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Fire and explosions seem to be the go-to accessories for traditional celebrations in November. The most well known, of course, is Guy Fawkes Night on the 5th, with its widespread bonfires and fireworks. One of the next best known public fire celebrations would be the bonfires at Lewes, Sussex (see the Diary for November 2025). For explosion celebrations you need to travel to Fenny Stratford, in Buckinghamshire, where you find the ‘Fenny Poppers’. The ‘poppers’ are six small cast-iron cannons that are fired on the 11th, St. Martin’s Day. The custom is not unique, as there are also the rock cannons of Ottery St. Mary, in Devon. Originally, they would have been muzzle-loading pistols but have now been replaced with newly-designed and manufactured cannons. There are ten or twelve of them and they are fired three times every 5th of November, at 5.30 a.m., 1 p.m. and 4 p.m.. However, the rock-cannons are not the most spectacular of the events held in Ottery St. Mary, That would be the running of flaming barrels through the streets. The barrels are open-ended, the insides coated with tar, soaked in paraffin and set alight. Similar flaming barrels are dragged through the streets of Hatherleigh, Devon, and carried through the streets of Allendale in Northumberland.
Over recent years the band have played regularly at Leith Hill Place. Ralph Vaughan Williams spent his childhood there and as he was an avid collector of folk songs we have looked out for ones that he had some connection with, when looking for new things to add to our repertoire, and in turn would have some relevance when performed at the House. When researching material you most often find the accompanying name of the source singer from whom he collected a particular song. Sometimes the source crops up more than once. A few years back I was researching ‘He who would Valiant be’ and found that the tune had been collected in 1904 by Vaughan Williams from a Mrs Harriet Verrall of Monksgate, near Dorking, Surrey. William Blake’s words were added and ‘He who would Valiant be’ became part of ‘The English Hymnal’ in 1906, which Mr RVW edited with Percy Dearmer. The hymn has the reference ‘Monksgate’ for the tune. I Later found out that Harriet Verrall and her husband Peter were an important source for his collecting. Other important songs include ‘Streams of Lovely Nancy’, ‘Maria Marten’, ‘Henry Martin’ and the ‘Sussex Carol’. One song that I personally came across was ‘The Rambling Sailor’ which Vaughan Williams collected in 1907 from Peter Verrall. I thought it had good potential for the band, so did a rough demo to illustrate the arrangement I had in mind. However, when presented, the song was vetoed. Unfortunately, it happens sometimes. It comes with the territory playing in a band. However, I still like it, as have a number of well-known singers who have recorded versions. I add a link to my demo for the curious amongst you. The eponymous Rambling Sailor boasts of having been given a Royal Commission to travel the country and seduce handsome young ladies. Certainly, not one I’ve ever heard of! Note: I am sure you will be pleased to know that this is not the other more risqué version (‘Rambling Sailor / The Trim Rigged Doxy’) where he gets his comeuppance with a dose of the dreaded social disease.
(My thanks in research to the excellent book The English Year by the folklorist Steve Roud)
All text, images and music samples on this site are copyright © Childe Rolande.
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