The Yorkshire Boy- Davis (VT) 1945 Flanders B
[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.
B As sung by Asa Davis of Milton, Vermont. Learned from
his father,lort*{*ir. published, "Ballads Migrant in New
England," H. H. F., cottector
Noaember 8, 1945
structure: AABC P V'n:T:4); Rhythmic but divergent;
Contour: arc; Scale: hexatonrc
The Yorkshire Boy
In London there liv-ed a mason by trade.
He had him two servants, a man and a maid.
The Yorkshire boy, he had for his man
And to do his business, his name it was John.
Timi fol, dol-di-lie-do, fol lol der day.[1]
'Twas early one morning he called his man John.
John hearing his master unto him did run,
Says, "Take this cow and drive her to the fair,
For she is cross and she hooked my old mare."
(Repeat refrain after each stanza.)
John he took the cow all out of the barn,
And drove her to the fair, as we do learn,
And then pretty soon he met some men
And sold them the cow for six pounds, ten'
He went to the tavern to get him some drink'
For the good old farmers paid him down the chink.
He went to the landlady and thus he did say,
"Oh, what shall I do with my money, I pray?"
"All in your coat lining I'll sew it up," she said,
"For fear that on the highway robbed you may be.''
The highwayman sat[2] behind a drinking of wine'
And he said to himself, "That money is all mine."
John took his leave and away he did go,
The highwayman followed after his also,
He overtook the boy well on the highway,
"You're well overtaken, young man," he did say.
They went till they came to the long, dark lane'
The highwayman said to the boy, "I'll tell you all plain.
Deliver up your money without fear or strife
Or here in this place I will end your sweet life."
John, seeing no room for anY dispute,
put his hand in his coat lining and pulled the money out;
Out of his coat lining he pulled the money out'
And in the tall grass he strew it all about'
The highwayman getting down from his horse,
But little did he think it was for his loss;
While he was picking money up that was strewed,
John mounted on his horse and away he rode.
The highwayman followed after him for to stay,
John minded norhing about him but still rode away.
Home to his master he did bring
Florse, saddle and bridle and many things.
The maid saw the boy as he was returning home
And for to tell his master went in the other room.
The old man came to the door and he said, "What a fox!
Has my old cow turned into a hoss?"
"Oh, no, my good master, your cow I have sold,
Being robbed on the highway by the highwayman bold,
While he was picking money up rhar I srrewed,
I mounted on his horse and away I rode."
The saddle bags being opened as I've been told,
Five hundred pounds of silver and gold,
Besides a pair of pistols. Says John says he, "I vow,
I think, my good old master, I've well sold your cow."
"I think for a boy you have done very rare.
Three quarters of this money you shall have for your share;
And as for the old villain you have served him just right,
For you have put upon him the sure yorkshire Bite!"
1. In a second singing the same day, Mr. Davis gave this refrain:
Lol de rrol lol trol lol trol de dol der day.
2 "sit" in a second. singing the same day.