> A.L. Lloyd > Songs > Van Diemen's Land
> Shirley Collins > Songs > Van Diemen's Land
> Ashley Hutchings and The Albion Band > Songs > Van Diemen's Land
> Steeleye Span > Songs > Van Diemen's Land

Van Diemen's Land / The Gallant Poachers

[ Roud 519 ; Laws L18 ; Ballad Index LL18 ; trad.]

This is a ballad about poachers deported to Van Diemen's Land (today Tasmania), which was named after Anthony van Diemen, Governor-General of the Dutch East Indies (1636-1645). On many records the song title is misspelled as Van Dieman's Land.

Another ballad, Henry the Poacher (Roud 221; “Come all you wild and wicked youths …”) is sometimes called Van Diemen's Land too, e.g. Walter Pardon's version mentioned below.

Ewan MacColl sang Van Diemen's Land in 1956 on his, A.L. Lloyd's and Harry H. Corbett's album The Singing Sailor. This recording was reissued on their albums Singing Sailors (Wattle Records) and Off to Sea Once More (Stinson Records). It was also sung by either A.L. Lloyd or Ewan MacColl on the Wattle EP Convicts and Currency Lads. The latter is probably another recording than the former since both records list different accompaniment. I don't have the Wattle EP to check.

Shirley Collins and the Albion Country Band sang Van Diemen's Land on their 1971 album No Roses. She commented in the sleeve notes:

A 19th century transportation ballad. We had a lengthy discussion about the verse

We had a female comrade, Sue Summers was her name
and she was given sentence for a-selling our game.

Some people say it was “a-playing of the game” and that she was a prostitute, and that's why she'd been convicted. But people were transported for as trivial an offense as stealing a silver spoon or a piece of bread, and it seemed to me more poignant and more appropriate that Sue Summers was transported with the poachers because she had in fact sold their game.

Gay & Terry Woods sang this song in 1976 on their album Renowned, and Steeleye Span did it in 2004 on their album They Called Her Babylon. Ken Nicol commented in the latter album's sleeve notes:

An adaption of the song also known as The Gallant Poachers.

What was once Van Diemen's Land is now known as Tasmania. It was founded in 1803, and from 1804 to 1853 thousands of convicts were transported to the island. It was originally named “Anthoonij van Diemenslandt” in honour of Anthony van Diemen, Governor-General of India for the Dutch East India Company, who sent Abel Tasman out on his voyage of discovery in 1642. It was changed in 1856 to honour Tasman himself, the first European to discover the island, and possibly also to remove the association with the severe penal colony that the original name evoked.

Lyrics

Shirley Collins sings Van Diemen's Land

Note: The second and third verse of Shirley Collins' version appear in Walter Pardon's too, and her last verse is the chorus of the Steeleye Span version.

Come all you gallant poachers that ramble void of care
That walk out on a moonlight night with your dog, your gun and snare
The harmless hare and pheasant you have at your command
Not thinking of your last career out on Van Diemen's Land

Me and five more went out one night into Squire Duncan's park
To see if we could catch some game, the night it being dark
But to our great misfortune we got dropped on with speed
And they took us off to Warwick gaol which made our hearts to bleed

Then at Warwick assizes at the bar we did appear
And like Job we stood with patience our sentence for to hear
But being old offenders it made our case go hard
And for fourteen long and cruel years we were all sent on board

We had a female comrade, Sue Summers was her name,
And she was given sentence for a-selling of our game.
But the captain fell in love with her and he married her out of hand
And she proved true and kind to us going to Van Diemen's Land.

As I lay on the deck last night a-dreaming of my home
I dreamed I was in Harbouree, the fields and woods among
With my true love beside me and a jug of ale in hand
But I woke quite brokenhearted out in Van Diemen's Land.

So come all you gallant poachers, give ear unto my song
It is a bit of good advice although it be not long
Lay by your dog and snare, to you I do speak plain
If you knew the hardships we endure, you'd never poach again.

Steeleye Span sing Van Diemen's Land

I am a girl from England, Susan Summers is me name
For fourteen years transported was for taking of some game
As for us wretched females, we never see a man
Though there's twenty to one woman on Van Diemen's Land.

There's poor Tom Brown from Nottingham, Jack Williams and poor Joe
They were all daring poachers as the country well does know
At night they were trappended by the keepers out of hand
For fourteen years transported to Van Diemen's Land.

When we set sail from England, we landed in the bay
We had rotten straw for bedding, we dare not to say nay
Our cots were fenced with wire, we slumber when we can
To drive away the wolves upon Van Diemen's Land.

Chorus:

Come all you gallant poachers, give ear unto me song
It is a bit of good advice although it is not long
Lay by your dog and snare, to you I do speak plain
If you knew the hardships, you'd never poach again

The first day we landed upon that fatal shore
The planters they came flocking round, twenty score and more
They dragged the men like horses and sold them out of hand
And yoked 'em to the plough all on Van Diemen's Land.

Sometimes when I'm sleeping, I have a pleasant dream
With me dear one I'm sitting down by some pearling stream
With me friends telling stories around me they all stand
But I wake up broken hearted on Van Diemen's Land.

Chorus

God bless our families, likewise that happy shore
That isle of sweet contentment that we shall see no more
For a planter's bought me freedom, he's married me out of hand
Good usage then I'll give him on Van Diemen's Land.