Before he began writing poetry, at the instigation of his friend Robert Frost, just two years before his death at the Battle of Arras, Edward Thomas had shown his genius in some of the most sublime prose writing about the English countryside ever created. In 'The Heart of England', a collection of essays that was first published in 1906, he includes the words and musical notation of five folk songs that he heard sung and used to sing himself on his epic walks along the roads and paths of southern England. In a note at the beginning, he writes this:

"Of the five songs printed at the end of this book, only "La Fille du Roi" has been published before, I believe. "The Holm Bank Hunting Song" and "Poor Old Horse" were sung by competitors for folk-song prizes at the annual Westmoreland Musical Festival, and I owe them to the kindness of Mr. George Rathbone. "The Mowing Song" and "Mary, come into the Field" were given to me by friends."

Does anyone know if this is correct – and what was the Westmoreland Musical Festival?