> Folk Music > Songs > Silk Merchant’s Daughter

Silk Merchant’s Daughter / Fair London Town

[ Roud 5165 ; Master title: Silk Merchant’s Daughter ; Laws N10 ; Ballad Index LN10 ; DT SLKMRCHT ; Mudcat 14534 ; trad.]

William Henry Long: A Dictionary of the Isle of Wight Dialect Maud Karpeles: Cecil Sharp’s Collection of English Folk Songs John Ord: Bothy Songs and Ballad Frank Purslow: The Constant Lovers Steve Roud, Julia Bishop: The New Penguin Book of English Folk Songs

Eddie Butcher of Magilligan, Londonderry, sang It Is Now for New England to Hugh Shields in July 1969. This recording was included in 2001 on the CDs accompanying Butcher’s biography written by High Shields, All the Days of His Life.

Tom Lenihan sang To Fair London Town in 1981 on his Topic album Paddy’s Panacea. Tom Munnelly noted:

John Ord’s Bothy Songs and Ballads gives a text of this ballad (p.63-4) and Frank C Brown prints an extremely full version (North Carolina Folklore Vol. III, p.332). As The Silk Merchant’s Daughter it seems to have a greater circulation in North America than in these islands.

The climax of the story comes when the heroine is about to be butchered by her lover to feed the shipwrecked crew hut is saved when a rescuing ship is sighted and its guns heard. When Tom sang this for me in 1971 it was my opinion that these events were confused in his version. Subsequent resinging over the years by Tom has established no textual variation or addition. Not until December 1976 did I come across the song again, this time in Wexford. It was almost exactly the same as Tom’s version!

The chain of coincidence is carried still further on discovering the very similar version collected by H.E.D. Hammond in Piddleton, Dorset (Journal of the Folk Song Society Vol. VIII (1929) p.186-8). Possibly all these ‘incomplete’ versions are the result of faulty memories but the similarities in these texts could also suggest an idiosyncratic though popular broadsheet source. Of the many songs in his repertoire Tom considers this to be the oldest. He learned it from his grandfather who, in turn, got it from his grandfather.

Sara Grey sang The Silk Merchant’s Daughter in 2002 on her Tradition Bearers album Boy, She’s a Daisy and in 2019 on her WildGoose album with her son Kieron Means, Better Days a Comin. She noted:

Partly from the singing of Ginny Hawker, who learned it from Maggie Parker Hammons of Western Virginia. In this version the heroine never actually reveals her true identity but her lover just knows it. Other versions such as the one from Mrs Mary Sauels of AIlanhand, North Carolina and the version from Roy Palmer’s collection Oxford Book Of Sea Songs are far more complete and clear, particularly about the cannibalism of castaway mariners, which was not only a recurrent theme in ballads but a documented practice in real life.

Like a sea song this occurs in Tim O’Connor’s notebook of 1778 and Sharp in 1976. The ultimate source seems to be a lengthy broadside from the 18^th century. Credulity is stretched to the limits in the long and short versions but it contains well known motifs of parental opposition to a marriage which cuts across parental divides and of female disguise in search of the banished lover.

Viv Legg sang Rich Merchant’s Daughter on his 2006 Veteran anthology Romany Roots. Mike Yates noted:

Some Edwardian song collectors, including Cecil Sharp, confused this song with The Old Miser (Roud 3913). In fact, it was published as a separate song by numerous broadside printers, including Pitts, Catnach and Batchelor—all of London, under the title New York Streets. The broadside text, concerning a girl disguised as a sailor, begins:

As I was a going up New York streets,
I made it my business my true love to meet,

What ship, brother sailor, come tell unto me,
I belong to the Nancy, from England I be.

The girl joins the ship and Viv’s version begins when the ship sinks during a storm.

So as we were sailing to our hearts’ content,
Our ship sprang a leak, to the bottom she went.

Viv’s tune is a slowed-down version of one that is usually associated with the song The Banks of Sweet Dundee .

Sandra Joyce sang To Fair Londown Town on her 2023 album of songs of love and loss in the Irish tradition, Since You and I Have Been. She noted:

I have always been fascinated by the singing of Tom Lenihan (1905-1990) of Mountbrack, Miltown Malay, Co. Clare, particularly through the work of the great traditional and folk song collector, Tom Munnelly (1944-2007). Tom Lenihan had a unique repertoire and I have been attracted by many of his songs, including this quirky story of seafaring and near cannibalism! A significant number of ballads feature the tale of a woman who dresses as a man—this can be for economic, social, political or romantic reasons. The young woman in this story is almost sacrificed to feed a hungry crew, but has a stay of execution when she declares her gender, and when land is in sight. This song appears on the recording by Tom Munnelly entitled The Mount Callan Garland: Songs and Repertoire of Tom Lenihan of Knockbrack, Miltown Malbay, County Clare which was released in 1994. In the accompanying text to this recording, Munnelly states that it is also known as The Silk Merchant’s Daughter, and that the narrative “appears to be quite confused” (p. 5)—but, as is the case with many singers, Lenihan made his own sense of it, as I have! It is also featured on the website of Clare County Library as part of the collection by Jim Carroll and Pat Mackensie, Singers and Songs of County Clare. I’ll dedicate this song to my lovely husband, Niall Keegan, who is from near enough to fair London town!

Lyrics

Tom Lenihan sang To Fair London Town

Once in my rambles to fair London town,
All along in these rambles my true love I found.
She said, “Brother sailor, to where are you bound?”
He smiled and made answer, “To fair London town.”

To London fair city I would willingly go.
But as to get over, I do not well know.
I’m not bred a sailor but if you want a hand,
I will free your passage over and do all I can.

All things were ready our ship in full sail.
The wind it blew north to our home pleasant gale.
We hoist up our sails to our whole hearts content,
Until our ship, she sprang a leak and to the bottom down went.

There was thirty five of us confined in a boat,
With a small share of provision for each man to support.
Our provisions being scarce and no harbour being nigh,
And in which we had to cast lots for to know who’d first die.

These lots then were made, sure, in a bag they were shook.
Each man on board the long lot he took.
But behold this fair creature, the short lot she drew;
She was to die first for to feed the whole crew.

These lots then were made, sure, as plain as you see,
For to know which of these then, the butcher would be,
“Come, come,” says the captain, “Let the business be done.”
But before the blow was given we all heard a gun.

“Stop, stop your hand, butcher,” said this innocent dame.
“Or are you for killing a harmless maid?
I’m a rich merchant’s daughter to London sailed o’er,
And see what I have gained for the loving of thee.”

In that instant fresh colour flew up in his view.
His heart it was heavy just ready to break.
Saying, “My jewel, my darling my old heart will burst,
But in hope of your long life, myself will die first.”

We hoist up our sails for a full flowing tide,
We landed in Ireland, down by the seaside.
This couple got married and married they be,
And they lived as happy as happy could be.

Sara Grey sings The Silk Merchant’s Daughter

As I walked down Fore Street
A jolly young sailor I chanced for to see
I said from a sailor, “O where are you bound?”
“I’m bound for New London, or some other rich town.”

Our ship being rigged and ready to sail,
We drew up the achor and we drew up the sail.
For six months we sailed, our hearts were content,
Then the ship sprung a leak and to the bottom it went.

Forty four of us sailors got in a life boat,
Way out on the ocean all alone there did float.
Provisions grew scarce and death it drew nigh,
We each drew our number for to see which would die.

These names being written and put in a hat,
We each drew our number, yes, we each drew our lot.
In amongst al them sailors, this young damsel drew less,
She was to be killed by the one she loved best.

“Before I would kill you, my heart it would burst
Before I would kill you, my love I’ll die first.”
“O Stop,” said the captain, “Hold on now you men.
Not but very few people who would die for a friend.”

But their knives being sharpened there’s murdering to do,
When “Stop,” said this lady, “for a moment or two.
O Stop,” said this lady, “hold on to your tongues.
I hear ship a-comin’ for her loud roaring gun.”

In the space of a moment they all looked again,
They saw ship a-comin’ for to take them all in.
Straightway to New London this ship was conveyed,
Straightways to get amrried with this young man and maid.

Viv Legg sings Rich Merchant’s Daughter

There were four and twenty of us got out into the boat,
And on that wide ocean where we sat afloat,
Provisions run short, love and death did draw nigh,
And we had to cast lots for to see who should die.

The lots was turned as near as could be,
But that innocent young damsel, a short lot she drew,
And she was to be killed for to save the ship’s crew.
“I’m a rich merchant’s daughter and from London I’ll be,
And see what I’ve come to through loving of thee.”

Then those red colours they flew in his face,
And tears in his eyes and heart fit to break,
Saying, “For your sweet sake love, I will die first.”

Again the lots turned over as near as could be,
To see who that young man’s butcher would be.
“Be quick with your motion. Let the business be done.”
But before the blow was struck now, they all heard the gun.

“Hold your hand, butcher,” the captain he did cry.
“Some town or some harbour—I’m sure we’re drawing nigh.”
And as the ship went sailing on that sweet and pleasant tide,
It sailed into a village down by the seaside.

The couple got married, as I have heard it said.
The band and the music it sweetly did play.
The birds in the village made the woods there ring,
And the girls they all danced while the sailor boys did sing.