Salisbury and Stonehenge http://salisburyandstonehenge.net Salisbury, England and Stonehenge - new, history, culture, jobs, stuff to do Fri, 18 May 2012 21:38:37 +0000 en hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.2 Salisbury, England News: Walks, Wildlife Warning, more on the A303 and looking after our streets http://salisburyandstonehenge.net/salisbury-news/salisbury-england-news-walks-wildlife-warning-more-on-the-a303-and-looking-after-our-streets http://salisburyandstonehenge.net/salisbury-news/salisbury-england-news-walks-wildlife-warning-more-on-the-a303-and-looking-after-our-streets#comments Fri, 18 May 2012 07:14:51 +0000 admin http://salisburyandstonehenge.net/?p=4850

Project on the Historic Landscape of Wiltshire and Swindon Image from Amazon This looks interesting – a project to survey the whole of Wiltshire’s landscape: Investigating the Historic Landscape of Wiltshire and Swindon! Wiltshire Wildlife trust study warns of environmental threat The Wiltshire Wildlife Trust has warned about various issues which are impacting . . . → Read More: Salisbury, England News: Walks, Wildlife Warning, more on the A303 and looking after our streets]]>

Project on the Historic Landscape of Wiltshire and Swindon


Image from Amazon		 This looks interesting – a project to survey the whole of Wiltshire’s landscape:

Wiltshire Wildlife trust study warns of environmental threat

Wiltshire Wildlife Trust The Wiltshire Wildlife Trust has warned about various issues which are impacting our envirnment.

The Wiltshire Wildlife Trust’s website is:

More on the A303 book


Image from Amazon 		Tom Fort, the author of the new book and last year’s TV documentary on the A303, has written a piece for the Independant here:

And there are a couple of reviews:

Great British walks at Durrington Walls and Stonehenge


Image from Amazon 		The Guardian featured two local routes in its ‘Great British Walks’ feature:

Salisbury Hospicecare Trust Midnight Walk

Salisbury Hospicecare are holding their annual midnight walk around Salisbury on the night of June 9-10. They need both walkers and marshalls.

The Story of Joshua Scamp

Image from Amazon not from the show I saw Robert MacCall tell the story of ‘A Christmas Carol’ a few years ago. It was very good. Towards the end of the month he is telling the story of Joshua Scamp – a gypsy who was falsely accused of horse theft and hanged. Scamp was buried at Odstock.

Street care reporting

Love where you live, illustrating Wiltshire Councils Streetcare Reporting page Councillor Brian Dalton’s blog pointed me in the direction of this page, which allows for the reporting of “fly posting, fly tipping graffiti, dog fouling, street litter, a problem with a play area, a dead animal on public land, a full or damaged public litter bin, a street that needs sweeping, overgrown grass, weeds, hedges or trees, a problem with public toilets, and needles and syringes found on council land”

John Glen says election results were disappointing, but…

Our local MP John Glen has written a piece for the ‘Conservative Home’ website (which I believe is also run locally, as it happens)

Related Posts

]]> http://salisburyandstonehenge.net/salisbury-news/salisbury-england-news-walks-wildlife-warning-more-on-the-a303-and-looking-after-our-streets/feed 0 Grace Close, Salisbury http://salisburyandstonehenge.net/streetnames/grace-close-salisbury http://salisburyandstonehenge.net/streetnames/grace-close-salisbury#comments Fri, 11 May 2012 09:38:25 +0000 admin http://salisburyandstonehenge.net/?p=4838 Grace Close is on the ‘Fugglestone Red’ estate at the northern end of the Devizes Road.

The Meaning of Grace

‘Grace’ in English has two or three separate strands of meaning – incorporating elegance, gratitude and the blessing of God.

An online dictionary says that:

For the ancient Romans, gratia had three distinct meanings: . . . → Read More: Grace Close, Salisbury]]> Grace Close is on the ‘Fugglestone Red’ estate at the northern end of the Devizes Road.

The Meaning of Grace

‘Grace’ in English has two or three separate strands of meaning – incorporating elegance, gratitude and the blessing of God.

An online dictionary says that:

For the ancient Romans, gratia had three distinct meanings:

(1) a pleasing quality,

(2) favor or goodwill, and

(3) gratitude or thanks.

We find all three of these meanings in modern-day English.

The first when we describe someone as having (or not having) grace: ‘Dancing, she had all the grace of an elephant on skates’. The second when we talk about giving or getting grace: ‘by the grace of God.’ And the third when we say grace (i.e., ‘thanks’) at a meal. 1

Amazing Grace

I thought it might be interesting to write a little about the song ‘Amazing Grace’

The story of Amazing Grace is well known.

In 1748, an ungodly slave trader named John Newton was almost ship-wrecked in a terrible storm in the Atlantic2. He cried out to God for help and did indeed survive the storm, coming ashore at Lough Swilley in County Donegal3.

This began a process of conversion which eventually saw him become curate of the village of Olney in Buckinghamshire in 1764. At Olney he began to write hymns with the poet William Cowper. The most famous of these hymns was ‘Amazing Grace’. The song was first paired with the ‘New Britain’ melody that we know today in 1835.

Newton did not immediately turn against slavery on his conversion to Christianity, but later in life he campaigned against it. In 1787 he wrote his ‘Thoughts on the African Slave Trade’ which began with an apology for his role in slavery. In 1788, 4 Newton gave evidence to the Privy Council5.


Image from Amazon

There is a lot more detail on the story of the writing of the song at:

There are also a couple of interesting looking recent books on the subject (The links take you to the books’ Amazon pages):


Image from Amazon

Some versions of the song

Amazon currently lists 590 hits for ‘Amazing Grace’6

The song has been a hit pop record in the UK in two different versions. The first was by Judy Collins, who reached Number 5 in December 1970. Her version re-entered the charts at number 40 in September the next year.

In 1972, the ‘Pipes and Drums and Military Band Of The Royal Scots Dragoon Guards’ took their version of the tune to Number 1. On the back of that, Judy Collins’ version climbed back to number 20

The following lists some of the versions of the song that I found interesting for one reason or another. The images and some of the links take you through to the appropriate Amazon page.

Judy Collins’s version of Amazing Grace is largely un-accompanied. She saw is as a protest song, of sorts. She said:
“The [Vietname] war was still raging. There was nothing to do, I thought but to pray and sing hymns to life. Nothing left but to sing Amazing Grace. 7“

The Pipes and Drums and the Military Band of the Royal Scots Dragoon Guardsversion of ‘Amazing Grace’ went to number 1 in the UK pop charts in 1972 8.

Playing ‘Amazing Grace’ on the bagpipes seems almost a cliche now, but it wasn’t always a natural fit. According to Steve Turner’s book ‘Amazing Grace: John Newton, Slavery and the World’s Most Enduring Song‘, Mel Jameson of the Dragoon Guards was summoned to see the director of bagpipe music at Edinburgh Castle who asked ‘How dare you do this to the bagpipes?’

The Dragoons used some of Judy Collins’ melody. Collins wrote “I loved that version and I also got paid for it. I owned the publishing on my version and they used the harmony.” 9.

The song was originally arranged for the bagpipes by Stuart Fairbairn of the Royal Scots Greys. The Greys were being amalgamated with the Dragoons, and the tune was intended for an album called ‘Farewell to the Greys’10.

Lesley Garrettcovered Amazing Grace in 2008. Garrett was principal soprano of the English National Opera in the 1980s, but has since ‘crossed over’ to a wider audience.

Personally, I love Elvis’ music. In particular, I’m a big fan of his gospel music. Elvis recorded ‘Amazing Grace’ in the early 1970s, for his final gospel LP.

Elvis’ first two gospel records, His Hand In Mine and How Great Thou Art
come out of the tradition of American gospel music. His cover of ‘Amazing Grace’ however seems to come out of his interest in the 1960s folk revival – the preceding song in the recording session was Ewan MaColl’s ‘The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face’ 11.

Personally, I prefer Elvis’ earlier gospel records.

Mica Paris recorded Amazing Grace on her 2008 collection of ‘Soul Classics. I’ve not heard the studio version of this as yet, but there are live clips on Youtube.

This one’s a bit odd. According to Wikipedia, “‘Amazing Grace’ is not listed on the label on most editions, and on some CDs is part of ‘That’s All Right’. It’s not listed in the Amazon track listing either, but ‘Thats All Right’ is six minutes long, so perhaps the songs are combined here. I’d be fascinated to hear how this is done – on the face of it I can’t imagine two songs which would go together less naturally. There’s a fragment of Rod Stewart singing Amazing Grace on YouTube here – it’s a very low-key recording – just a guitar and the voice. I’d like to hear more of it.
Joan Baezsaid the following ‘I never thought of it [Amazing Grace] as a Christian song. It was a song that was associated with Civil Rights and the Movement. I don’t think anyone at the time thought of it as a religious song. Like ‘Swing Low, Sweet Chariot’ it had developed a life of its own’ – 12‘

Johnny Cash recorded ‘Amazing Grace’ in 1975 for his album ‘Johnny Cash Sings Precious Memories’. It was recorded in memory of his brother Jack who was killed in a milling accident when they were boys. Cash included the song when he played in prisons. Wikipedia quotes him saying “For the three minutes that song is going on, everybody is free. It just frees the spirit and frees the person”13

Aretha Franklin released the LP ‘Amazing Grace’ in 1972. It was her biggest selling record, and the biggest selling gospel album of all time14. The LP was the subject of a book in the very good ’33 1/3′ series. Aretha Franklin’s version of Amazing Grace is seen as a classic. I must admit that I don’t like it very much.

Susan Boyle’sversion of Amazing Grace is relatively sedate, but her voice makes it a great rendition. It would have been interesting to hear her sing the song un-accompanied in the manner of Judy Collins.

Mahalia Jackson
Mahalia Jackson sung Amazing Grace at Civil Rights marches. She used it “to give magical protection—a charm to ward off danger, an incantation to the angels of heaven to descend…. I was not sure the magic worked outside the church walls … in the open air of Mississippi. But I wasn’t taking any chances15.”

Katherine Jenkins sang ‘Amazing Grace’ at the Berlin Live 8 in 200516. Jenkins is a ‘mezzo soprano’. I think I marginally prefer her version of the song to Lesley Garrett’s.
Finally, Meryl Streep. Personally, ‘Amazing Grace’ will always remind me of the final scene of ‘Silkwood’. Meryl Streep as the worker worker/activist Karen Silkwood’s face is illuminated in the lights of a car behind her, just before she dies in a car accident. I had always assumed that this was the Judy Collins version, but it was actually a pre-Mamma Mia vocal from Streep17. I wasn’t sure whether ‘Amazing Grace’ was an appropriate song choice, but nearly 30 years on the song still reminds me of Karen Silkwood.

Amazing Grace on Desert Island Discs

Amazing Grace has been chosen by 17 prospective castaways18. These are:

  • Bear Grylls, 27 Nov 2011, Adventurer – Chris Hutchison
  • Frankie Dettori 15 Jan 2006 Jockey – The Royal Scots Dragoon Guards
  • Karan Bilimoria 13 Jun 2004 Businessman – The Royal Scots Dragoon Guards
  • Martin Bell 15 Jul 2001 Journalist, Politician – Bands & Pipes of the Household Division
  • Barbara Taylor Bradford, 27 Apr 1985, Novelist – The Royal Scots Dragoon Guards
  • David Broome, 14 Feb 1981, Show jumper – The Royal Scots Dragoon Guards
  • Joe Henderson, 15 Jul 1972, Pianist, – The Royal Scots Dragoon Guards
  • Camila Batmanghelidjh, 22 Oct 2006, Children’s campaigner, – The Royal Scots Dragoon Guards
  • Ewan McGregor, 30 Dec 2001, Actor, – Choir of Cregagh Presbyterian Church, Belfast
  • Professor Ghillean Prance, 13 Dec 1992, Botanist, – The Royal Scots Dragoon Guards
  • Sir Ian MacGregor, 05 Oct 1986, Businessman, Industrialist, – The Royal Scots Dragoon Guards
  • Jackie Stewart, 22 Jun 1986, Formula One driver, – The Royal Scots Dragoon Guards
  • Anna Raeburn, 27 May 1978, Agony aunt, Broadcaster, – The Royal Scots Dragoon Guards
  • David Niven, 30 Apr 1977, Oscar winning actor – Aretha Franklin
  • Reverend Ian Paisley, 07 Aug 1988, Northern Ireland MP and MEP, Leader of Democratic Unionist Party, Politician – DUP, – Bob Jones University Choir
  • Bob Jones – Amazing Grace, Norris McWhirter, 10 Feb 1979, Editor of the Guinness Book of Records,
  • Lt-Colonel John Blashford-Snell, 30 Oct 1976, Soldier, Explorer, – The Royal Scots Dragoon Guards

Related Posts

Nearby roads

Footnotes

  1. Grace | Define Grace at Dictionary.com
  2. BBC – History – British History in depth: The Business of Enslavement
  3. Historical Significance
  4. It was within a year of Newton’s appearance before the Privy Council that the slave trader James Penny, who is still honoured in Liverpool with the road name ‘Penny Lane’, told Parliament that
    If the Weather is sultry, and there appears the least Perspiration upon their [the slaves'] Skins, when they come upon Deck, there are Two Men attending with cloths to rub them perfectly dry, and another to give them a little Cordial

    ” … THEY ARE AMUSED with Instruments of Music peculiar to their own Country, with which he provided them; and when tired of Music and Dancing, they then go to Games of Chance — The Women are supplied with Beads, which they make into Ornaments; and the utmost Attention is paid to the keeping up their Spirits, and to indulge them in all their little Humours.”[Extract quoted at Beneath the blue suburban skies - Los Angeles Times]

  5. John newton
  6. Amazon Search for Amazing Grace
  7. Quoted in ‘1000 UK Number One Hits ‘, Jon Kutner, Spencer Leigh
  8. everyHit.com search results
  9. Quoted in ‘1000 UK Number One Hits ‘, Jon Kutner, Spencer Leigh
  10. What’s up with Amazing Grace – Page 5 – Bob Dunsire Bagpipe Forums
  11. Recording Sessions 1970s
  12. Quoted in ‘Amazing Grace: John Newton, Slavery and the World’s Most Enduring Song’, Steve Turner, page 161
  13. Amazing Grace – Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
  14. Aretha Franklin – Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
  15. Amazing Grace – Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
  16. Katherine Jenkins – Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
  17. Silkwood (1983) – Soundtracks
  18. It’s not however in the Desert Island ‘Top 20′. The 20th most popular choice is ‘Nessun Dorma’ (see BBC News | TV AND RADIO | Beethoven tops island hit list), which was chosen by 36 people (BBC – Desert Island Discs – Find a castaway : Music choice “Nessun dorma”). as one of their eight Desert Island DiscsDesert Island Discs is a long running BBC Radio programme in which the celebrity ‘victim’ has to choose the eight records they would take if marooned on a desert island
]]> http://salisburyandstonehenge.net/streetnames/grace-close-salisbury/feed 0 Sarum News: Tom Penney, Royals Visit, Spotify Crop Circle and Wretch 32 http://salisburyandstonehenge.net/salisbury-news/sarum-news-tom-penney-royals-visit-spotify-crop-circle-and-wretch-32 http://salisburyandstonehenge.net/salisbury-news/sarum-news-tom-penney-royals-visit-spotify-crop-circle-and-wretch-32#comments Wed, 09 May 2012 17:13:58 +0000 admin http://salisburyandstonehenge.net/?p=4824

Tom Penney Sculpture at the Fisherton Mill My dad, who grew up in Broadchalke, has a couple of sculptures at the Fisherton Mill. There are two pieces – ‘Apple Tree’ which is indoors and is pictured here, and an outdoor sculpture of a woman, the title of which I don’t remember. I’ve not . . . → Read More: Sarum News: Tom Penney, Royals Visit, Spotify Crop Circle and Wretch 32]]>

Tom Penney Sculpture at the Fisherton Mill

Tom Penney at Fisherton Mill, Salisbury My dad, who grew up in Broadchalke, has a couple of sculptures at the Fisherton Mill. There are two pieces – ‘Apple Tree’ which is indoors and is pictured here, and an outdoor sculpture of a woman, the title of which I don’t remember. I’ve not been able to photograph them very effectively, so go and have a look!

Walk For Wards

Salisbury District Hospital Walk for Wards 2012 The ‘Walk for Wards’ around Wilton Estate is on Sunday 24th June. You have to raise a minimum of £15 sponsorship, then you can pick which ward at Odstock Hospital you want to walk for. This will be added to the ‘What’s On In Salisbury‘ page.

Spotify Crop Circle at Winterborne Stoke


Image from Amazon 		A crop ‘circle’ that looks a bit like the logo of ‘Spotify’, the music streaming service, had appeared in a field near Winterbourne Stoke. I don’t have permission to reproduce the photo – click on the link to see it.

Wretch 32 at Olympic Torch Concert


Image from Amazon 		The headline act for the Olympic torch concert on 11th July has been announced – it’s Wretch 321. Wretch 32′s biggest hit is ‘Unorthodox’, which samples ‘Fools Gold’. It got to number 2 in the charts last year.

The Royals Visit Salisbury FC


Image from Amazon 		New Premiership side Reading are playing Salisbury FC on Saturday 28th July, kick-0ff at 3:00pm.

Queen sleeps in Salisbury railway siding


Image from Amazon 		A news footnote to the ‘other’ Royal Visit that I found quite interesting. Buckingham Palace confirmed that on the night of the Queen’s visit to Salisbury, the royals slept in the royal train in the sidings between Wilton and Salisbury.

Salisbury Oxfam Schwopping!

Salisbury Oxfam Salisbury Oxfam and Marks and Spencer are participating in the ‘Schwopping’ program, whereby you can exhange unwanted clothes for Marks and Sparks vouchers.

Epsom Downs at Salisbury Playhouse

Finally, I went to see Epsom Downs at the Playhouse last week, and really enjoyed it. It tells the stories of various peoples days at the Derby – a disgraced Labour peer, a stable boy, bookies, jockeys, the Aga Khan and lots of other characters.

Footnotes

  1. I’m reliably informed that you pronounce this ‘Wretch Three Two’ not ‘Wretch Thirty Two’
]]> http://salisburyandstonehenge.net/salisbury-news/sarum-news-tom-penney-royals-visit-spotify-crop-circle-and-wretch-32/feed 0 Salisbury News: U3A, Stonehenge Solstice, Dinton History, the A303 and Immersive Entertainment http://salisburyandstonehenge.net/salisbury-news/salisbury-news-u3a-stonehenge-solstice-dinton-history-the-a303-and-immersive-entertainment http://salisburyandstonehenge.net/salisbury-news/salisbury-news-u3a-stonehenge-solstice-dinton-history-the-a303-and-immersive-entertainment#comments Wed, 02 May 2012 21:50:20 +0000 admin http://salisburyandstonehenge.net/?p=4813

Salisbury U3A Information Sessions Salisbury’s U3A (University of the Third Age) are running information sessions at the library in mid-May. The U3A’s website explains what the U3A is:

“U3A stands for the University of the Third Age, which is a self-help organisation for people no longer in full time employment providing educational, creative . . . → Read More: Salisbury News: U3A, Stonehenge Solstice, Dinton History, the A303 and Immersive Entertainment]]>

Salisbury U3A Information Sessions

Salisbury U3a 30th ANIV LOGO Salisbury’s U3A (University of the Third Age) are running information sessions at the library in mid-May. The U3A’s website explains what the U3A is:

“U3A stands for the University of the Third Age, which is a self-help organisation for people no longer in full time employment providing educational, creative and leisure opportunities in a friendly environment.”

Dates and times are below:

Stonehenge Summer Solstice 2012

Stonehenge Winter Solstice - sun arise English Heritage has announced details of its ‘managed open access’ to Stonehenge for this year’s summer solstice. Details are at the link below…but my advice would be, I think, to go to the Winter Solstice instead.

Adult Education in Wiltshire

Wiltshire Council is seeking input into its strategy for ‘informal adult education’. The online questionnaire is available through the link below.

The A303: Highway to the Sun

You might remember a wonderful documentary last year about the A303 which featuread ‘The Ancestor’ sculpture, Weyhill Fair, Stonehenge and Salisbury’s former MP Robert Key. The Maker of the doc, Tom Fort has now published a book. There are a couple of reviews below, or you can clink on the picture on the left to buy it on Amazon.

Salisbury Café Scientifique lecture on ‘Immersive Entertainment’

Salisbury’s Cafe Scientifique are hosting a presentation by Dr Nick Lodge on ‘Immersive Entertainment’ which includes ’3D’ among other technologies. Dr Lodge is also going to cover older tech such as Smell-o-Vision and Percepto. Details at the link below.

Dinton Historical Society Lectures 2012

Dinton Historical Society is staging a series of lectures, covering subjects such as the Ebble Valley and ‘The Russian Countess of Pembroke’

Related Posts

]]> http://salisburyandstonehenge.net/salisbury-news/salisbury-news-u3a-stonehenge-solstice-dinton-history-the-a303-and-immersive-entertainment/feed 0 Salisbury News: May Queen, Tranmere Rovers, Country Paths and Lacrosse http://salisburyandstonehenge.net/salisbury-news/sarum-news-may-queen-tranmere-rovers-country-paths-and-lacrosse http://salisburyandstonehenge.net/salisbury-news/sarum-news-may-queen-tranmere-rovers-country-paths-and-lacrosse#comments Thu, 26 Apr 2012 07:37:53 +0000 admin http://salisburyandstonehenge.net/?p=4789

Whats On in Salisbury As much for my own benefit as anything else, I’ve started a page of forthcoming events in Salisbury. It’s not going to cover everything that happens in Salisbury, but hopefully it may be of use to Salisbury residents or visitors.

Whats on in Salisbury Wiltshire Funding For Countryside Paths . . . → Read More: Salisbury News: May Queen, Tranmere Rovers, Country Paths and Lacrosse]]>

Whats On in Salisbury

Salisbury Cathedral Light Shower As much for my own benefit as anything else, I’ve started a page of forthcoming events in Salisbury. It’s not going to cover everything that happens in Salisbury, but hopefully it may be of use to Salisbury residents or visitors.

Wiltshire Funding For Countryside Paths

Wiltshire Money for Country Paths, illustrated by out-of-copyright OS map There is money available for improvements to paths. The Wiltshire Council website says that:
“Grants of up to £5,000 can be secured for improvements such as replacing stiles with kissing gates, creating new routes to avoid busy routes and upgrading the surfaces of current paths. ”

Salisbury Celebrates the Diamond Jubilee

Images from Amazon

Some further detail on the Diamond Jubilee celebrations.

There’s a Salisbury Council event on the 4th of June at Hudsons Field, which is going to feature the Counterfeit Beatles:

…and there are things happening around the visit of the Queen at the start of May, including a visit to Salisbury Cathedral:

…and the construction of a ‘May Queen’ – a kind of sister to Christopher the Salisbury Giant. Local community groups are being invited to create a diamond to attach to the Giantess’ cloak. There’s more detail here:

Salisbury MP and Tranmere Rovers

Image from Amazon

Salisbury MP John Glen has criticized Wirral Council for sponsoring Tranmere Rovers. He’s quoted in the Daily Telegraph as follows:

“If the council is in significant arrears and faces challenges to keep basic services going, it seems a ludicrous way to respond by continuing to sponsor a loss-making venture at such a high level. It seems it would be appropriate at least to reduce it significantly.”

“The council may want to gain some popularity on the back of a local team, which might make sense at a superficial level but it does not help the poor or those in need of social care, who find that care workers are being cut.”

The leader of Wirral Council, Phil Davies, responded in a letter to the Wirral Globe:

“I would like to say that I find Mr Glen’s comments to be ill-judged and offensive.

The council derives enormous benefits from its sponsorship agreement with Tranmere Rovers. The fact that the team wears Wirral Council’s logo on their shirts in matches up and down the country enables us to promote Wirral as a place to live, work, visit and invest.

As part of the deal in the 2010/11 season, Tranmere players visited around 130 schools, carried out 1,500 coaching sessions, supported 50 charities, ran ladies and disability football teams, helped disadvantaged groups and ran six “Return to Work” courses at Prenton Park to help 18-to-24 year olds get back to work. “

Free Lacrosse taster sessions in Salisbury


Image from Amazon 		A new Lacrosse club in Salisbury is offering ‘taster sessions’. These will run on Sunday afternoons, starting May 6 to July 29 2012

Tolpuddle Martyrs – 2012 Festival and Rally

Tolpuddle Martyrs Festival July 2012 Slightly further afield, down in darkest Dorset, this year’s Tolpuddle Festival is on the 13th to the 15th of July. 2 Tone band The Selector are playing.

Previous Salisbury News

]]> http://salisburyandstonehenge.net/salisbury-news/sarum-news-may-queen-tranmere-rovers-country-paths-and-lacrosse/feed 0 Salisbury News: Nights at the Museum, Farley Fox Fete, Free Books and the Festival of Celebration http://salisburyandstonehenge.net/salisbury-news/sarum-news-nights-at-the-museum-farley-fox-fete-free-books-and-the-festival-of-celebration http://salisburyandstonehenge.net/salisbury-news/sarum-news-nights-at-the-museum-farley-fox-fete-free-books-and-the-festival-of-celebration#comments Wed, 18 Apr 2012 16:58:30 +0000 admin http://salisburyandstonehenge.net/?p=4757

Epsom Downs rehearsals at Salisbury Playhouse Image is an Amazonlink The next Playhouse production, Epsom Downs is in rehearsal. There are lots of pictures on Flickr and a blog post at the links below: Epsom Downs rehearsals | Flickr – Photo Sharing! The Starting Post « salisburyplayhouse Farley Fox Fete Image is an . . . → Read More: Salisbury News: Nights at the Museum, Farley Fox Fete, Free Books and the Festival of Celebration]]>

Epsom Downs rehearsals at Salisbury Playhouse


Image is an Amazonlink 		The next Playhouse production, Epsom Downs is in rehearsal. There are lots of pictures on Flickr and a blog post at the links below:

Farley Fox Fete


Image is an Amazonlink 		The Farley Fox Fete is on June 30th

Wiltshire Folk Song Database


Image from Amazon 		I didn’t know this existed – Wiltshire Council has a database of Wiltshire and Wiltshire-related folk songs. You can search on where the song was collected or for words within the song. There are quite a few referencing ‘Salisbury‘

Wiltshire 2012 Festival of Celebration

Salisbury Olympic Torch Route These are the official web pages for the event at Hudsons Field on July 11th. It says that the ‘Coca-Cola headline act’ is still to be announced. No mention of the Counterfeit Beatles any more, sadly!

Salisbury Pre-season friendly against Swindon


Image from Amazon 		Salisbury City FC have announced a pre-season match against Swindon on the 3rd of August

Studio Theatre – 2012/2013 Season


Image from Amazon 		The 2012 -2013 programme for the Studio Theatre has been announced. The programme includes Calendar Girls and Romeo and Juliet.

Free book from Sarum College


Image from Amazon 		Sarum College is giving away a free book in honour of World Book Day next Monday (April 23rd). The book is ‘Touching the Void’ by Joe Simpson

Salisbury Museums at Night


Image is an Amazonlink 		Both Salisbury Museum and Salisbury Cathedral are opening on the evening of Friday the 18th May as part of Culture 24’s nationwide ‘Museums at Night’ scheme.

It’s the first time that Salisbury Cathedral is doing this and they are laying on:

a ‘come and sing’ workshop, organ demos, stories and poems in the lantern-lit cloister garden, special mystery object treasure hunts in both the cathedral and cloisters, an introduction to the medieval frieze of well-known bible stories in the Chapter House and a quirky history ‘Things-you-never-knew’ trail of the cathedral

Salisbury Museum has:

Salisbury Plain Military Wives Choir, the stories behind some of the museum’s objects with Lizzie Bryant, ‘the characters behind the exhibits’, and a privileged look behind the scenes.

Previous Salisbury News

]]> http://salisburyandstonehenge.net/salisbury-news/sarum-news-nights-at-the-museum-farley-fox-fete-free-books-and-the-festival-of-celebration/feed 0 When the Devil came to Milford Street, Salisbury http://salisburyandstonehenge.net/salisbury-news/when-the-devil-came-to-milford-street-salisbury http://salisburyandstonehenge.net/salisbury-news/when-the-devil-came-to-milford-street-salisbury#comments Tue, 10 Apr 2012 06:45:16 +0000 admin http://salisburyandstonehenge.net/?p=4734 I found this while looking for material for the Dickens and Salisbury post earlier in the year.

When I was growing up in Salisbury there was a pub in Milford Street called the Catherine Wheel. Sometime in the 1990s, I think, it became La Luna and Club Rouge, and it’s now ‘The White . . . → Read More: When the Devil came to Milford Street, Salisbury]]> I found this while looking for material for the Dickens and Salisbury post earlier in the year.


When I was growing up in Salisbury there was a pub in Milford Street called the Catherine Wheel. Sometime in the 1990s, I think, it became La Luna and Club Rouge, and it’s now ‘The White Rooms’.

Salisbury White Rooms, Devil Not Pictured

I would have assumed that the name ‘The Catherine Wheel’ was a reference to Saint Catherine1 – pub names were often religiously inspired. It might however refer to a 17th Century visit from the devil.

The story is told in a book called ‘Wanderings in Wessex’ by Edric Holmes.

The “Catherine Wheel” long boasted a legend of a meeting of Royalists during the Commonwealth, at which, the toast of the King having been drunk, one of the company then proposed the health of the Devil, who promptly appeared and amid much smoke and blue fire flew away with his proposer out of the window.

This story rather hints at a republican spirit on the part of the townspeople.2

Devil from Saint Thomas Church Doom Painting, Salisbury

Devil from Saint Thomas Church Doom Painting, Salisbury

Footnotes

  1. Saint Catherine of Alexandria is the origin of the Catherine Wheel firework
  2. ‘Wanderings in Wessex’ by Edric Holmes
]]> http://salisburyandstonehenge.net/salisbury-news/when-the-devil-came-to-milford-street-salisbury/feed 1 Gramshaw Terrace, Salisbury http://salisburyandstonehenge.net/streetnames/gramshaw-terrace-salisbury-england http://salisburyandstonehenge.net/streetnames/gramshaw-terrace-salisbury-england#comments Sat, 24 Mar 2012 08:24:14 +0000 admin http://salisburyandstonehenge.net/?p=4671 Gramshaw Terrace is in Salisbury – it’s one of the roads which runs down from Wilton Road to the railway line. There used to be a railway crossing known as the ‘Gramshaw footpath crossing’1.

I don’t know why it’s called ‘Gramshaw Terrace’ – I’ve not found any very prominent Gramshaws in the area.

. . . → Read More: Gramshaw Terrace, Salisbury]]> Gramshaw Terrace is in Salisbury – it’s one of the roads which runs down from Wilton Road to the railway line. There used to be a railway crossing known as the ‘Gramshaw footpath crossing’1.


I don’t know why it’s called ‘Gramshaw Terrace’ – I’ve not found any very prominent Gramshaws in the area.

I have, though, found a poem written by a Wilton man about ‘tha jolly Squire Gramshaa’.

I don’t know whether the Squire Gramshaw was a real person or a work of fiction, still less whether he has any connection with ‘Gramshaw Terrace’, but I am interested in the poem so I thought I’d write about it.

First, I’ve reproduced the poem in full. After that, for your delight and delectation, I’ve annotated it, as best I can, with notes about the meanings of words and phrases.

‘Tha Hurcott Hunt’ by Edward Slow

Hay ho ” tally ho,” away we da go,
At a rattlin pe-ace ael tagether ;
Ta join tha girt meet, at Squire Gramshaas
Wie hearts as light as a veather,

Vrom village, an town, an miles aroun,
Every spourtsmin zure ta be there,
Tha young, an tha woold, we courage za bwold
Seage matrons, an gay maidens vair.

Chorus
Var tis a gran, an a glorious day,
When Hurcott covers, we da draa
We teast tha good cheer, an drink long life
To tha jolly Squire Gramshaa.

Girt lards, an squires, in their scarlit cwoats
Big merchants, an rich bainkers too.
An varmers, za jolly, on usevul woold hacks.
We noses zom rid, and zom blue.

Mine host a tha D—- we tradesvoke we zee,
Shoemeakers, tinkers, an tailors,
We artisans slim, an leabourers stout.
Here, and there, zodjers, an zailers.

Chorus : Var tis a gran, &c.

A cheervul zite tis, around the woold house.
To look on thic gay motley drong ;
Ta zee how thay greet, to hear ow thay cheer,
Tha Squire, in hurrahs, loud an long ;

A right jolly welcome, ta ael he da gie,
Tha rich, and tha poor every one :
Var peer, an var pesant, his teable is spread
All’s welcome, to veast, an to vun.

Chorus : Var tis a gran, &c.

Well prim’d we good cheer, ael hasten away,
Ta copse, wie a rush an scramble.
An many a spill, ar ugly scratch get.
As they hurry droo bracken and bramble.

Hark ! hark ! ” tally ho,” tha hounds take scent,
An Stovin, tha harn gins ta zound
An now tha hoods, rezound wie tha spoiirt,
Var ael is excitement around.

Chorus : Var tis a gran, &c.

Athirt tha hard road, an droo thorny hedge,
Sly rennard a quickly, da hie.
Tha hounds voller up, droo varmer Drews vields,
Thay he atter un, now in vull cry.

Ta Ivors away, be zide a tha hill,
Var dear life, a madly da race.
An hill, an dale, var miles around,
Re-ecker tha crys, a tha chase.

Chorus : Var tis a gran, &c.

Poor rennard alas, is beginnen ta vlag
Var he’s woold, an shart is his breath,
Tha hounds be on un, an now ael the vield
Hurries up, to be in at tha death.

An to tha young maiden, vust on the spot,
Stovins bans up, tha coveted brush.
Which we pride, she accepts, mid diffnin cheers,
An her rosy cheeks geans then to blush.

Chorus : Var tis a gran, &c.

Back ta cover agean, away goo the hounds ;
An a vrisky young vox, is zoon vound
Like lightnin away, to Ivors he vlees.
An auver steep hill at a bound.

An hossmen an vootmin, many a mile,
Vollies hounds an huntsmin an whip
An garses, an thickets, an coppice, be draa’d
Bit a manag’d ta gie ess tha shp.

Chorus : Var tis a gran, &c.

Vast tha zun is gwain down, behine Shaston-hill
An apeace comes on gloomy night.
An keen vrosty winds beginnen ta blow,
Main keen too is hache appetite,

Well tired a spourt, var wom we da turn,
Vrens to greet, be tha girt Crismis vire
Days dooin ta releat, and wind up at last,
We a bumper, to tha jolly good Squire.

Chorus.
Var tis a gran, an a glorious day,
When Hurcott covers, we da draa
An long may we live, ta join the spourt
We the worthy Squire Gramshaa.

Tha Annotated Hurcott Hunt

‘Tha Hurcott Hunt’ was written by Edward Slow

I first thought that Slow had collected local poems and songs, like a Wiltshire Alan Lomax or Cecil Sharp, but he wrote them himself. However the poems were based on local events and stories. He writes in the introduction that he:

incorporated some few original Wiltshire tales, also many quaint sayings and stories which I believe have never before appeared in print. The majority of them have been gleaned from our peasantry, and every one founded upon fact

‘Tha Hurcott Hunt’ was included in his Fifth Collection, which was published in 1894.


Image from Amazon

Edward Slow lived in Wilton. I’m not sure whether ‘Hurcott’ is ‘Hurdcott’ or not. My guess would be that it is2, but I’ve not so far found a reference to an actual ‘Hurdcott Hunt’

The Hunt probably takes place at a Christmas in the mid to late 1880s.

Hay ho ” tally ho,” away we da go, Hay ho, Tally ho, away we do go
At a rattlin pe-ace ael tagether ; At a rattling pace, all together
Ta join tha girt meet, at Squire Gramshaas To join the great meet, at Squire Gramshaw’s
Wie hearts as light as a veather, With hearts as light as a feather

The phrase ‘Tally-ho’ first appeared in print in 17723. It’s believed to be derived from the French ‘taiaut‘ or ‘taille haut‘. ‘Taille haut’ means, in this context, ‘sword high’. It was a command to raise swords before battle4.

The word ‘girt’ means ‘great’ or ‘great big’. I still occasionally hear people say ‘girt’. It’s nearly always in the context of something that’s big and effective but basic – so you’d talk of ‘girt, big boots’, but not perhaps a ‘girt, big church’.

The Wurzels have songs featuring:

girt dollop of spaghetti; put on thy girt big hat; girt big ‘ats ‘n’ cloaks; girt big blackthorn stick5


Image from Amazon

Vrom village, an town, an miles aroun, From village and town and miles around
Every spourtsmin zure ta be there, Every sportsman sure to be there
Tha young, an tha woold, we courage za bwold The young and the old, with courage so bold
Seage matrons, an gay maidens vair. Sage matrons, and gay maidens fair

The use of the word ‘sportsman’ here means somebody who joins in the hunt.

The third line recalls a similar one in the Irish folk song ‘Spancil Hill’6:

It been on the twenty-third of June
The day before the fair
When Irelands sons and daughters
And friends assembled there
The young, the old, the brave and the bold
Came their duty to fulfill
At the parish church in Clooney
A mile from Spancil Hill7

The two songs have at least one similar aspect. ‘Tha Hurcott Hunt’ describes one great country gathering and Spancil Hill is set just before another – the Spancil Hill Fair8


Image from Amazon

Chorus

Var tis a gran, an a glorious day, For it’s a grand and glorious day
When Hurcott covers, we da draa When Hurcott entertains, we come
We teast tha good cheer, an drink long life We toast with good cheer, and drink to a long life
To tha jolly Squire Gramshaa. To the jolly Squire Grimshaw

There are a couple of possible locations for ‘Hurcott‘ locally. If we assume that it is actually ‘Hurdcott’, then there are two ‘Hurdcott Houses’ which might have been the base for ‘Tha Hurcott Hunt’. These are:

  • Hurdcott House in Winterbourne9 – which is early to mid 19th Century, located in the Bourne valley close to the village of Hurdcott
  • Hurdcott House in Barford Saint Martin10 – which is in the Nadder Valley, close to Fovant. The house was taken over by the Australian Imperial Force in the First World War11.

To start with, I assumed ‘Hurcott’ referred to the former because I didn’t know of Hurdcott near Barford. However, the Barford Hurdcott is a much better ‘fit’. There’s a reference to Shaston Hill later in the poem – the Barford Hurcott is between Wilton and Shaston (Shaftesbury). Also Edward Slow was from Wilton, so would look more to the west of Salisbury than the north.

My guess here is that ‘draa‘ means ‘draw’, and the sense here is ‘draw near’ or, perhaps, ‘be attracted’ (as in the phrase ‘An Elvis comeback at Salisbury City Hall would be a big draw’.

In turn, this would mean that ‘Gramshaa‘ would now be rendered ‘Gramshaw’, as in ‘Gramshaw Terrace’.

This translation of ‘aa’ to ‘aw’ is reflected in a page on local dialect in County Durham. The author has several examples:

aaful – awful
craalin alang – crawling along
draa – draw: “draa me whip” (i.e. from stores)
straaberries – strawberries12

Girt lards, an squires, in their scarlit cwoats Great lords, and squires in their scarlet coats
Big merchants, an rich bainkers too. Big merchants and rich bankers too
An varmers, za jolly, on usevul woold hacks. And farmers, so jolly, on useful old hacks
We noses zom rid, and zom blue. With noses, some red and some blue

The word ‘hack’ is interesting. I think there are two overlapping groups of meanings – the two groups having separate origins.

The first set of meanings comes from Early Middle English ‘hack-en‘, which in turn derives from the West Germanic ‘hakkon‘. It means to

“to cut roughly, cut with chopping blows,”13

.

From this root, according to the Oxford English Dictionary, comes ‘hack’ in the sense of kicking a football opponent and ‘hack’ in the sense of breaking into a computer system.

The second set of meanings comes from the placename ‘Hackney’, and it means something or someone very ordinary or for hire. The Online Etymology Dictionary explains that this is because

Apparently nags were raised on the pastureland there in early medieval times. Extended sense of “horse for hire” (late 14c.) led naturally to “broken-down nag,” and also “prostitute” (1570s) and “drudge” (1540s). Sense of “carriage for hire” (1704) led to modern slang for “taxicab.” As an adjective, 1734, from the noun. Hack writer is first recorded 1826, though hackney writer is at least 50 years earlier. Hack-work is recorded from 185114.

The OED gives a number of meanings, including:

A horse let out for hire; depreciatively, a sorry or worn out horse; a jade.

A horse for ordinary riding, as distinguished from cross-country, military, or other special riding; a saddle-horse for the road.The word implies technically a half-bred horse with more bone and substance than a thorough-bred.

cover-hack, covert-hack, a horse for riding to the ‘meet’, or to the covert, where he is exchanged for the hunter. 15

In any case the ‘usevul woold hacks’ are serviceable but not thoroughbred animals.


Image from Amazon

Mine host a tha D—- we tradesvoke we zee, My host, to the Devil, with tradesfolk we see
Shoemeakers, tinkers, an tailors, Shoemakers, tinkers, and tailors,
We artisans slim, an leabourers stout. With artisans slim, and labourers stout
Here, and there, zodjers, an zailers. Here and there soldiers and sailors

I don’t follow the first line here. In Victorian literature I’ve understood ‘D—-’ to mean the ‘Devil’16, but even if ‘mine host’ doesn’t get on with tradesman, the line doesn’t really make sense to me.

Chorus : Var tis a gran, &c.

A cheervul zite tis, around the woold house. A cheerful sight this, around the old house
To look on thic gay motley drong ; To look on this gay motley throng
Ta zee how thay greet, to hear ow thay cheer, To see how they greet, to hear how they cheer
Tha Squire, in hurrahs, loud an long ; The Squire in hurrahs, loud and long;

Both Hurdcotts have large houses which might be ‘the woold house’.

The meaning of the word ‘squire’ has changed over time. The word derives from Latin word for shield ‘scut‘. The squire ranked directly below the knight, and the squire carried the knights shield17. In ‘The Sword in The Stone’, the future king, Arthur is the squire of the boorish Kay who is training to be a knight.

However, by the 1670s, ‘squire’ applies to a ‘country gentleman [or] landed proprietor’18.

In the 20th Century ‘Esquire’ turned into ‘an unofficial title of respect, having no precise significance, sometimes placed, especially in its abbreviated form, after a man’s surname in formal written address’19


Image from Amazon

A right jolly welcome, ta ael he da gie, A right jolly welcome, to all he did give
Tha rich, and tha poor every one : The rich, and the poor every one :
Var peer, an var pesant, his teable is spread For peer and for peasant, his table is spread
All’s welcome, to veast, an to vun. All’s welcome to feast and to fun

The word ‘peer’ has two meanings. The first is one’s equals or colleagues – as in the phrase ‘to be judged by ones peers’.

The second is the ‘peers of the realm’, which I think is a synonym for ‘Lords’. ‘Peer’ here is used in the latter sense – ‘peer’ contrasts with ‘peasant’.

The letter ‘v‘ in the song seems to translate to ‘f‘. I’m not sure whether this is a change in the language, or whether it is just the writer rendering the local dialect phonetically. Anyway, ‘veast‘ is probably ‘feast’. ‘Vun‘ would therefore be ‘fun’. ‘Fun’ seems to me to be too modern a word, somehow, but it dates back to at least 172720.

Chorus : Var tis a gran, &c.

Well prim’d we good cheer, ael hasten away, Well primed with good cheer, all hasten away
Ta copse, wie a rush an scramble. To copse, with a rush and a scramble
An many a spill, ar ugly scratch get. And many a spill, or ugly scratch got
As they hurry droo bracken and bramble. As they hurry through bracken and bramble.

‘Primed with good cheer’ means ‘put into a happy mood’. To me, it implies that strong drink has been taken. This may say more about me than the poem!

Hark ! hark ! ” tally ho,” tha hounds take scent, Hark ! hark ! ” tally ho,” the hounds take scent,
An Stovin, tha harn gins ta zound And Stovin, the horns starts to sound
An now tha hoods, rezound wie tha spoiirt, And now the woods, resound with the sport
Var ael is excitement around. For all is excitement around

I wasn’t sure what ‘Stovin‘ meant, but suspected it might be somebody’s surname. After a bit of googling, it seems that it may be reference to a particular person – ‘Dick Stovin’.

The 1904 book ‘With Hound And Terrier In The Field: Hunting Reminiscences’ by Alys Serrell and Frances Slaughter says that:

The reputation of Dick Stovin was made when he was huntsman to Lord Valentia in the Bicester country. So good was the sport Master and huntsman then showed that the time may be looked on as the golden age of the Bicester. From the Bicester Stovin went to the Heythrop, after a short time with Lord Pembroke.

So popular was he with all classes in the country where he had been nine seasons that he received quite a splendid testimonial on his departure. From the ladies of the hunt this took the form of an exquisitely chased horn, together with a handsome offering from the Master. Another from the keepers and earth-stoppers was given him, with a purse containing 800 sovereigns.

Among the long list of names of the subscribers to the gifts is that of Prince Albert Victor21.

Prince Albert Victor was the eldest son of Edward VII22. Had he not died (in 1892) he would have become king.

In the context of Salisbury and Gramshaw Road, the mention here of Lord Pembroke is interesting. Although I’ve no idea, really, where ‘Tha Hurcott Hunt’ took place it could be that it was on land owned by the Earl of Pembroke – the Pembrokes own Wilton House, near Salisbury, and much of the surrounding area.

‘Hoods‘ here means ‘woods’. This seems to be a fairly common rendering of the word. The name ‘Robin Hood’, for example, has been derived as ‘Robin of the Woods’. The Encyclopedia Britannica says that:

Hood is a very usual dialectal form of wood; and in his play Edward the First, George Peele actually alludes to the bandit as ” Robin of the Wood.” 23

T.H. White too, calls Robin ‘Robin Wood’.

Chorus : Var tis a gran, &c.

Athirt tha hard road, an droo thorny hedge, Across the hard road and through thorny hedge
Sly rennard a quickly, da hie. Sly reynard he quickly does go
Tha hounds voller up, droo varmer Drews vields, The hounds follow up, through Farmer Drew’s fields
Thay he atter un, now in vull cry. Then he utters one, now in full cry

‘Renard‘ is the French word for fox. ‘Reynard‘ is a mischievious character from French fairy-tables which is supposed to have been the basis for Walt Disney’s cartoon version of Robin Hood24.

‘Athirt‘ means ‘across’25 and ‘hie is to ‘go quickly’26.

Ta Ivors away, be zide a tha hill, To Ivors away, beside of the hill
Var dear life, a madly da race. For dear life he madly does race
An hill, an dale, var miles around, From hill, From dale, for miles around
Re-ecker tha crys, a tha chase. Re-echo the cries of the chase

Chorus : Var tis a gran, &c.

I don’t know the significance of ‘Ivors’ here. It could be that it’s a reference to a local landowner i.e. the fox runs tthrough Ivor’s farm.

This doesn’t quite ring true to me though. ‘Ivors’ is mentioned again later in the poem. It seems more likely that Ivors is some sort of thing that both foxes flee towards rather than a specific area. The latter seems too coincidental.

Update on Ivors – I think I understand what ‘Ivors’ means, and it probably also determines the location of ‘Tha Hurcott Hunt’ itself.

Looking at this old map which shows one of the ‘Hurdcott Houses’ you can see an area marked as ‘Burcombe Ivers’ – it’s directly south of ‘Barford Saint Martin’ towards the bottom of the map:

Burcombe Ivers

In close up:

I googled ‘Iver’ rather than ‘Ivors’ and found a lot more detail. A Wikipedia entry for a Buckinghamshire village called Iver says that the name of the village is derived from:

Evreham or homestead by the brow of a hill 27

The ‘brow of a hill’ fits Burcombe Ivers quite nicely – from the map it’s on the edge of the Ridgeway between Wilton and Shaftesbury.

There’s a possible reference to Burcombe Ivers itself in an article in the Cambridge Archaeological Journal called ‘Round Barrows and Dykes as Landscape Metaphors’. The author, Christopher Tilley writes the following:

Along it, usually just to the south of the very highest ground, runs the former Shaftesbury to Salisbury turnpike road. Arable land is now characteristic along the ridge top but with the steep scarp slopes remaining unploughed and under pasture. Below the northern scarps, small woods or copses, sometimes called Ivers, still remain.28

Finally on ‘Ivors’, there’s a reference to Burcombe Ivers in a hunting diary that was offered for auction in 2005

The manuscript was titled ‘Fox Hunting’ It is dated 1784, and written by the Master of the Cranborne Chase Fox-hounds, Thomas Grove (who was an uncle by marriage to Shelley). One of the passages quoted in the description is as follows:

“March 21 Found a fox in the Furze by the Hare Warren & ran him into Burcombe Ivers where he ran short for half an Hour & then went to Earth. We dug him & killed him on the Earth.” 29

Poor rennard alas, is beginnen ta vlag Poor Reynard alas, is beginning to flag
Var he’s woold, an shart is his breath, For he’s old, and short of his breath
Tha hounds be on un, an now ael the vield The hounds are upon him, and now all the field
Hurries up, to be in at tha death. Hurries up, to be in at the death

‘Being in at the death’ refers to the death of ‘poor Reynard’, the fox. The phrase has passed from the context of fox-hunting into the wider language. It now means:

Involved in or present at the end, especially a disastrous end but sometimes merely the climax of an important event.30

An to tha young maiden, vust on the spot, And to the young maiden who is first on the spot,
Stovins bans up, tha coveted brush. Stovins hands up the coveted brush
Which we pride, she accepts, mid diffnin cheers, Which with pride she accepts amid deafening cheers
An her rosy cheeks geans then to blush. And her rosy cheeks begin then to blush

The ‘brush’ in line 2, is the tail of the fox. Traditionally, the pads (feet), brush (tail) and mask (face) of the fox were removed and kept as trophies.

I think the 4th line could have two meanings. It could simply be that the young maiden is blushing amid all the deafening cheers. Alternatively it could refer to the custom of ‘blooding’:

an informal initiation ceremony in which the face of a novice is smeared with the blood of the first fox that person has seen killed.31

Chorus : Var tis a gran, &c.

Back ta cover agean, away goo the hounds ; Back to cover again, away go the hounds
An a vrisky young vox, is zoon vound And a frisky young fox is soon found
Like lightnin away, to Ivors he vlees. Like lightening away, to Ivors he flees
An auver steep hill at a bound. And over a steep hill at a bound

Here is the second fox fleeing to ‘Ivors.’

An hossmen an vootmin, many a mile, And horsemen, and footmen, many a mile
Vollies hounds an huntsmin an whip Follows hounds and huntsmen and whip
An garses, an thickets, an coppice, be draa’d And gorses and thickets and coppice be drawed
Bit a manag’d ta gie ess tha shp. But he managed to give us the slip

The vegetation mentioned in the third line is:

gorses – is “any spiny shrub of the genus Ulex, of the legume family, native to the Old World, especially U. europaeus, having rudimentary leaves and yellow flowers and growing in waste places and sandy soil.32“

thickets – a thick or dense growth of shrubs, bushes, or small trees; a thick coppice. 33

coppice – a thicket or dense growth of small trees or bushes, esp one regularly trimmed back to stumps so that a continual supply of small poles and firewood is obtained34

Draa’d (drawn) here probably refers to “The act of encouraging the hounds through a covert in search of a quarry.35“

Chorus : Var tis a gran, &c.

Vast tha zun is gwain down, behine Shaston-hill Fast the sun is going down, behind Shaftesbury Hill.
An apeace comes on gloomy night. And at pace comes on gloomy night
An keen vrosty winds beginnen ta blow, And keen frosty winds beginning to blow
Main keen too is hache appetite, Very keen to is our appetite

The name ‘Shaston’, as an alternative to ‘Shaftesbury’, is often associated with Thomas Hardy. Hardy made up fictional names for his real locations – Dorchester was re-named Casterbridge, Salisbury became Melchester and so on. However, ‘Shaston’ pre-dates Hardy. For example, the 1859 ‘Local etymology; a derivative dictionary of geographical names‘ says that

It [Shaftesbury] is sometimes called Shaston, and Shafton.36

This predates Hardy, who was first published in 186537.

Incidentally, another alternative name for Shaftesbury used by Hardy is Palladour 38. The same section of the ‘Local Etymology’ book says

the British name [for Shaftesbury] is said to have been Caer-pell-o-ddivr, “the stronghold far from water,” and if so, the Saxons might have mistaken Caer-pell-O’ddwr for Caer Paladr, which would mean Shaft-bury”.39


Image from Amazon

I can’t find a meaning for ‘hache’. In French it relates to minced food, as in ‘steak hachee’ – the word being derived from the same root as ‘axe’.

Well tired a spourt, var wom we da turn, Well tired from the sport, for home we do turn
Vrens to greet, be tha girt Crismis vire Friends to greet, by the great Christmas fire
Days dooin ta releat, and wind up at last, The days doings to relate, and wind up at last
We a bumper, to tha jolly good Squire. With a bumper to the jolly good Squire

A ‘bumper’ is “a glass filled to the brim (especially as a toast)40“.

I think it’s also now used to describe a particular sort of glass – a fairly solid one holding about half a pint.

I would assume that the word bumper might derive from the custom of touching glasses together before drinking, but I don’t know.

Chorus.

Var tis a gran, an a glorious day,
When Hurcott covers, we da draa
An long may we live, ta join the spourt
We the worthy Squire Gramshaa.

Related Posts

Footnotes

  1. Semgonline – Salisbury
  2. The nearest ‘Hurcott’ is in Somerset
  3. Tallyho – Definition and More from the Free Merriam-Webster Dictionary
  4. Tally-ho – Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
  5. Wurzelmania: The Adge Cutler & The Wurzels Encyclopaedia. Made In Somerset!
  6. There’s currently video of the Pogues and Christy Moore performing Spancil Hill on Youtube at Christy Moore & Shane MacGowan(pogues) Spancil HILL – YouTube
  7. Spancil Hill
  8. Spancil Hill is near Ennis, in the County Clare
  9. Hurdcott House – Winterbourne – Wiltshire – England | British Listed Buildings
  10. Wiltshire County Council – Wiltshire and Swindon Archive Catalogue – Archive Information
  11. Wiltshire Council – Wiltshire Community History Get Community Information
  12. Ushaw Moor Historical Website – Local Dialect Pit Talk -
  13. hack, v.1 Second edition, 1989; online version December 2011. ; accessed 27 February 2012. Earlier version first published in New English Dictionary, 1898
  14. Online Etymology Dictionary
  15. Second edition, 1989; online version December 2011. ; accessed 27 February 2012. Earlier version first published in New English Dictionary, 1898.
  16. This is discussed at http://english.stackexchange.com/questions/27916/were-devil-and-damned-really-offensive-words-in-victorian-times and also http://www.informatics.sussex.ac.uk/department/docs/punctuation/node25.html
  17. Online Etymology Dictionary
  18. Online Etymology Dictionary
  19. Esquire | Define Esquire at Dictionary.com
  20. Online Etymology Dictionary
  21. Full text of “With hound and terrier in the field : hunting reminiscences”
  22. Prince Albert Victor, Duke of Clarence and Avondale – Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
  23. Robin Hood
  24. See Robin Hood (1973 film) – Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia and SMALL ROOM: ROBIN HOOD CONFIDENTIAL pt. 2 : Keith Ward’s “Reynard the Fox”
  25. The Wessex of romance by Wilkinson Sherren
  26. hie – definition of hie by the Free Online Dictionary, Thesaurus and Encyclopedia.
  27. Iver – Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
  28. Round Barrows and Dykes as Landscape Metaphors – Christopher Tilley, Cambridge Archaeological Journal 14:2, 185-203
  29. Fox Hunting.- Grove (Thomas, Master of the Cranbo : Lot 60D
  30. What does “in at the death” mean? | “in at the death” meaning – also Death | Define Death at Dictionary.com
  31. Blooding | Define Blooding at Dictionary.com
  32. gorse. Dictionary.com. Dictionary.com Unabridged. Random House, Inc. http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/gorse (accessed: March 13, 2012).
  33. thickets. Dictionary.com. Dictionary.com Unabridged. Random House, Inc. http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/thickets (accessed: March 13, 2012).
  34. Definition of Coppice from dictionary.net
  35. Hunting Terms
  36. Full text of “Local etymology; a derivative dictionary of geographical names”
  37. Thomas Hardy: A Chronology
  38. Jude the Obscure/Part 4/Chapter 1 – Wikisource
  39. Full text of “Local etymology; a derivative dictionary of geographical names”
  40. WordNet Search – 3.1
]]> http://salisburyandstonehenge.net/streetnames/gramshaw-terrace-salisbury-england/feed 0 Salisbury News: Milford Bridge, the Torch, Vikram Seth, Cathedral Choir and Bus Fares http://salisburyandstonehenge.net/salisbury-news/sarum-news-milford-bridge-the-torch-vikram-seth-cathedral-choir-and-bus-fares http://salisburyandstonehenge.net/salisbury-news/sarum-news-milford-bridge-the-torch-vikram-seth-cathedral-choir-and-bus-fares#comments Wed, 21 Mar 2012 18:17:45 +0000 admin http://salisburyandstonehenge.net/?p=4711 I’m quite excited about this – the ‘other wall’ of the Milford Bridge is going to be painted with a mural.

The theme of the painting is going to be Salisbury’s royal connections.

The project is holding a ‘Memories Day’ at Salisbury Library on Tuesday 10th April, . . . → Read More: Salisbury News: Milford Bridge, the Torch, Vikram Seth, Cathedral Choir and Bus Fares]]> Milford Bridge Project II – the other wall

I’m quite excited about this – the ‘other wall’ of the Milford Bridge is going to be painted with a mural.

The theme of the painting is going to be Salisbury’s royal connections.

The project is holding a ‘Memories Day’ at Salisbury Library on Tuesday 10th April, and are hoping people will come and relate their stories and memories of royal visits.

Salisbury Milford Bridge MEMORY_DAY_FLIER
Flier used with kind permission

Salisbury Torch Route

The route of the Olympics torch has been published:

Wednesday 11th July – 18.12 onwards
London Road (A30) from London Rd Park & Ride
London Road (A30)
London Road (A30) – Right Turn
Churchill Way (A36)
Churchill Way (A36) at roundabout 3rd Exit
Castle Road (A345)
Evening Celebration – Hudson’s Field


Thursday 12th July – 07.49 onwards
Salisbury Cathedral
The Close
High Street
High Street – Left Turn
Crane Bridge Road
Mill Road
Mill Road – Right Turn
South Western Road – Left Turn
Fisherton Street
Fisherton Street – Left Turn
Wilton Road (A36)
Wilton Road (A36) to 50mph signs

Thursday 12th July – 08.22 onwards
Wilton Road (A36) from Netherhampton Road
Wilton Road (A36) – Left Turn
Minster Street (A30)
Shaftesbury Road (A30)
Shaftesbury Road (A30) to Shortlands


Image from Amazon

Free kids swimming during the holidays

Vikram Seth on George Herbert

I don’t believe I’ve included a link to the Hindustan Times in a Salisbury News post before. This is an article about the Indian launch of Vikram Seth’s new(ish) book ‘The Rivered Earth’.

Seth discusses his purchase of George Herbert’s old vicarage in Bemerton.


Image from Amazon

Salisbury Oxfam “Collect at Work” scheme

The Pig of Knowledge and more curious animal related stories

Some “horrible and curious” stories from Salisbury and beyond about fighting cocks, eating toads and the ‘Pig of Knowledge’, which visited Salisbury Market.

Blake Diptych 2011: Salisbury

I discovered this blog about a dance company who are co-sponsored by Salisbury Arts Centre. They are creating a show inspired by William Blake.

Salisbury Crafts Guild

A blog on promoting crafts within the City:

Frank Field at Sarum College

The Labour politician Frank Field is giving the Niblett Memorial Lecture in October. The Niblett Memorial Lectures are aound the theme of faith or ethics in public service.

Angelic Voices: the Choristers of Salisbury Cathedral

A documentary about Salisbury Cathedral Choir in on BBC4 on Sunday 25 March at 9.00pm and Good Friday 6 April at 7.30pm


Image from Amazon

Costa opening drive thru in Amesbury

Drive by cappucino…in case the A303 isn’t nerve wracking enough!

Easter stuff at Salisbury and South Wiltshire Museum

Amesbury 2012 celebrations

Amesbury Carnival and Show is on June 2.

South Wiltshire Bus fares go up

I seem to remember that the increase in car parking charges was going to help fund public transport…

Salisbury MP John Glen on Local Government Awards and the Health Bill

John Glen is quoted in the Telegraph criticizing the ‘Local Government Chronicle Awards’ saying:

“Members of the public would rather welcome these monies being spent on our most vulnerable, particualrly those who are struggling to find employment in these difficult times.

“It’s breathtaking that those who attended can’t see the folly of such lavish, self-aggrandising events in our current climate.”

Mr Glen has also written an article on the Opposition to the Health and Social Care Bill:

Previous Salisbury News

]]> http://salisburyandstonehenge.net/salisbury-news/sarum-news-milford-bridge-the-torch-vikram-seth-cathedral-choir-and-bus-fares/feed 1 Stonehenge News: soundwaves, long exposure, 1m visitors, and good henging weather http://salisburyandstonehenge.net/streetnames/stonehenge-news-soundwaves-long-exposure-1m-visitors-and-good-henging-weather http://salisburyandstonehenge.net/streetnames/stonehenge-news-soundwaves-long-exposure-1m-visitors-and-good-henging-weather#comments Thu, 15 Mar 2012 18:27:48 +0000 admin http://salisburyandstonehenge.net/?p=4681 Some Stonehenge news….1

19 out of 20 know where Stonehenge is

According to a survey reported in various newspapers:

One in five could not find the seaside resort of Blackpool on a map while the location of Stonehenge was a mystery to one in 20 people. When asked to name England’s biggest mountain, 58 per . . . → Read More: Stonehenge News: soundwaves, long exposure, 1m visitors, and good henging weather]]> Some Stonehenge news….1

19 out of 20 know where Stonehenge is

According to a survey reported in various newspapers:

One in five could not find the seaside resort of Blackpool on a map while the location of Stonehenge was a mystery to one in 20 people. When asked to name England’s biggest mountain, 58 per cent answered either Mount Everest, Ben Nevis or Snowdon.


Stonehenge gets 1,099,656 visitors in 2011

Clicking through to the ALVA ((Association of Leading Visitor Attractions) website, I found that the Henge is the sixth most popular attraction for which there is no free entryPresumably the opena access at Solstices are not included). There were 1,099,656 visitors in 2011, up 9% on previous years.

Stonehenge – good weather for henge-building

More on the bluestones and Port Saeson

Brian John’s blog reports a Times article which stresses “the great variety of bluestone types” and points out that “none of the four remaining visible rhyolite stones match those at Pont Saeson – the supposed “quarry site” in Wales.

Stonehenge design was ‘inspired by sounds’

Another item for the ‘Theories about Stonehenge’ page – the idea here is that Stonehenge was inspired by the sounds created by two pipers or flautists playing together.

If the two musicians were a few feet apart, then the overlapping music would create louder spots and quieter spots in the surrounding area. If plotted these would resemble ‘the spokes of a wheel’ – or the positioning of the upright stones and space of Stonehenge.

And:

Clonehenge – the founder speaks

The web-mistress of one of my very favorite sites on the internet Clonehenge has written a couple of posts about the site for ‘The Heritage Journal’. Highly recommended reading for Replica-henge enthusiasts.

Robert Sheer’s Stonehenge Photo

Robert Kawika Sheer does long, single exposures photographs of well known buildings with an odd shadow effect which I don’t understand at all.

Anyway there’s a great one of Stonehenge.

‘Avenger’ to explain Achill-henge puzzle

The builder of Achill-henge the ‘protest’ henge near Galway is asked by the court to explain the henge. An intriguing thought…

Lectures – The more you dig, the less you know: Devilish Mysteries at the former MoD Estate Offices, Durrington | Salisbury & South Wiltshire Museum

The Mash on the Henge

The satire site ‘The Daily Mash’ asks ‘Who gives a toss why Stonehenge was built?’ and reports that:

Academics urged to end indeterminable debate about dull stone ring

Stonehenge Winter Solstice - sunrise

Footnotes

  1. I post Stonehenge news items as they come up on the Salisbury and Stonehenge facebook page. If you ‘Like’ the page the posts will come up in your feed reader
]]> http://salisburyandstonehenge.net/streetnames/stonehenge-news-soundwaves-long-exposure-1m-visitors-and-good-henging-weather/feed 0