Thanks, Mike. I just skimmed through the article. Gosh that is hot off the press.

I'd already found some of his songs while searching for carols on the Wiltshire Council's folksong database. In fact we sang the Britford "Awake and join the cheerful choir" carol at our carol sings in Bradford on Avon, and one of the choirs had been taught all the parts beforehand, so we raised the roof with it.

I've been having great fun searching the online database of the Vaughan William Memorial Library and have just re-joined EFDSS after many years break.

I've discovered that George Gardiner collected a lot of songs in the Bath area and that several of them were published in a set of 4 books by Frank Purslow, The Constant Lovers and The Foggy Dew (both of which I have)and Marrow Bones which I believe has been reprinted and The Wanton Seed which is out of print.

He also collected a few songs from Trowbridge which is even closer to home, but unfortunately the notebook containing the text went missing leaving only the tunes and sometimes the first verse.
Most of them have been cobbled together with texts from other versions and put into books.

The only song that was ever collected from Bradford on Avon was one verse, text only, which is down as God Save Joe. This is only available as a manuscript at VWML but the first line is given and it looks like a version of Gossip John or Gossip Joan. A song with a similar first line called Gossip Joe was collected in the village of Blagdon in Somerset, which is not far away. Once again there is only one verse but this time with a tune. It is also only available as a manuscript. I suppose if I get hold of both manuscripts and compare them with similar versions of the song I should be able to cobble something together similar to what might have been sung in dear old BOA.

Anyway I'm now able to investigate several songs from the area, and already have some in my 2 little books.

Thank you all for your help

Anne