For Bob Bolton and Marc. I thought I'd re-open the old thread to keep things together.

I've looked at the Bodliean collection and in the British Museum for references to "Tars of the Blanch" and have come up with some information. Here is a brief note.

The tune which was noted with the early broadside versions of "The Black Velvet Band" is "Tars of The Blanch". A broadside of this name was published by James Paul & Co., Seven Dials (Harding B11(1515), Bodleian). The song is in essentially the same metre as broadside versions of "The Black Velvet Band" as well as the recorded modern versions and most of the known collected versions. It seems likely, therefore, that the tune for all these ballads is the same.

"The Tars of the Blanch" records naval action off "Point Peter" between an English ship, The Blanch, and a French ship, the Le Picque, part of a fleet of French frigates. During the action, the captain of the Blanch, Falkner, died and was replaced by the mate, Wilkins. With the masts shot away, the crew of Blanch boarded and took the French ship. This appears to be a story of the Napoleonic wars and has many similarities with the ballad of Admiral Benbow.

Curiously, none of the ships mentioned as in action with Nelson's fleet during the Napoleonic wars was named Blanch or Blanche, and none of Nelsons captains appears to have been named Falkner or Faulkner. However, a ship called Blanche is recorded as having been wrecked in "The Texel" on 28th September 1799. There is also a listing of "The death of Captain Faulkner, or British Heroism" (librettist anonymous, composer William Shield, 1795) in English Libretti, 1780-1799 (http://gopher.english.openn.edu/~rstack/appl1780.html). The fact that an opera was written on the subject would suggest that the action was well known and popular at the time and may date it as between about 1790 and 1795.

Hope this is of some use.

Cheers
IanC