Lyr Req: Brisk Young Country Lady

Subject: It's of a brisk young country lady
From: Gin Crewe
Date: 11 Jan 05 - 05:45 PM

Words or sources required, please. The theme as far as I know is of the BYCL running away with her lover and either he is or they are driven by, "a handsome coachman!"

Subject: Brake of Briars??
From: Joe Offer
Date: 12 Jan 05 - 02:52 AM

Hmmm. The only mention of the song that I could find was at folktrax.org, and I can't really understand the listing:

BRAKE OF BRIARS, THE - or BRAMBLE BRIAR, THE - "In Bruton Town (BT) there lives a farmer" "A famous farmer as you shall hear" - Servant man courts their sister so brothers go out and kill him - her lover appears murdered to her in a dream - accuses brothers and they flee - LAWS #M-32 ABBB 1957 pp196-7 - ROUD#18 - SHARP- MARSON FSS 1 pp24-25 & pp62-3 Mrs Overd, Langport, Somerset 1904 (notes on song) "BT" - SHARP Sel Ed 1921 1 pp4-5 (text heavily edited) - SHARP-KARPELES CSC 1974 #61 pp280-282 Mrs Overd/ George Whitcombe, Westbury, Somerset 1907 (m/o) "BT" - GILLINGTON SOR pp10-11 (gypsies) Hampsh "The Brake of Briars" - JFSS 2:6 1905 pp42-3 Sharp: Mrs Overd - JFSS 5:19 1915 pp123-7 Sharp: George Whitcombe, Meare, Somerset 1906-7 (notes) "In Strawberry Town"/ Lucy Broadwood: Mrs Joiner, Chiswell Green, Hertfordshire 1914 "Lord Burling's Sister" (full text) - PENGUIN BEFS 1959 pp24-25 Lucy Broadwood: Mrs Joiner, Chiswell Green, Hertfordsh 1914 - REEVES EC 1960 pp105-6 Gardiner: George Digweed, Micheldever, Hampsh 1906 "A Famous Farmer" - PURSLOW WS 1968 p79 Gardiner: George Digweed (w) & Mrs Randall (m), Preston Candover, Hampsh 1906 "The Murdered Servant Man" - ED&S 37:1 1975 p20 Sibella Bonham- Carter: Henry Mitchell, Buriton, Hampsh 1938 "The Cruel Brothers" - McCOLL-SEEGER 1977 p106 Carolyne Hughes & Nelson Ridley (gypsies) "The Brake of Briars" - PALMER EBECS 1979 RVW: nn, Poolend, Hertfordsh 1913 "It's of a farmer" - RICHARDS-STUBBS EFS 1979 p94 "Strawberry Town" from Sharp Ms - STEWART 1977 p48-9 - HENRY SOP #806 - Cf BOCACCIO & Keats "Isabella & the pot of basil" - BRISK YOUNG COUNTRY LADY - another version of story see CONSTANT FARMER'S SON --- SHARP EFSSA 1917/32 #48 (vol 1 pp310-311) 4var: Mrs Stella Shelton, Alleghany NC 1916/ Mrs Gosnell, Allenstand, NC 1916 (1v w/m)/ Mrs Rosie Hensley, Carmen, NC 1916/ Mrs Jane Gentry, Hot Springs NC 1916 (1v w/m)/ Mrs Eliza Pace, Hyden Co, Ky 1917/ Mrs Mollie Broughton, Barbourville, Knox Co, Ky 1917 (1v w/m)/ Hillard Smith, Hindman, Knott Co, Ky 1917 (1v w/m)/ Mrs Laurel Wheeler, Buena Vista, Va 1918 (1v w/m)/ Mrs Sina Boone, Shoal Creek, Burnsville, NC 1918 (1v w/m) "In Seaport Town" - COX FSS 1921 #88 p305 (2var) - HENRY 1938 p161 Mrs Samuel Harmon Tenn 1930 - EDDY Ohio 1939 p85 - GARDNER-CHICKERING 1939 p59 Lamberton Ms Michigan (w/o) "The Apprentice Boy" - BELDEN Mo 1940 p 109/ Modern Language Assoc 33:327 - BREWSTER BSI 1940 pp193-195 Mrs A J Hopkins/ Tollie Toole, Ind 1935 - RANDOLPH OFS 1946 1 pp380-2 Doney Hammontree, Ark 1941 "The Jealous Brothers" - BROWN NC 1952-62 p62 2 & 4 - HUBBARD BSFU 1961 pp49-50 Mrs Elizabeth Jensen Utah 1947 "The Branbury Briars" (Near Portsman Town") - MOORE BFSW 1964 Mrs Opal Walker Okl -- - A L "Bert" LLOYD rec by AL & PK, London 22/4/51: 056/ 7" RTR-0058: 056/ RIVERSIDE RLP 12-629 1956 (Famly version) "The Bramble Briar" - Carolyne & John HUGHES (gypsies) rec by PK, Blandford, Dorset 1968: 043 & Carolyne solo talk before 143 "Brake of Briars" - Tim HART & Maddy PRIOR (dulc): B & C CREST-23 1968/76/ CASS 45-0853 - STEELEYE SPAN: BOULEVARD BD-3004 1979 - Sandy DENNY: ISLAND HNBX-5301 1985 "BT" - Sally Ann HUMPHRIES in Martin Carthy's Song Workshop on Radio 2 rec 12/6/91 CASS-1019

Subject: RE: It's of a brisk young country lady
From: Malcolm Douglas
Date: 12 Jan 05 - 02:53 AM

That's quite an obscure one. Two sets in The Journal of the Folk Song Society, vol V, (issue 19) 1915, pp 128-130; one in A E Gillington, Songs of the Open Road, 1911, pp 10-11. The third example is an odd thing, grafted onto part of The Brake of Briars (Bruton Town) as a rather incongruous prologue. Number 2645 in the Roud Folk Song Index.

Where did you hear about it? I can post a version, but it won't be for a day or so.

Subject: RE: It's of a brisk young country lady
From: Malcolm Douglas
Date: 12 Jan 05 - 03:01 AM

Peter Kennedy's lists are specialised and not designed for the casual user; confusing if you don't already know what all the abbreviations are, and can be misleading for the unwary; I honestly believe that it's best not to copy them here. The above is a particular case in point, as not a single song named has anything whatever to do with the song Gin asked about; except for the one I mentioned, which doesn't really belong with the song it was bolted onto.

Subject: RE: It's of a brisk young country lady
From: GUEST,nutty
Date: 12 Jan 05 - 06:11 AM

I'm sure that there is a copy of this on a Bodleian Library Broadside.
Unfortunately, the ballad site seems to be down at present so I can't check

Subject: RE: It's of a brisk young country lady
From: GUEST,Flintlock
Date: 12 Jan 05 - 07:36 AM

Begad, I knew a fair few brisk country fillies in me time!

Subject: RE: It's of a brisk young country lady
From: GUEST,pavane
Date: 12 Jan 05 - 08:59 AM

I am also having trouble with the Bodley site. Although I can search it, it often doesn't seem to return the selected picture to me.

This has only been happening in the last couple of days, and I am not sure whether it is a problem at my end or theirs.

Subject: RE: It's of a brisk young country lady
From: Gin Crewe
Date: 12 Jan 05 - 07:07 PM

I got 4 verses from Lol Lynch who occasionally arranges music for us- he does lovely arrangements but I have been awaiting the rest of the words for nearly a year and I am dying to sing it out! I found the folktrax mention and it made no sense to me, either.
many thanks for the help.

Does anyone remember Lol Lynch?

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Brisk Young Country Lady
From: Jim Dixon
Date: 23 Jan 05 - 01:28 PM

Bodleian Library Broadside Ballads site is working fine now.

I found a several brisk young bachelors, farmers, labourer boys, lads, and sailors, but no country lady.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Brisk Young Country Lady
From: Malcolm Douglas
Date: 23 Jan 05 - 01:39 PM

I don't know of any broadside text, but I'd be surprised if none were ever issued. There may simply be none in the larger collections.

If "Gin" would like to quote a few lines from memory, that should tell me which of the Journal examples is needed. They differ in content, and have different tunes.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Brisk Young Country Lady
From: Gin Crewe
Date: 24 Apr 05 - 05:36 PM

Better late than never- I didn't pick up your kind offer because of various frenetic stresses at work...sorry
"Drive on, drive on, you handsome coachman,
And may your horses show no fear,
It's... 9 something about time I think)

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Brisk Young Country Lady
From: Malcolm Douglas
Date: 24 Apr 05 - 07:17 PM

Probably Mrs Sebbage's set, then. I'll dig it out on my next day off.

Subject: Lyr/Tune Add: THE BRISK YOUNG COUNTRY LADY
From: Malcolm Douglas
Date: 27 Apr 05 - 02:47 AM

THE BRISK YOUNG COUNTRY LADY

or, THE ACCOMPLISHED YOUNG LADY

(Sung by Miss Edith Sebbage, Trotton, Sussex, 1911. Noted by Miss D J Marshall)

It's of a brisk young country lady,
Up to London she did go;
She fell in love with a jolly sailòr,
His canvas trousers as white as snow.

His cheeks were like two blooming roses,
In summer they did fade and blow,
Saying "I do love my jolly sailor,
And dare not let my parents know.

Drive on, drive on, my handsome coachman,
They are my horses, you need not fear,
It's now twenty minutes past eleven,
At the hour of twelve we must be there!"

See how they whipped and spurred their horses
Through every town as they rode through,
With a golden band hanging round her middle,
And a foot-boy after her like lightning flew.

They drove her up in twenty minutes,
Which caused those horses to sweat and die,
And the people being so much alarmèd
All for the lady they did cry.

The King, he having so well regarded,
Saying, "She shall wed her sailor bold,
She shall wed her jolly sailor,
For no two such lovers were ever known!"

She took her garment from her middle,
And gently folded it all on her arm,
Saying "The first shall touch is my jolly sailor,
And his life shall be at my command."


Journal of the Folk-Song Society, vol V (issue 19), 1915, 129.

Miss Sebbage worked as a servant. She had learned the song from her mother ("now Mrs Stemp") at Trotton. Lucy Broadwood noted that the tune was of the Mermaid type, and thought that both versions (the other was from Mrs Emily Joiner of Chiswell Green, Hertfordshire) "seem to derive from the same corrupt source, probably a broadside put together from oral tradition. The ballad as it stands" she added, "is delightfully mysterious."


X:1
T:The Brisk Young Country Lady
T:The Accomplished Young Lady
S:Miss Edith Sebbage, Trotton, Sussex, 1911; learned from her mother, Mrs Stemp.
Z:Noted by Miss D J Marshall
B:Journal of the Folk-Song Society, vol V (19), 1915, 129
L:1/8
Q:1/4=100
M:4/4
K:C
G2|G2 G2 (GA) B2|c3 c c G2 z|
w:It's of a brisk_ young coun-try la-dy,
c3 c c2 G2|E2 G2 D2 z G|
w:Up to Lon-don she did go; She
C2 E2 G2 E C|c G B2 A2 z G|
w:fell in love with a jol-ly sai-lor, His
G2 G2 G2 (3(FD) B,|C2 C2 C2|]
w:can-vas trou-sers_ as white as snow.