The Yorkshire Bite- Wade (VT) 1934 (1873) Flanders I
[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.
I. As sung by Charles Wade of Wallingford, Vermont. Mr. Wade learned this song some seventy years ago in his home.
H. H. F., Collector; October 3, 1934
The Yorkshire Bite
"Twas early one morning, they call-ed for John.
So quick-lie to his master he come,
Saying, "Take this cow and drive her to the fair
For she's in good order and she we can spare."
Refrain: Tum a toodle, all the dy dle lol
Y dum dum toodle all the day.
The boy took the cow and he drove her from the barn.
He drove her to the fair as we do understand.
He had not gone far 'fore he met two men
And he sold 'em his cow for six pound ten.
(Repeat refrain after each stanza.)
The boy took the money and home he did go,
The highwayman after him also.
They had not gone far 'fore he came up to him,
Saying, "It's well overtaken all on the highway."
"How fur are you going?" the highwayman says.
"FIow fur are you going?" The boy he replied,
"Three or four miles further on I know."
And they jumped up the horseback and away they did go.
They rode till they came to a dark lane
And then says the driver, "I tell you plain,
Deliver up your money without any strife
Or in this lane I shall end your life."
The boy, seeing no time for to spare,
He leaped from his horse without any doubt;
From his coat lining the money he pulled out,
And in the tall grass he strewed it about.
"And the highwayman leaping from his horse-
AII knowing it being for his loss-
Before he had gathered the money that I strowed
I jumped up a-horseback and off I rode."
It was aye but now when John came riding home
Being in to acquaintance he went into the room.
The master in the corner, looking very cross,
Says, "The devil take my cow, turned it into a hoss."
"Oh, no, good master, your cow I have sold,
But I've been robbed of a highwayman bold.
Before he could gather the money that I strowed
I jumped up a-horseback and off I rode."
They opened up the saddle and in it they found
Gold and silver, thousands of pounds.
. . .
. . .
The old man laughs and John says, "I vow,
I think, good master, I've well sold your cow."
"Upon this robber you served him just right.
Upon him you put a Yorkshire Bite."