In Gosport of Late- Alex Coffey (VA) 1918 Sharp MS
[My title. Single stanza with music from Sharp's MS. Collected by Cecil J. Sharp. The only stanza given is this one. It's a loss since this is only the second version of "Gosport Tragedy" that Sharp collected (see also Sharp B). It's possible Davis, or the Virginia Folklore Society have this and it is in another MS somewhere. The only explanation is that Sharp knew it was from print. It's similar the The Deming Broadside (few did her excel), printed at various times in the Northern US (Maryland to Boston, MA to New York) from the early to mid-1800s.
Sharp MS: I walked in steaming hot weather to Mrs Fanny Coffey. Found her, her father, old Alex Coffey, & her mother sitting out some distance away from her home. She & her father sang me several nice songs including a beautiful version of Arise Arise. Then her father went to the mill while I waited behind for some time calling on the father at the mill on the way back, tested Arise and got him to sing several others. He is a fine singer.
R. Matteson 2016]
In Gosport of Late- Sung by Alex S. Coffey, of White Rock, Virginia on 10 May, 1918. Collected by Cecil J. Sharp.
In Gosport of late a fair maid did dwell,
For wit hand for beauty few did her excel,
A young man did court her for to be his dear,
And he by his trade was a ship's carpenter.