Dick the Joiner

DESCRIPTION: Dick, a joiner, falls in love with Nell, a country girl, but "could not gain her favour." He dresses as a woman, goes where Nell is a servant, and applies for a position. Being shy, he asks that they sleep together. In the morning he left her "mournin'"
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST DATE: before 1820 (broadside, Bodleian Harding B 16(74a))
KEYWORDS: seduction cross-dressing rake servant
FOUND IN: Britain(Scotland(Aber))
REFERENCES (1 citation):
Greig/Duncan1 165, "Dick the Joiner" (3 texts, 1 tune)
Roud #5769
BROADSIDES:
Bodleian, Harding B 16(74a), "Dick the Joiner" ("There is a lad in our town"), J. Pitts (London), 1802-1819; also Harding B 11(2217), "Dick the Joiner" ("In Liverpool town there lived a lad a joiner to his station")
NOTES [98 words]: The definition of "joiner" includes "a person whose occupation is to construct articles by joining pieces of wood ... [or] stitches together parts of garments ... [or] inserts sections of stained glass into leads ...." (source: Webster's Third New International Dictionary of the English Language Unabridged, 1976) So, we are on notice, from the beginning, that Dick's interest may be in joining body parts.
Greig/Duncan1: "Learnt in Culsalmond sixty years ago. Noted December 1906." - BS
At least the joiner's name wasn't "Snug" -- who, what's more, hung around at least one Bottom. - RBW
Last updated in version 2.4
File: GrD1165

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