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> June Tabor > Songs > Silly Sisters: Doffing Mistress
> Martin Carthy > Songs > The Doffing Mistress

The Doffing Mistress

[ Roud 2133 ; Ballad Index K220 ; trad.]

This weaving mill song was sung by Anne Briggs with Ray Fisher joining in on chorus on the theme album The Iron Muse: A Panorama of Industrial Folk Music. This recording was also included in her two compilations Classic Anne Briggs and A Collection. A.L. Lloyd wrote in the original album's sleeve notes:

Perhaps because the words are at once good-natured to fellow-workers and cheeky to the master, The Doffing Mistress has a firm hold on the imagination of young mill girls. It seems to have originated in the linen-mills of Northern Ireland but has since spread to textile workers elsewhere. The form easily allows for improvised words and many local verses are attached to the tune. A “doffer” is a worker who takes the full bobbins off the spinning machines.

Frankie Armstrong sang The Doffing Mistress in 1968 on the Critics Group's album The Female Frolic, and in 1980 on her own album And the Music Plays So Grand.

Maddy Prior and June Tabor recorded Doffin' Mistress in 1976 for their album Silly Sisters; Martin Carthy played guitar on this track, Nic Jones fiddle, Andy Irvine mandolin and Danny Thompson bass. Another Maddy Prior and June Tabor recording—live from their 1999 Christmas tour—is on the CD and DVD Ballads and Candles. The latter album's notes said:

The Doffing Mistress oversaw the young factory girls in the spinning sheds as the changed (doffed) the bobbins, ready to be sent to the weavers. The revolution in technology brought with it new songs that reflected a different world from the pastoral songs of an earlier time and have a vibrant energy and positive outlook in this case, that we do not usually associate with factories.

Swan Arcade sang The Doffing Mistress in 1190 on their CD Full Circle.

Martin Carthy sang The Doffing Mistress in 2001 on Brass Monkey's fourth album Going & Staying, and recorded it live in studio in July 2006 for the DVD Guitar Maestros. He commented in the Brass Monkey's album sleeve notes:

Both Heather Down the Moor and The Doffing Mistress are Ulster songs. The former is a courting song from the lovely County Derry singer, Eddie Butcher, and the latter a song from the weaving mills which Anne Briggs used to sing in the 1960. She said that “doffers” were the women who took the finished cloth from off the machines for the next stage in its production. It was work that was largely done bent double, which explains the line “she hangs her coat on the highest pin.” The Doffing Mistress was the supervisor, and, in consequence, never did the job itself. The upshot of this was that she could stand up straight, something which doffers, bent double as they were all their working lives, found difficult to do.

Barry Lister sang The Doffing Mistress in 2006 on his CD Ghosts & Greasepaint as part of his Factory Set, together with The Handloom Weaver and the Factory Maid, The Factory Girl, and On a Monday Morning.

Jon Boden sang Doffing Mistress as the October 26, 2010 entry of his project A Folk Song a Day.

Lyrics

Anne Briggs sings The Doffing Mistress	Danny Spooner sings The Doffing Mistress
Oh do you know her or do you not This new doffing mistress we have got? Elsie Thompson it is her name And she helps her doffers at every frame.	Oh do you know her or do you not This new doffin' mistress we have got? Elsie Thompson it is her name And she helps her doffers at every frame.
Chorus (after each verse): Fol de ri fol ra Fol de ri fol ray	Chorus (after each verse): Fol de ri fol ra Fol de ri fol ray
And Monday morning when she comes in She hangs her coat on the highest pin. Turns around just to greet her friends, Crying, “Hi, doffers, tie up your ends!”	Now every morning when she comes in She do hang her coat on the highest pin. Turns around just to greet her friends, Crying, “Ay up, doffers, tie up your ends!”
Some times the boss he looks in the door, “Tie your ends up, doffers,” he will roar. Tie our ends up we surely do, For Elsie Thompson but not for you.	And then the boss he looks in the door, “Tie your ends up, doffers,” he do roar. Tie our ends we surely do, But for Elsie Thompson and not for you.
(Repeat first verse)	(Repeat first verse)

The Silly Sisters sing Doffing Mistress	Martin Carthy sings The Doffing Mistress
O do you know her, or do you not This new doffin' mistress we have got? Elsie Thompson it is her name And she helps her doffers at every frame.	Oh do you know her or do you not This new doffing mistress we have got. Elsie Thompson it is her name And she helps us doffers at every frame.
Chorus (after each verse): Ladli-right fol dol, Ladli-right fol dol.	Chorus (after each verse): Ra de ri fol ra Ra de ri fol ray
On Monday morning when she comes in She hangs her coat on the highest pin Turns around for to view her frames Shouting, “Damn you, doffers, tie up your ends.”	And every morning when she comes in She hangs her coat on the highest pin. Turns around for to view her friends, Saying, “Damn you, doffers, tie up your ends!”
And when the boss he looks round the door, “Tie your ends up, doffers,” he will roar. Tie our ends up we surely do For Elsie Thompson but not for you.	And then our boss he come in at last, His legs are bowed like an old jackass. Sticks his head all around the door, “Tie your ends up, doffers,” he loudly roar.
Yes, tie our ends up we surely do For Elsie Thompson but not for you. We'll tie our ends and we'll leave our frames And wait for Elsie to return again.	Tie our ends up we surely do, For Elsie Thompson but not for you. We'll tie up our ends and we'll leave our frames, Wait for Elsie Thompson to return again.
	(Repeat first verse)
Digital Tradition version of The Doffing Mistress
Oh do you know her or do you not This new doffin' mistress we have got Oh, Bertha Wallace it is her name And she helps her doffers at every frame Chorus (after each verse): Fol de ri fol ra Fol de ri fol ray On Monday morning when she comes in She hangs up her coat on the highest pin Turns around just to greet her friends Crying, "Hi there, doffers, tie up your ends" Sometimes the boss he look in the door "Tie up your ends, doffers," he will roar "Tie our ends we surely do, But for Bertha Wallace and not for you" Oh, Bertha Wallace are you going away? Will it be tomorrow, will it be today Are you going for to break our hearts For there's no one here for to take our parts Oh do you know her or do you not This new doffin' mistress we have got Bertha Wallace it is her name And she helps her doffers at every frame

Acknowledgements

Transcription from Martin Carthy's singing by Garry Gillard, who learnt the song in the oral tradition from Danny Spooner.