The Mudcat Café TM
Thread #159779   Message #3788829
Posted By: Steve Gardham
05-May-16 - 03:13 PM
Thread Name: Origins: Bramble Briar/Bruton Town/MerchantDaughtr
Subject: RE: Origins: Bramble Briar/Bruton Town/Merch. Daught.
The Vaughan Williams collected version is in Palmer, Everyman's Book of English country Songs, No 59 p111. 'It's of a Farmer'

2 But their courtship......
I send him to his silent bed.

V3 onwards
One hunting day it was appointed,
To take this young man's life away;
They did this young man overflatter
To hunting unto go with them.

And through the woods as they were riding,
They saw a brake of briars grow;
They soon became and his blood they slaughtered,
And a brake of briars pulled him through.

'O welcome home,' then said the sister,
'But where is our young servantman?
I only ask because you whispered,
Dear brothers tell me if you can.

'Now through the woods as we was riding,
There we lost him and never him found;
But I tell you we are affronted,
You do hard and examine we.

Three days and nights she lay lamenting,
she dreamed, she dreamed her love she saw,
By her bedside the tears lamenting,
All over and over with gore.

'Lay still, lay still, my patient jewel,
It's all in vain for to complain;
Her brothers killed me, now weren't they cruel,
In such a place that you may find.

Then through the woods as she was riding
She heard such fearful dismal groans;
'Surely that is my own true love
In a brake opf briars killed and thrown.'

She kissed his lips that were all dry-ed,
His tears as salt as any brine;
She kissed his lips and ofttimes sighed:
'O here lays a bold young friend of mine.

Notes in plamer p245
Sung by an unnamed singer, Poolend, Ashperton, Hertfordshire; coll by RVW, Sept 1913 (MS 8vo E5)

I'm surprised this is not on the Full English website at least in MS form. It should be.