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Cecil Sharp in Somerset: some reflections on the work of David Harker
Folklore, April, 2002 by C.J. Bearman
Table 1 Selected villages and towns in Somerset at the 1901 Census.
Harker's description
Cannington 1,021 a "large village"
East Harptree 595 a "large village"
Haselbury [Plucknett] 470 a "large village"
High Ham 898 "tiny"
Huish Episcopi 706 a "large village"
Langport 813 "a small town"
Wiveliscombe UDC 1,417 [the smallest UDC in Somerset in
1901]
Bridgwater 15,209
Source: 1901 Census of England and Wales, as given in Accounts and
Papers (London: HMSO, 1902).
Table 2 Popularity of songs compared with numbers published.
Number of Number of
texts time texts Number Percentage
collected collected published published
345 Once 40 11.6
95 Twice 19 20.0
52 Three times 14 26.9
40 Four times 16 40.0
15 Five times 4 28.6
43 Six times and more 30 69.7
590 Total 123 21.0
Source: card index based on Cecil Sharp, "Folk Tunes" (copies of
unpublished MSS held in Vaughan Williams Memorial Library, Cecil
Sharp House, London).
Table 3 Geographical origins of songs collected by Cecil Sharp in
Somerset.
Songs unique to one district
North The rest
Hambridge Mendip Bridgwater of Somerset
129 39 63 162
Number 9 5 8 26
pub-
lished
Percen-
tage 7 13 12.5 16
Songs unique to one district
Overall
total
393
Total % of
published songs
songs pub-
in one lished
district
Number 48
pub-
lished
Percen-
tage 12
Songs collected in two or more districts
2 3 4
128 56 13
Number 31 29 9
pub-
lished
Percen-
tage 29 52 69
Overall
total
197
Total % of
published songs
songs from pub-
2 or more lished
districts
Number 75
pub-
lished
Percen-
tage 38
Total 590
Overall 123
Overall 21
percen-
tage
Source: card index based on Cecil Sharp, "Folk Tunes."
Table 4 Textual analysis of Folk Songs from Somerset Series Four (25
songs).
Text unchanged or minor alterations
Nos 81 "Death and the Lady"; 83 "The Cruel Ship's Carpenter"; 11
87 "The Dilly Song"; 88 "Come All You Worthy Christian Men";
91 "The Sheep Shearing"; 93 "The Tree in the Wood";
96 "Searching for Lambs"; 97 "Ruggleton's Daughter of Iero";
98 "The Cruel Mother"; 102 "The Bonny Lighter Boy";
104 "Green Broom."
Words augmented
From other singer or singers Nos 84 "The Outlandish 5
Knight"; 92 "The Saucy
Sailor"; 99 "Arise, Arise";
100 "Bridgwater Dair"; 101
"The Brisk Young Batchelor."
From printed material Nos 80 "The Rambling Sailor"; 3
82 "The Beggar"; 85 "The
Coasts of High Barbary."
8
Major changes to text
For sake of comprehensibility No. 103 "James Macdonald." 1
Through bowdlerisation Nos 89 "Gently Johnny My 3
Jingalo"; 94 "O No John";
95 "Sweet Lovely Joan."
4
Compilations Nos 86 "Jack Hall"; 90 "John 2
Barleycorn."
Total 25
Table 5 Provenance of songs collected by Sharp in
Somerset, 1904-09 (number of singers = 311, of whom 60
provided evidence of the provenance of 77 songs).
Oral sources Number of songs
Parents 32
Grandparents 8
Other relations 5
Friends and chance encounters 16
General comments 12
Total oral sources 73
Literary sources
Broadsides 1
"Langport paper" 1
"Old book" 1
"Old ballet seller" 1
Total literary sources 4
Source: card index based on Sharp's publications and
MSS.
Table 6 Songs collected six times and more.
Song title Times noted
The Seeds of Love 17
The Outlandish Knight 14
John Barleycorn 12
Barbara Allen 13
Lord Randal 13
The Wraggle Taggle Gipsies 12
Dabbling in the Dew 11
As I Walked Through the Meadows 10
The Bold Fishermen 10
Forty Long Miles 10
Henry Martin 10
Seventeen Come Sunday 10
The Broomfield Wager 9
Jealousy 9
The Twelve Days of Christmas 9
William Taylor 9
All Jolly Fellows that Follow the Plough 8
The Banks of Green Willow 8
The Cuckoo 8
Geordie 8
The Golden Vanity 8
High Germany 8
The Bold Grenadier 7
The Dilly Song 7
The Foggy Dew 7
Hares on the Mountains 7
The Hearty Good Fellow 7
Lord Bateman 7
The Maid and her Box 7
Rosemary Lane 7
Sweet William (A Sailor's Life) 7
The Trees they do Grow High 7
The Unquiet Grave 7
Blow Away the Morning Dew 6
The Bonny Bunch of Roses 6
The Constant Farmer's Son 6
The Irish Girl 6
The Keys of Heaven 6
No Sir No Sir 6
Poor Old Horse 6
The Saucy Sailor 6
The Shoemaker (The Blacksmith) 6
Wassail Song 6
Song title Location
The Seeds of Love 16
The Outlandish Knight 12
John Barleycorn 13
Barbara Allen 12
Lord Randal 12
The Wraggle Taggle Gipsies 11
Dabbling in the Dew 11
As I Walked Through the Meadows 7
The Bold Fishermen 9
Forty Long Miles 10
Henry Martin 7
Seventeen Come Sunday 10
The Broomfield Wager 8
Jealousy 8
The Twelve Days of Christmas 9
William Taylor 8
All Jolly Fellows that Follow the Plough 8
The Banks of Green Willow 7
The Cuckoo 8
Geordie 8
The Golden Vanity 8
High Germany 7
The Bold Grenadier 7
The Dilly Song 6
The Foggy Dew 6
Hares on the Mountains 7
The Hearty Good Fellow 6
Lord Bateman 6
The Maid and her Box 5
Rosemary Lane 6
Sweet William (A Sailor's Life) 6
The Trees they do Grow High 7
The Unquiet Grave 7
Blow Away the Morning Dew 6
The Bonny Bunch of Roses 6
The Constant Farmer's Son 5
The Irish Girl 4
The Keys of Heaven 6
No Sir No Sir 6
Poor Old Horse 6
The Saucy Sailor 6
The Shoemaker (The Blacksmith) 6
Wassail Song 6
Song title District
The Seeds of Love HMBR
The Outlandish Knight HMBR
John Barleycorn HMBR
Barbara Allen HBR
Lord Randal HMBR
The Wraggle Taggle Gipsies HMBR
Dabbling in the Dew HMR
As I Walked Through the Meadows HR
The Bold Fishermen HBR
Forty Long Miles HMBR
Henry Martin HBR
Seventeen Come Sunday HBR
The Broomfield Wager HBR
Jealousy HMBR
The Twelve Days of Christmas HMBR
William Taylor HMBR
All Jolly Fellows that Follow the Plough HR
The Banks of Green Willow HR
The Cuckoo HBR
Geordie HBR
The Golden Vanity MBR
High Germany HMB
The Bold Grenadier HMR
The Dilly Song HMR
The Foggy Dew HMR
Hares on the Mountains HMR
The Hearty Good Fellow HBR
Lord Bateman HBR
The Maid and her Box HBR
Rosemary Lane HMBR
Sweet William (A Sailor's Life) HBR
The Trees they do Grow High HMBR
The Unquiet Grave HBR
Blow Away the Morning Dew HMR
The Bonny Bunch of Roses HMBR
The Constant Farmer's Son HMR
The Irish Girl HR
The Keys of Heaven HBR
No Sir No Sir HMR
Poor Old Horse HR
The Saucy Sailor HR
The Shoemaker (The Blacksmith) BR
Wassail Song HR
Districts: Hambridge = H; North Mendip = M; Bridgwater = B; Rest of
Somerset = R.
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