> Danny Spooner > Songs > John o’ Grinfilt

John o’ Grinfilt / Jone o’ Grinfield

[ Roud 1460 ; Ballad Index BeCo432 ; Mudcat 114888 ; trad.]

Karl Dallas: The Cruel Wars Mike Harding: Folk Songs of Lancashire Roy Palmer: The Rambling Soldier

Denis Turner sang Jone o’ Grinfilt (title from the liner notes; the album sleeve lists the song as John o’ Grinfell’s) in 1968 on The Critics Group’s Argo album Waterloo:Peterloo. They noted:

The Lancashire weaving communities nourished a strong tradition of dialect balladry. This slyly comic song is one of the large number of Jone o’ Grinfilt (John of Greenfield) ballads that were written over a period of time stretching from the Napoleonic to the Crimean Wars.

Peter Wood sang John o’ Greenfield in 2001 as the title track of his album John o’ Greenfield. A live recoring from Newcastle’s Bridge Folk Club’s fiftieth birthday party was included in 2008 on the album 50 Years of Folk Music in Newcastle.

Danny Spooner sang John o’ Grinfilt on his 2008 CD Brave Bold Boys. He noted:

At the time that this broadside was made conditions in the British Army would have been pretty awful, but for the factory fodder of the Industrial Revolution, the army would have been a blessing. At least they would get fed and clothed and have a bit of money in their pockets. The jingoism of the song only highlights the appalling conditions of many factory workers, and also their susceptibility to the recruiting party that promised the earth until the victim signed up by taking the shilling and kissing the book.

Laura Smyth sang Jone o’ Grinfield in 2014 on her and Ted Kemp’s EP, The Charcoal Black and the Bonny Grey (the protagonist’s name is written as ‘Joan’ on the album sleeve but corrected on the duo’s website). They noted:

Jone O’ Grinfield is one of the oldest and most popular surviving Lancashire dialect songs. Writing in 1844, Samuel Bamford stated that the song sold more copies amongst the rural population of Lancashire than any other song known. It concerns a recruit who joins the army during the Napoleonic wars, and is believed to have been written by a contemporary, Joseph Lees, residing in Glodwick near Oldham.

The character Jone is a figure of fun and seen as somewhat backwards and dim-witted. Locals to the Oldham area will know that Greenfield is just over the border into Yorkshire, and we often wonder whether this placement by Lees was intentional!

Laura Smyth’s Jone o’ Grinfield on the 2019 album of Pete Coe, Brian Peters and her, The Road to Peterloo, and Edward II’s Jone o’ Grinfield on their 2016 album Manchester’s Improving Daily is quite another song with the same title (Roud 937, starting with “I’m a poor cotton weaver”).

Lyrics

Denis Turner sings Jone o’ Grinfilt

Says Jone to his woife on a whot summer’s day,
“Aw’m resolvt i’ Grinfilt no longer to stay;
Aw’ll goo to Owdham os fast os aw can.
So fare thee weel Grinfilt, an’ fare thee weel Nan;
For a sodger aw’ll be, brave Owdham aw’ll see,
An’ aw’ll ha’e a battle wi’ t’French.”

“Dear Jone”, said eawr Nan, un’ hoo bitterly cried,
“Wilt be one o’ th’ foote, or dost mean for to ride?”
“Ods eawns! wench, aw’ll ride oather ass or a mule,
Ere aw’ll keawer i’ Grinfilt os black os th’ dule,
Both clemmin’, un’ starvin’ un never a fardin’,
It ’ud welly drive ony mon mad.”

“Ay, Jone, sin’ we coom i’ Grinfilt for to dwell,
We’ve had mony a bare meal, aw con vara weel tell.”
“Bare meal, ecod! ay, that aw vara weel know,
There’s bin two days this wick ’ot wey’n had nowt at o’:
Aw’m vara near sided, afore aw’ll abide it,
Aw’ll feight oather t’Spanish or t’French.”

Then says my Noant Marget, “Ah! Jone, theaw’rt so whot,
Aw’d ne’er go to Owdham, boh i’Englond aw’d stop.“
“It matters nowt, Madge, for to Owdham aw’ll goo,
Aw’st ne’er clem to deeoth, boh somdy shall know:
Furst Frenchmon aw find, aw’ll tell him meh mind,
Un’ if he’ll not feight, he maun run.”

Then deawn th’broo aw coom, for weh livent at top,
Aw thowt aw’d raich Owdham ere ever aw’d stop;
Ecod! heaw they stared when aw getten to th’ Mumps,
Meh owd hat I’ my hont, un meh clogs full o’ stumps;
Boh aw soon towd ’em, aw’re gooin’ to Owdham,
Un’ aw’d ha’e a battle wi’ th’ French.

Aw kept eendway thro’ th’ lane, un’ to Owdham aw went,
Aw ax’d a recruit of they’d made up their count.
“Nowe, nowe, honest lad” (for he talked like a king)
“Goo wi’ meh thro’ th’ street, un’ thee aw will bring
Wheere, if theaw’rt willin’, theaw may hae a shillin’.”
Ecod! aw thowt this wur rare news.

He browt meh to th’ place, where they measured your height,
Un’ if you’re reet height, there’s nowt said abeawt weight;
Aw ratched meh un’ stretched meh, un’ never did flinch;
Says th’ mon, “Aw believe theaw’rt meh lad to an inch.”
Aw thowt this’ll do; aw’st ha’e guineas anew.
Ecod! Owdham, brave Owdham for me.

So fare thee weel, Grinfilt, a sodger aw’m made;
Wi’ a new pair of shoon, un’ a white cockade;
Aw’ll feight for Owd Englond os hard os aw con,
Oather th’ French, Dutch, or Spanish to me they’re o’ one;
Aw’ll mak’ ’em to stare, like a new-started hare,
Un’ aw’ll tell ’em fro’ Owdham aw coom.

Danny Spooner sings John o’ Grinfilt

Said Jone to his wife one hot summer’s day,
“I’m resolved in Grinfilt no longer I’ll stay,
For I’ll goo up to Oudham as fast as I can,
So fare thee weel Grinfilt and fare thee weel Nan;
For a sojer I’ll be and brave Oudham I’ll see
And I’ll have a battle wi’ French.”

“Dear Jone,” said Nan and her bitterly cried,
“Does intend t’ be on foot or dost mean for t’ ride?”
“Odds lass I’ll ride either an ass or a mule,
Ere I’ll cower in Grinfilt as black as the du’el,
Both clamming and starving and never a farthing
Ecod, ’twould mak’ any mon mad.”

“Aye Jone, sin we’ve come into Grinfilt t’dwell,
We’n had mony a bare meal, I can very weel tell.”
“Bare meal, ecod lass that I very weel know,
There’s bin two days this week we’n had nowt t’ate at a’
I’m very near sided, afore I’ll abide it,
And I’ll fight either Spanish or French.”

Then says me Nont Margit, “Ah Jone th’art so ’ot
I’d neer goo t’ Oudham but in England I’d stop.”
“It matters not Madge for t’Oudham I’ll goo,
I’ll not clem t’death less some bugger s’all know;
Fust French I find, I’ll tell him me mind
And he wont feight he can run.”

So down the ould road into Oudham I went;
I asked a recruit if they’d med up their keawnt,
“Nay me honest young lad,” man he talked like a king.
“Go wi’ me through’t street and thee I s’ll bring
T’where if thou art willing, thou shall have the shilling.”
Ecod, I thought that were rare news.

He brought me t’ a place where they measure yer height,
And if thee been length, there’s nowt said about height.
So I stretched me and retched me and never did flinch,
Says he, “Lad th’art me mon to an inch.”
I thought this’ll I’ll have guineas enoo,
Ecod Oudham, brave Oudham for me.

So fare thee weel Grinfilt, a sodjer I’m made
I’ver getten new shoon and a fancy cockade;
I’ll feight for Oud England as hard as I can
Either French, Dutch, or Germans t’me they’s all one.
And I’ll mek ’em to stare like a new started hare
When I’ll tell ’em fe Oudham I’m come.

Laura Smyth sings Jone o’ Grinfield

Said Jone to his wife one hot summer’s day,
“I’m resolved that in Grinfield no longer I’ll stay,
So I’ll go to Oudham as fast as I can,
and it’s fare thee well Grinfield an’ fare thee well Nan,
For a soldier I’ll be, brave Oudham I’ll see,
And I’ll go and have battle wi’ French.”

“Dear John,” said our Nan and too bitterly cried,
“Willst be one on foot or them for to ride?”
“By god, I’ll ride either an ass or a mule,
Than I’ll cower in Grinfield as black as the Dule,
Both clemming and starving with never a farthing
It’s enough to drive any man mad.”

“Aye Jone since we’ve coming to’ Grinfield to dwell,
We’ve had many a bare meal I can very well tell.”
“Bare meal, egod aye! That I very well know,
There’s been two days this week that we’ve had nowt at all,
And I’m very near sided, that before I’ll abide it,
I’ll go and have battle wi’ French.”

So I’ve come down to brew for I lived at the top,
I swore I’d reach Oudham before ere I’d stop,
Egod how they stared when I got to the Mumps,
With my hat in my hand and my clogs full of stumps,
But I very soon told them that I were going to Oudham
And I’d have a battle wi’ French.

So they took me to the place where they’re measuring their height,
And if there’s been height there’s nowt said about weight.
They retched me and stretched me and never did flinch,
Says the man, “I believe that me lad to an inch.”
And I thought this’ll do, I’ll have a new guinea coat,
And it’s! Oudham, brave Oudham for me!

So fare thee well Grinfield, a soldier I’m made,
I’m getting new shoen and a red cockade,
I’ll fight for old England as hard as I can,
Either Dutch, French or Spanish, to me it’s all one,
And I’ll make ’em to stare like a new started hare,
And I’ll tell ’em from Oudham I’ve come.

Acknowledgements

Thanks to Garry Gillard for transcribing Danny Spooner’s lyrics