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Foster’s Mill

[ Roud - ; TYG 63 ; trad.]

Karl Dallas: One Hundred Songs of Toil Roy Palmer: Poverty Knock

Foster’s Mill is a song from the great frame-breaking in the North and Midlands, the Luddite rebellion, in 1811-1816.

Swan Arcade sang Foster’s Mill on their 1976 Stoof album Matchless and on their 1988 cassette … Nothing Blue.

Dom Prag sang Foster’s Mill on his 2022 album Needle & Thread. He noted:

On 9 April 1812, an organised Luddite riot descended on Foster’s textile mill, between Horbury and Ossett, near Wakefield. They came from neighbouring villages in the middle of the night, smashing windows, lighting fires, and destroying the shearing equipment, which had recently replaced the workers (croppers) who had sheared the woollen cloth by hand: highly skilled and well-paid work.

After reading articles from newspapers of the time, I decided to add three verses of my own. The size of the mob varies in different reports but it was between 300 and 600 strong. Foster wasn’t at home, but his two sons were found, and the rioters dragged them outside and tied them up. Dark and dreary is the day…

The Davenports sang Foster’s Mill in 2024 on their Hallamshire Traditions album Strange Vagaries. They noted:

A Yorkshire song celebrating mindful vandalism. Sometimes called, Come All You Croppers.

Lyrics

Swan Arcade sing Foster’s Mill

Chorus (after each verse):
Come, all you croppers stout and bold,
Let your faith grow stronger still,
For the cropper lads in the county of York
Have broken shears at Foster’s Mill.

O around and around we all do stand
And firmly swear we will,
We’ll break the shears and windows too
And we’ll all set fire to Foster’s Mill.

All drear and dark it is the day
When a man has to fight for his bread;
Some judgement sure will clear the way
And the poor to triumph shall be led.

The Davenports sing Foster’s Mill

Chorus (after each verse):
Come all you croppers stout and bold,
Let your faith grow stronger still,
For the cropper lads in the county of York
Have broken shears at Foster’s Mill.

And around and around we all do stand
And firmly swear we will,
We’ll break the shears and the windows too
And we’ll all set fire to Foster’s Mill.

O the wind it blew and the sparks they flew,
And the flames they had their fill,
And out of bed poor folks did creep,
And they cheered the fire at Foster’s Mill.

All drear and dark it is the day
When a man has to fight for his bread;
Some judgement sure will clear the way
And the poor to triumph shall be led.