It is with great sadness that I have to report the death of the prolific writer on folk song and folklore, Roy Palmer, yesterday (26 February).

There can hardly be a singer of traditional English folk song who does not have a book by Roy Palmer on his or her book shelves. From Room for Company and Songs of the Midlands in the early 1970s through to books on the songs of soldiers, sailors, industrial works, agricultural workers, Roy always combined meticulous scholarship with the placing of the songs in the historical context of the period. His county folklore books ... from his native Leicestershire to Warwickshire, Worcestershire and Gloucestershire and several other counties ... were always packed with interesting detail.

He will be much missed.

Derek