Near Tunbridge Waters- (Northants) 1838 Parley (Goodrich)
[Excerpt from Tales About Christmas by Peter Parley (Samuel Griswold Goodrich) published in London, 1838.
The location is not given-- Parley says: In public houses, and pot houses by the way side, at times, there are strange ditties to be heard. Having occasion to call on the landlord of a house of this description, I could see, through the glass door of the little parlour where I sat, a group of country people sitting with their mugs before them.
I assume since the location, given earlier in the book, is Redhill Grange, a small private housing area of just under 400 homes, located approximately a mile and a half north of the center of Wellingborough, the county of Northamptonshire.
This is the only extant documented early version of the ballad found in the UK; it appears in Chapter 18. Essentially, it is only two stanzas and three lines with the story line added. It does give a possible original location for the ballad as "Near Tunbridge Waters" which perhaps has been corrupted from as "Near Bridgewater" or vice-versa.
R. Matteson 2016]
CHAP. XVIII.
PARLEY TALKS ABOUT FIRESIDE GATHERINGS, AND SONGS, AND BALLADS, AND FEARFUL TALES. (excerpt)
A bricklayer, judging by his appearance, then entertained the company with the long ballad of "Lord Bateman's Daughter:" though he had by no means a good voice, yet you might have heard a pin drop on the floor while he was singing; and yet I question if equal attention was not given to a labourer, in a smock frock, who was the next singer.
He began his ditty with a twang, singing somewhat through his nose; but that did not signify, for the narrative contained in his ballad was full of interest. It began thus,
"Near Tunbridge waters a man there lived,"
and went on to say that the man had two sons and a daughter, whom he loved very dearly.
"A servant man with them there lived;
A servant man as you shall hear,
And this young lady did him admire,
And they loved each other dear."
It seems that the brothers of the young lady were highly offended, for, after some time,
"A hunting match there was provided
To take this young man's sweet life away."
This cruel plan succeeded too well, for the two brothers fell upon the servant man, in a lonely place, and killed him; thus the young lady was deprived of her lover, and thus the hard hearted brothers rid themselves of the servant man.
"Near Tunbridge waters a brook there runneth;
With thorns and briers it is overgrown,
And, all for to hide their cruel murder,
In that brook he was killed and thrown."
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