Recorded at the Eel’s Foot, Eastbridge, Suffolk, and the Windmill, Sutton, Norfolk;
Supervised by E.J. Moeran;
Broadcast on the BBC Third Programme in late 1947

See also the Musical Traditions article E J Moeran: Collecting folk songs in East Norfolk—in his own words.

Musicians

Mrs Howard, Jumbo Brightwell, Fred Ginger, Jack Clark, John ’Charger’ Salmons, Charlie Chettleburgh, Harry Cox, Walter Gales, William Miller, Elijah Bell

Tracks

1. Introduction (2.32)

From Eastbridge Eel’s Foot

2. Mrs Howard: Introduction and stepdancing (1.59)
3. Jumbo Brightwell: The False-Hearted Knight (Roud 21; Child 4; G/D 2:225; Henry H163) (4.48)
4. Fred Ginger: The Old Sow (Roud 1737; G/D 8:1661) (1.40)
5. Jack Clark: The Dark-Eyed Sailor (Roud 265; Laws N35; G/D 5:1037; Henry H232) (4.18)

From Sutton Windmill

6. Introduction (1.19)
7. John ’Charger’ Salmons: Rigs of the Time (Roud 876) (3.43)
8. Charlie Chettleburgh: Lost Lady Found (Roud 901; Laws Q31) (5.14)
9. Harry Cox: The Bonny Bunch of Roses (Roud 664; Laws J5; G/D 1:155) (4.16)
10. Harry Cox: Barton Broad Ditty (Roud 1781) (2.08)
11. Walter Gales: As I Walked Out One May Morning (Roud 586; G/D 8:1841) (3.18)
12. William Miller: Happy and Delightful (Roud 660; Laws O30; TYG 51) (3.51)
13. Elijah Bell: The Wreck of the ‘Ramillies’ (Roud 523; Laws K1; G/D 1:28) (4.48)
14. Harry Cox: The Barley Straw (Roud 19112) (3.57)
15. Harry Cox: The Fowler (Roud 166; Laws O36; Henry H114) (3.19)
16. Outro & credits (0.24)

“Folksong is quaint now. Folksong is arty. But once this was not so. Once the farm labourers and the weavers, the road-menders and tinsmiths who made up these songs two hundred, three hundred years ago, were the fellows who sang them. And to this day there are still places where the songs and style of the old traditional singers are still kept alive by the people themselves.

“The Eel’s Foot is such a place. The Eel’s Foot is in Eastbridge. Eastbridge is in Suffolk. The weather is bleak, but the beer is good. On Saturday nights in the Eel’s Foot, the little bar-room is too crowded to play darts. The locals sit formally round two tables and sing. They sing in turn, as they are called upon by the chairman. They sing songs of a forgotten time—songs about highwaymen and sailing ships, about deserted soldiers and servant girls betrayed.”
    From Picture Post Magazine, 14 December 1940

Final production and design: John Howson;
Song notes: Roy Palmer and John Garret;
Other notes compiled by John Howson

Musicians

Mrs Howard, Jumbo Brightwell, Fred Ginger, Jack Clark, Velvet Brightwell, Tom Goddard, Douglas Morling, Harry ‘Crutter’ Cook, Edgar Button, Albert ‘Diddy’ Cook, Alec Bloomfield, Jack ‘Dot’ Button

Tracks

1. Mrs Howard: Introduction and stepdancing (1.57)
2. Jumbo Brightwell: The False-Hearted Knight (Roud 21; Child 4; G/D 2:225; Henry H163) (4.52)
3. Fred Ginger: The Old Sow (Roud 1737; G/D 8:1661) (1.37)
4. Jack Clark: The Dark-Eyed Sailor (Roud 265; Laws N35; G/D 5:1037; Henry H232) (4.18)
5. Velvet Brightwell: The Princess Royal (Roud 528; Laws K29; G/D 1:47) (6.15)
6. Tom Goddard: Poor Man’s Heaven (Roud 16821) (4.00)
7. Douglas Morling: The Foggy Dew (Roud 558; Laws O3; G/D 7:1495) (2.20)
8. Velvet Brightwell: The Indian Lass (Roud 2326) (3.40)
9. Harry ‘Crutter’ Cook: Duck Foot Sue (Roud 9553) (2.54)
10. Edgar Button: Underneath Her Apron (Roud 899; G/D 7:1493) (2.48)
11. Velvet Brightwell: Pleasant and Delightful (Roud 660; Laws O30; TYG 51) (3.49)
12. Albert ‘Diddy’ Cook: The Blackbird (Roud 387; Henry H79) (3.28)
13. Alec Bloomfield: The Farmer from Cheshire (Roud 2638; Laws L2) (2.38)
14. Fred Ginger: The Old Sow (2) (Roud 1737; G/D 8:1661) (1.48)
15. Jack ‘Dot’ Button: Jack’s the Boy (stepdance tune) (1.12)

Tracks 1-5 were recorded by E.J. Moeran in 1947;
Tracks 6-15 were recorded by A.L. Lloyd in 1938/39;
Apart from tracks 9-10 all tracks are BBC copyright and are included under license and by arrangement with BBC Music.

William ‘Jumbo’ Brightwell was one of the singers that regularly met for a Saturday night sing-song in The Eel’s Foot in Eastbridge near Leiston in Suffolk. This pub has a long folk music tradition: Jumbo and his father Velvet Brightwell sang in a BBC radio programme Saturday Night at the Eel’s Foot which was produced on 21 July 1939 by A.L. Lloyd (see the above Veteran CD Good Order!). Lloyd’s Riverside LP English Drinking Songs (and the Topic EP All for Me Grog which is just an extract of the LP) also features songs regularly sung in The Eel’s Foot.

Recorded by Tony Engle in the singer’s home in Leiston, Suffolk in spring 1975;
Produced by Tony Engle and Keith Summers;
Sleeve notes by Keith Summers and Mike Yates;
Main front sleeve photograph by Mike Yates;
Sleeve design by Tony Engle

Musicians

Jumbo Brightwell: vocals

Tracks

Side 1

1. The Flower of London (Roud 548; Laws M19) (4.31)
2. The Derby Miller (The Three Rogues) (Roud 138; Laws Q21; G/D 3:703) (2.37)
3. The Loss of the ‘Ramillies’ (Roud 523; Laws K1; G/D 1:28) (3.27)
4. The Green Mossy Banks of the Lea (Roud 987; Laws O15) (2.18)
5. Blow the Candle Out (Roud 368; Laws P17) (2.40)
6. The Bold Princess Royal (Roud 528; Laws K29; G/D 1:47) (3.16)
7. Newry Town (Roud 490; Laws L12; G/D 2:260; Henry H691) (2.48)

Side 2

8. The Indian Lass (Roud 2326) (2.40)
9. Muddley Barracks (Roud 1735) (2.26)
10. The False-Hearted Knight (Roud 21; Child 4; G/D 2:225; Henry H163) (4.13)
11. The Lost Heiress (Roud 901; Laws Q31) (4.44)
12. Down in the Fields Where the Buttercups Grow (Roud 1736) (3.06)
13. Rambleaway (Roud 171; G/D 7:1485) (2.12)
14. The Life of a Man (Roud 848) (2.26)

All tracks trad.