The Yorkshire Boy- Britton (VT) 1943 Flanders A
[Flanders has 15 versions in her Ancient Ballads, many reprinted elsewhere. Coffin's notes are excellent.
R. Matteson 2014]
The Yorkshire Bite (Laws L 1, similar to Child 283)
"The Crafty Farmer," Child 283, is rare indeed in America, though J. Harrington Cox, Folk Songs of the South (Cambridge, Mass., 1925), 166, prints a text close to Child A. In this country, unusual songs of the thief outwitted belong to "The Yorkshire Bite" group. However, there are a number of ballads on the resourcefulness of simple folk in the face of robbery that circurated in the chapbooks and on the broadsheets of the last 250 years, and one called "The Maid of Rygate" (Laws L 2) has also been collected in the New World. Why Child chose one and excluded the others from his select circle is not really clear. In "The Crafty Farmer" the farmer throws an old saddle bag over a hedge and when the thief goes after it rides off on the highwayman's horse. In "The Yorkshire Bite" a boy spreads money on the grass and when the thief dismounts to get it rides off on the highwayman's horse. And in "The Maid of Rygate" a girl, stripped naked by a thief, outwits him and rides off on his horse. All three are much alike in age and quality, as well as in plot. For that matter, "The Yorkshire Bite" and "The Maid of Rygate" go back at least to 1769 when they appeared in Logan's Pedlar's pack, 131 and 133 respectively. "The Crafty Farmer" has not been traced before 1796.
A bite is a shrewd trick played on a dull-witted person like those tricks for which the Yorkshiremen were famous. Vermonters, see Flanders J, evidently felt New Hampshiremen were capable of similar shrewdness.
The Flanders versions are much of a kind and quite like other American texts. For a bibliography to "The Crafty Farmer," "The Yorkshire Bite," and "The Maid of Rygate" in America, see Coffin, 151-2. "The Crafty Farmer" is listed in Dean-Smith, 102 (English) and in Greig and Keith, 236-7 (Scottish). "The Yorkshire Bite" is in Dean-Smith, 55 (English), while that song, and "The Maid of Rygate" are in Laws ABBB, 165-6, under L 1 and L 2 (British and American). See also Child, V, 128-31, for a discussion.
On March 2, 1948, the following story, copied from The Farmer's Almanac for 1860, was sent to Mrs. Flanders by George E. Smith of Takoma Park, Maryland. It bears a striking resemblance to all three ballads and was evidently reprinted from a daily newspaper, The Pennsylvanian, once published in Philadelphia.
The Farmer's Daughter and the Robber
A farmer living a few miles from Easton, sent his daughter on horse back to that town, to procure from the bank smaller notes in exchange for one hundred dollars. When she arrived there, the bank was shut, and she endeavored to effect her object by offering at several stores, but could not get her note changed. She had not gone far on her return, when a stranger rode to the side of her horse and accosted her with so much politeness, that she had not the slightest suspicion of any evil intent on his part. After riding a mile or two, employed in very social conversation, they came to a very retired part of the road, and the gentleman commanded her to give him the bank note. It was with some difficulty that she could be made to believe him in earnest, as his demeanor had been very friendly; but the presentation of a pistol placed the matter beyond a doubt, and she yielded to necessity. Just as she held the note to him, a sudden puff of wind blew it into the road, and carried it gently several yards from them. The discourteous knight alighted to overtake it, and the lady whipped her horse to ger out of his power, and the orher horse which had been left standing by her side, started off with her. His owner fired a pistol, which only tended to increase the speed of all parties-and the lady arrived safely at home with the horse of the robber, on which was a pair of saddle bags. When these were opened, they were found to contain, besides a quantity of counterfeit bank notes, fifteen hundred dollars in good money! The horse was a good one, and when saddled and bridled was thought to be worth as much at least as the bank note that was stolen.
All of the tunes for Child 283 are related, and can be sub-divided into three groups: (1) Britton, Brooks, Flarvey, Davis, Moore, and Williams; (2) Edwards, Merrill; and (3) Moses. Related tunes, and, indeed, tunes for this ballad in any relationship, were extremely hard to find. For the Britton group, see FCB4 p. I19, No. 46, for general relationship.
A. The Yorkshire Boy. As sung by Mrs. Laura Britton of Putney, vermont. Learned from her mother, Jennie Sleeper, who was born in Chelsea, Vermont. H. H. F., Collector, April, 15, 1943; Retake by M. Olney January 8, 1945
Structure: A1 A2 B2 C D (2, 2, 2, 2, 2 1/2); Rhythm D; Contour: arc; Scale: Aeolian t. c. D.
The Yorkshire Boy
In London there lived a mason by trade,
Who had for his servants a man and a maid;
An 'orkshire boy, a clever man to fend,
To do his master's business, his name was John.
Fol-de-rol, day-diddle-dol, fol-de-rol-de-day.
One morning early he call-ed to his John;
John hearing master, quickly he run,
"You take my cow and drive her to the fair
For she's in good order and it's all I have to spare."
(Repeat refrain after each stanza.)
Jack taking the cow,''twas out of the barn
And started for the fair, as you may learn;
In about ten miles he met with a man
Who bought his cow, paid him the money, six pound and ten.
He called in a tavern for to take a drink
And all that he called for he paid down the chink;
When unto the landlady thus he did say:
"For what shall I do with my money, I pray?"
"I will ser,v it up in your coat lining," said she,
"Least robbed on the highway you may be."
The robber stood behind, a-drinking of his wine,
And he said to himself, "That money's all mine!"
Jack taking the leave and off he did go,
The robber following after him also;
He overtook the boy-'twas in the highway-
"It's well overtaken, young man!" said he.
"How far are you going, young man?" said he.
"Jump right up behind me and I'll be your company,
About ten miles, as near as I know."
So Jack jumped behind him and away they go.
They rode on for a space of a mile,
Talking very civil for a while,
When unto Jack the robber he did say,
"Deliver up your money or your life I'll take away!"
Jack seeing it no time to dispute or to doubt,
So out of his coat lining the money he drew out;
So out of his coat lining the money he drew out
And into the dirt he strewed it well about.
The robber getting down off from his horse,
Thinking very little it would be for his loss,
And while he was picking the money that Jack strewed,
jack jumped a horseback and away he rode.
The robber advised Jack for to stay
But Jackie never minded and straight he rode away;
When unto his master thus he did bring
A saddle, a bridle, and many fine things.
The old man coming out of his door
To meet his little servant-boy he often had before,
Being astonished and looking very cross,
He said, "What in the devil's my old cow turned to a horse?"
"Oh, no, my good master, your cow I have sold,
And it was robbed on the highway by by the highwayman bold;
While he was picking the money that I strewed,
I jumped a horseback und away I rode.''
The saddle bags were taken and out of them were told
Five hundred bright guineas all in solid gold,
Besides a pair of pistols old Jack says he, "I vow,
I think, my good master, I've well sold your cow!"
The old man says, "I vow and declare,
Three quarters of this money shall be for your share,
And as for the villing [1] I think you served him right;
I think you put upon him a true Yorkshire Bite!"
1. not a typo