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> Steeleye Span > Songs > The Bold Poachers
> John Kirkpatrick > Songs > Oakham Poachers
> Shirley Collins > Songs > The Oakham Poachers

The Bold Poachers / The Oakham Poachers

[ Roud 1686 ; Ballad Index McCST098 ; trad.]

Martin Carthy sang the tragic ballad The Bold Poachers in 1971 on his album Landfall; this track was also included on Martin Carthy: A Collection. Martin Carthy commented in the original album's sleeve notes:

The Bold Poachers and Here's Adieu to All Judges and Juries come from roughly the same time in history, being early 19th century transportation songs from Norfolk and Sussex respectively. They convey, along with O'er the Hills (which hails from the late 17th century), something within the simple factual almost journalistic framework of the writing, more than simple resentment at being forced to leave home, proving for me the truth of the maxim, that it's not what a song says, necessarily, but what it does that counts. Thousands of songs have very little apparent, but layers and layers underneath.

Two years after Carthy, their former bandmates of Steeleye Span recorded this—shortened by four verses—for their album Parcel of Rogues. They comment:

Transportation, usually to Australia or the Americas, was, to rustic people who rarely travelled further than the local market town, tantamount to a sentence of death.

In Norfolk, where this song was collected, there was a tradition whereby a bottle of the transported man's urine was hung up in his house. If it clouded it meant he was ill and if it wasted he was believed to have died and his family went into mourning.

A good 25 years later, Steeleye Span's singer Maddy Prior repeated this, recording The Bold Pachers with very similar verses for her solo album Ravenchild. She commented:

An American film maker, many years ago made a short film of Steeleye Span's version of this song. He portrayed one of the brothers as being about 9 years old which gave the song an abiding poignancy.

John Kirkpatrick sang Oakham Poachers in 1977 on his and Sue Harris' Topic album Shreds and Patches.

Shirley Collins and Julie Carter sang a much shorter version called The Oakham Poachers in 1982 live in London. This recording was published on her 4CD anthology Within Sound. Their version is from the singing of Wiggy Smith as recorded by Mike Yates in “The Cat & Fiddle”, Whaddon, Cheltenham, Gloucestershire, on January 2, 1974, and included in the Topic LP Songs of the Open Road (1975) and on the anthology To Catch a Fine Buck Was My Delight (The Voice of the People, Vol. 18, Topic 1998).

Lyrics

Martin Carthy sings The Bold Poachers	Shirley Collins sings The Oakham Poachers
Concerning of three young men One night in January According laws contrary A-poaching went straightway	It was on last February, Against our laws contrary. Three brothers being wet and weary Off a-poaching they did go.
It's of two noble young men One night in January According laws contrary A-poaching went straightway
They was inclined to ramble O'er moor and moss and ramble Where pheasants they do tremble And keepers they draw near	Off to Oakham woods they rambled, In among those briars and brambles, And it's outside but near the centre Off into ambush they did lie.
Oh the keepers dared not enter Nor cared those woods to venture But outside round their centre All in them bush they lay
Oh these poachers soon grew tired To leave they soon desired But then young Parkins fired And he spilled one keeper's blood	These three brothers being brave-hearted They boldly kept on firing, Until one of them got the fateful blow And it showed they were overthrown.
Oh he on the ground lay dying And in his blood there lying And no assistance nigh him To see him where he lay
And as they were leaving And homeward they were speeding The other keeper he come stealing They fired at him also
Oh he on the ground lay bleeding And for his life there pleading While through the woods come speeding His mournful pity cry
They were taken with speed All for that inhuman deed For them there was no reprieve All in the court next day	Off to Stafford goal they were taken, And so cruelly were they beaten. And it's in Stafford gaol they now do lie Until their trial comes on.
Oh the judge and the jury tried us And we for pity cried us Oh mercy don't deny us We're not prepared to die	Now, come all you jolly poachers That does hear of we three brothers, For it's our brothers' sakes makes our heart aches And they begged with us to die.
Oh the jury they consulted Some said we should be gaoled And others said transported But the judge said we must die
Oh it never happened before Two brothers hanged together Two brothers hanged together For the doing of one crime
Steeleye Span sing The Bold Poachers	Maddy Prior sings The Bold Poachers
Concerning of three young men One night in January According laws contrary A-poaching went straightway	Concerning of three young men One night in January According laws contrary A-poaching went straightway
They were inclined to ramble Amongst the trees and brambles A-firing at the pheasants Which brought the keepers nigh	They were inclined to ramble Amongst the woods and brambles A-firing at the pheasants Which brought those keepers near
The keepers dared not enter Nor cared the woods to venture But outside near the centre In them old bush they stood	The keepers dared not enter Nor cared those woods to venture But outside round the centre In them old bush they stood
The poachers they were tired And to leave they were desired And at last young Parkins fired And spilled one keeper's blood	The poachers they grew tired To leave they soon desired But at last young Parkins fired And spilled one keeper's blood
Fast homeward they were making Nine pheasants they were taking When another keeper faced them They fired at him also	Fast homeward they were making Nine pheasants they were taking When another keeper faced them They fired at him also
He on the ground lay crying Just like some person dying With no assistance nigh him May God forgive their crime	He on the ground lay crying Just like some person dying With no assistance nigh him May God forgive their crime
Then they were taken with speed All for that inhuman deed It caused their hearts to bleed For their young tender years	Then they were taken with speed All for that inhuman deed It caused their hearts to bleed For their young tender years
There seen before was never Three brothers tried together Three brothers condemned for poaching Found guilty as they stood	There seen before was never Three brothers tried together Brothers condemned for poaching Found guilty as they stood
Exiled in transportation Two brothers they were taken And the other one hung as a token May God forgive his crime	Exiled in transportation Two brothers they were taken And the third one hung as a token May God forgive their crime

Acknowledgements

Transcribed from Martin Carthy's singing by Garry Gillard. Thanks to Patrick Montague for correcting the Steeleye Span lyrics.