> Folk Music > Songs > Read Hall Foxhunt

Read Hall Foxhunt

[Nick Caffrey, Neil Duerden]

The Wassailers sang Read Hall Foxhunt in 1978 on their eponymous Fellside album, Wassailers. They noted:

When Neil Duerden, a friend of [Wassailers singer] Nick [Caffrey]’s, wrote the tune for this song he had in mind a sea shanty. Nick had other ideas and turned it into a foxhunting song using the Pendle area as the setting.

Lyrics

The Wassailers sing Read Hall Foxhunt

Chorus (after each verse):
Come all you huntsmen far and near
To the sport that you hold dear
Blow the horn a loud ’alloo
𝄆 And chase the fox all through the dew 𝄇

A meet was held at old Read Hall
We all answered to the call
Squire he held a stirrup cup
𝄆 And everyone they had a sup 𝄇

So clattering down the lane we rode
O’er the fields and across the ford
The hounds they got a vixen set
𝄆 Towards old Sabden they were bent 𝄇

Across the fields they hounds did race
We on horse took off the chase
Village men ran with a will
𝄆 Desiring to be at the kill 𝄇

(Chorus)

He’s running now by Pendle’s Back
The hounds they kept upon the track
The vicar blew a loud ’alloo
𝄆 He had the fox now full in view 𝄇

With joyful yelps the hounds did cry
Make poor Reynard’s fur to fly
The chase was o’er old foxy dead
𝄆 The vicar got the brush and head 𝄇

(Chorus)

Now fill the bumper dip the paw
Merrily the ale it flows
Squire totters on his feet
𝄆 And drinks a health to all the meet 𝄇

Acknowledgements

Thanks to Garry Gillard for transcribing the lyrics.