North Staffordshire songs

Subject: RE: North Staffordshire songs
From: GUEST,Anne Lamb
Date: 28 Aug 13 - 09:30 AM

Hi there
I was in a folk group back in the late 60s and there was an old chap who was a regular at the Falcon Folk club, Stafford, who sang a song about Stafford Jail and a murder that had been committed by one of the inmates. It was very dramatic and possibly was originally a Victorian music hall song, he also used to sing a song about the Staffordshire Oatcake and the choice of fillings that could be got during the interval at Stoke theatre.....by the time he had got through the chorus a couple of times, you were just in the mood for an oaty or two!

I have a record somewhere in the house called 'On the Cut' with songs about the canals and narrowboats running on the Shroppie, when I was a poor student, I used to get paid to clean some of the boats in at Norbury Junction, there were a lot of singers and musicians on the cut in those days.

Subject: RE: North Staffordshire songs
From: GUEST,Mel
Date: 08 Jan 14 - 07:56 PM

Does anyone know the title and lyrics to the "tunstall boslem Hanley stoke....." Song please, thank you

Subject: RE: North Staffordshire songs
From: GUEST
Date: 09 Jan 14 - 01:09 PM

Hi
The song you are after is "On the Club" by the late Brian Berrington. I've got it recorded somewhere. I'll see if I can find it and get back to you.
Jeff

Subject: RE: North Staffordshire songs
From: GUEST
Date: 13 Jan 14 - 09:17 AM

Here's "On the Club". It was written by Brian Berrington who used to sing at the Stoke Folk Club in the 1960s. I've transcribed the words from Brian's singing on the "Stoke Folk" record.


Oh my name is Albert Twemlow and I come from Boslem Tine
Me fayther is a mould runner, me brother's dine a mine
Me sister works at Doulton's and me mother's in a pub
But I meself don't work at all, I'm always on the club.

CH:        Tunstall, Boslem, Hanley, Stoke
        Fenton, Longton through the smoke.

One day before I left the school me teacher said "Hey you,
You'll have to get a thinking lad what you are gonna do.
You conna stay at school no more, you wunna gerra sub."
"That's owrate duck," I says to her, "I'm going go on the club."


I thought I'd get a job of work with the good old PMT*
Conducting** on a 'decker bus as went to Bentilee.
A fat old woman says to me "Where can I put me stub?"
And when the judge had tried me case, I was back on the club.


I thought as I'd try me hand at the window cleaning trade
With me barrow and me chammy cloth I thought as I was made
While cleaning Wedgwood's windows I give a special rub
Then I stepped back to admire me work and I was on the club


I met a woman in a bar, I axed her what her did
Her said her stripped for jiggerers and earned just on six quid
I dosed her up with gin and port and when we left that pub
I axed her if her'd strip for me and now her's in the club.


So come all you likely pott'ry lads as have just heard me tale
I hope you'll tak me good advice, you'll find it wunner fail
Just tell the doc you've strained your back, ax for some Johnson's rub
Mak sure he signs upon the lines and you'll be on the club.



*PMT = Potteries Motor Traction, the original Potteries bus company.

**Those were the days, when buses had conductors!


Cheers
Jeff Parton

Subject: RE: North Staffordshire songs
From: GUEST,David M
Date: 09 Nov 14 - 05:28 AM

Lads from the potteries used to sing a version of this, that started "My name is Willy Hancock", on their regular visits ti The Royal Oak at Wetton (the landlord was my father in law Harry Cooke)There were verses that they used to ommit because they were "Too rude to sing here in mixed company".

Subject: RE: North Staffordshire songs
From: GUEST,David M
Date: 09 Nov 14 - 05:29 AM

Lads from the potteries used to sing a version of this, that started "My name is Willy Hancock", on their regular visits ti The Royal Oak at Wetton (the landlord was my father in law Harry Cooke)There were verses that they used to ommit because they were "Too rude to sing here in mixed company".

Subject: RE: North Staffordshire songs
From: GUEST,Kev Lovatt
Date: 02 May 15 - 05:11 PM

Nobody has mentioned a song that is definitely about Newcastle-under-Lyme and it's called 'Newcastle Wakes'.
I nice little song that we have been singing for many years as an amateur folk group called Fustian based at Higherland Methodist Church, Newcastle.
The song is included in quite a few publications but the latest one I've seen is in a book called 'West Midlands Ballads' by Michael Raven - ISBN 978 0 90611485 8.
We first heard this sung by the High Level Ranters because they originally mistakenly thought it was about the 'Geordie' Newcastle.

Subject: RE: North Staffordshire songs
From: FreddyHeadey
Date: 02 May 15 - 07:41 PM

I don't know any songs but I did spot a story that needs a song.


story is of a young man buried alive—Thomas Meaykin, ...

Subject: RE: North Staffordshire songs
From: FreddyHeadey
Date: 21 Apr 17 - 11:33 AM

[re dead link above]

Story, needing a song :

"The story of Thomas Meakin starts in the lovely little village of Rushton Spencer just north of Rudyard, it then moved to the town of Stone and finally ends in the churchyard of St Lawrence in Rushton Spencer and centres on the belief that Thomas Meakin was buried alive….

Thomas Meakin (or Meaykin) was born c1760 at Rushton Spencer to Thomas and Mary Meakin. Around 1780 or so, Thomas junior move to the town of Stone where he found work in service as a groom, his master being an apothecary (pharmacist).

Thomas it seems caught the eye of his master's daughter. It is not known whether the attraction was reciprocated.   We do know however that in Thomas was taken seriously ill and sadly died and was buried in the churchyard of St Michael's in Stone on the 16th July 1781

It would have been regarded as simply the sad death of a young man, but then we have the tale of a pony which had been in Thomas's charge, making his way to Thomas's grave and attempting to drag away the earth with his hooves. This is supposedly to have happened more than once.

This naturally caused a lot of talk and suspicions amongst Thomas's friends and no doubt the people of Stone, which must have continued for some time as almost to the year of his death his grave was exhumed and on opening the coffin Thomas's body was found to be face down.

It was then believed that Thomas had taken – or been given a very powerful narcotic which did not kill him but gave the appearance of death.

His family and friends then had his body taken back to Rushton Spencer for re-interment in the churchyard of St Lawrence, but perhaps because of the circumstances he was laid to rest with his feet to the west as is his gravestone, in the believe that his ghost would be laid to rest.

The Parish Register at Stone records state that "Thomas Meakin of Stone was buried July 16th 1781 and was removed thence and buried at Rushton Spencer July 17th, 1782."

His west facing gravestone reads:-

Memento Mori

Thomas son of Thomas

And Mary MEAYKIN

Interred July 16_ 1781

Aged 21 years

'As a man falleth before

    Wicked men, so fell I'

'Bia Thanatos'

'Memento Mori' -   Be mindful of death.      'Bia Thanatos' - Death by Violence

No charges were bought against anyone in connection of Thomas Meakin's death."

http://www.visitinghistoryinstaffordshire.com/thomasmeakin-buriedalive.asp

Subject: RE: North Staffordshire songs
From: rich-joy
Date: 21 Apr 17 - 07:31 PM

The fabulous "Muckram Wakes" are more usually connected with Derbyshire, but I used to sing "Cathy Shaw" written, I think, by Roger Watson, which mentions "...I was brought up in Staffordshire (but there I dwell no more)..."
Okay, that may be drawing a long bow, but wasn't the singer, Helen Wainwright, from Staffordshire??!! Anyway, years after I used to sing that song at folk clubs, I discovered I had Staffy heritage, LOL!
Cheers!
Rich-Joy (Down Under)

Subject: RE: North Staffordshire songs
From: Mr Red
Date: 22 Apr 17 - 03:37 AM

no songs about Staffordshire Oatcakes?

Subject: RE: North Staffordshire songs
From: GUEST
Date: 22 Apr 17 - 04:31 AM

As this thread has been resurrected here's an additional song – "Diglake Field" by Phil & June Colclough which is, I believe, about the 1895 Diglake Disaster. It's discussed here .

Subject: RE: North Staffordshire songs
From: GUEST,Desi C
Date: 22 Apr 17 - 02:42 PM

Phil & June Colclough of North Staff's wrote the very beautiful Song For Ireland

Subject: RE: North Staffordshire songs
From: Mr Red
Date: 23 Apr 17 - 02:48 AM

Any songs about Rudyard?
The lake that is, not the poet named after it.

Subject: RE: North Staffordshire songs
From: GUEST,henryp
Date: 23 Apr 17 - 06:23 AM

We are delighted to announce a daring tightrope walk will take place twice a day on the 30 April/1/2 May 2016.

High wire walker Chris Bull of the Bullzini Family will recreate the walk across Rudyard Lake, first undertaken by Carlos Trower, the 'African Blondin', in the 1860s.

Michael Symmons Roberts was commissioned to write A Tightrope Song to celebrate A Day at the Lake.

Subject: RE: North Staffordshire songs
From: GUEST,henryp
Date: 23 Apr 17 - 06:51 AM

Staffordshire's southern border has a complicated history! From Wikipedia;

The Counties (Detached Parts) Act 1844 was an Act of Parliament which abolished many of the exclaves of counties in England and Wales. The boundaries of Worcestershire, England have been fluid for over 150 years since the first major changes in 1844.

Worcestershire had an unusually large number of exclaves, which were cut off from the main county and completely surrounded by the nearby counties of Warwickshire, Staffordshire, Gloucestershire, Herefordshire, Shropshire (Detached) and Oxfordshire. The most notable islands were Dudley, Evenlode, Blockley and the area around Shipston-on-Stour.

Herefordshire, Staffordshire, Warwickshire and Shropshire had their own exclaves within the main part of Worcestershire at Rochford, Broome, Clent, Tardebigge (Tutnall and Cobley) and Halesowen. Tardebigge's history is even more colourful, changing hands from Worcestershire to Staffordshire and Warwickshire, before returning to Worcestershire at differing times over the centuries.

A significant boundary change occurred in 1926 when the east of Sedgley was transferred to Worcestershire to allow the construction of the new Priory Estate on land purchased by Dudley County Borough council.

A major reorganisation in the Black Country in 1966, under the recommendation of the Local Government Commission for England led to the creation of an area of contiguous county boroughs. The county borough of Dudley, historically a detached part of Worcestershire, expanded and became associated with Staffordshire instead. This reorganisation led to the administrative county of Staffordshire having a thin protrusion passing between the county boroughs (to the east) and Shropshire, to the west, to form a short border with Worcestershire.

Wolverhampton, Walsall, West Bromwich, and Smethwick were historic Staffordshire towns until local government reorganisation created the West Midlands county in 1974.

Subject: RE: North Staffordshire songs
From: Mr Red
Date: 23 Apr 17 - 07:02 AM

the tightrope song
was the walk &/or song easy or was it ruddy 'ard?

Mr Red (Staffordshire man & canal enthusiast)

FWIW the lake is actually a reservoir for the Caldon canal.

Subject: RE: North Staffordshire songs
From: GUEST,henryp
Date: 24 Apr 17 - 04:41 AM

Under the leadership of founding Director, the late Peter Cheeseman, the Vic company earned an international reputation through its pioneering work in creating verbatim, musical documentaries.

Productions such as The Jolly Potters (1964), Fight for Shelton Bar! (1974), Miner Dig the Coal (1981) and Nice Girls (1993) reflected the experiences and preoccupations of the communities of North Staffordshire, with its economy based on ceramics, coal and steel.

Subject: RE: North Staffordshire songs
From: Rob Naylor
Date: 24 Apr 17 - 04:55 AM

Duncan Bourne, a climbing friend who is also a great cartoonist/ illustrator, has a CD of unaccompanied potteries-related songs at:

Duncan Bourne Potteries Songs

And here he is singing "Fireman", a song about a kilnman in the potteries in the mid 1800s:

Duncan Singing "Fireman" About a Kilnman

And Duncan on Soundcloud doing "The Potteries Song":

The Potteries Song on Soundcloud

Subject: RE: North Staffordshire songs
From: FreddyHeadey
Date: 24 Apr 17 - 07:42 AM

Thanks for Duncan's"potteries song", I'd not heard that one.

Duncan gives a brief mention of an oatcake in the lyrics of his "They Don't Make Oatcakes In Ohio"
which is here on yt with some other oatcake songs, though theyre not particularly 'folky'.

http://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLM6cU8b4WUOQRZZF2Qs0hdDtccMC8YKVW

Btw he does some brilliant cartoony artwork if you're after album covers/ adverts etc

Subject: RE: North Staffordshire songs
From: Rob Naylor
Date: 24 Apr 17 - 07:53 AM

FreddyHeady....yes, Duncan did some caricatures of some of my staff about 10 years ago, when I was part owner of a business. We blew them up to life-size and printed them as the backdrop to a booth we had at a trade fair. Everyone else's backdrops were whizzy technical displays of kit, field operations or fancy graphics.

Guess which booth got the most reaction?

His regular cartoon strip in one of the climbing magazines was just brilliant, too.

Subject: RE: North Staffordshire songs
From: Rob Naylor
Date: 24 Apr 17 - 07:58 AM

FreddyHeady:

In fact, it's on his website still:

Booth Backdrop

Some of those caricatured were manning the booth at various times. The resemblances were uncanny, considering he was working from passport photo head and shoulders shots and a brief description from me on their personalities.

Subject: RE: North Staffordshire songs
From: rich-joy
Date: 26 Apr 17 - 09:15 AM

Jon Raven performing "The Song of the Staffordshire Men" :

"For this is the song of the Staffordshire men,
    In forge, in kiln, in mine.
    Our fires shall burn, and our mill-wheels turn
    And the Knot shall be our sign."

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6IdeeTvw1dk

and there are more Black Country numbers too ....

R-J

Subject: RE: North Staffordshire songs
From: FreddyHeadey
Date: 26 Apr 17 - 12:39 PM

rich-joy link above ...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6IdeeTvw1dk

Subject: RE: North Staffordshire songs
From: GUEST,Brave Dudley Boy
Date: 26 Apr 17 - 04:38 PM

Ian [above] is wrong, Dudley has never been in Staffordshire. As another contributor noted it was an enclave of Worcestershire and remained so until the 'West Midlands' conurb was formed. The County Cricket ground [sadly gone] was a home ground for Worcs. until the 1970's and derby games against the Bears [Warwickshire] were always well attended and hotly contested.
The Staffordshire border ran alongside the Crooked House pub just west of Gornal at one end and along the Tipton Road to the east.
Quarry Bank, though technically part of Dudley Borough, was in Staffs traditionally and was the home of the great traditional singer George Dunn.

Subject: RE: North Staffordshire songs
From: Mr Red
Date: 27 Apr 17 - 06:24 AM

Crooked House - was the Glyn Arms when I first went.
& ...............
Kworry Bonk owr kid.
Getit right, mon.
& .............
PS (just to be über-pedantic) exclave I think is the correct term (of Worcestershire).

Subject: RE: North Staffordshire songs
From: GUEST
Date: 27 Apr 17 - 11:22 AM

Some oatcake songs on YouTube, mostly not terribly folky imho, or oatcakes are barely(!) mentioned so I'm not going into a lot of detail
Never Underestimate An Oatcake _ Terry James
The Oatcake Boat Song _ neo anderson
I Want Oatcakes (For My Christmas Dinner) _ Merrym'n(Bob Moston)
They don't make oatcakes in Ohio _ Duncan Bourne
An Oatcake's Not Negotiable _ Terry James
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLM6cU8b4WUOQRZZF2Qs0hdDtccMC8YKVW

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Merrym'n(Bob Moston) has other Stoke songs on Youtube
I Was Born In Stoke-on-Trent
Anna Of The Five Towns
47 Bottle Kilns
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLWSjgUVVET2bb0GzSHV9Gmx1F9gekEVLB

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Just for the record
Recently Sam Edwards has written "Mmmmmm...Oatcakes!" but it isn't on line, I don't know if it is singable
http://www.bbc.co.uk/stoke/content/articles/2006/02/24/ode_to_an_oatcake_feature.shtml

One from a famous poet locally, but this isn't very singable
Ode to the Oatcake _ Arthur Berry
"Let us pay homage to the Oatcake
Or Oatcake or woodcake as the old men called them.
The oatcake is not a cake at all really
Not like the fairy cake or the Eccles cake
Not a cake in that way
More of a Potteries Papadum
A sort of Tunstall Tortilla
A Clay Suzette."
http://www.bbc.co.uk/stoke/content/articles/2006/02/24/ode_to_an_oatcake_feature.shtml

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Subject: RE: North Staffordshire songs
From: FreddyHeadey
Date: 27 Apr 17 - 03:23 PM

That was me.
Wrong link above, should read :
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Just for the record
Recently  Sam Edwards  has written "Mmmmmm...Oatcakes!" but it isn't on line, I don't know if it is singable
http://www.stokesentinel.co.uk/schoolboy-s-ode-oatcakes-features-new-poetry-book/story-28049951-detail/story.html 

Subject: RE: North Staffordshire songs
From: John J
Date: 27 Apr 17 - 05:36 PM

Anybody know whatever happened to Muggins Fancy - 3 lads from Staffordshire who had tremendous voices and used them to very good effect in the folk clubs in the area in the mid - late 1970s.

Subject: RE: North Staffordshire songs
From: FreddyHeadey
Date: 01 May 17 - 11:59 AM

[some contemporary poems, incase anyone is interested

"... In 2016 Staffordshire County Council's Libraries & Arts Service
took the decision to develop the Staffordshire Poetry
Collection. Our aim has been to create a picture of the county
in words, to capture its diversity and in so doing help to create
a cultural identity and awareness for the county as a whole.
We have of course a rich heritage of poetry going back
centuries, but we wished to create a feeling of life in
Staffordshire as it is today. The poems in the collection are
therefore contemporary and as varied in form and tone and
content as the county itself. ..."

https://staffordshirepoetlaureate.wordpress.com/the-staffordshire-poetry-collection/ ]

Subject: RE: North Staffordshire songs
From: GUEST
Date: 01 May 17 - 01:01 PM

And there are the ancient Leekfrith Talks too.

Sorry, that should be Torcs. It's caused a lot of trouble at the Potteries Museum.

Subject: RE: North Staffordshire songs
From: Mr Red
Date: 05 May 17 - 02:36 AM

Just dug this up, (sticking my neck out!)
Wiki talking about Leekfrith Torcs

Subject: RE: North Staffordshire songs
From: GUEST
Date: 06 May 17 - 04:57 PM

Yes, Mr Red, Glynne Arms it was, (spelt like this if you like pedantry) - but known to Gornalites as the 'Sidin' House' after the then close by mineral railway siding.
George Dunn was proud of being one of the few people born in Sheffield Street who could read and write and would definitely have spelt it 'Quarry Bank'. I know this for a fact as my grandfather was one of the others !

Subject: RE: North Staffordshire songs
From: Mr Red
Date: 07 May 17 - 09:14 AM

but how wud them be sayin it?

Subject: RE: North Staffordshire songs
From: GUEST,Kevin Lovatt
Date: 07 Feb 23 - 07:50 AM

Dave Boulton - originally with Muggins Fancy then His Worship & The Pig. Great songwriter.
https://david-boulton.co.uk/

Subject: RE: North Staffordshire songs
From: GUEST,Dennis Littlehales
Date: 04 Jul 23 - 06:21 AM

Can anyone help me acquire a copy of this rare 'Stoke Folk' LP from 1968? It seems to be almost impossible to acquire now.

I don't need the actual physical release, a decent digitisation would serve my purposes nicely as I only want top listen to it/ study it academically as a cultural artefact.

I would be willing to pay for the help.