> Joseph Taylor > Songs > The White Hare of Oldham
> The Watersons > Songs > The White Hare of Howden
> Shirley Collins > Songs > The White Hare
> Ashley Hutchings and The Albion Band > Songs > The White Hare
> Martin Carthy > Songs > White Hare

The White Hare / Howden Town

[ Roud 1110 ; Ballad Index RcTWhiHa ; trad.]

Joseph Taylor sang this song as The White Hare of Oldham. It was recorded by Percy Grainger in 1908 and released in 1972 on the LP Unto Brigg Fair and later on the anthology To Catch a Fine Buck Was My Delight (The Voice of the People Volume 18; Topic 1998). The Unto Brigg Fair sleeve notes state:

Other versions KTT, KP, SM, PB. Sound recordings BBC 19336. Tom and Jim Smith are names that occur with great frequency through successive generations of huntsmen in the employ of the Earl of Yarborough especially in the eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries.

It was later sung as The White Hare of Howden by the Watersons (Mike lead, Lal and Norma Waterson and John Harrison on chorus) on their LP The Watersons. Like all but one tracks from this LP, it was re-released in 1994 on the CD Early Days. A.L. Lloyd said in the record's sleeve notes:

Frank Kidson obtained this from his indefatigable assistant, Mr. Lolley, and printed it in his Traditional Tunes. This version, the one the Watersons sing, locates the hunt firmly in Yorkshire but the song has been collected elsewhere. Percy Grainger, a pioneer in the use of mechanical recording devices with which to collect folk songs, recorded the fine singer Joseph Taylor singing it in 1906. Taylor came from Brigg, Lincolnshire, far across the Humber from the Watersons home at Hull. They made up their own words for the chorus.

Martin Carthy also recorded White Hare (of Howden) with Dave Swarbrick in 1968 for their album But Two Came By; it was reissued on This Is... Martin Carthy and on the The Spinners, The Corries and Martin Carthy compilation Focus on Folk. His chorus is very similar to that of Joseph Tailor. A nearly identical version of The White Hare was sung by Shirley Collins, Royston Wood, Lal and Mike Waterson in 1971 on No Roses.

The White Hare is also sung by John Roberts & Tony Barrand on Heartoutbursts: English Folksongs collected by Percy Grainger.

And Andy Irvine sang The Creggan White Hare on his and Dick Gaughan's album Parallel Lines (1981)

Pilgrims' Way recorded this song as Howden Town for their Fellside download-only 2011 Christmas album Shinging Gently All Around. They also sang it at Shepley Spring Festival 2011:

Lyrics

Joseph Taylor: The White Hare of Oldham

Near Oldham town, near Oldham town, as I have heard them tell;
There once was a white hare that used there for to dwell;
She'd been hunted by beagles and greyhounds so fair,
But ne'er a one amongst them could come near this old white hare,
With me ri-tol-the-didel-ol, the-ri-tol-the-day.

They went to the place where the white hare used to lie;
They uncoupléd their beagles and beginning for to try,
They uncoupléd their beagles and they beat the bushes round,
But there was never a white hare not there to be found,
With me ri-tol-the-didel-ol, the-ri-tol-the-day.

There was Jim Smith the huntsman and Tom the whipper-in;
Go down to yonder furze-side to see if she be in;
With that she took a jump me-boys, and away she did run,
And yonder she is going, don't you see her gentlemen,
With me ri-tol-the-didel-ol, the-ri-tol-the-day.

The footmen they did run and the horsemen they did ride;
Such holloa-ing and shouting there was on every side,
Such holloa-ing and shouting I never before had known
And all the men kept crying, "Tally O, tally O,"
With me ri-tol-the-didel-ol, the-ri-tol-the-day.

There was twenty good beagles that caused this hare to die,
There was not one amongst them above a foot high
The number of the dogs there, never could be found
And never better hunting upon old English ground,
With me ri-tol-the-didel-ol, the-ri-tol-the-day.

The Watersons: The White Hare of Howden

In Howden town, in Howden town, as I have heard them tell
Oh once there was a white hare uséd there to dwell
She's been hunted by the greyhounds and the beagle dogs so fair
But there's never one amongst them can come up to this white hare

Chorus (after each verse):: For she's faster than the black and she's bonnier than the brown
And there's not a dog in England as'll ever bring her down

Oh and when they came unto the place where this white hare did lie
The beagles they uncoupled and they began to try
And then all the crafty greyhounds they beat the bush around
But there never was a white hare in that field to be found

Oh says Jimmy the bold huntsman then to Tom the whipper-in
Go look in yonder fernside to see if she lies in
Well with that she gave a jump boys fast away she ran
And it's yonder that she's going just as fast as e'er she can

Oh both horse and foot they did them unto the place draw nigh
Thinking that the white hare was going for to die
But she slipped out of the bush boys over Howden Hill
And the beagles and the greyhounds they was one short in the kill

Martin Carthy: White Hare

Near Howden town, near Howden town, as I have heard them say tell
There once was a white hare that used there for to dwell
She's been hunted be beagles and greyhounds so fair
But there wasn't a one amongst them could come near this old white hare
With me right foll the diddle-o me right foll the day

They went to the place where the white hare used to lie
They uncoupléd the beagles and beginned her to try
They uncoupléd the beagles and they beat the bushes round
But there never was a white hare not there to be found
With me right foll the diddle-o me right foll the day

There was Jim Smith the huntsman and Tom the whipper-in
Were down to yonder fernside to see if she be in
With that she took a jump me boys and away she did run
And yonder she is going don't you see her gentlemen
With me right foll the diddle-o me right foll the day

Oh the footmen they did run and the huntsmen they did ride
Such hollering and shouting there was on every side
Such hollering and shouting I never before have known
And all the men were crying, Tallyho, tallyho!
With me right foll the diddle-o me right foll the day

There was twenty good beagles that causéd her to die
There wasn't a one among them above a foot high
The number of the beagles there never could be found
And never was there such hunting upon our English ground
With me right foll the diddle-o me right foll the day

Shirley Collins: The White Hare

Near Howden town, near Howden town, as I have heard them tell
There once was a white hare that used there for to dwell.
She's been hunted be beagles and greyhounds so fair,
But there's never one amongst them could come near this old white hare,
With me right fol-de-diddle-o right fol-de-day.

They went into the place where the white hare used to lie,
They uncoupléd the beagles and beginnin' for to try.
They uncoupléd the beagles and beat the bushes round
But there never was a white hare not there to be found,
With me right fol-de-diddle-o right fol-de-day.

There was Jim Smith, the huntsman, and Tom, the whipper-in,
Went down to yonder fernside to see if she be in;
With that she took a jump me boys and away she did run
And yonder she is going don't you see her gentlemen,
With me right fol-de-diddle-o right fol-de-day.

The footmen they did run and the huntsmen they did ride,
Such hollering and shouting there was on every side.
Such hollering and shouting I never before have known,
And all of them were crying, Tallyho, tallyho!
With me right fol-de-diddle-o right fol-de-day.

There was twenty good beagles that caused her for to die,
There wasn't a one among them above a foot high,
The number of the beagles there never could be found
And never was there such hunting upon our English ground,
With me right fol-de-diddle-o right fol-de-day.

Andy Irvine: The Creggan White Hare

In the lowlands of Creggan there lives a white hare
As swift as the swallow that flies through the air
You may tramp the world over but none can compare
With the Pride of Low Creggan white hare

One clean autumn morning as you may suppose
The red golden sun o'er the green mountain rose
Barney Conway came down and he did declare
This day I'll put an end to that bonnie white hare

He searched through the Lowlands and down through the glens
And among the wild bushes where the white hare had ends
Till at last coming home o'er the heather so bare
From behind a wild thistle jumped out the white hare

Bang bang went his gun and his dog it slipped too
As swift as the wind over the green mountain flew
But the dog soon came back which made poor Barney sigh
For he knew that the white hare dad bid him goodbye

We're some jolly sportsmen down here from Pomeroy
From Cookstown Dungannon and likewise the Moy
With our pedigree greyhounds we've travelled afar
And we've come down to Creggan in our fine motor car

Away to the lowlands there huntsmen did go
In search of the white hare they looked high and low
Till at last Barney Conway on a bog bank so bare
Shouted out to these huntsmen there lies the white hare

They called up their greyhounds from off the green lea
And Barney and the huntsmen they jumped high with glee
For there on the turf bank all gathered around
Seven dogs and nine men did that poor hare surround

Now wonder the white hare did tremble with fear
As she stood on her toes and would raise her big ears
But she stood on her toes and with one gallant spring
She cleared overt the greyhounds and broke through the ring

Well the case it went on 'twas beautiful view
As swift as the wind o'er the green mountain flew
But the pedigree greyhounds they didn't go far
They came back and went home in their fine motor car

There came another man and you all know him well
His name is Pat Devlin and Bonnie Black Nell
In search of the white hare he says I'll have fun
Here's fifty to one that Black Nell does her turn

Five turns the hare got then from Bonnie Black Nell
And the sixth one was given around John Haughey's well
'Twas there we lost sight of the white hare and the dog
And ten minutes later they came o'er the bog

Well the chase it went on it was great for to see
The white hare and the greyhound they roamed light and free
Till she travelled to Esker where she knew the lands well
And to Bonnie Black Nell she soon bid farewell

And now to conclude and finish it's time
I hope you'll forgive me for singing this rhyme
If there's any amongst you in Carrickmore fair
Let's drink up a health to the bonnie white hare

Acknowledgements and Links

Thanks to Wolfgang Hell, Tony Rees, and the Mudcatters. Thanks to Ezio for the transcription of The Creggan White Hare