Re., my earlier comment; "Well, there's the famous chapter on The Wagon and Horses, which is directly concerned with the singing sessions which were held in that pub."

On the strength of this lot, I've started re-reading LRTCF, which I haven't done for many a long year. Unfortunately, however, while I'd like to amplify what I said about the Wagon and Horses chapter, I'll have to go off memory because I haven't got that far yet.

In any event, FT describes how the singing sessions in the Wagon and Horses had become symbolic of the drift away the old rural folkways which had been the staple fare of village life. IE., she claims that the singing had become dominated by young lads who sang mainly music hall songs, and that the older singers were ignored or at best tolerated out of respect for old age.

Towards the close of the chapter, the dialogue goes something like "What Master Davy, not sung yet? Come on, let's have Your Outlandish Knight." Outside, the women in the cottages near by would say "They'll not be long now. Davy's just finishing his Outlandish Knight".

Apologies if I haven't got that quite right, but as I previously mentioned, it's many a long year since I last read the book. Anyone who wants to check for themselves is welcome to do so, and enjoy a captivating read at the same time.

Incidentally, taking it up once more has reminded me what a beautiful writer Flora Thompson was. And it brought home to me not only how much that first episode travesties rural English society, but the extent to which it also travesties one of the finest accounts of that society in the English language.

Anyone fancy tarring and feathering the production crew?