John Whitby
Vaughan Williams arrived in the village of Tilney All Saints on Saturday January 7th 1905 and met with Reverend Newnum, who introduced him to the sexton of All Saints Church, Mr John Whitby. The sexton was the caretaker of the church who would have looked after the buildings and grounds and dug the graves.
John was born in Walpole St Andrew in 1836 and by the time he was 15 years old was an agricultural labourer, a farm hand. He married Rachel in 1864, with whom he had 5 children. He lived in Walpole St Andrew all his life and at the time of Vaughan Williams’ visit was living in Kirk Field, very near the site of Anthony Curton Primary School today. In 1901 John was a groom and gardener but a decade later was listed in the census as a sexton and parish clerk so must have only assumed the position as sexton at All Saints a few years before Vaughan Williams visited in 1905. John Whitby was also a singer and knew numerous songs, he would have been 69 years of age when he sang for Vaughan Williams. He died a few years later in 1913 and is buried in the churchyard at Walpole St Andrew. |
John Whitby's Grave, Walpole St Andrew's February 2021
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Whitby's Songs
During the Saturday 7th January Whitby sang 4 songs to Vaughan Williams; Lord Bateman; Early In The Spring; Bold Carter and Maria Maarten. Maria Marten was adapted as a tune for the molly dance click here for Nicky's version.
Maria Maarten
Whitby’s gruesome song told the story of Maria Marten. Maria was the victim of “The Red Barn Murder”, which occurred in the Suffolk village of Polstead in 1827. She was murdered by her lover, William Corder, as she was carrying his illegitimate child and was found buried in the red barn following a series of vivid dreams by her mother. William Corder was hanged at Bury St Edmunds in 1828. The tune used in this gory song is a version of Dives and Lazarus, which Vaughan Williams adapted in his composition “Five Variants of Dives And Lazurus” in 1939.
During the afternoon of 7th January Vaughan Williams visited Tilney St Lawrence before returning to hear more from Whitby the following day. On Sunday Whitby performed a further 7 songs for Ralph: Lord Lovel; Streams Of Lovely Nancy; Young Girl Cut Down; Searching For Young Lambs; Crafty Plougboy and Green Bushes.
During the afternoon of 7th January Vaughan Williams visited Tilney St Lawrence before returning to hear more from Whitby the following day. On Sunday Whitby performed a further 7 songs for Ralph: Lord Lovel; Streams Of Lovely Nancy; Young Girl Cut Down; Searching For Young Lambs; Crafty Plougboy and Green Bushes.
The Crafty Ploughboy
Whitby’s song, Crafty Ploughboy, tells the story of a young farm worker who travels to the market to sell his farmer’s cow. On his return journey he is accosted by an evil highwayman who attempts to steal his money. The crafty ploughboy thinks on his feet, outwits the highwayman and makes an escape on his horse with his money stowed safely in his coat pocket.
The children had started to learn the song was to be incorporated into their drama as a partly narrated and partly sung story. Click here for the lyric of the song and to hear Nicky's version of the song.
The children had started to learn the song was to be incorporated into their drama as a partly narrated and partly sung story. Click here for the lyric of the song and to hear Nicky's version of the song.
Green Bushes
Green Bushes is a well-known folk song with different versions collected from a variety of singers around the country. Whitby’s version tells the story of a fickle young woman who had agreed to meet her betrothed in the countryside but was easily persuaded to go off with another!
The children performed this song in their villages during December 2019, click here to hear a recording alongside the lyrics.
The children performed this song in their villages during December 2019, click here to hear a recording alongside the lyrics.