Narrative: 3A. The Constant Farmer's Son
A. [Print versions]
a. "Merchant's Daughter and Constant Farmer's Son." Broadside printed by Taylor, 16, Waterloo Road, near the Victoria Theatre, London c. 1832-1837 (imprint young man courting a young woman) G. Brown. The tune: Young Edwin in the Lowlands.
b. "The Merchant's Daughter and Constant Farmer's Son." Pitts broadside dated 1819-1844 (more accurately 1832-1844 since it's based on Aa) with the imprint: "Pitts Printer and Toy Warehouse, 6 Great St Andrew Street, Seven Dials."
c. "The Merchant's Daughter and Constant Farmer's Son." W. & T. Fordyce, Printers, Dean Street, Newcastle. To be had also at No. 43, Myton Gate, Hull, c.1840.
d. "The Merchant's Daughter and Constant Farmer's Son." Printed and sold wholesale and retail, by G. Jacques, Oldham Road Library, Manchester; c.1850.
e. "Merchant's Daughter" The Humming Bird Songster: New York; P.J. Cozans (Cozzens), Publisher, 107 Nassau St., NY., 1858.
f. "The Merchant's Daughter and Constant Farmer's Son." London: H. Such, Machine Printer & Publisher, 177, Union Street, Boro'., S.E. between 1863 and 1885.
g. "The Merchant's Daughter" Henry De Marsan's New Comic and Sentimental Singer's Journal, Number 25. Henry De Marsan, publisher, 90 Chatham Street, New York, shortly before 1871.
h. “The Constant Farmer's Son,” broadside printed by H. J. Wehman, no. 768, 130 Park Row, New York, 1890. A copy is in the Harvard library.
B. [British traditional versions- representative versions]
a. The Merchant's Daughter- Sung by Mr. H Burstow, 1893 Broadwood
b. The Constant Farmer's Son- sung by Maurice Cardy from Stour Valley, Essex, learned about 1870 from his mother. Collected around 1928 by Dr. Thomas Wood; published in the 1929 JFSS with the tune and one stanza.
c. Contended Farmer's Son- J. Woolrich (Devon) 1888 Baring-Gould MS
d. Merchant's Daughter- Henry Burstow (Sus) 1893 Broadwood
e. Constant Farmer's Son- W. Nott (Dev) 1904 Sharp MS
f. Constant Farmer's Son- George Digweed (Ham) 1906
g. Merchant's Daughter- (Wilt) c.1917 Alfred Williams
h. Constant Farmer's Son- John Maguire (Ferm) c.1920
i. Constant Farmer's Son- Josie Connors (Wick) c.1973
j. Constant Farmer's Son- J. McDermott (Ferm) 1980
k. Constant Farmer’s Son- Jimmy Doherty (Don) 1984
C. [North American traditional versions]
a. Constant Farmer's Son- L.C. Wimberly (NE) 1916 Pound
b. Constant Farmer's Son- J. Adamson (NS) 1919 Mackenzie
c. Constant Farmer's Son- Annie Syphers (ME) 1933 Flanders
d. Constant Farmer's Son- John Green (MI) 1938 Lomax
e. Constant Farmer's Son- George Edwards (NY) 1948 Cazden
f. Constant Farmer's Son- Walter Roast (NS) 1950 Creighton A
g. Constant Farmer's Son- Jack Turple (NS) 1952 Creighton b
h. Constant Farmer's Son- Irene Sargent (AR) 1963 Parlor
i. Constant Farmer's Son- Johnny Pearson (NL) 1979 Best and Lehr
It's of a merchant's daughter in London town did dwell,
So modest, fair and handsome, her parents loved her well,
She was admired by lord and squire, but all their thoughts was vain,
For there was one, 'twas a farmer's son, young Mary's heart could gain.
Long time young William courted her, and fixed their wedding day,
Their parents all consented, but her brothers both did say,
There lives a lord who pledged his word, and him she shall not shun,
We will betray and then we'll slay her constant farmer's son.
A fair was held not far from town, those brothers went straightway,
And asked young William's company with them to pass the day,
But mark— returning home again, they swore his race was run,
Then with a stake the life did take of the constant farmer's son.
These villains then returning home, oh sister they did say,
Pray think no more of your false love, but let him go his way,
For it's truth we tell, in love he fell, and with some other one,
Therefore we come to tell the same of the constant farmer's son.
As on her pillow Mary laid, she had a dreadful dream,
She dreamt she saw his body lay down by a crystal stream.
Then she arose, put on her clothes, to seek her love did run,
When dead and cold she did behold her constant farmer's son.
The salt tears stood upon his cheeks all mingled with his gore,
She shriek'd in vain to ease her pain, and kissed him ten times o'er,
She gathered green leaves from the trees, to keep him from the sun,
One night and day she pass'd away with the constant farmer's son.
But hunger it came creeping on, poor girl she shrieked with woe,
To try and find his murderer she straightway home did go,
Saying, parents dear you soon shall hear a dreadful deed is done,
In yonder vale lays dead and pale, my constant farmer's son."
Up came her eldest brother and said it is not me,
The same replied the younger one, and swore most bitterly,
But young Mary said, don't turn so red, nor try the laws to shun,
You have done the deed, and you shall bleed for my constant farmer's son.
Those villains soon they owned their guilt and for the same did die,
Young Mary fair, in deep despair, she never ceas'd to cry,
Their parents they did fade away, the glass of life was run,
And Mary cry'd, in sorrow died, for her constant farmer's son.
G. BROWN
________________________
Aa, "The Merchant's Daughter and Constant Farmer's Son," (see above) has been attributed to broadside writer[1] George Brown of London about 1832, but before 1837, using a similar theme and a few particulars from "The Bramble Briar[2]." Because "The Merchant's Daughter" appears as the title of several broadsides of different ballads, for clarity, "Constant Farmer's Son" will be used as the title and it is listed as an appendix (3-A) to 3. The Bramble Briar. Besides the title and theme, several stanzas (6 through 8) appear to be rewritten from "The "Bramble Briar." I've concluded that Brown's work is based on "The Bramble Briar" rather than a translation of Boccaccio's story of "Isabella, or the Pot of Basil." Assuming that Brown penned this ballad, it makes the "traditional" versions collected in the UK and North America "cover songs of an original song" -- a point that may not have been considered until now. Belden says in his 1918 article[3] "The natural inference is that The Constant Farmer's Son is a working over of The Bramble Briar by some hack for the ballad press." Frank Purslow adds[4]:
"A Famous Farmer" and its corrupted version "A Female Farmer" are other names for "Bruton Town" which dates from the early 18th century at least, but is probably much older. The Constant Farmer's Son is a 19th century re-write of the older song in a different metre.
According to Steve Gardham[5], "The Constant Farmer's Son was written by George Brown, a prolific writer for the London trade." Many of Brown's works were published by William Taylor. The date for the Taylor broadside is c. 1832[6]. In order for Brown write a ballad based on The Bramble Briar he would either have had a copy of the missing broadside or perhaps have heard the ballad sung traditionally and altered it. The date Brown wrote this broadside for Taylor has been given as between 1832-1837 since soon after 1837 Taylor gave up printing at Waterloo Road and Hillatt and Martin took over printing his broadside list for a time[7].
Since Constant Farmer's Son is based on the Bramble Briar and the story of the Bramble Briar is similar to Boccaccio's story of "Isabella, or the Pot of Basil," Decameron, iv, 5 -- therefore The Constant Farmer's Son is also similar to Boccaccio's story. A brief synopsis of Constant Farmer's Son follows:
Mary's parents consent to let their daughter marry a farmer, but her brothers want her to marry a lord. To prevent the marriage, the brothers ask the farmer to go with them to a fair and instead murder him with a stake. They tell their sister he has left with another girl. She has a dream of her lover's death by a crystal stream, then goes there and finds his body. She returns and sees her brother's guilty faces, has them executed, and dies of sorrow.
Aa to Ah represent some of the main print version of this widely printed ballad. Assuming the ballad was written by George Brown and printed by Taylor (Aa) by 1837 then all the other versions would be based on Brown's text or subsequent printings based on Brown's text. Ab, the Pitts broadside is one of the oldest[8] and is dated between 1819-1844[9] and has the imprint: "Pitts Printer and Toy Warehouse 6 Great St Andrew Street Seven Dials." In Ab the word crystal is misspelled "chrystal." Later prints (Ac) and traditional versions improved the apparently intentional errors in Aa such as "but all their thoughts was vain," that appeared in Brown's first stanza. Ae, Ag and Ah were printed in New York in the second half of the 1800s.
B, represents the British traditional versions and Ba, as sung by Henry Burstow of Sussex, was collected by Lucy Broadwood in 1893. Burstow's version is very close to Aa and Ab. The last line of the first stanza in Ab begins as Burstow[10] sings it, "For only one, . . ." but adds " 'twas" ('twas a farmer's son).
The word "farmer," which appears in later traditional English versions of the Bramble Briar, has likely been borrowed from The Constant Farmer's Son. In Bruton Town begins[11], "In Bruton town there lives a farmer," evidence that the "Constant Farmer's Son" in turn, influenced traditional English versions of Bramble Briar. In another English version[12] of Bramble Briar, Mary has become the daughter's name. Broadwood has suggested that "farmer" should be "father" as in the Hans Sachs' 1515 reenactment[13] but it seems unlikely that the borrowing took place there. The borrowing by Brown took place in the 1830s when he recreated the Constant Farmer's broadside while the borrowing by English traditional singers took place between 1850 and 1900 before the mysterious Bramble Briar was collected[14]. It's important to note that "farmer" does not appear in American versions of Bramble Briar indicating the English Constant Farmer's broadsides had an influence on English traditional singers.
Brief Analysis of Brown's Text
The first part of the title, "The Merchant's Daughter," is also used as a title for "The Bramble Briar." There are nine stanzas in "Constant Farmer's Son" -- the first five stanzas are a retelling of the Bramble Briar story without using the Bramble Briar text. Here's the 5th stanza:
5. As on her pillow Mary laid, she had a dreadful dream,
She dreamt she saw his body lay down by a crystal stream.
Then she arose, put on her clothes, to seek her love did run,
When dead and cold she did behold her constant farmer's son.
[stanza 5, compare below to 5 and 6 of The Bramble Briar]
5. She went to bed crying and lamenting,
Lamenting for her heart's delight;
She slept, she dreamed, she saw him lay by her,
Covered all over in a gore of blood.
6. She rose early the very next morning,
Unto the garden brook she went;
There she found her own dear jewel
Covered all over in a gore of blood.
[Bramble Briar: In Bruton Town" sung by Mrs. Overd in Somerset, England; collected in 1904 by Cecil Sharp and published in the 1905 JFSS.]
The salt tears in stanza 6 of Constant Farmer's Son are clearly a detail taken from Bramble Briar are are the "kisses" as well as her staying with the corpse until a sharp hunger forces her home:
6. The salt tears stood upon his cheeks all mingled with his gore,
She shriek'd in vain to ease her pain, and kissed him ten times o'er,
She gathered green leaves from the trees, to keep him from the sun,
One night and day she pass'd away with the constant farmer's son.
[stanza 6; compare below]
The blood all on his lips was drying,
His tears were salter than any brine.
Then she kissed him and then she cried:
"Here lies a bosom friend of mine."
Three nights and days she stayed lamenting
Till her poor heart was filled with woe.
Until sharp hunger came creeping on her,
Then homeward she was forced to go.
[Bramble Briar: "A Famous Farmer" sung by George Digweed of Hants. Collected by H. E. Hammond in 1906.]
7. But hunger it came creeping on, poor girl she shrieked with woe,
To try and find his murderer she straightway home did go,
[first two lines of stanza 7; see above]
In stanza 8 of Constant Farmer's Son (below) we find the same deliberate lying from the murderer as found in another early 1800s broadside:
8. Up came her eldest brother and said it is not me,
The same replied the younger one, and swore most bitterly[15],
[see: Polly's Love]
It's easy to see the relationship with Bramble Briar in stanza 5, 6 and the first half of 7. The first two lines of 8 are borrowed from "Polly's Love" which was a broadside published a dozen or so years before Brown penned "Constant Farmer's Son."
Perhaps the most important discovery is Brown's knowledge of the "Bramble Briar" circa 1832 since only one record of Bramble Briar has been found in England before 1904. Unfortunately, Brown did not publish a version of Bramble Briar.
* * * *
A parody, The Country Farmer’s Son, appears in Baring-Gould's "Songs of the West" (1892) as taken down by Rev. H. Fleetwood Sheppard from John Woolrich (not Woodrich), labourer, Broadwood Widger. Baring Gould says, "The original ballad, 'The Constant Farmer's Son,' is found in a broadside by Ross, of Newcastle. It is a good, robust tune of the end of last century."
Adding to the already questionable nature of Baring Gould's contributions are the three versions of Constant Farmer's Son in his notebooks titled, "Contented Farmer's Son" and all attributed to Woolrich. "Contented" nowhere appears in the text and the last two versions (the earliest is dated 1888 another is dated 1898) appear to be rewritten after Baring-Gould's discovery of a Such broadside (also in his notebooks).
Brown's broadside was popular enough that it was reprinted many times in the 1800s and to enter into tradition. The ballad features some inner rhyming patterns after the first line which are found consistently in the last two lines:
She was admired by lord and squire, but all their thoughts was vain,
For there was one, 'twas a farmer's son, young Mary's heart could gain.
Although Constant Farmer's Son never was as popular as it's predecessor, The Bramble Briar, it was collected from tradition a number of times both in the UK and abroad in North America. The ballad has remained in current tradition in southern England, Newfoundland, and especially Ireland.
A new last stanza has appeared in the Irish versions, beginning with John Maguire's (c. 1920s). The ending is usually corrupt and many of these last stanzas (including Maguire's) have only three lines. Here is a four line ending similar to Maguire's, a ballad he learned from William Quigley:
These villains they were found guilty and for that same did die,
The doctors got their bodies all for to practice by,
But Mary’s thoughts both night and day on her true love they do run,
In a madhouse cell young Mary dwells for her constant farmer's son.
Constant Farmer's Son brings up the point of what constitutes a traditional ballad. If this was written by George Brown circa 1832, it can be argued that it is not traditional and that all subsequent versions from tradition are not traditional. Other broadsides, it may be argued, were perhaps based on tradition, or, we simply aren't sure if they were taken from tradition or of their source. This ballad, seems to be only from the broadside pen of Brown, and should not be considered traditional. Its similar theme and slight textual similarity to "Bramble Briar" and its sometimes erroneous categorization with and alongside Bramble Briar, warrant its inclusion as a ballad study. Constant Farmer's Son is a different ballad although it was based on or inspired by Bramble Briar and indirectly-- the Boccaccio's story.
R. Matteson 2016
_________________
Footnotes:
1. Ascribed to G. Brown on imprint (see above). Gardham attributes the broadside to George Brown a writer for printers Taylor, Hillatt, Martin and others in the 1830s in the Seven Dials, London area. According to James Hepburn, Brown wrote over 20 broadsides.
2. The theme is told in Boccaccio's story of "Isabella, or the Pot of Basil" from the Decameron, iv, 5 dated 1353. "Isabella, or the Pot of Basil" is the titel given by John Keats who wrote a narrative poem on the theme in 1818. A synopsis from Wiki follows: a young woman whose family intend to marry her to "some high noble and his olive trees", but who falls for Lorenzo, one of her brothers' employees. When the brothers learn of this they murder Lorenzo and bury his body. His ghost informs Isabella in a dream. She exhumes the body and buries the head in a pot of basil which she tends obsessively, while pining away.
3. Boccaccio, Hans Sachs, and the Bramble Briar by H. M. Belden; PMLA, Vol. 33, No. 3 (1918), pp. 327-395
4. Purslow's handwritten note is found in the Vaughan Williams Collection.
5. Posted on the Mudcat discussion Forum May, 2016.
6. A Book of Scattered Leaves: Poetry of Poverty in Broadside Ballads, Volume 1 by James G. Hepburn. The Taylor broadside was printed between 1830 and 1940 according to Belden who called it was the oldest.
7. Ibid
8. "The Merchant's Daughter and Constant Farmer's Son." Pitts broadside dated 1819-1844 with the imprint: "Pitts Printer and Toy Warehouse, 6 Great St Andrew Street, Seven Dials."
9. The date, more accurately, would be between 1832-1844 since it's based on Aa, dated 1832-1837.
10. The Merchant's Daughter- Sung by Mr. H Burstow, 1893
11. Sung by Mrs. Overd at Langport on August 4, 1904.
12. See: A Female Farmer- Daniel Wigg (Hants) 1907 collected Gardiner.
13. Hans Sachs' first use of Boccaccio's story appears in the 1515 Historia: Eim kleglich geschichte von zweyen liebhabenden. Der ermort Lorenz (Hans Sachs herausg. voI A. von Keller, II, pp. 216 ff.). 256 lines, in four-beat couplets.
14. "In Bruton Town" sung by Mrs. Overd at Langport on August 4, 1904 was the first English version collected began, "In Bruton town there lives a farmer." Subsequent collected English versions included 'farmer' in the opening. Farmer is not found in American versions.
15. Here's the similar text from Polly's Love (c. 1820):
Then up stepp'd one indeed it's not me
Then up stepp'd another, the same he did say
Then up starts young William to stamp and to swear
Indeed it's not me sir, I vow and declare.
[For ballad texts see the following two pages attached to this page: US & Canada Versions/ British & other Versions]