> Eliza Carthy and The Kings of Calicutt > Songs > Sheffield Park / Polly Bishop's Slip Jig / Sir Roger de Coverley

Sheffield Park / Polly Bishop's Slip Jig / Sir Roger de Coverley

Ben Butcher sang In Sheffield Park in a recording made by Bob Copper between September 1954 and November 1957 on the 1977 Topic album Songs and Southern Breezes: Country Singers from Hampshire and Sussex. This song was also collected by Bob Copper in about 1954 from Enos White in Axford, Hampshire: see Chapter Thirteen, pp. 108-113, of the book Songs and Southern Breezes for the details; and the appendix for these words. Bob Copper tells us that Enos White pronounced it “Sherfield”.

Frank Hinchliffe sang In Sheffield Park in a recording made by Mike Yates in 1976 on his 1977 Topic album In Sheffield Park: Traditional Songs from South Yorkshire.

Eliza Carthy and The Kings of Calicutt (Andi Wells, Barnaby Stradling, Saul Rose and Maclaine Colston) sang and played Sheffield Park and the tunes Polly Bishop's Slip Jig and Sir Roger de Coverley in 1997 on their eponymous album Eliza Carthy and The Kings of Calicutt. The album's sleeve notes say:

This lass's employer certainly had more love for her than the man she died for. Everyone's love for Barn's bass line lasted right through the first tune.

Lyrics

Eliza Carthy sings Sheffield Park	Enos White sings In Sheffield Park
In Sheffield Park oh there did dwell A brisk young lad and I loved him well. He courted me my heart to gain; He has gone and left me full of pain.	In Sheffield Park where I did dwell A brisk young lad I loved him well. He courted me my heart to gain; He's gone and left me full of pain.
I went upstairs to make my bed, I laid me down and nothing said. My mistress came to me and said, “Oh what's the matter with you, my maid?”	I went upstairs to make the bed, And laid me down and nothing said, My mistress came and to me said, “What is the matter with you, my maid?”
“O mistress, mistress, you little know The pain and sorrow I undergo. But place your hand on my left breast: My panting heart can take no rest.	“O little dove, what does you know What pain and sorrow I undergo, Just lay your hand on my left breast, My fainting heart can take no rest.”
“Oh take a letter to him with speed And give it to him so he can read. And bring an answer without delay, For he has stolen my heart away.”	My mistress turned away with speed; “Some help, some help is what you need.” “No help, no help, no help, I say My William stole my heart away.”
She took the letter immediately, He read it over while she stood by. And then he did this letter burn Which caused her to grieve and mourn.
“Oh how can she think how fond I be That I could love no-one but she? Man was not made to love one alone, So I take delight to hear her mourn!”
She then returned immediately And found her maid as cold as clay. “O wicked man how cruel thou art For the taking of my own maid's heart.
I'll pull the grass for her silent bed And a flowery pillow for her head, And the leaves that blow from tree to tree They shall be coverlets over she.	We'll gather green grass all for her bed And a flowery pillow for her head, And the leaves that's blowing from tree to tree Shall be the coverlet over she.
In Sheffield Park oh there did dwell A brisk young lad and I loved him well. He courted me my heart to gain; He has gone and left me full of pain.

Notes

Garry got a start with these words from Ron Clarke; many thanks. He notes:

The words are collated from Dorset and Essex versions. The tune is from Puddletown, Dorset. This tune is unusual, in that it is written in 5/4 timing.

This stanza in Ron Clarke's version is not sung by Eliza. It comes after the first verse:

There is an alehouse in this town
Where my love goes and sits him down
And takes a strange girl on his knee
And tells her what he don't tell me

Acknowledgements

Transcribed by Garry Gillard. Thanks for help with hard bits to Kira White.