June Tabor- Coast

Subject: June Tabor- Coast
From: GUEST,Lavengro
Date: 02 May 13 - 10:13 AM

The link below is to BBC I player. Not sure how long it will remain active, but if you go to 41 minutes in, there is a an interesting 4-5 minute segment with herself.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/b01s59mm/Coast_Series_8_Rivers_and_Seas_Collide/

Subject: RE: June Tabor- Coast
From: GUEST,PeterC
Date: 02 May 13 - 10:48 AM

Yes, excellent - saw it live!

Subject: RE: June Tabor- Coast
From: GUEST,Azoic
Date: 02 May 13 - 11:51 AM

I am not able to access this here in the u.s.Can you please describe June Tabor's part in this program?Thanks

Subject: RE: June Tabor- Coast
From: GUEST,Lavengro
Date: 02 May 13 - 12:45 PM

Sorry about that. I had no idea iplayer was not available outside the UK.

Basically she sings The Brean Lament which is about sailors lost in the Severn Estury between Wales and the south west of England. I found it quite poignant as she delivers it both from the shore at Brean and from inside a church.

The programme (and herself) talk about the 15 meter tides and the (locally) well known vagaries of the tides and rips causing bodies to be washed out and returned, and of unknown sailors being washed up and given a burial outside the wall of the church. The reason? Apparently people believed that the sea might reclaim the bodies and they did not want villagers bodies being taken with them. It was custom to bury the footwear of victims below the tide line in the hope that that would satisfy the seas need to reclaim what was washed ashore.

The sea reclaiming might sound fanciful, but the Severn Estury did have (not mentioned in the show) a Tsunami (in the 1600's) that, amongst other things churned up some burials?

As I said, sorry, as the hearing and seeing is better than the telling!

Subject: RE: June Tabor- Coast
From: Newport Boy
Date: 02 May 13 - 05:06 PM

A good episode of 'Coast' despite the over-dramatisation by some of the presenters. June Tabor's spot was excellent.

Episodes of 'Coast' usually stay available for quite a while.

The 1606/07 tsunami is fiercely disputed - I favour the storm surge myself. The flood coincided exactly with the normal high tide time and one account records it as only being 5 feet above the evening tide that day - not exceptional for the Severn.

The flood levels marked on the various churches either side of the Severn are impressive - just below the 2.5-mile Second Severn Crossing, the flooded area would have been over 10 miles wide.

Phil

Subject: RE: June Tabor- Coast
From: Keith A of Hertford
Date: 03 May 13 - 02:59 AM

I saw it too, and was surprised at the customs which I think are unique to that region.
Certainly in nearby Devon and Cornwall sailors were buried in the churchyard.

Subject: RE: June Tabor- Coast
From: Joe Offer
Date: 03 May 13 - 03:04 AM

MGAS has been sending me episodes of this excellent "Coast" series. I wish it were available in the US. I buy every every episode of the BBC Nature Series, and I'd gladly buy the "Coast" series if it were available here.
-Joe-