Iconic folk song "Widecombe Fair” didn’t originate from Devon village, new book reveals

The exploits of “Uncle Tom Cobley and all” - immortalised in the iconic folksong “Widecombe Fair” – has been synonymous with the Dartmoor village for more than 130 years.

However, new research by Dr Todd Gray from the University of Exeter has shown there were more than 50 different versions of the ditty sung across the country, performed long before the now most famous came to prominence.

In his new book, Dr Gray shows how Widecombe Fair became popular around the world, performed by revellers from Torquay to Liverpool, throughout the late 19^th century.

The discovery of lyrics of the song in a newspaper show it was sung in Feniton in 1867 as well as a parody two years later in Dartmouth. The man who first published the Widecombe lyrics, Sabine Baring-Gould believed that the ballad had its origins in the eighteenth century but could find no supporting evidence. The real origins of the song have always been a mystery but Dr Gray’s research suggests it was known in Exeter as early as 1761.

The lyrics which refer to Widecombe Fair became well-known after being published in 1889, and then played across England at a concert lecture tour.

However, Dr Gray suggests that a vast array of towns and villages, mostly in the South West, had their own version of Widecombe Fair, with locally-relevant lyrics and characters.

Dr Gray said: “Widecombe Fair is based on people having fun, and designed to be sung with a crowd, and that’s why the tune has been so popular. We now know it is much older than thought, and not particularly associated with Widecombe. The song was sung across the country, with the lyrics changing to refer to the location.”

In his book, called Uncle Tom Cobley & All, Dr Gray describes how local versions were sung – before and after `Widecombe Fair’ became famous – across Devon in Beer, Washford Pyne, Chillaton, Whimple and Tawstock, Torquay, Exmouth.

It was also performed across the country in places as far afield as Cambridge, Birmingham, Worcester, Liverpool, Bath, Bristol, London and Leicester, and can even be traced to Sydney, Winnipeg, Montreal and Calcutta.

There are Cornish versions that refer to fairs at Summercourt and Helston as early as 1878. Articles in newspapers in Aldermaston, Penzance, Cornwall, Bolton and Kenilworth described it as a “Devonshire song’. In Surrey, Eastbourne and Worcestershire it was recorded as a Somerset song.

In 1875 it was sung as ‘Uncle Tom Cobley and I’ at Tewkesbury. In 1878 at South Molton it was ‘Sam Pearce’s Mare’ while seven years earlier in Dartmouth it was ‘Old Uncle Tom Cobley and All’ and earlier another Dartmouth audience danced to ‘Uncle Tom Cobley’s Quadrille’.

In Hastings in 1874 it was called ‘Tom Pierce’ as it was in London in 1885. Another variant, ‘Tom Pearce’s Grey Mare’, was heard at Chard in 1852, but in the 1880s at Horsham, Northampton, Buckingham, Leiston near Ipswich, Horsham and Daventry it was known as ‘Tom Pearse’s Old Mare’.

Dr Gray said: “Uncle Tom Cobley and All is Devon’s most famous phrase and  the song was its unofficial anthem. Widecombe Fair moved from being sung in pubs to being performed in concert halls and drawing rooms, and was one of the country’s favourite songs.

“I’ve found more than 50 different versions, and no doubt there were more. Perhaps the Widecombe version is the most famous because the setting is so appealing and atmospheric.”

Dr Gray and local choirs will be performing variations of the folksong at eight venues across Devon throughout September.

People will be able to hear different versions of the song during performances and lectures in Widecombe-in-the-Moor, Crediton, Plymouth, Feniton, Tavistock, Exeter, Totnes and Appledore.

For more information about the tour and book please visit http://www.stevensbooks.co.uk/