was kindly recorded for this podcast by Chris Nelson, you can hear Chris being interviewed on the podcast here.I've based the singing of Pretty Sarah (1911) collected by John Lomax on the singing of Cas Wallin, recorded in 1982 for the Alan Lomax archive.The Streams of Bunclody (first verse only) is the more well known tune, recorded by Luke Kelly and by Emmet Spiceland.The tune introducing Patrick Kennedy is The Boys of Wexford.The full version of The Streams of Bunclody, embedded into The Banks of the Boro is based on a version recorded by the Wexford traditional singer Aileen Lambert. I'm a big fan, and her version is as far away as possible from being "a maudlin lay"!ReferencesAn account of Cecil Sharp and Maud Karpeles' travels in the Appelachians, including extracts from Sharp's journal, can be found here: https://www.mustrad.org.uk/articles/sharp.htm From: Cohane, Mary Ellen, and Kenneth S. Goldstein. “Folksongs and the Ethnography of Singing in Patrick Kennedy's The Banks of the Boro.” The Journal of American Folklore 109, no. 434 (1996): 425–36. https://doi.org/10.2307/541184.Maud Karpeles' own account of her visit to the Appalachians in 1950: https://www.jstor.org/stable/4521358Maud Karpeles' journals from her visit to Appalachia 1950: https://www.vwml.org/archives-catalogue/MK Some Ballads of North Carolina, by John Lomax: https://docsouth.unc.edu/nc/lomax/lomax.html A copy of The Banks of the Boro by Patrick Kennedy can be found here: https://archive.org/details/banksboroachron01kenngoogThe Maid of Bunclody http://ballads.bodleian.ox.ac.uk/search/?query=+2806+b.9%28206%29The Streams of Bunclody in Halliday Sparling's Irish Minstrelsy. Irish minstrelsy. Being a selection of Irish songs, lyrics, and ballads : Sparling, H. Halliday (Henry Halliday) : Free Download, Borrow, and Streaming : Internet Archive Bundclody on the Mainly Norfolk website. https://mainlynorfolk.info/folk/songs/themaidfrombunclody.htmlAcknowledgementsHuge thanks to my family for putting up with my endless research and singing over Christmas and New Year, especially Steven Shaw who has the patience of a saint.Thank you as always to Maddy and Rose-Ellen at Stones Barn, who helped me to find my voice again. 

A selection of songs and tunes from Season 1, to take you through to the New Year.1. The Airy Bachelor, collected by Herbert Hughes (Episode 5)2. Rondo Minuet in Gm, Purcell (Episode 3)3. John Barleycorn, traditional, sung by Lynne Morley (Episode 2)4. En amours n'a si non bien, anonymous (Episode 3)5. Nine Herbs Charm, written and performed by Henry Parker (Episode 7)6. Death and the Lady (Instrumental), traditional, performed by Chris Nelson (Episode 6)7. She Moved Through the Fair, traditional (Episode 5)8. Old Pendle, Milton and Allen Lambert (words) and Ted Edwards (tune), performed by Peter Madeley (Episode 4)9. Green Lady, performed by Columbines (Bonus track)10. Eleanor Plunkett, Turlough O'Carolan (Episode 5)Songs performed by Jenny Shaw unless otherwise noted.A big thank you to those who have listened to the podcast in our first few months, it means more than you will ever know. More episodes coming in the New Year!

This song is traditionally sung  on Christmas Eve in the Outer Hebrides. Here, we have the full text of this long outpouring of Christmas joy, of which only three or four verses are usually sung today.The introduction is a variant of the tune, a lovely version of which can be found here.For the long reading of the full text, I've made some stylistic edits to the English translation found on Wikipedia, the original being in Scottish Gaelic. The harp music that accompanies it is mainly noodling, but I have included a version of Soay from The Lost Songs of St Kilda. If you've not heard of this, do yourself a favour and head over to the website. What an amazing story it is!For the version of the song at the end of the show I've edited the usual text, pulling in some of the middle section from the original to make a new English verse.Scottish waves and seabirds by inchadney on Freesounds.Have a wonderful festive season, see you in 2022. Jenny xxx

The Brisk Lad is a 19th Century Dorset song of defiance in the face of poverty. Henry Parker transports it to the bleak moors of his native West Yorkshire in spectacular folk-rock style.We talk about the song's origins and significance, and about the influence that the landscape and the seasons have on his own song writing. Along the way we discuss his journey from heavy metal to folk, the golden age of folk-rock, and Henry shares the recipe for a balm to soothe all your ailments - the 10th Century "Nine Herbs Charm".MusicAll the music in this episode comes from Henry Parker's second album, Lammas Fair, released on 5th November 2021. Alongside The Brisk Lad, the episode features extracts from Blackthorn, Lammas Fair, Return to the Sky, Travelling for a Living, and Nine Herbs Charm.The album is available on Bandcamp  and you can find out more about Henry's music, including tour dates, on his website https://henryparkermusic.co.uk/ 

When a feisty young lady squares up for a battle with Death there can be only one winner, and therein lies the essence of tragedy. But just as importantly, what does Death's voice sound like? DOES HE TALK LIKE THIS? Chris and I talk about this most unsettling of English folk songs and discuss plagues, from the Black Death to the impact of Covid on folk musicians.We also chat about the folk stage show Avondale, which tells the true story of Kate Fitzpatrick, a mysterious inmate of the Ormskirk Workhouse in Lancashire, and the American lady who may - or may not - have been her relative.MusicBoth the fiddle and sung versions of Death and the Lady were recorded by Chris Nelson. You can hear more of Chris and his wife Siobhan at chrisandsiobhan.co.uk and on their Facebook page. If you'd like to hear them live, head on down to the Bothy Folk Club.Avondale was written by Len Pentin, and this podcast features two songs from the show: Tell Me Your Name, and The Workhouse Calls. You can find our more about the show, order the soundtrack CD and, if you're lucky, find an elusive live show at avondale.uk.com or on their Facebook page. It's an intriguing story with great music and highly recommended.AcknowledgementsWe like Stones Barn and we cannot lie!

Is She Moved Through the Fair really a folk song, or is it an early 20th Century parlour song?  The answer to this question takes us deep into Irish social and cultural history and we meet some colourful characters along the way. But our journey's end is a cottage fireside where, in the space of just a few minutes, a woman and two men unwittingly sparked a musical phenomenon.MusicIn addition to She Moved Through the Fair, this episode includes the following music:The opening music is Eleanor Plunkett by Turlough O'CarolanThe music accompanying Padraic Colum's words is The Frost is All Over, a tune from DonegalThe piano version of She Moved Through the Fair is Herbert Hughes's arrangement, published in his book Irish Country Songs vol 1 in 1909. It is followed by an excerpt from La Fille aux Cheveux de Lin by Claude Debussy. Like many parlour pianos, mine is greatly in need of tuning.The harp tune behind the words of Herbert Hughes is The Airy Bachelor, a tune he also collected in Kilmacrenan, Donegal on the same trip on which he and Colum first heard She Moved Through the Fair.There's a verse of “The Grey Cock” played on piano.The reading of “My Own Rod's The Sorest” or “Out of the Window” uses the verses reconstructed by Hugh Shields (see below). The tune played is the one originally collected by Herbert Hughes (see below)The final version of She Moved Through the Fair is the version my Mum taught me, apart from the final verse - I've never heard her sing the final verse.All music performed by Jenny Shaw.AcknowledgementsAs always I'd like to express my thanks to the team at Stones Barn, Cumbria and the Barnstoners community, who are always supportive and encouraging, and to Steven, Cai and Eleanor Shaw who remain supportive despite having to listen to my nonstop singing and whistling.ReferencesThe song was first published by Herbert Hughes in The Journal of the Irish Folk Song Society in 1905.A free PDF version of Herbert Hughes' Irish Country SongsA copy of Wild Earth by Padraic Colum There's an interesting article on Irish sean-nos singing here She Moved Through the Fair in Fresno State's Ballad IndexMainly Norfolk's article about She Moved Through the Fair.Article about Colum in the Irish TimesLots of versions of the song; sheet music and videoAn article about Margaret Barry from The Guardian:Pickering, M. (1990). Review of The Singing Bourgeois: Songs of the Victorian Drawing Room and Parlour, by D. Scott. Popular Music, 9(3), 381–384. http://www.jstor.org/stable/853333 Shields, H. (1975). The Proper Words: A Discussion on Folk Song and Literary Poetry. Irish University Review, 5(2), 274–291. https://www.jstor.org/stable/25477077 

It's our spooky Halloween special featuring a notorious coven of witches, but today's song is also about a hill that dominates the landscape, a brooding character in the daily lives of those who live beneath its shadow. Peter grew up under Pendle Hill and it's been with him throughout his life, so this song has a strong personal connection. We talk about the Pendle witches and some of the more unnerving aspects of Pendle Hill itself; we also chat about learning to sing by jumping in at the deep end, the creative power of new instruments, and bringing local music to a new generation.  MusicAll the music in this episode was recorded by Peter Madeley.As far as we can tell, Old Pendle was written in the 1950s by Milton and Allen Lambert (words) and Ted Edwards (tune), but there is some speculation that it was based on a traditional tune which we discuss in the podcast.  It's a song that has been adopted and curated by a local community over the past 70 years, and new verses have been created, some of which we feature in the show.AcknowledgementsPeter and I are both big fans of Stones Barn, and they've been a part of both of our musical journeys in different ways. However we should point out that we're not affiliated with them and they don't pay us to say nice things about them in the podcast.

Barbara Allen is the most widely travelled ballad in the English speaking world and exists in many different versions. In today's show we follow the story of this remarkable ballad, finding its roots in colonial America, Transylvania and Ancient Greece, and listening to just a few of its many versions.Ancient lyre music is included by kind permission of Michael Levy. Do visit his website at https://michaellevy.bandcamp.com/ Music Intro music is a version of Barbara Allen from Goathland, North Yorkshire, found in Kidson, Traditional Tunes (1891) pp.36-40Rondo Minuet in G minor by PurcellBarbara Allen tune from the Roxburghe collection: http://ebba.english.ucsb.edu/ballad/33316/recording Scottish version by Ewan McColl, which he learned from his mother: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wYpwMGCd5pw Norma Waterson's version of Barbara Allen: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jpw7bx4NcyM  Clifton Hicks: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F4C50atG_Tc Instrumental version based on the version collected and recorded by Jean Ritchie: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ihit0mpmz7o An Ozark version of Barbara Allen sung by Kyla Cross: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7HV3wT0tgFkA Kentucky version of Barbara Allen sung by Sarah Wood: Sarah Wood - Barbara Ellen - Jim's Birthday Old Time Jam - YouTube The music for King Arthur's court is “En amours n'a si non bien”, an anonymous 15th Century French song.The final Barbara Allen was arranged by John Pearse in “Saturday Night, 20 Tabulated Folk Songs for Guitar”, and imperfectly remembered by me after 35 yearsA traditional version of Kadar Kata: https://m.zeneszoveg.hu/m_dalszoveg/89311/muzsikas/kadar-kata-balladaja-zeneszoveg.htmlOther referenceshttps://mainlynorfolk.info/shirley.collins/songs/barbaraallen.html https://mudcat.org/ http://ebba.english.ucsb.edu/ballad/30145/image https://www.pepysdiary.com/ https://www.fresnostate.edu/folklore/ballads/C084.html https://core.ac.uk/download/pdf/48601012.pdfDavid Atkinson (2014) The Anglo-Scottish Ballad and its Imaginary Contexts: https://library.oapThe Bonny Brown Girl: http://www.fresnostate.edu/folklore/ballads/C295.htmlhttps://core.ac.uk/download/pdf/71970029.pdf https://muse.jhu.edu/article/441468 https://www.folkschool.org/ AcknowledgementsThank you to Stones Barn, Cumbria, and the wider Stones Barn community for starting me on this journey and encouraging me along the way.  Find out more at http://stonesbarn.co.uk 

In today's episode, Lynne Morley and I chat about learning folk songs at school, modal music and the legend of Beowulf. Today's song is perhaps the ultimate English folk song John Barleycorn and we have a good go at teasing out its origins. Is it an ancient pagan myth, a Christian hymn of death and resurrection or a good old drinking song? We may never know, and perhaps it's a bit of all three. In any event, we have lots to say about this song we've both loved since childhood.MusicThe podcast includes fragments of two songs by Columbines – Bright Morning Star, and Shenandoah. To find out more about Columbines or to book them, please email columbinesmusic@gmail.com Beowulf was written and performed by Lynne Morley.John Barleycorn was performed by Lynne Morley.AcknowledgementsThank you to Stones Barn, Cumbria, and the wider Stones Barn community for starting me on this journey and encouraging me along the way. Stones Barn runs fantastic singing and traditional music courses and is always friendly and fun. Find out more at http://stonesbarn.co.uk Thank you as always to Steven Shaw for all the encouragement, and for giving this podcast its name.

In our first episode we delve into the mystery of that enigmatic song fragment, Flandyke Shore. Made famous in modern times by the wonderful Nic Jones, this song has a long history going back to the 17th Century, and draws on even older themes.Handed Down is written, presented and performed by Jenny Shaw.Thank you to Stones Barn, Cumbria, and the wider Stones Barn community for starting me on this journey and encouraging me along the way. Stones Barn runs fantastic singing and traditional music courses and is always friendly and fun. I'm not affiliated with them and they don't pay me to say this, I just like them and want to share the love! Find out more at http://stonesbarn.co.uk Thank you as always to Steven Shaw for all the encouragement, and for giving this podcast its name.MusicThe recording of Flandyke Shore is based on the version by Nic Jones on his album Penguin Eggs.The music accompanying the 17th Century sections of the story is an original arrangement based on the tune The Rich Merchantman which can be found here: https://abcnotation.com/tunePage?a=www.fresnostate.edu/folklore/Olson/BM3.ABC/0093The song Mill of Tifty's Annie (Andrew Lammie) is traditional and my recording is influenced by the versions of several artists including Iona Fyfe and Martin Simpson.Other referencesThe Unnatural Mother: http://ebba.ds.lib.ucdavis.edu/ballad/21738/image An analysis of Flanders Shore: https://www.fresnostate.edu/folklore/ballads/LyCr2090.htmlFlandyke Shore on the Mainly Norfolk website: https://mainlynorfolk.info/nic.jones/songs/theflandykeshore.htmlOrigins of Flandyke Shore discussed on Mudcat Café: https://mudcat.org/thread.cfm?threadid=13405

Handed Down is launching soon! Here's what we've got in store...