Origins:Song about steeleye span (Horkstow Grange)

Subject: Lyr Req: Song ab out steeleye span
From: Larkin
Date: 01 Mar 07 - 12:35 PM

Hi great song oracles, I'm looking for a song which ~I think is called hawkstow grange

The chorus is

and pity those who saw him suffer pity poor old steeleye span
John Bowlines deeds will be remebered
John Bowlines deeds at hawkstow grange

Ta muchley
Martin

Subject: Lyr Add: HORKSTOW GRANGE
From: The Borchester Echo
Date: 01 Mar 07 - 12:39 PM

Horkstow Grange, sung by George Goulthorpe for Percy Grainger in 1908:

HORKSTOW GRANGE

In Horkstow Grange there lived an old miser,
You all do know him as I've heard say.
It's him and his man that was named John Bowlin'
They fell out one market day

Pity them who see him suffer,
Pity poor old Steeleye Span;
John Bowlin's deeds they will be remembered;
Bowlin's deeds at Horkstow Grange

With a blackthorn stick old Steeleye struck him,
Oftens had threatened him before;
John Bowlin' turned round all in a passion,
He knocked old Steeleye into t'floor.

Pity them who see him suffer,
Pity poor old Steeleye Span;
John Bowlin's deeds they will be remembered;
Bowlin's deeds at Horkstow Grange

John Bowlin' struck him qui-et sharply; (quite)
It happened to be on a market day.
Old Steeleye swore with all his vengeance,
He would swear his life away.

Pity them who see him suffer,
Pity poor old Steeleye Span;
John Bowlin's deeds they will be remembered;
Bowlin's deeds at Horkstow Grange.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Song ab out steeleye span
From: Larkin
Date: 01 Mar 07 - 12:57 PM

Thanks your ladyship

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Song ab out steeleye span
From: The Doctor
Date: 01 Mar 07 - 01:55 PM

Coope, Boyes and Simpson recorded it on Triple Echo.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Song ab out steeleye span
From: Larkin
Date: 01 Mar 07 - 02:28 PM

I might be wrong but I thought it had more verses.
martin

Subject: Origins:Song about steeleye span (Horkstow Grange)
From: Joe Offer
Date: 13 Sep 20 - 05:32 PM

Here's the Traditional Ballad Index entry:

Horkstow Grange

DESCRIPTION: Steeleye Span and "his man" John Bowlin' live on Horkstow Grange. They have an argument on a market day and Bowlin' beats Steeleye, reversing their previous experiences.
AUTHOR: J. S. Span
EARLIEST DATE: 1906 (OShaughnessy-Grainger)
KEYWORDS: fight farming
FOUND IN: Britain(England(Lond))
REFERENCES (1 citation):
OShaughnessy-Grainger 10, "Horkstow Grange" (1 text, 1 tune)
Roud #1760
ALTERNATE TITLES:
John Bowlin'
NOTES [50 words]: From OShaughnessy-Grainger p. 35: "In the manuscript is written: 'John Bowlin' was a foreman at a farm at Horkstow, and John Steeleye Span was waggoner under him. They fell out, and J. S. Span made these verses.' The text, however, seems to imply that Span was foreman over, or employer of, Bowlin'." - BS
Last updated in version 3.0
File: OSGr010

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The Ballad Index Copyright 2020 by Robert B. Waltz and David G. Engle.

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Here are the Digital Tradition lyrics. Any corrections?

HORKSTOW GRANGE (DT)

In Horkstow Grange there lived an old miser
You all do know him as I have heard say
It's him on his man that was named John Bowlin
And they fell out one market day

With a blackthorn stick old Steeleye struck him
As of times he had threatened before
John Bowlin turned round all in a passion
And knocked old Steeleye into the floor

Old Steeleye Span he was filled with John Bowlin
It happened to be on a market day
Old Steeleye swore with all his vengeance
He would swear his life away

Pity them who see him suffer
Pity poor old Steeleye Span
John Bowlin's deeds they will be remembered
Pity poor old Steeleye Span
Pity poor old Steeleye Span

The title track of Steeleye Span's album "Horkstow Grange" is the song which
gave
Steeleye Span its name. "We are still asked where the name of the band came
from,
so here it is…. Steeleye Span, a waggoner who ruined his life because of an
incident
with John Bowlin. Little did he know that his name would live on." –Peter
Words: Traditional English; Music: Peter Knight

filename[ HORKGRAN
JD
Feb07

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Joe sez: I question the one line, "Old Steeleye Span he was filled with John Bowlin." And I think "as of times" should be "as ofttimes."

Listen to this recording by Coope, Boyes, and Simpson. They sing "Old Steeleye Span he was felled by John Bowlin."
That makes a lot more sense.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=721ckB52JJQ

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And here is the recording by Steeleye Span: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hQvcjrDo8Lk
Note the different melody. It's clear that the DT lyrics are the Steeleye Span version.

Steeleye Span sing Horkstow Grange (from Mainly Norfolk)
In Horkstow Grange there lived an old miser You all do know him as I have heard say It's him on his man that was named John Bowlin And they fell out one market day With a blackthorn stick old Steeleye struck him As ofttimes he had threatened before John Bowlin turned round all in a passion And knocked old Steeleye into the floor Old Steeleye Span he was felled with John Bowlin It happened to be on a market day Old Steeleye swore with all his vengeance He would swear his life away Pity them who see him suffer Pity poor old Steeleye Span John Bowlin's deeds they will be remembered Pity poor old Steeleye Span Pity poor old Steeleye Span

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Song about steeleye span (Horkstow Grange
From: GeoffLawes
Date: 13 Sep 20 - 07:49 PM

I know that there are several field recordings of Horkstow Grange in the British Library Sound collection including Percy Grainger's 1908 recording of George Goulthorpe to which The Borchester Echo refers above -but I can't get to them using any of the links that I have previously used.I will try again,tomorrow, when I am not so tired but perhaps someone will get there first. I think I have listened to them on-line before.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Song about steeleye span (Horkstow Grange
From: GUEST,iains
Date: 14 Sep 20 - 07:22 AM

Horkstow is a village and civil parish in North Lincolnshire, England, 4 miles (6.4 km) south-west from Barton-upon-Humber, 1 mile (1.6 km) south from South Ferriby and 9 miles (14.5 km) north from Brigg. This is the same Brigg of Brigg Fair fame. It had it's first formal grant of a market in 1205 and it still survives, as does the annual fair. Brigg is very likely the market mentioned in the song.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Song about steeleye span (Horkstow Grange
From: GUEST,iains
Date: 14 Sep 20 - 07:37 AM

https://mainlynorfolk.info/joseph.taylor/songs/horkstowgrange.html

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Song about steeleye span (Horkstow Grange
From: Black belt caterpillar wrestler
Date: 14 Sep 20 - 08:51 AM

The Granny's Attic version is worth a listen. I don't know where their set of words came from.

Robin

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Song about steeleye span (Horkstow Grange
From: GUEST
Date: 15 Sep 20 - 06:29 AM

I think Shirley Collins and the Etchingham Steam Band did a version.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Song about steeleye span (Horkstow Grange
From: Steve Gardham
Date: 15 Sep 20 - 08:57 AM

As far as I can remember it is a one-off local piece so whilst there are lots of revival performances Gouldthorpe's song is unique in oral tradition and may even have been made up by him.

Ruairidh Greig would know more. I'll send him an email.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Song about steeleye span (Horkstow Grange
From: GUEST,iains
Date: 15 Sep 20 - 10:33 AM

As I lived for some years at Oxford Grange quite close to Horkstow Grange this thread has piqued my interest. The farmland that surrounded me was now owned by a very large farm with one of it's headquaters at Horkstow Hall. The nearest Grange to Horkstow is just outside the boundary to the north towards Ferriby sluice and the Humber. There is a lot of information on Horkstow researched by the University of Portsmouth. This would be a rich source to mine to research the characters in the song. Happy hunting!
https://www.visionofbritain.org.uk/unit/10425@979/boundary