https://www.hymnsandcarolsofchristmas.com/Hymns_and_Carols/yorkshire_wassail.htm Yorkshire Wassail; The notes to that carol state the text completed from another Yorkshire version sung to another tune. This melody and text from singers (names not known) near Hooton Roberts, Yorkshire. For another version of the text with a different tune, see English Country Songs.

St John’s, Hooton Roberts, has musical connections with composers Vaughn Williams and Gustav Holst who were both regular visitors to the rectory next to the church. Vaughan Williams, (1872-1958), composed Linden Lea during one of his stays in the village. Florence and Reginald Gatty had 4 children, one of whom Nicholas (b. 1874) wished to become a composer and trained at the Royal College of Music. There he met and became good friends with Ralph Vaughan Williams, who used to stay at Hooton Roberts occasionally. It was Vaughan Williams who recommended Sharp to go and note the Grenoside dance.

Reginald Gatty had a younger sister Horatia, who lived near Sharp in Hampstead, so introductions were easily made there and Florence Gatty promptly invited Sharp to visit them at Hooton Roberts. The Gattys then drove Sharp in their horse and carriage the twelve miles to Grenoside and the dance was collected on 27 August 1910. Sharp went directly on to Newcastle, where he collected the Swalwell, Earsdon and Winlaton rapper dances but wrote warmly to thank Florence Gatty for her hospitality: ‘I shall never forget your kindness in taking me in and assisting me to collect the Grenoside dance.’ (letter CJS1/8/1/5 dated 2 Sept 1910).

He had first seen Morris Dancing at Christmas 1899 whilst staying with his wife's mother, who was then living at Sandfield Cottage, Headington, about a mile east of Oxford. On Boxing Day, as he was looking out of the window at the snow-covered drive, a strange procession appeared: eight men dressed in white, decorated with ribbons, with pads of small latten-bells strapped to their shins, carrying coloured sticks and white handkerchiefs. Accompanying them was a concertina-player and a man dressed as a 'Fool'. Sharp was amazed at the sight. An obscure world of culture had been revealed to him and he plied the men eagerly with questions. They apologised for being out at Christmas; they knew that Whitsun was the proper time, but work was slack and they thought that there would be no harm in earning an honest penny. These were the Headington Quarry Morris Men.

We can trace the Grenoside Sword Dancers back almost 200 years, though it's possibly much older. Boxing Day, our traditional day of dance. We perform the dance at 11am sharp on Main Street outside the Old Harrow Inn every Boxing Day. Sharp travelled to Grenoside by horse and carriage, the Gattys having arranged for the performance to take place in the barn of Hilltop Farm at the top of Wheel Lane. It made a great impression on Sharp.

Lancashire Pace-Egging Songs by Annie G. Gilchrist, Cecil J. Sharp, Frank Kidson and J. A. Fuller-Maitland
Journal of the Folk-Song Society Vol. 2, No. 9 (1906), pp. 231-236 (6 pages)
8. Beg Your Leave sung by Jolly Boys (pace eggers) from Overton village, Sunderland Point. Collected by Annie G. Gilchrist Easter 1906.