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The Rose of Allendale

[ Roud 1218 ; Ballad Index SWMS257 ; DT ALANDAL ; Mudcat 40326 ; words Charles Jefferys, music Sidney Nelson]

The Copper Family: The Copper Family Song Book Mary and Nigel Hudleston: Songs of the Ridings Gale Huntington: Songs the Whalemen Sang

Many regard The Rose of Allendale as a traditional song but in fact it is an English parlour song written by Charles Jefferys and set to music by Sidney Nelson in 1836.

The Rose of Allendale is best known from the repertoire of the Copper Family, a “favourite song of Bob Copper’s great-uncle Tom, and the family believe that he would have been singing it in the late 1830s”. They recorded it in 1971 for their 4 LP box set on the Leader label, A Song for Every Season, again in 2005 for Songlinks 2: A Celebration of English Traditional Songs and Their American Variants, and as the Young Coppers in 2007 for their CD Passing Out. According to Malcolm Douglas, all arrangements of the song recorded by revival performers “ are based upon [the Copper’s] modification of it, which is a great deal more interesting, musically, than the original”.

Gale Huntington included The Rose of Allendale in the section “Parlor Songs That Went to Sea” of his book Songs the Whalemen Sang (Barre Publishing, 1964). His text is based on three very similar versions in the journals of the ships Cortes (1847), Euphrasia (1849), and Minervat Smythe (1852). Jeff Davis sang this as the American version of The Rose of Allendale on Songlinks 2.

Oak learned The Rose of Allendale from the singing of the Copper Family. They performed it on 19 December 1972 at their final gig which took place at the Down River Folk Club, King William IV, Walthamstow. This recording was included in 2003 on their Musical Traditions anthology Country Songs and Music.

Nic Jones sang The Rose of Allendale in a BBC Radio 1 John Peel Session recorded on 19 April 1977 and broadcast on 26 April 1977, and in a BBC “Folk on  2” session recorded on 1 March 1981. The latter recording was included in his CD In Search of Nic Jones. He also sang lead vocals on The Rose of Allandale—as it is spelled there—on his, Tony Rose and Pete and Chris Coe’s cw1978 albumLP Bandoggs. This recording was included in 2002 on the Topic anthology, The Acoustic Folk Box.

The Ripley Wayfarers sang The Rose of Allendale on their 1985 album Down the Road.

Home Service sang The Rose of Allendale in 1986 on their Making Waves album Alright Jack. They learned it “from the Copper Family of Sussex, via Nic Jones of Essex”.

Fred Jordan sang The Rose of Allendale in a recording made by Ian Russell that was releases in 1991 on his EFDSS cassette In Course of Time and in 2003 on his Veteran anthology A Shropshire Lad. Rod Stradling noted in the booklet of the Oak anthology mentioned above:

Fred Jordan heard us do it, remembered a local choir singing it when he was a kid, and promptly added it to his repertoire.

Mick Bisiker sang The Rose of Allendale in 1991 on his Fellside CD Home Again.

Graham Metcalfe sang Allendale, “a Victorian parlour ballad worthy of any singers collection”, in 1996 on his WildGoose CD Songs From Yorkshire and Other Civilisations.

Martin Simpson played the tune of The Rose of Allendale in 1997 on his instrumental album Cool & Unusual.

Beryl Graeme sang The Rose of Allandale on her 1999 album Moth to a Flame.

Alistair Russell sang The Rose of Allandale on his 2002 album A19.

Ivan Drever sang Rose of Allandale on his 2004 album Tradition. He noted:

I first heard this from the singing of the excellent Mary Black. Whether the song title is about the town in Hexhamshire or somewhere in Scotland is open to question. It was written by Charles Jeffreys and Sidney Nelson in the 1840s.

Jiig sang The Rose of Allendale in 2005 on their eponymous album Jiig. Ian Robb noted:

I learned the song from an old recording of the extraordinary English singer Nic Jones, who I believe learned it from the Copper family. An unapologetically flowery but elegant text coupled with a gorgeous melody, it never fails to leave a lump in my throat when I sing it.

Rayna Geliert’s beautiful old time waltz, Swannanoa, played unconventionally here in F, just flowed right off the end of the song.

Bram Taylor sang The Rose of Allendale in 2007 on his Fellside CD Song Singer.

Jon Boden, Paul Sartin and Sam Sweeney sang The Rose of Allendale as the 15 June 2011 entry of Jon’s project A Folk Song a Day. Boden also sang it in 2024 on his Hudson album with the Remnant Kings, Parlour Ballads. He noted in his blog:

I first heard this from The Copper family, and it’s probably the song I come back to most when trying to think of a good chorus song to sing.

Andy Turner sang Rose of Allendale as the 25 July 2014 entry of his project A Folk Song a Week.

Lyrics

The Copper Family sing The Rose of Allendale

The morn was fair, the sky was clear, no breath came over the sea
When Mary left her highland cot and wandered forth with me.
Though flowers decked the mountain side and fragrance filled the vale,
By far the sweetest flower there was the Rose of Allendale.

Chorus:
Sweet Rose of Allendale, sweet Rose of Allendale,
By far the sweetest flower there was the Rose of Allendale.

Where e’er I wandered east or west though fate began to lour,
A solace still was she to me in sorrow’s lonely hour.
When tempests lashed my lonely barque and rent the quivering sail,
One maiden form withstood the storm, ’twas the Rose of Allendale.

Chorus:
Sweet Rose of Allendale, sweet Rose of Allendale,
One maiden form withstood the storm, ’twas the Rose of Allendale.

And when my fevered lips were parched on Africa’s burning sands
She whispered hopes of happiness and tales of distant lands.
My life has been a wilderness, unblessed by fortune’s gale,
Had fate not linked my lot to hers, the Rose of Allendale.

Chorus:
Sweet Rose of Allendale, sweet Rose of Allendale,
Had fate not linked my love to hers, the Rose of Allendale.

Nic Jones sings The Rose of Allendale

Oh the morn was fair, the sky was clear, no breath came over the sea
When Mary left her highland home and wandered forth with me.
Though flowers decked the mountain side and fragrance filled the vale,
By far the sweetest flower there was the Rose of Allendale.

Chorus:
Sweet Rose of Allendale, sweet Rose of Allendale,
By far the sweetest flower there was the Rose of Allendale.

Where e’er I wandered to the east or to the west and fate began to lour,
A solace still was she to me in sorrow’s lonely hour.
Though tempests wrecked my lonely barque and they rent the quivering sails,
One maiden form withstood the storm, was the Rose of Allendale.

Chorus:
Sweet Rose of Allendale, sweet Rose of Allendale,
One maiden form withstood the storm was the Rose of Allendale.

And it’s when my fever lips were parched on Africa’s burning sands
She whispered hopes of happiness and tales of foreign lands.
My life had been a wilderness, unblessed by fortune’s gale,
Had fate not linked my lot to her, sweet Rose of Allendale.

Chorus:
Sweet Rose of Allendale, sweet Rose of Allendale,

Bandoggs sing The Rose of Allendale

Oh the sky was clear, the morn was fair, no breath came over the sea
When Mary left her highland home and wandered forth with me.
Though flowers decked the mountain side and fragrance filled the vale,
By far the sweetest flower there was the Rose of Allendale.

Chorus:
Sweet Rose of Allendale, sweet Rose of Allendale,
By far the sweetest flower there was the Rose of Allendale.

Where e’er I wandered to the east and to the west and fate began to lour,
A solace still was she to me in sorrow’s lonely hour.
Though Tempest wrecked my lonely barque and they rent the quivering sails,
One maiden form withstood the storm, was the Rose of Allendale.

Chorus:
Sweet Rose of Allendale, sweet Rose of Allendale,
One maiden form withstood the storm was the Rose of Allendale.

And when my fevered lips were parched on Africa’s burning sands
She whispered hopes of happiness and tales of foreign lands.
My life has been a wilderness, unblessed by fortune’s gale,
Had fate not linked my lot to her, sweet Rose of Allendale.

Chorus:
Sweet Rose of Allendale, sweet Rose of Allendale,
Had fate not linked my love to her, sweet Rose of Allendale.

Home Service sing The Rose of Allendale

The moon was fair, the sky was clear, not a breath came over the sea
When Mary left her highland home and wandered forth with me.
The flowers decked the mountain side and fragrance filled the vale,
By far the fairest flower there was the Rose of Allendale.

Chorus (repeated after each verse):
Sweet Rose of Allendale, sweet Rose of Allendale
By far the fairest flower there was the Rose of Allendale.

And where e’er I wandered to the east or to the west, though spirits began for to lower,
A solace still was she to me in life’s most lonely hour.
When the tempest wrecked our gallant ship and rent our shivering sails
One maiden form that stood the storm was the Rose of Allendale.

And when my fevered lips were parched on Africa’s burning sands,
She whispered hopes of happiness and tales of foreign lands.
My life had been a wilderness, unblessed by fortune’s gale
Had fate not linked my love to her, sweet Rose of Allendale.