Terminus Post Quem (The fixed point in time after which something must have happened)

Giving a Terminus Post Quem (TPQ) date means that we are able to provide an earliest date for something. TPQ dates are frequently available for folk songs, thought the method of fixing them may need to be treated with caution. They're usually available by means of internal evidence though it may be possible to provide a TPQ by other methods like the demonstration of a precursor (possibly a song or a tune, but maybe a story or historical event) which can, itself, be dated.

A good example of both these methods is provided by looking briefly at "The Black Velvet Band". Tracing this song back, it becomes quickly apparent that all the current versions of the song are derived from 19th Century broadsides. These broadsides are almost unsingable in their original format, and there is little chance that they originally derived from an existing traditional song (although there does appear to be some relationship between the broadsides and some broadside versions of "Ratcliffe Highway"). If your main interest is to provide a TPQ for the "traditional" version of the song, all you need now do is to provide an earliest date for the broadside versions.

Alternatively, it is possible to provide a TPQ using the internal evidence available in almost all the versions of the song. "The Black Velvet Band" is essentially a transportation ballad, which means that it must be dated on or after the date where the law in England and Wales provided for transportation as a punishment for various crimes. This provides a TPQ of 1718, which is when judicial transportation to America was first practiced in England following the passing of the Transportation Act in 1718. Because of the fact that all of versions of the song include reference to Van Diemen's Land, the TPQ can be adjusted to 1786 when (following the cessation of transportation to America in 1775) transportation resumed, this time to Australia.

Internal evidence available only in the broadside versions of "The Black Velvet Band" provides the means to adjust the TPQ still further. All the known early broadside versions include a reference to "Victoria Fashion" as a hairstyle (probably centrally parted and drawn together in a low "bun" at the back of the head). Victoria became queen in 1837 at the age of 18 and was seldom at court before this, so a TPQ of 1837 can be given based on this information.

The biggest pitfall with providing a TPQ date is due to working with an small but consistent subset of the available data. This can be illustrated using another example. "Dido, Bendigo" is a well-known hunting song which has been widely collected throughout England. The name of one of the dogs, Bendigo, is unusual in that it can be traced to a single source.

William Abednego Thompson was born on 11th October 1811, one of three triplets (they were named for Shadrak, Meshak and Abednigo). From his teens, he was known as "Bendigo". By the age of 18, he was prizefighting for money (he was the first "Southpaw") and on 21st July 1835 he won a famous fight against Ben Caunt at Nottingham. In 1839, Bendigo crowned his career by becoming champion of England, defeating James 'Deaf' Burke at No Man's Heath in Leicestershire. He retired undefeated, aged 39, in 1850. By this time, Bendigo was so famous that children, dogs and horses (as well as some newly founded towns) were named after him. In 1871, he became a Baptist preacher, and started a second career "fighting against satan". He died on 23rd August 1880, following a fall downstairs.

The use of the name "Bendigo" for one of the dogs in the song might be held to provide a TPQ for it (it does, of course, for those versions including the name). However, that is not the whole story. Firstly, a number of collected versions of the song use the word "Spendigo" rather than "Bendigo". Unless convincing evidence is available to the contrary, these can logically be taken to indicate that an earlier version of the song might exist and the TPQ becomes invalid. In the case of this song, though, there is also other evidence which vitiates the TPQ, namely that a much earlier version is known to exist. The words were, in fact, taken from a long ballad, entitled "The Fox Chase", narrating a hunt by Villiers, second duke of Buckingham, in the reign of Charles II. This ballad was printed by W. Oury, circa 1650 and is in the Roxburgh Collection.