D’ye ken John Peel?
For no
reason that I can discern the words of this traditional hunting song have been
galloping through my head for several days. It’s rather a jolly tune, although
it refers to a ‘sport’ many find appalling. It is a colourful spectacle to see
horses and hounds streaming over the hills and meadows, but sobering to
consider their purpose.
Fox-hunting is illegal in UK but still carries on under
the radar in some areas. For those who cry, ‘But it’s traditional’ the response
might be, ‘So were bear-baiting and cock-fighting.’
It has
been replaced in many hunts with drag hunting, which was originally developed in
the early 19th century to test the skills of the hounds. If a chemical
trail has been laid, foxhounds will be used. If the trail is laid by a human
runner, bloodhounds are used.
The John Peel
of the song was born in the late 18th century in Cumberland in North
West England. He was a farmer but his passion was hunting and he kept a pack of
foxhounds with which he hunted foxes, hares and pine martens. Though he often
rode to hounds, on other occasions he chased after the hounds on foot, an old
Cumberland custom called ‘Chasing the Ace’. There are said to be public houses
in the area named after three of his hounds, Towler, Bounty and Bellman, who
was believed to be a completely white dog.
‘D’ye ken’
is dialect for ‘Do you know’. ‘Ken’ is still used a lot in Scotland and the
north of England.
The singer
in the video is Peter Dawson (1882-1961)
who was an Australian bass-baritone and song writer. His parents were
immigrant Scots and from them I suspect he inherited the strongly trilled ‘r’ to
be heard in ‘D’ye ken John Peel?’ He had at least 14 aliases.
It was thanks to
his recording of 1938 that ‘Waltzing Matilda’ became very popular. In 1941 he
wrote the words and music for ‘V for Victory’. The National Film and Sound Archive ofAustralia (NFSA) showcases four of his recordings, including the 1916 song, ’The
Tanks that Broke the Ranks’, a popular music hall song.
At least 14 aliases? Why on earth would anyone need that many? I'm not a fan of continuing barbaric practices just because they are traditional.
ReplyDeleteI wondered why he felt the need to have so many aliases, too. Seems a bit excessive.
DeleteI remember learning that son at primary school in the 19502. We had two music radio programmes each week - Time and Tune, and Rhythm and Melody. I'm not sure which of the two taught this song though. Does anyone else remember them - is anyone else old enough? :-)
ReplyDeletexx
I learnt the song at primary school. We didn't have radio lessons, though. x x
Delete"Our" John Peel was the popular DJ who lived in a village just outside Stowmarket, died far too young and now has an Arts Centre named after him in town!
ReplyDeleteIt was quite difficult to get past the DJ when I was looking for information on the huntsman.
DeleteWe too learned that song in primary school. (Oh dear, those music lessons bring back traumatic memories of being criticised by teachers and teased by classmates for my tuneless croak of a singing voice...)
ReplyDeleteNobby would like me to point out that his breed, the wire-haired fox terrier, was used in the hunt to flush out foxes when they went to earth. Happily, this role is now redundant, although he certainly has the courage/foolhardiness necessary for such a activity!
Cheers, Gail.
It's so unkind and unnecessary to criticise children for something they can't help.
DeleteNobby would be excellent in the field. We had a Jack Russell who had been out cubbing before we had her and never lost the urge to disappear underground at the drop of a hat, sometimes for hours on end.
I hate hunting ! I don't see pleasure in killing animals and chasing the poor things packs of dogs run after a poor animal, or why people are hired,supposed to scare up rabbits and pheasants. I was once invited on a hunt by my English Baron. But when I saw all these killers (who also wanted to hunt me) I suddenly got a terrible cold and sneezed all the animals away. Very disturbing ! Then they invited me inside. This was a Belgian nobleman who married an English baroness and gave birth to 9 children, each stupider than the last. Our relationship didn't last long, much to the chagrin of my father who already saw me as "Madam La Baronne"!
ReplyDeleteI think you had a lucky escape, Ingrid:-)
DeleteThe recordings I've heard of Peter Dawson are very old and scratchy but it clear he had an excellent voice. The recording of the Dawson song was not one in our archive.
ReplyDeleteI am more used to D'ye nay ken.
Killing animals for sport and pleasure is such a queer thing to me. Perhaps sports people should watch the animal's dying moments.... repeatedly.
I've heard the song but I can't remember it. It is late night here. I will listen tomorrow and follow up on a couple links.
My eldest granddaughter is married to a Scot and couldn't understand why he and his friends were always talking about Ken. (I think she may have been joking!)
ReplyDeleteI have learned a lot here today. As an American the song is not familiar to me, although I will admit it is a catchy tune. I am wondering whether you find yourself singing along when it is galloping through your head?
ReplyDeleteI learnt the song as a child and so I do sing along with it. I only remember the first verse, so don't know whether I've forgotten the rest or never knew it.
DeleteLike Sue in Suffolk I initially thought of John Peel the DJ ...
ReplyDeleteAnyway, thank you for introducing me to the other John Peel and for sharing that recording. I do love a Scottish 'r' ! xxx
Language seems so much richer with a trilled 'r'. x x x
DeleteAlso the title of that song proves how close our languages are related. In Flemish (Dutch), "do you know" is translated as "ken je"! xxx
ReplyDeleteThat's interesting. I'm always being surprised by similarities in northern European languages.
ReplyDelete