maids at work

Subject: RE: maids at work
From: Hilary
Date: 22 Feb 02 - 02:05 PM

There are a couple of mill songs I didn't spot in the previous threads 'Poverty Poverty Knock' and 'The Doffing Mistress'.

'Tae The Weavers Gin Ye Go' and 'I am Besom Maker' both have a strong rhythm.

Hilary

Subject: RE: maids at work
From: Jeanie
Date: 22 Feb 02 - 12:01 PM

When I was in the Brownies (Junior Girl Scouts in the USA ??) we used to sing a work song, with actions: Wind, wind, wind the wool

Wind, wind, wind the wool

And pull, pull, [clap, clap, clap]

It's not in the Digitrad. I have an idea there may have been a verse as well. Maybe someone else has a better memory than I have !

- Jeanie ("Sixer" of the "Fairies" circa. 1963)

Subject: RE: maids at work
From: MMario
Date: 22 Feb 02 - 11:17 AM

dang! all you people do use the newfangled type churns, don't you? The ones I've used were the type with the plunger.

Subject: RE: maids at work
From: Trevor
Date: 22 Feb 02 - 11:13 AM

Hello LA. Have a look at this.

Subject: RE: maids at work
From: greg stephens
Date: 22 Feb 02 - 10:07 AM

My grandmother always had a problem because her kitchen floor was too level for really efficient churning and solved it (as did many people in those days) by putting a bit of wood on the floor under one of the legs of the churn to make it wobble. There were two specific trees which were found to provide the best kind of wood for this purpose, and both of these are called churnwood trees for this reason. This has caused some confusion in botanical circles, so just for the record the proper names are Citronella Moorei and Ehretia Acuminata. And Murray McLeod, oh Doubting Thomas, look it up if you don't believe it.

Subject: RE: maids at work
From: Sorcha
Date: 22 Feb 02 - 09:46 AM

Regarding womens work, there was also this thread a few days ago. Maybe something in it you're interested in.

Subject: RE: maids at work
From: Murray MacLeod
Date: 22 Feb 02 - 09:38 AM

This would make a fascinating research project for a student of fluid mechanics ....

Murray

Subject: RE: maids at work
From: Menita
Date: 22 Feb 02 - 09:18 AM

The butter churns that I have seen being used stand on a four legged support. The cream is put into a barrel and the handle is attached to the side of the barrel and as it is wound, the barrel is turned over and over. No paddle is involved. I think that would be a later,more modern version? A four legged stand on an uneven dairy floor would rock and cause extra agitation. I think this would be beneficial on days when the cream took longer to turn.

Subject: RE: maids at work
From: Murray MacLeod
Date: 22 Feb 02 - 08:53 AM

greg, I just love old wives tales.

Despite Mario's explanation, I still have reservations. Doesn't a butterchurn work by turning a handle which operates a rotary fin inside and agitates the cream?

Surely an uneven floor would hinder the operative rather than assist. Maybe its just me but I hate uneven floors, wobbly workbenches, tables etc.

Murray

Subject: RE: maids at work
From: GUEST,Turtle Dove
Date: 22 Feb 02 - 08:48 AM

The chorus was '...saucy Roseabella' but it wasn't vulgar, if that's what you mean.

The kind of songs we used to sing at school, admittedly a long time ago, were traditional, although I remember singing Vaughan-Williams arrangements that didn't feel 'folkie'.

Incidentally, re your original query, what about 'Dashing Away With The Smoothing Iron'? That's pretty rhythmic and it's about women's work.

Subject: RE: maids at work
From: Menita
Date: 22 Feb 02 - 08:40 AM

I'm interested to know if the version you heard was the "Saucy" Roseabella or was it the clean "vicar's" version. A lot of Trad songs were collected by Vicars early in the last century and cleaned up for schools to use I suppose. Incidently do you think there's enough folk singing going on in schools? Perhaps it should be part of the history lessons.

Subject: RE: maids at work
From: GUEST,Turtle Dove
Date: 22 Feb 02 - 08:33 AM

Is 'Roseabella' a sea shantie. I heard a group singing this in a distintly unrhythmic way the other night and it sounded great, particularly with one person singing the first line fairly slowly before the others joined in.

Subject: RE: maids at work
From: greg stephens
Date: 22 Feb 02 - 08:30 AM

cmon Murray you old sceptic. so you dont believe in United Ireland episodes of Star Trek. you dont believe in butter churning on an uneven floor. you'll be telling us next that you dont believe eating bits of string will kill you, because they wrap themselves round your heart.

Subject: RE: maids at work
From: MMario
Date: 22 Feb 02 - 08:30 AM

I think she meant if the floor under the churn were uneven - it would add extra "sloshing"

Subject: RE: maids at work
From: Murray MacLeod
Date: 22 Feb 02 - 08:09 AM

There are many Scottish Gaelic "waulkin" songs sung by the women of the Hebridean islands as they washed the newly made tweed. There is a rhythm to them evocative of the repetitive action of pushing cloth back and forth.

Does cream really turn to butter faster on an uneven floor ? I find it difficult to believe....

Murray

Subject: maids at work
From: Menita
Date: 22 Feb 02 - 07:53 AM

Sea shanties were sung to a rhythm to help those strong sailors do their heavy work! My Great Grand-Mother in Victorian times, made butter in a butter churn in her dairy.Cream turns to butter quicker if the floor is uneven-this would have made a good beat for a song. I'm interested to know if there are any trad "women's work" songs sung by women to the rythm of a butter churn or any other rhymic chores ie milking cows, squishing the washing with a dolly, kneeding bread etc. Please no parodies.

Oh and I apologise for shouting- I wouldn't like to turn your eyes red!