carpenter, of the name of John Cole, that he used to hear an old man sing it about fifty years ago; and that the burden of the song was, that the district about Bromsgrove, in the days of yore, was principally covered with wood, and much infested by a wild boar, who was the terror of the neighbourhood. That the Jovial Hunter, upon a wild lady, or witch, appearing to him, determined to destroy the boar. That he proceeded to the attack by first winding three blasts, east, west, north, and south, with his horn*, which, the boar hearing, prepared for the encounter by whetting his tusks between his fore feet. That after a long and desperate battle the boar fell dead, and thereupon the wild lady again appeared to the Jovial Hunter, in great anger, and charged him with having killed her pretty spotted pig. The only lines Cole could recollect are as follows: "Oh! lady, oh! lady, what bring'st thou here— Wind went his horn, as a hunter; Thee blow another blast, and he'll soon come to thee, As thou art a jovial hunter. "He whetted his tusks as he came along Wind went his horn, as a hunter;" And Cole concluded his narrative by saying that Bromsgrove was, from the above-mentioned circumstance, formerly called Boar's Grove. This name, however, appears to have been a fiction to suit the legend, as it is called Bremesgrefa and Bremesgræfa in Anglo-Saxon Charters, and Bremesgrave in "Domesday Book." There is a place by Shepley Heath, near Bromsgrove town, called Burcott, which is vulgarly supposed to be a corrup tion of Boarcot; and an old story has been handed down in the district, that the devil kept a pack of hounds at Hales Owen, This brought to my remembrance the two following lines of the ballad;"He blew a blast, east, west, north, and south, For as he was a jovial hunter." + The name of this place is spelled Bericote in "Domesday Book." There were, in Anglo-Saxon times, places called Burcot, in Hants and Somerset. (See "Codex Dip.," No. 336, 816.) "Bur" means a bower in Anglo-Saxon. There is a place called Boreley, or Borley, in the neighbouring parish of Ombersley. vulgo, Hell's Own,) and that he and his huntsman, "Harry-canab*," used to ride on wild bulls, and hunt the wild boars on Bromsgrove Lickey. Shortly after obtaining the information from Cole, a gentleman, whom I had requested to make some inquiries after the ballad, brought me the following lines, which he said he took down in writing from a man of the name of Benjamin Brown, of Upper Wick: I. "Sir Robert Bolton had three sons Wind well thy horn, good hunter; For he was a jovial hunter. II. "He rang'd all round, down by the wood side- Till up in the top of a tree a gay lady he spy'd, For he was a jovial hunter. III. "Oh! what dost thou mean, fair lady, said he Wind well thy horn, good hunter; Oh! the wild boar has killed my Lord and his men thirty, As thou be'st + a jovial hunter. IV. "Oh! what shall I do, this wild boar to see Wind well thy horn, good hunter; Oh! thee blow a blast, and he'll come unto thee, As thou be'st a jovial hunter. V. "Then he blow'd a blast full north, east, west, and south, For he was a jovial hunter; And the wild boar heard him full into his den, As he was a jovial hunter. * This word "nab" may come from the Swedish word "nappa," which means to catch unexpectedly, to come upon unawares, to seize without warning; but vide the sequel. + Or beest. VI. "Then he made the best of his speed unto him, Wind went his horn, as a hunter; And he whetted his tusks as he came along To Sir Ryalas, the jovial hunter*. VII. "Then the wild boar, being so stout and so strong Wind well thy horn, good hunter; He thrash'd down the trees as he came along, To Sir Ryalas, the jovial hunter. VIII. "Oh! what dost thou want of me, the wild boar, said he Wind well thy horn, good hunter; Oh! I think in my heart I can do enough for thee, For I am a jovial hunter. IX. "Then they fought four hours in a long summer's day Wind well thy horn, good hunter; Till the wild boar fain would have gotten away From Sir Ryalas, the jovial hunter. X. "Then Sir Ryalas draw'd his broad sword with might— Wind well thy horn, good hunter; And he fairly cut his head off quite, For he was a jovial hunter. XI. "Then out of the wood the wild woman flew Wind well thy horn, good hunter; Oh! thou hast killed my pretty spotted pig, As thou be'st a jovial hunter. XII. "There are three things I do demand of thee Wind well thy horn, good hunter; It's thy horn, and thy hound, and thy gay lady, As thou be'st a jovial hunter. • Brown's ballad did not contain the second and third lines of this verse; but they are supplied from the lines which Cole recollected, as stated in p. 115. XIII. "If these three things thou dost demand of me- It's just as my sword and thy neck can agree, For I am a jovial hunter. XIV. "Then into his locks the wild woman flew Wind well thy horn, good hunter; Till she thought in her heart she had torn him through, As he was a jovial hunter. XV. "Then Sir Ryalas draw'd his broad sword again Wind well thy horn, good hunter; And he fairly split her head in twain, For he was a jovial hunter. XVI. "In Bromsgrove Church they both do lie- Brown afterwards sang, and also repeated the ballad to me; and I found the copy to be quite correct. He said he could neither read nor write, and that he learned the ballad by frequently hearing a countryman sing it about thirty-five years He also said that Bromsgrove was formerly called Boar's Grove. Some time after this, Cole brought me another version of the ballad, which he said he wrote down from the mouth of a person of the name of Oseman, of Hartlebury, as follows:— I. "As I went up one brook one brook Well wind the horn, good hunter; As thou art the jovial hunter. II. "I said, fair maiden, what brings you here?Well wind the horn, good hunter; It is the wild boar that has drove me here, As thou art the jovial hunter. III. "I wish I could that wild boar see Well wind the horn, good hunter, And the wild boar soon will come to thee, As thou art the jovial hunter. IV. "Then he put his horn unto his mouth Well wind the horn, good hunter; And he blow'd both east, west, north, and south, As he was a jovial hunter. V. "The wild boar hearing it into his den Well wind the horn, good hunter; He whetted his tusks, for to make them strong, And he cut down the oak and the ash as he came along, For to meet with the jovial hunter. VI. "They fought five hours one long summer's day Well wind the horn, good hunter; Till the wild boar he yell'd, and he'd fain run away, And away from the jovial hunter. VII. "Oh! then he cut his head clean off! Well wind the horn, good hunter; Then there came an old lady running out of the wood, } Saying, you have killed my pretty, my pretty spotted pig, As thou art the jovial hunter. VIII. "Then at him, this old lady, she did go Well wind the horn, good hunter; And he clove her from the top of her head to her toe, As he was the jovial hunter. } |