LyrReq: Howfen Wakes

Subject: LyrReq: Howfen Wakes
From: GUEST,Guest
Date: 10 Feb 22 - 06:32 PM

I’m looking for accurate lyrics to Howfen Wakes. I think I can get most of what The Houghton Weavers are singing when listening to it but some bits I’m not sure about, such as the first line: ‘Hey lads, hang your thoughts. Nay, I’ve not fought yet’ in Lancashire dialect (‘thowts/fowt’ etc.)? https://youtu.be/I4gZnvrmexc

Subject: RE: LyrReq: Howfen Wakes
From: GUEST,henryp
Date: 11 Feb 22 - 04:45 AM

From: scowie Date: 08 Dec 09 - 04:20 AM

Charmain, the PROPER song is not "Howfen Fair" but "Turton Fair". Turton is to the north-east of Bolton and had a substantial cattle fair in its day. It was also reknowned for clog fighting, and is where most of Bolton Wanders footballers came from when The Wanderers won trophies in the early days of the football league, I think the two facts are related. My late father remembers going as a lad, a certain group, I believe altered the song to fit their locality.

"Turton Fair" from lyricsbox

It's just twelve months this last back end
Sin' Aw went Turton Fair,
An' if Aw ne'er go there again,
Ah think I've Had mi share.
In some pubs there was feetin'
While others rung wi' glee;
An' Turton fowk they looked as if
They were ready for a spree.

CHORUS
Now lads, 'an yo fowt?
Nay we'n not fowt yet
Come and gather round us
And we'll muster up a set.

We'll lay our clugs abaht 'em
We'll make 'em gawp an' stare.
We'll show 'em streight they'll 'ave ter feight
If they come to Turton Fair

There were one owd chap who'd getten drunk
While drivin' beasts dahn street,
An owd bull come and poked his horn
Right in his breeches seat.
It tossed him up in to the air
He come down with a roar
And sat him down in t'horses' trough
To soothe away his sore.

Then he saw a suckin' cauve
It were tied to t' rail
He went an' clogged this suckin' cauve
Three punces under t' tail
He punced that poor thing rahnd about
'Til it could barely see
He said "Ah'll 'ave revenge for what
Thy fayther did to me!"

This song is from the album "Folk Songs Of Lancashire".

Subject: RE: LyrReq: Howfen Wakes
From: GUEST,henryp
Date: 11 Feb 22 - 05:05 AM

12 April 2001 I refer to the request by W F G Crozier of Middlesex, in last Friday's [Bolton] Evening News, for more background to the line of verse he remembers about 'Turton Fair'.

The words he remembers are the last four lines of the first verse of the dialect song 'Turton Fair'.

The area known as 'Turton' originally stems from the Manor land holdings associated with Turton Tower, and extend from Timberbottom (in Bradshaw) to the south, almost to Belmont to the north, and from Sharples in the west to Bradshaw and Edgworth to the east. When Turton Urban District Council was formed circa 1895, it took in outline villages of Belmont, Egerton, Harwood, Quarlton, Edgworth and Entwistle, and spread the use of the area title 'Turton'. With the abolition of Turton UDC in 1974, and the former Urban District split between Bolton north, and Blackburn south, the area has begun to lose its association with the name 'Turton'.

The centre of 'Turton' has always been the village of Chapeltown, and is known by both names. Historically, there appears to have been a Fair at Turton from time out of mind, held in September, it seems to have drawn great numbers of people to drink and see the side shows. It had apparently lost much of that vigour by the 1920s and had become an agricultural Fair, held on what is now the Old Boltonians Football Field. The agricultural Fair seems to have died out by the early 1950s. I do not know the age of the poem, but reflected in its verses are the "puncing matches" by men in "clugs" -- and the connection with the Cattle Fair reflected in the rather pointed line "An owd bull come and poked his horn Right in his breeches seat".

Turton Fair - words as above

(Submitted on behalf of the Chapeltown Conservation Group)

Michael Morgan, Overhouses, Turton

Subject: RE: LyrReq: Howfen Wakes
From: GUEST,Guest
Date: 11 Feb 22 - 11:19 AM

Thanks for such a quick and detailed response. I think The Houghton Weavers have changed the words around a bit but that first line threw me, I didn’t realise they were using the archaic dialect ‘han’ ’ for ‘have’. Most of the rest of the song makes sense now but do they mean ‘beat’ when they sing ‘byit’ (I byit that calf till it could hardly see) and ‘tugs’ when they say ‘whistlers’ (I gid that calf three whistlers on its tail)?

Subject: RE: LyrReq: Howfen Wakes
From: GUEST,MaJoC the Filk
Date: 11 Feb 22 - 12:43 PM

> clog fighting

Exclamation: "So *that*'s where The Cloggies came from!" says I. I'm glad to see the inglorious tradition is being kept up by the Lancre Morris team.

Subject: RE: LyrReq: Howfen Wakes
From: GUEST,henryp
Date: 11 Feb 22 - 01:50 PM

byit = beat? Sounds right, words which have single vowels today were often diphthongs.

whistlers = tugs? Perhaps punces/punches.

I am setting off for Westhoughton to see the Oldham Tinkers tonight. I'll keep my ears open!