The Mudcat Café TM
Thread #17022   Message #2538326
Posted By: Matthew Edwards
12-Jan-09 - 04:54 PM
Thread Name: Where's Fennario?
Subject: RE: Where's Fennario?
Sorry! I pressed 'Submit' before 'Preview' in earlier post.

I'm fairly certain that Greg somewhere has provided the satnav directions to Fennario - go straight on through Scarlett Town, and then turn left at Bucklesfordbery. If you reach Ballyjamesduff the you've gone too far.

I'm surprised that since the late Bruce Olson posted all his information 9 years ago about the earliest versions of Pretty Peggy-O nobody has managed to check other copies of his source.

Bruce Olson in his Scarce Songs cited copies in the Library of Congress and Harvard Library of the "chapbook type songster" The Winter's Amusement; and Jolly Toper's Companion which contains the song Pretty Peggy of Derby O. The copies are apparently imperfect, but the Harvard copy had the imprint '42, Long Lane' which he associated with the printers Howard and Evans, and J Evans about 1794.

According to the English Short Title Catalogue thare are copies of The Winter's Amusement; and Jolly Toper's Companion at the British Library and the Bodleian, as well as Illinois and Newberry. Apparently there is a clearer imprint "Printed and Sold by J Evans" with a provisional dating of 1795(?). If anyone is able to examine any of these copies it might give a more complete text than Bruce was able to provide for this earliest version of the song.

Matthew Edwards