"Blacksmith", also known as "A Blacksmith Courted Me", is a traditional English folk song listed as number 816 in the

Roud Folk Song Index The Roud Folk Song Index is a database of around 250,000 references to nearly 25,000 songs collected from oral tradition in the English language from all over the world. It is compiled by Steve Roud. Roud's Index is a combination of the Broadsid ...

Traditional versions

The song was noted down by

Ralph Vaughan Williams Ralph Vaughan Williams ( ; 12 October 1872– 26 August 1958) was an English composer. His works include operas, ballets, chamber music, secular and religious vocal pieces and orchestral compositions including nine symphonies, written over ...

in 1909 from a Mrs Ellen Powell of Westhope near

Weobley Weobley ( ) is an ancient settlement and Civil parishes in England, civil parish in Herefordshire, England. Formerly a market town, the market is long defunct and the settlement is today promoted as one of the county's black and white village ...

Herefordshire Herefordshire ( ) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in the West Midlands (region), West Midlands of England, bordered by Shropshire to the north, Worcestershire to the east, Gloucestershire to the south-east, and the Welsh ...

; his transcription is available online from the

Vaughan Williams Memorial Library The Vaughan Williams Memorial Library (VWML) is the library and archive of the English Folk Dance and Song Society (EFDSS), located in the society's London headquarters, Cecil Sharp House. It is a multi-media library comprising books, periodi ...

. On that occasion it was sung to the tune "

Monk's Gate Monk's Gate is a hamlet in the civil parish of Nuthurst, in the Horsham District of West Sussex, England. It lies on the A281 road southeast from Horsham. Hymn tune Although it is a tiny settlement, its name is well known around the world as ...

", better known as the tune of "

To be a pilgrim "To Be a Pilgrim", also known as "He Who Would Valiant Be", is an English Christian hymn using words of John Bunyan in ''The Pilgrim's Progress'', first appearing in Part 2 of ''The Pilgrim's Progress'', written in 1684. An alternative variation o ...

", the hymn by

John Bunyan John Bunyan (; 1628 – 31 August 1688) was an English writer and preacher. He is best remembered as the author of the Christian allegory ''The Pilgrim's Progress'', which also became an influential literary model. In addition to ''The Pilgrim' ...

. The same tune is sometimes used for the song "Our Captain Cried", which can be considered a version of the same song.

George Butterworth George Sainton Kaye Butterworth, MC (12 July 18855 August 1916) was an English composer who was best known for the orchestral idyll '' The Banks of Green Willow'' and his song settings of A. E. Housman's poems from '' A Shropshire Lad''. He wa ...

(a friend of Vaughan Williams and

Cecil Sharp Cecil James Sharp (22 November 1859 – 23 June 1924) was an English collector of folk songs, folk dances and instrumental music, as well as a lecturer, teacher, composer and musician. He was a key figure in the folk-song revival in England dur ...

) collected another version of the song with a similar tune from a Mrs. Verrall of

Horsham Horsham () is a market town on the upper reaches of the River Arun on the fringe of the Weald in West Sussex, England. The town is south south-west of London, north-west of Brighton and north-east of the county town of Chichester. Nearby to ...

Sussex Sussex (Help:IPA/English, /ˈsʌsɪks/; from the Old English ''Sūþseaxe''; lit. 'South Saxons'; 'Sussex') is an area within South East England that was historically a kingdom of Sussex, kingdom and, later, a Historic counties of England, ...

in 1909, and included a setting of the song in his 1912 collection Folk Songs from Sussex. Several traditional singers from the south of England have recorded versions of the song, such as the travellers Phoebe Smith (1969) and Caroline Hughes (1963/66), Harry Brazil of

Gloucestershire Gloucestershire ( , ; abbreviated Glos.) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South West England. It is bordered by Herefordshire to the north-west, Worcestershire to the north, Warwickshire to the north-east, Oxfordshire ...

, George "Pop" Maynard of

(1962), Tom Willett of

Surrey Surrey () is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South East England. It is bordered by Greater London to the northeast, Kent to the east, East Sussex, East and West Sussex to the south, and Hampshire and Berkshire to the wes ...

(1960), Charlie Scamp of

Kent Kent is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South East England. It is bordered by Essex across the Thames Estuary to the north, the Strait of Dover to the south-east, East Sussex to the south-west, Surrey to the west, and Gr ...

(1954). The recordings of Tom Willet, Phoebe Smith, Caroline Hughes and George "Pop" Maynard can be heard via the Vaughan Williams Memorial Library website.

Popular recordings

The song has been recorded many times.

Steeleye Span Steeleye Span are a British folk rock band formed in 1969 in England by Fairport Convention bass player Ashley Hutchings and established London folk club duo Tim Hart and Maddy Prior. The band were part of the 1970s British folk revival, ...

lead off their first two studio albums '' Hark! The Village Wait'' (1970) and '' Please to See the King'' (1971) with different versions of the song; it also can be heard on several of their live albums. Andy Irvine sings it on

Planxty Planxty were an Irish folk music band formed in January 1972, consisting initially of Christy Moore (vocals, acoustic guitar, bodhrán), Andy Irvine (vocals, mandolin, mandola, bouzouki, hurdy-gurdy, harmonica), Dónal Lunny (bouzouki, gu ...

's debut album ''

'' (1973),

Loreena McKennitt Loreena McKennitt (born February 17, 1957) is a Canadian singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, and composer who writes, records, and performs world music with Celtic music, Celtic and Middle Eastern music, Middle Eastern influences. McKenni ...

on ''

Elemental An elemental is a mythic supernatural being that is described in occult and alchemy, alchemical works from around the time of the European Renaissance, and particularly elaborated in the 16th century works of Paracelsus. According to Paracelsu ...

'' (1985),

Pentangle Pentangle may refer to: *Pentagon, a five-sided polygon *Pentagram, a five-pointed star drawn with five straight strokes *Pentangle (band), a British folk rock band ** ''The Pentangle'' (album), a 1968 album by Pentangle *Miss Pentangle, a character ...

on the album '' So Early in the Spring'' (1989), and

Eddi Reader Sadenia "Eddi" Reader Order of the British Empire, MBE (born 29 August 1959) is a Scottish singer-songwriter, known for her work as the lead vocalist of the Folk music, folk and soft rock band Fairground Attraction and for an enduring solo caree ...

on ''

Mirmama ''Mirmama'' is the debut solo studio album by Scottish singer-songwriter Eddi Reader, released by RCA in 1992. The album reached No. 34 on the UK Albums Chart. The album did not receive a US release in 1992, but was later remastered and issued on ...

'' (1992).

Maddy Prior Madeleine Edith Prior MBE (born 14 August 1947) is an English folk rock singer, best known as the lead vocalist of Steeleye Span. She was born in Blackpool and moved to St Albans in her teens. Her father, Allan Prior, was co-creator of the p ...

(of

) also sings an

a cappella Music performed a cappella ( , , ; ), less commonly spelled acapella in English, is music performed by a singer or a singing group without instrumental accompaniment. The term ''a cappella'' was originally intended to differentiate between Rena ...

version of the song on her solo album '' Ballads and Candles'' (2000). Being a well-documented song and publicised by

English Folk Dance and Song Society The English Folk Dance and Song Society (EFDSS, or pronounced 'EFF-diss') is an organisation that promotes English folk music and folk dance. EFDSS was formed in 1932 when two organisations merged: the Folk-Song Society and the English Folk Dan ...

, The Broadside Ballads Project, and Mainly Norfolk, the song was recorded by

Jon Boden Jon Boden (born 17 March 1977) is a singer, composer and musician, best known as lead singer and main arranger of Bellowhead. His first instrument is the fiddle and he is a proponent of "English traditional fiddle style" and also of "fiddle si ...

and

Oli Steadman Oliver "Oli" Steadman is a British-South African multi-instrumentalist. Stornoway Steadman is a founding member of Stornoway and through them is a volunteer with many nature conservation trusts including HIWWT, RSPB, Wildfowl & Wetlands Trust, ...

for inclusion in their respective lists of daily folk songs "

A Folk Song A Day A Folk Song a Day was a project by the English folk singer and musician and Bellowhead member Jon Boden where he recorded and released a folk song each day for one year. The project ended on 24 June 2011. About The project started on 24 June 2 ...

" and "365 Days Of Folk". There are also versions by

Martin Simpson Martin Stewart Simpson (born 5 May 1953) is an English folk singer, guitarist and songwriter. His music reflects a wide variety of influences and styles, rooted in Britain, Ireland, America and beyond. He builds a purposeful, often upbeat voi ...

and Kathy & Carol,

The Critics Group The Critics Group, also known as The London Critics Group, was a group of people who met to explore 'how best to apply the techniques of folk-music and drama to the folk revival' under the direction of Ewan MacColl and Peggy Seeger, with some pa ...

Shirley Collins Shirley Elizabeth Collins MBE (born 5 July 1935) is an English folk singer who was a significant contributor to the British Folk Revival of the 1960s and 1970s. She often performed and recorded with her sister Dolly, whose accompaniment on ...

Barbara Dickson Barbara Ruth Dickson (born 27 September 1947) is a Scottish singer and actress whose hits include " I Know Him So Well" (a chart-topping duet with Elaine Paige), " Answer Me" and " January February". Dickson has placed fifteen albums on the UK ...

on the album ''

Do Right Woman ''Do Right Woman'' is the debut solo album by Barbara Dickson. Barbara Dickson's first two solo albums were on Decca Records. They won critical praise but sold poorly. They show the repertoire that she had at that time as a singer in folk club ...

'', Phil Cooper on the album ''Pretty Susan'', Scatter the Mud on the album ''In the Mood''.

Linda Ronstadt Linda Maria Ronstadt (born July 15, 1946) is an American singer who has performed and recorded in diverse genres including rock, country, light opera, the Great American Songbook, and Latin music. Ronstadt has earned 11 Grammy Awards, three A ...

gives an

rendition on the 1990 compilation album '' Rubáiyát''. Barry Dransfield recorded an unusual instrumental version of the tune.

Jah Wobble John Joseph Wardle (born 11 August 1958), known by the stage name Jah Wobble, is an English bass guitarist and singer. He became known to a wider audience as the original bass player in Public Image Ltd (PiL) in the late 1970s and early 1980s; ...

recorded a version of the song on his 1996 album ''English Roots Music''. Runa recorded a version on their debut album ''Jealousy''. For a discography with lyric versions, see Reinhard Zierke's site.

Lyrics

(collected by Ralph Vaughan Williams from Ellen Powell, 1909)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Blacksmith (Song) English folk songs Year of song unknown Songs with unknown songwriters