Daniel Morgan - folk singer

Subject: RE: Daniel Morgan - folk singer
From: GUEST,MidlandsMorg
Date: 03 Mar 20 - 05:56 AM

Two years too late but just in case Ray is getting notifications from this thread... Daniel Morgan the folk singer is my husband's 2nd Great Grandfather. He was born to William Morgan and Peggy Skerry in Abingdon 1855. Married ELizabeth Davis in 1875, they were living with half a dozen children in a tent on Liddiard Plain, Swindon in 1891. My husbands Great Grandfather is their eldest son Daniel born 1883.

Subject: RE: Daniel Morgan - folk singer
From: BanjoRay
Date: 18 Jan 18 - 10:48 AM

Thanks for that R Tim - excellent stuff!

Subject: RE: Daniel Morgan - folk singer
From: RTim
Date: 18 Jan 18 - 09:21 AM

This is the information contained in the Williams Manuscript;

Note 1:
William, Alfred: Ms / WGS / FSUT: 'A very old song, formerly popular in north Wiltshire, especially around Braydon, where it is still sung by the local traveller and dealer, Daniel Morgan. Morgan's great grandfather was a squire, and he disinherited his son and also attempted to shoot him, lying in wait for him three days and nights with a loaded gun, because he courted a pretty gypsy girl. In spite of the squire's opposition, however, his son married the gypsy lass and left home to travel with his wife's kindred and earn his living by dealing, and attending markets and fairs. Daniel Morgan, of whom I obtained Sir Rylas, is a keen, witty and extremely vivacious man. He lives amid the woods of Braydon, the relic of the once large forest of that name, in which the famous Fulke Fitzwarrene is said to have defied the King at the time of the Barons' War. I have spent pleasant hours in the cottage, during the dark winter evenings, listening to the old man's songs, which he sang sitting on a low stool cutting out clothes pegs from green withy, while his wife sat opposite making potato nets. The 'I an dan dilly' etc is meant to interpret the sound of the bugle horn.'

Note 2

In the Indexes and Berkshire folder in the archive are a series of sheets which are usually written on both sides. This variation, the context is that it is from a lecture, on the above is there:

Williams, Alfred: Ms: It was here [Bradon Wood] that I found one of my most curious songs: Bold Sir Rylas, this was sung by an old gipsy dealer [kind of gipsy - crossed out] DAN MORGAN who lived in the forest. They say that his great grandfather was a squire, and that he disinherited his son and tried to shoot him lying in wait for him for three days and nights with loaded pistols because he courted a pretty gipsy girl. In spite of his father's opposition, however, the young man married the gipsy lass and left home and joined his wife's people: he got his living by dealing and trading at the markets and fairs. I found him busy making [?] and mole traps while his wife made nets. They told me it was potato nets but I thought they were more likely rabbit nets or fishing nets because you don't see potato nets 20 yards long over holes in banks and mounds.

Subject: RE: Daniel Morgan - folk singer
From: RTim
Date: 17 Jan 18 - 09:34 PM

The link above will take you eventually to a full Bio and important dates and places for Morgan....fill your boots..........
see - https://history.wiltshire.gov.uk/community/getfolkbio.php?collect_from=Morgan,%20Daniel


Tim Radford

Subject: RE: Daniel Morgan - folk singer
From: RTim
Date: 17 Jan 18 - 09:29 PM

Daniel Morgan was a singer collected by Alfred Williams, and Morgan lived at Bradon Wood Lane near Brinkworth, Wiltshire - actually - Braydon Wood. Williams collected 7 songs from him, and they appear in Folk Songs of The Upper Thames.

More information may be available at the following website - https://history.wiltshire.gov.uk/community/getfolk.php?id=734


Tim Radford

Subject: Daniel Morgan - folk singer
From: BanjoRay
Date: 17 Jan 18 - 08:33 PM

Who knows anything about an old Wiltshire folk singer called Daniel Morgan, apparently the source of a few old songs like "Spencer The Rover". I've just heard that his daughter was my grandfather's first wife, but not related to me, unfortunately.

Ray