Nottinghamshire Poacher, The

DESCRIPTION: The poacher goes out with his dogs to hunt. (One of his dogs is wounded, but) he catches a deer and takes it to a butcher to skin. When he attempts to sell the meat, he is arrested and tried, but finally set free. He vows to continue poaching
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST DATE: before 1839 (broadside, Bodleian Harding B 17(311b))
KEYWORDS: dog poaching trial accusation revenge animal judge
FOUND IN: US(MW) Britain(England(South,West))
REFERENCES (14 citations):
Gardham-EarliestVersions, "THORNEY MOOR WOODS"
Eddy-BalladsAndSongsFromOhio 53, "Thornymuir Fields" (1 text, 1 tune)
Kennedy-FolksongsOfBritainAndIreland 259, "The Old Fat Buck" (1 text, 1 tune)
Broadwood/Maitland-EnglishCountySongs, pp. 50-51, "The Nottinghamshire Poacher" (1 text, 1 tune)
Williams-Wiltshire-WSRO Mi 723, "Thorneymoor Wood in Nottinghamshire" ; Williams-Wiltshire-WSRO Mi 724, "Thorneymoor Wood in Nottinghamshire" (2 texts)
Palmer-EnglishCountrySongbook, #50, "The Nottingham Poacher" (1 text, 1 tune)
Palmer-SongsOfTheMidlands, pp. 71-72, "The Nottingham Poacher" (1 text, 1 tune)
Purslow-MarrowBones, p. 88, "Thornaby Woods" (1 text, 1 tune)
Dixon-AncientPoemsBalladsSongsOfThePeasantryOfEngland, Song #28, pp. 219-221, "Thornehagh-Moor Woods" (1 text)
Bell-Combined-EarlyBallads-CustomsBalladsSongsPeasantryEngland, pp. 434-436, "Thornehagh-Moor Woods" (1 text)
MacColl/Seeger-TravellersSongsFromEnglandAndScotland 96, "Thornaby Woods" (1 text, 1 tune)
Roud/Bishop-NewPenguinBookOfEnglishFolkSongs #142, "Thorneymoor Woods" (1 text, 1 tune)
Sedley/Carthy-WhoKilledCockRobin, pp. 36-39, "Thornymoor Woods" (1 text, 1 tune)
ADDITIONAL: Jon Raven, _The Urban and Industrial Songs of the Black Country and Birmingham_, Broadside, 1977, pp. 18-20, "The Nottinghamshire Poacher" (1 text, 1 tune)
ST E053 (Full)
Roud #222
RECORDINGS:
Anne Briggs, "Thorneymoor Woods" (on Briggs2, Briggs3)
Jasper Smith, "Thornymoor Park" (on Voice18)
BROADSIDES:
Bodleian, Harding B 17(311b), "Thorney Moor Wood" ("In Thorney moor woods in Nottinghamshire"), J. Catnach (London), 1813-1838; also Harding B 11(3803), Firth c.19(58), "Thorney Moor Wood"; Harding B 25(1898), "Thorney-moor Woods"; Harding B 11(2692), Firth b.34(206), "The Lads of Thorney Moor Wood"; Johnson Ballads 887, Harding B 28(237), Firth c.19(57), "The Lads of Thorney Moor Woods"
CROSS-REFERENCES:
cf. "The Lincolnshire Poacher" (theme)
ALTERNATE TITLES:
Thorny Woods
Thornymoor Woods
NOTES [90 words]: [MacColl and Seeger report that] "Thorneyhaugh-Moor Woods is in the Hundred of Newark, Nottinghamshire, and was once part of Sherwood Forest." - PJS
Palmer also mentions this possibility, but notes that it was enclosed in 1792 and deforested, so it ceased to be a possible haunt for poachers. He prefers Thornehagh Moor Woods near Newark. Given that the song dates back to 1839, however, I think either site a possibility. James Dixon suggested Thornehagh/Thornymoor in Northamptonshre, an area which had seen a large enclosure in 1797. - RBW
Last updated in version 6.8
File: E053

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