Song selection 2
Sally Satterley, Huccaby Bridge, Dartmoor
Song Collection 2 Singing Women
Compiled by Shan Graebe
Baring-Gould did not believe that he had done a good job of collecting songs from women. He was probably unkind to himself in this respect. Certainly, he was less successful than Cecil Sharp, who was very good at gaining the confidence of women singers. Baring-Gould wrote an article for The Queen magazine in 1894 designed to encourage more women to get out and collect folk songs. In it he said:
“The songs sung by the old topers in public houses were of one sort, those sung by milkmaids were of another; I can collect the former in my own county, but the assistance of ladies is necessary for gleaning of the ballads formerly sung by those who rocked the cradle and milked the cows.
A woman is much more shy of singing before men, especially – “old-fashioned” songs, than is a man. She is humble-minded, as well as shy. She fears lest her songs, “silly trash they be,” as she deprecatingly says, should seem ridiculous, and make her seem ridiculous in the eyes of a man! But she will open out to a fellow woman, and here it is that a lady can do so much more than is possible for a man.”
There are over 100 songs in the collection which came from women singers, 60 of which were collected directly from women by Baring-Gould or his associates (the rest were sent to him). These associates included women such as Bertha Bidder of Stoke Fleming who introduced him to Mary Langworthy and other singers in the South Hams. He also took Lucy Broadwood to meet Jane Jeffrey in Dunterton. But on other occasions he went with a male colleague or even, occasionally, unchaperoned.
The selection of songs on this page were all sung by or learned from women and have been taken from the Personal Copy Manuscripts of Sabine Baring-Gould.
Each song is given in two forms:
1. A ‘singing copy’ edited by me. This consists of one set of words linked to one of the tunes.
2. As it appears in the handwritten manuscripts, with all Baring-Gould’s comments. This is as accurate as I can make it, given that there is often some unintelligibility and ambiguity in the handwriting. Note that the initials F.W.B. refer to Frederick Bussell and that H.Fl.S. refers to Henry Fleetwood Sheppard, Baring-Gould’s musical collaborators.
Among the Green Hay – P1.371 (330)
Sent to Baring-Gould by Miss F.J. Adams. Miss Adams remains a mystery at the moment as we have found no further information about her, though she sent Baring-Gould five songs, which he recorded in his manuscript.
Download ‘Singing Copy’ here
Download ‘Complete Copy’ here
Lord Thomas and Fair Eleanor – PC 3.375 (…)
Taken down from Sally Satterly. Baring-Gould writes about this song:
“Mr Bussell and I visited Huccaby to interview old Sally Satterly, who knew a number of songs. Her father was a notable singer and his old daughter, now a grandmother, remembered some of his songs. But old Sally could not sit down and sing. We found that the sole way in which we could extract the ballads from her was by following her about as she did her usual work. Accordingly we went after her when she fed the pigs, or got sticks from the firewood rick or filled a pail from the spring, pencil and notebook in hand, dotting down words and melody. Finally she did sit to peel some potatoes, when Mr Bussell with a manuscript music‑book in hand, seated himself on the copper. This position he maintained as she sang the ballad of “Lord Thomas and the Fair Eleanor”, till her daughter applied fire under the cauldron and Mr Bussell was forced to skip from his perch.”
Download ‘Singing Copy’ here
Download ‘Complete Copy’ here
The Loyal Lover – PC 1.189 (92)
Taken down from Anne Roberts of Scobbetor, near Widdecombe in the Moor. Baring-Gould writes:
“We had heard of a farmer’s wife at a place called Scobbetor, who could sing old ballads, so to her we went, and dropped in on her without premonition. She was greatly taken aback, and for some time would not open her lips. However at last she was persuaded to sing …”
Download ‘Singing Copy’ here
Download ‘Complete Copy’ here