Was the "community play" ever performed, even?? Certainly the song was part of a suite (including "Captain Swing"), which was performed as a complete show, but that was not acted or even staged at all. I recall it having been "toured" twice with slightly different bands; a friend of ours played in at least one of the line-ups; we saw the show in Dorchester Town Hall and our daughter still cherishes the tape (well worth getting hold of if you can find it). My recollection is that the show was jointly attributed to Graham and Mick, but I don't know if they co-wrote songs or each contributed different songs. Guess I need to look out the tape's sleeve notes.

Mind you, Liz, I think your history is rather fanciful. The men were transported for "swearing an illegal oath" (or some such); blasphemy wasn't necessary here. And, as you point out, they were pardoned when their supported threatened to instigate an action against the Prince of Whales (oops, couldn't resist!) on the same charge. Similarly, while you can't separate the laws of that time from fudalism, the link isn't as close as you suggest. (The South Western branch of one of the Trade Unions - T&GWU? - published a good short account of the Tolpuddle event; we picked up a copy at the Dorset Steam Fair one year). Again, your link with the Dutchy of Cornwall seems tenuous . . I'm afraid I find your mix of fact, speculation and approximate association a little disconcerting.

However . . are you actually from Dorset, or just harbouring fond memories? And did your time there take in any of the Cattistock Ceilidhs or the sometimes associated Rampisham sunday lunchtime sessions? Wonderful times. Of course - just to show that some things change less than one would hope - the sessions at Rampisham ended when the landowner (or "squire" as I think he'd like to see himself) refused to renew the landlord's lease on the pub. I'm even told he claimed that the vehicles parked at the pub, and the customers' comings and goings, detracted from the view from his window, but that, too, might just be fanciful gossip.

I'll save my other "class war" story of spoiling Dorset views . .

G.