Ye Gentlemen of England (I) [Laws K2]

DESCRIPTION: The singer wishes to remind the nobility of the dangers faced by seamen. He cites his own example. A storm off Ram's Head runs nine English ships aground. The largest ship (the Coronation?) loses almost all her crew, and the others are hardly better off
AUTHOR: unknown (see NOTES)
EARLIEST DATE: 1686
KEYWORDS: ship storm sailor
FOUND IN: US(NE) Canada(Mar)
REFERENCES (10 citations):
Laws K2, "Ye Gentlemen of England I"
Flanders/Olney-BalladsMigrantInNewEngland, pp. 193-195, "You Gentlemen of England Fair" (1 text)
Creighton-SongsAndBalladsFromNovaScotia 66, "Ye Gentlemen of England" (1 text, 1 tune)
Colcord-SongsOfAmericanSailormen, p. 138, "You Gentlemen of England" (1 fragment, 1 tune)
Chappell-PopularMusicOfTheOldenTime, pp. 291-293, "When the Stormy Winds Do Blow" (1 text, 1 tune)
Chappell/Wooldridge-OldEnglishPopularMusic II, pp. 47-49, "When the Stormy Winds Do Blow" (1 text, 1 tune)
Ashton-RealSailorSongs, #40 insert, "England's Great Loss by a Storm of Wind" (1 text)
Palmer-OxfordBookOfSeaSongs 28, "England's Great Loss by a Storm of Wind" (1 text, 1 tune)
cf. Olson-BroadsideBalladIndex, ZN3028, "You Gentleman of England, that lives at home at ease"
DT 555, GENENGLF
Roud #1803
CROSS-REFERENCES:
cf. "Ye Gentlemen of England (III)" (basis for first verse) and references there
cf. "You Gentlemen of England" (theme, lyrics)
cf. Bay of Biscay, Oh (Ye Gentlemen of England II) (The Stormy Winds Did Blow)" [Laws K3]
cf. "Ye Parliament of England (I)"
cf. "Pretty Nancy of London (Jolly Sailors Bold)"
cf. "The Soldier and the Sailor" (theme)
cf. "We Shepherds Are the Best of Men" (stucture and theme:virtue and courage of an occupational group)
NOTES [83 words]: The antecedant of this appears to go all the way back to 1678. According to Hyder E. Rollins, An Analytical Index to the Ballad-Entries (1557-1709) In the Register of the Company of Stationers of London, 1924 (I use the 1967 Tradition Press reprint with a new Foreword by Leslie Shepard), p. 162, #1860, a piece "Neptune raging fury, or the gallant sea-mans suffering," which Rollins believes to be this, was registered July 1, 1678. Rollins suggests that Martin Parker created the original. - RBW
Last updated in version 6.2
File: LK02

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