Subject: LYR REQ:Lass of Richmond Hill From:Nogs Date: 22 Jul 99 - 02:38 PM
Our morris team has a dance by this name, and looking through my grandmothers' homestead in Vermont several years ago I found one verse in an old songbook. Are there any others?
In Richmondtown there lives a lass As bright as a Mayday morn, Whose charms no other may surpass, A rose without a thorn.
This lass so neat, sweet and complete Has stolen my right goodwill I would crowns resign to call her mine, The Lass of Richmond Hill
Cho: Oh the Lass of Richmond Hill Oh the Lass of Richmond Hill I'd crowns resign to call her mine, The Lass of Richmond Hill
________ I've got the tune. Just need more words.
I hope that I have put in the line breaks correctly
Subject: RE: LYR REQ:Lass of Richmond Hill From:Bert Date: 22 Jul 99 - 02:59 PM
Ye zephyrs gay that fan the air And wanton through the grove O whisper to my charming fair I die for her I love. How happy will the shepherd be who calls this nymph his own O may her choice be fixed on me Mine's fixed on her alone.
Nogs--Ihave it in a songbook of the British Isles published in the 1880's. There are some variations from your post.
1st Verse-- On Richmond Hill there lives a lass//More Bright than May-day morn,//Whose charms all other maids surpass//A rose without a thorn.
The chorus at the end of each of the three verses (see Bert's post for the other two) is--This lass so neat, with smiles so sweet,//Has won my right good will,...//I'd crowns resign to call thee mine,//Sweet Lass of Richmond Hill,//Sweet Lass of Richmond Hill,//Sweet Lass of Richmond Hill, I'd crowns resign to call thee mine, Sweet Lass of Richmond Hill.
In other words, your second verse is really part of the chorus in the version I have. History--written by Leonard McNally (b. 1752) in honor of Miss Janson of Richmond Hill who he married in 1787. The song was written by Mr. Hook and was in vogue when Handel was in London (similar to his Heavens are Telling). The song was a favorite of George III.
Subject: RE: LYR REQ:Lass of Richmond Hill From:Nogs Date: 23 Jul 99 - 11:58 AM
hey, thanks folks! I thought that I had heard that 'zephyrs' verse before. Interesting that the line "whose charms all other maids surpass" may be interpreted in a most uncomplimentary way. It probably involves the appropriate placement of a apostophe, but one can't do this when one is singing the song (unless you are Victor Borge)
Spent two weeks in England last April We rented a little apartment on Richmond Hill (also home of Mick Jagger and Pete Townsend, the blokes at the neighborhood pub informed me). What a delight it was to spot this thread, print it off and run downstairs and sing it for my wife and daughter (had to improvise the melody). Looks of surprise slowly turned to delight. Thanks.
WSRO: 2598/36 Packet 2 - Oxfordshire: Williams, A: MS collection No Ox 281
Source Secondary
Wilts and Gloucestershire Standard, 8th July, 1916, p 3, Part 36, No. 4: Williams, A: Folk songs of the upper Thames, 1923 p 70
Recording
Song Lyrics
LASS OF RICHMOND HILL
Verse 1 On Richmond hill there lives a lass, More bright than May-day Morn, All other maidens she'd surpass - A rose without a thorn; This lass so sweet, with smiles so sweet, Has won my right good-will, I'll crowns resign to call her mine - Sweet lass of Richmond Hill.
Chorus
Sweet lass of Richmond Hill, Sweet lass of Richmond Hill, I'll crowns resign to call her mine - Sweet lass of Richmond Hill.
Verse 2
Ye zephyrs gay that fan the air, And wander through the grove, O whisper to my charming fair, I die for her, my love: How happily will the shepherd be, Who calls this nymph his own! O may her choice be fixed on me! Mine's fixed on her alone.
Chorus
Notes
Note 1
Williams, Alfred: Ms / WGS / FSUT: 'The Lass of Richmond Hill is very well known and figures in several collections of old songs. The following copy was current at Langford, which was formerly noted for its various activities, viz in music, wrestling and back-sword play. Words obtained of James Thorne, Langford, near Lechlade.'
Note 2
In the file is a fair copy of the text by Williams and another copy in pencil in the hand of James Thorne who writes, 'May 28th, 1916 To Mr Williams. Dear sir sorry i was not at home when you called but i have wrote the song you wanted the same as i used to sing it hope you will get it alright what lovely weather we are having Yours truly James Thorn Langford nr Lechlade Glos'.
James Thorne does not use the capital 'I', or any punctuation in his letter.
(Murpholly)I concede that Lass of Richmond Hill is not a folk song by some definitions being written by Leonard McNally and music by James Hook and first noted in 1789. (Old enough to be a folk song? It has a roud number). McNally married Frances L'Anson in 1787. Her family had a great deal of property in Richmond, Yorkshire including "Hill House" so think Steve that as a Yorkshire man you might accept the Richmond is that in the North Riding and as a Yorkshire Briganti I claim it for Yorkshire despite those southerners. Just a pity that McNally betrayed his United Irishment comrades later on.
Subject: RE: LYR REQ:Lass of Richmond Hill From:Snuffy Date: 30 Mar 21 - 04:34 AM
I learned the second verse almost as posted by Bert back in July 1999
Ye zephyrs fair that fan the air And wanton through the grove Go whisper to my charming fair I die for her I love. How happy will that shepherd be who calls this nymph his own O may her choice be fixed on me Mine's fixed on her alone.
Subject: RE: LYR REQ:Lass of Richmond Hill From:JHW Date: 30 Mar 21 - 05:10 AM
Around 1990 I went in to the nearby Estate Agents to buy Hill House. (Where Frances I'Anson lived) I was pipped at the post by another who later dropped out. From the roof gutters of the house (walkable along) you could see beyond all the hill of Frenchgate to a good view of the Falls in the River Swale.
Controversy will no doubt continue as to whether the song relates to the real Richmond. (North Riding of Yorkshire)
DESCRIPTION: The singer, a shepherd, praises the "sweet lass of Richmond Hill": he'd "crowns resign to call her mine" "I'd die for her, How happy will the shepherd be" who wins her; "may her choice be fixed on me" AUTHOR: Words: Leonard MacNally; tune: James Hook (source: I'Anson; see bibliography below) EARLIEST DATE: 1786 (words), 1789 (tune) according to I'Anson (see bibliography below); 1803 (Wilson) KEYWORDS: love nonballad shepherd FOUND IN: Britain(England(South)) REFERENCES (3 citations): Williams-FolkSongsOfTheUpperThames, p. 70, "The Lass of Richmond Hill" (1 text) (also Williams-Wiltshire-WSRO Ox 281) Williams-Wiltshire-WSRO Mi 752, "Ye Zephyrs Gay" (1 fragment) ADDITIONAL: C.H. Wilson, The Myrtle and Vine (London, 1803 (Third Edition) ("Digitized by Google")) Vol. II, pp. 96-97, "The Lass of Richmond Hill" ("On Richmond Hill there lives a lass") (1 text) Roud #1246 BROADSIDES: Bodleian, Harding B 11(2590), "Lass of Richmond Hill" ("On Richmond hill there lives a lass"), J. Pitts (London), 1819-1844; also Firth b.28(32d), 2806 c.16(49a), Johnson Ballads 528, Firth c.17(29), Johnson Ballads fol. 12, Firth c.26(125)[some words illegible], 2806 c.17(221), Firth b.26(228), Firth c.19(56), Firth c.19(56)[almost entirely illegible], "[The] Lass of Richmond Hill"; Firth b.27(532), Harding B 15(93b), "Sweet Lass of Richmond Hill" LOCSheet, sm1881 16793, "Sweet Lass of Richmond Hill", Wm. J.A. Lieder (New York), 1881 (with tune)["words and music by Ada Burnett"] SAME TUNE: The Kentish Maid ("Let other swains their nymphs compare") (The Ulverston New Poetical Miscellany, p. 57) NOTES [618 words]: All texts I have seen are just the 20 lines described above. That considered, there is a strange, supposedly "true and pathetic story," published in 1826 (Mirror, pp. 29-30), and repeated verbatim in 1830 (Pulleyn, p. 73) (see bibliography below): the "daughter of a merchant of immense wealth" fell in love with "a young officer, of exemplary character, and of respectable though poor parents"; her father confined his daughter to the house and forbade the officer to enter; in despair she jumped from a window and was killed; the young officer "afterwards served in America, and was shot at the head of his company." This is certainly the stuff of many ballads in the Index, but hardly seems to fit this one. Nevertheless, it seems to have a little of the story right. Apparently, real persons' names were incorrectly attached to the song, among them, "[by] Lord Stourton, on the strength of the lines, 'I'd crowns resign to call her mine,' argued that she could have been no other than Mrs Fitzherbert, whom George IV morganatically married" (I'Anson, p. 260). "[I]t was also suggested that the heroine was none other than the mysterious Hannah Lightfoot, the fair Quakeress who, under the aegis, it is said, of George III, then Prince of Wales, so suddenly and mysteriously disappeared" (idem). I'Anson exhausts the subject and asserts that "the real object of the song [was] the charming Frances I'Anson, ... daughter of a rich attorney ... [who] owned the ... residence [Hill House,] at Richmond [, Yorkshire]... Leonard MacNally, the Irish barrister, was her devoted admirer" (idem). Frances was '[b]orn on October 17, 1766, the only daughter of William, the wealthy attorney ...[and] she has been described as indeed very beautiful, a tall and graceful blonde, with brown hair, blue eyes, and an exquisite complexion." MacNally, son of a Catholic, was raised as a Protestant. "Tradition has it" that Frances's father opposed the match and she was "rusticated for a space at Hill House." While she was there MacNally sent her a copy of the verses in autumn 1786. "She could not resist this" (quoting correspondence). They were married in 1787, "we may assume, with the sanction of the parents of the bride." (Ibid. pp. 265-266.) I'Anson says more about Frances and Leonard - a later member of the United Irish Society and one of the counsel for Napper Tandy - but that has nothing to do with the song (ibid, p. 267). "The notice of the death of Mrs MacNally, 'The Lass of Richmond Hill,' appears in the 'Gentleman's Magazine' of October 1795" (ibid., p. 268). I'Anson goes on to prove by correspondence of the day that the composer of the song was this same Leonard MacNally, with the tune being by James Hook, musical director of Vauxhall Gardens from 1773 until 1820 (ibid., p. 261). "'Incledon, the incomparable ballad singer, was singing it to enthusiastic Vauxhall crowds in London at the time when the mob was storming the Bastille in Paris [July 1789]'" (ibid., p. 266). - BS Against all that set these observations by Kellett, pp. 100-101: The Lass of Richmond Hill was "popularly believed to be Frances l'Anson, born in Leyburn, Wenlseydale, in 1766. Her father, a lawyer, moved with his family to London in 1773, and Frances there married an Irish barrister, Leonard MacNally, in 1787. He wrote the words of the song Sweet Lass of Richmond Hill, and James Hook the melody. The tradition that Frances lived at Hill House, Richmond, North Yorkshire, is not supported by recent research -- and the idea may have arisen from the fact that her grandfather and mother had lived there. There is no evidence either to connect Frances with the southern Richmond, named after the Yorkshire town." - RBW Bibliography
(The) Mirror: "Sweet Lass of Richmond Hill" in The Mirror of Literature, Amusement and Instruction Vol. VII No. 295, July 15, 1826 ("Digitized by Google")
Kellett: Arnold Kellett, The Yorkshire Dictionary of Dialect, Tradition, and Folklore, revised edition, Smith Settle, 2002
I'Anson: J. Coventry I'Anson, "Sweet Lass of Richmond Hill" in Sylvanus Urban, editor, The Gentleman's Magazine Vol. CCXCVI, March 1904 ("Digitized by Google")
Pulleyn: "Sweet Lass of Richmond Hill" in William Pulleyn, The Etymological Compendium, Thomas Tegg, 1830 ("Digitized by Google")
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