The Doffin' Mistress was the overseer in a linen mill who took care of the young mill girls. Jennie Higgins shares her early memories of singing this Northern Irish industrial song with her sister, and the importance it has as an early song of female empowerment. In the same vein, we talk about Jennie's important work in supporting female artists through the Folky Union of Women, and her new mythbusting segment on the fantastic Thank Folk For Feminism podcast. IMPORTANT: Jennie is making an...

In 1845, Sir John Franklin set off on his doomed voyage to find the North West Passage and was never seen again. Said to be written by his wife Jane, it's the tragic love story that makes it a stand-out song to this episode's guests, Reg Meuross, David Harbottle and Freya Jonas. Featuring tracks from their album Songs of Love and Death, we talk about how the project developed from a lockdown collaboration into a fully fledged album and forthcoming tour. Along the way we talk song writing...

This short ballad fragment from New England is a remnant of a lively strand of folklore going back 850 years. The characters are real but the stories are fanciful, so buckle up for a wild ride and a gratuitous quantity of early music. Music The Lamentable Ballad of Fair Rosamond on the English Broadside Ballad Archive - to the tune of Chevy Chase Sainte Nicholaes by Godric of Finchale (11th Century) - find out more here O Viridissima Virga by Hildegard von Bingen (12th Century) Summer...

There's a lot going on in this American folk song  - a lost love, a fight, jail and a miscarriage of justice. This is a song that has wandered its way around the Southern and Western states of the US and was popularised by Burl Ives. It's found in several versions, including one sung by Vikki Appleton Fielden's mother, which has some unique features. Vikki and I talk about memories of her mother who learned the song at a coffee house and sang it at concerts and family gatherings alike. We...

How did an English song of love and loss vanish completely, only to pop up in a remote part of the Appalachian mountains as one of their many "love songs"? In tracing its story we come across the colourful characters who played a part in bringing it to the wider world. We cross the water in the cramped steerage quarters of a transatlantic sailing ship, and fly back over the ocean on the wings of a little bird to find an older song that may have been its source. Music The first verse of...

A selection of songs and tunes from Season 1, to take you through to the New Year. 1. The Airy Bachelor, collected by Herbert Hughes (Episode 5) 2. Rondo Minuet in Gm, Purcell (Episode 3) 3. John Barleycorn, traditional, sung by Lynne Morley (Episode 2) 4. En amours n'a si non bien, anonymous (Episode 3) 5. Nine Herbs Charm, written and performed by Henry Parker (Episode 7) 6. Death and the Lady (Instrumental), traditional, performed by Chris Nelson (Episode 6) 7. She Moved Through the Fair,...

This song is traditionally sung  on Christmas Eve in the Outer Hebrides. Here, we have the full text of this long outpouring of Christmas joy, of which only three or four verses are usually sung today. The introduction is a variant of the tune, a lovely version of which can be found here. For the long reading of the full text, I've made some stylistic edits to the English translation found on Wikipedia, the original being in Scottish Gaelic. The harp music that accompanies it is mainly...

The Brisk Lad is a 19th Century Dorset song of defiance in the face of poverty. Henry Parker transports it to the bleak moors of his native West Yorkshire in spectacular folk-rock style. We talk about the song's origins and significance, and about the influence that the landscape and the seasons have on his own song writing. Along the way we discuss his journey from heavy metal to folk, the golden age of folk-rock, and Henry shares the recipe for a balm to soothe all your ailments - the 10th...

When a feisty young lady squares up for a battle with Death there can be only one winner, and therein lies the essence of tragedy. But just as importantly, what does Death's voice sound like? DOES HE TALK LIKE THIS? Chris and I talk about this most unsettling of English folk songs and discuss plagues, from the Black Death to the impact of Covid on folk musicians. We also chat about the folk stage show Avondale, which tells the true story of Kate Fitzpatrick, a mysterious inmate of the...

Is She Moved Through the Fair really a folk song, or is it an early 20th Century parlour song?  The answer to this question takes us deep into Irish social and cultural history and we meet some colourful characters along the way. But our journey's end is a cottage fireside where, in the space of just a few minutes, a woman and two men unwittingly sparked a musical phenomenon. Music In addition to She Moved Through the Fair, this episode includes the following music: The opening music is...

It's our spooky Halloween special featuring a notorious coven of witches, but today's song is also about a hill that dominates the landscape, a brooding character in the daily lives of those who live beneath its shadow. Peter grew up under Pendle Hill and it's been with him throughout his life, so this song has a strong personal connection. We talk about the Pendle witches and some of the more unnerving aspects of Pendle Hill itself; we also chat about learning to sing by jumping in at the...

Barbara Allen is the most widely travelled ballad in the English speaking world and exists in many different versions. In today’s show we follow the story of this remarkable ballad, finding its roots in colonial America, Transylvania and Ancient Greece, and listening to just a few of its many versions. Ancient lyre music is included by kind permission of Michael Levy. Do visit his website at https://michaellevy.bandcamp.com/  Music  Intro music is a version of Barbara Allen from Goathland,...

In today’s episode, Lynne Morley and I chat about learning folk songs at school, modal music and the legend of Beowulf. Today’s song is perhaps the ultimate English folk song John Barleycorn and we have a good go at teasing out its origins. Is it an ancient pagan myth, a Christian hymn of death and resurrection or a good old drinking song? We may never know, and perhaps it’s a bit of all three. In any event, we have lots to say about this song we’ve both loved since childhood. Music The...

In our first episode we delve into the mystery of that enigmatic song fragment, Flandyke Shore. Made famous in modern times by the wonderful Nic Jones, this song has a long history going back to the 17th Century, and draws on even older themes. Handed Down is written, presented and performed by Jenny Shaw. Thank you to Stones Barn, Cumbria, and the wider Stones Barn community for starting me on this journey and encouraging me along the way. Stones Barn runs fantastic singing and traditional...

Handed Down is launching soon! Here's what we've got in store...