Nelson & His World

Sorry - couldn't find previous thread on this subject.

But I came across this old ballad called "The Female Cabin Boy" which I think adds an additional dimension to this subject.

Unfortunately I don't have a date - possibly a little later than Nelson's time - but I should think still representative of the Nelson era.



MB

An excellent book is by Roy Palmer, called 'Boxing the Compass: Sea Songs and Shanties' (2001). He includes this on page 209 and says that it appeared at least a dozen times on broadsides, starting probably after the end of the French Wars. The text you have here is the same one as in this book, and probably dates to between 1833 and 1847. We included several stories about female sailors in 'Jack Tar', those who accompanied their husbands, those who were prostitutes and those who were in disguise. It's a fascinating subject.

Lesley Adkins

There's an interesting section on this link about women aboard ships in Nelson's time, some disguised as men, some not. (Section 6 under 'The Officers and the People (crew))

http://www.hms.org.uk/nelsonsnavymain.htm

It is, as Lesley says, a complex and fascinating subject, all the more so because of the multiplicity of motives, (I was amused by the Admiral who insisted on taking his wife to sea to stop her spending so much money!) and also for the ambivalent attitude of the naval powers that be - ostensibly disapproving, but sometimes accepting or even collusive.


The booklist I added this morning on the Information forum also has a couple of books on this subject - one of which deals with the wives of merchant captains, some of whom actually took command when their husbands died or fell ill. One 15 year old girl took charge of her father's ship en route to San Francisco via Cape Horn and completed the voyage as planned.

Mark: I did some Googling to see if I could find a tune on line for 'The Female Cabin Boy' but no luck, though I did find several recordings, so it's obviously quite well known.

Incidentally, I'd put the date of the ballad you posted as 'our period' - mid-to-late 18th century. The gentleman's waistcoat and stockings, and the woman's cap seem to be in period.

(Apologies to anyone who read this before I edited it. I've lost my reading glasses. Please also forgive any other nonsense I type until I find them.)

Roy Palmer actually gives the music in his book and says that the tune is the 'Female Drummer'.

Lesley

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The reason I came across this is that I was reading a section from one of the books called London Labour & the London Poor.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/London_Lab ... ondon_Poor

The books relate to Victorian London so a bit later than "our" era - but very interesting nevertheless.

There is a description in there of an itinerant ballad singer - he lists some of his favourite ballads - doubtless the ones that earned the greatest number of tips.

This is one of the ones he mentions - but doubtless it originated in an earlier era.

MB

Steeleye Span, among others, have recorded 'The Female Drummer', which is about a girl who joins the army. These are their lyrics:

I was brought up in Yorkshire and when I was sixteen
I walked all the way to London and a soldier I became

cho: With me fine cap and feathers, likewise me rattling drum
They learned me to play upon the ra-ba-da-ba-dum
With me gentle waist so slender, me fingers long and small
I could play upon the ra-ba-dum the best of them all

And so many were the pranks that I saw upon the breech
And so boldly did I fight me boys although I'm but a wench
And they buttoned then up me trousers so up to them I smiled
To think I'd lived with a thousand men and a maiden all the while

And they never found my secret out until this very hour
When they sent me out to London to be sentry at the Tower
When a young girl fell in love with me and she found that I's a maid
She went out to me officer me secret she betrayed
He unbuttoned then my red uniform and he found that it was true
"It's a shame", he says "to lose a pretty drummer boy like you"
So now I must return to me mum and dad at home
And along with me old comrades no longer can I roam.

Frankie Armstrong's version:

I listed in the army in uniform quite new
And if they let me have a drum I'll be a drummer too
To rush into the battlefield with a broadsword in my hand
To hear the cannon rattle and the music play so grand
And the music play so grand, and the music play so grand
To hear the cannon rattle and the music play so grand

When I was a young girl at the age of sixteen
From my home I ran away to go and serve the Queen
The officer who enlisted me said, You are a fine young man
I think you'll make a drummer, so just step this way, young man

They led me to my office, they let me off to bed
And lying by a soldier's side I never was afraid
And taking off my old red coat I oftimes used to smile
To think myself a drummer, yet a female all the while

My waist long and slender, my fingers neat and small
And very soon they taught me how to play the best of all
I played upon the kettle drum as other drummers played
I played upon my kettle drum and I'll beat the drum again

They sent me off to London to be guard o'er the Tower
And there I would have been until this very day and hour
But a young girl fell in love with me, she found I was a maid
She went straightway to my officer, my secret betrayed

My officer he sent for me to see if it was true
But I all for to beat him said I already knew
There's a pension award for you, he smiled and he said
It's a pity we should lose you, such a drummer as you made

So fare you well, my officer, you have been kind to me
And fare you well, my comrades, you ne'er forgot shall be
And should the British Army fall short of any men
I'll put on my hat and feather and I'll beat the drum again.

Thanks for that. It's clear that tunes were appropriated to fit a variety of lyrics. I was hoping to find a site that actually played the tune, as I did with 'Tom Bowling', but no luck.

Naval/military songs and shanties are an interesting social history 'niche' all of their own. Originally used to establish a rhythm when working, and also for relaxation, they now provide illuminating glimpses of everyday life at sea 'with singular vividness and realism.....and supply a life and colour which is lacking from formal records of administration and official letters'.... a quote from the link below which has an informative introduction and a wide variety of sea songs of varying moods. I hadn't realised, for example, that shanties were largely a British/American/Canadian tradition, since continental navies frowned on singing at sea. It's interesting to note too, that songs about going to sea were sung on the outward 'leg' and songs about returning home were only sung on the return 'leg'.

http://www.traditionalmusic.co.uk/sea-s ... shanty.htm

Maybe the discovery of a woman in disguise aboard was a rare and surprising occurrence that caused it to be marked in song? Here's another one:

THE FEMALE LIEUTENANT; OR, FAITHLESS LOVER REWARDED.

William was a youthful lover,
William lov'd a lady fair ; ;
Bells did ring and birds did sing,
As to the church they did repair.

Then came twenty brisk young sailors,
Drest in grand and rich array ;
Instead of William being married,
Prest he was and sent away.

Soon his true love follow'd after,
By the name of William Carr ;
Her soft hands and milk-white fingers,
All were smear'd with pitch and tar.

Now behold the first engagement,
Bold she fought among the rest;
Her jacket open, void of danger,
All expos'd her snow-white breast.

When the captain came to hear it,
He said, ' What wind has brought you here ?'
' Kind sir, I came to find my true love,
Him you prest I love so dear.'

' If that you came to find your true love,
Tell to me his name, I pray ?'
' Brave sir, they call him William Taylor,
Him you prest and forc'd away.'

' If William Taylor is your true love
He is both cruel and severe,'
For rise up early in the morning1
You shall see him and his lady fair.

' For he some days ago was wedded
And lives upon the Isle of Man,
And with his beauteous bride has bedded
A truth that none deny it can.'

And a couple more! A song about a female surgeon's mate (who tends her lover's wounds, of course):

http://contemplator.com/england/vlady.html

and one about a female smuggler (who marries the commodore who arrests her):

http://contemplator.com/sea/fsmugglr.html

The tunes are available on this site too.

If we are talking about the army, what about 'Sweet Polly Oliver'?

And I've found one about a female highwayman/woman. Better stop there!

It's a interesting phenomenon, though, and you wonder whether it is a record of actual experiences or whether entertainment that involves cross-dressing reflects something a bit weird in the English psyche. There are all the male/female disguises in Shakespeare (Twelfth Night, Merchant of Venice spring to mind), then all these folk/sea songs about girls disguised as boys, and there's pantomime, of course, a uniquely English form of entertainment, with female principal boys striding about in boots and slapping their thighs, and men dressed up as the Dame.......

I came across this interesting link about some old recordings of sea-shanties, recently unearthed. The singer was born in 1836, a little later than Nelson's day, but no doubt the songs themselves would have been sung then, and maybe earlier.


http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/wear/7683488.stm

Here's a link to an interesting version of the "Handsome Cabin Boy" performed by Kate Bush. I believe her brother was into folk music and obviously passed his good tastes onto Kate!

The song is just one of many traditional sea songs (both shanties and fotrebitters) which became popular during the folk revival of the 50s and 60s and quite a number of singers (professional and amateur) specialized in performing them.

One of the most knowledgable was the late Stan Hugill of Liverpool, who was himself a real shantyman, having spent most of his working life at sea and who was old enough to have worked on working sailing ships.

His book "Shanties of the Seven Seas" is a classic but probably hard to get hold of these days.

This heritage music group have made the following recordings:

http://www.strawhead.org.uk.

2005 Bold Nelson's Praise CRM140/1, CRMDV140
Tom Tough Death of Lord Nelson Death of Parker Banks of the Nile On Board the Victory Agnus Dei

2005 On Board a '98 CRM 146
Sea Songs March Bunch of Roses Parker the Delegate On Board the Victory Here's to the Navy Again

I understand they can hold specialist events.

I knew the text of Bold Nelson's Praise but had never heard a musical version so thanks for the link, appear.

Hailwood: could you have another go at posting your link please?

Re shanties: I read recently - and again, to my shame. didn't note the reference - that Royal Navy seamen, as opposed to merchant seamen, always worked in silence. Singing was permitted, but only during periods of recreation. Can anyone suggest a source?

I've just found the reference: it was in Roy & Lesley Adkins' 'Jack Tar' (p. 204ff):

'Apart from the noise generated by their toil, in most ships, strict silence was maintained when at work - hard labour was not aided by the rhythm of sea-shanties in the Royal Navy.'