The Parson & the Songmen
The Reverend Sabine Baring Gould was an exceptional parson and squire from Devonshire, England.
He is probably best remembered as the composer of the hymn 'Onward Christian Soldiers'.
Born in Exeter in 1834, he died at his estate, Lewtrenchard Manor in West Devon, in 1924.
As 2024 is the centenary of his death it gives me the opportunity to spotlight what he considered to be the most important achievement of his life, that of collecting the old folk songs of Devonshire, and later Cornwall, as he termed it, 'from the mouths of the people'.
Join me as I tell stories about, and sing songs from, this far from ordinary Victorian country parson as he travelled by pony and trap across his native Devonshire seeking out songs that now form a major part of the English folk song tradition.
Episodes
59 episodes
S3 13 As Is The Custom
If you do celebrate, you may well have noticed that Yuletide is nearly upon us... But, if you did need reminding, then this episode of The Parson and the Songmen will do just that for you!There are plenty of Christmas and Winter Solstice...
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Season 3
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Episode 13
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16:41
S3 12 I Want To Ride My Bicycle...
Welcome to Series Three, Episode Twelve. All we will say about this episode is that it involves some early Twentieth Century song collecting, a very enigmatic song collector and two wheeled transport. Listen on...(By the way, and still t...
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Season 3
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Episode 12
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25:08
S3 11 Songs Of War
At this time in November we remember the sacrifice that hundreds of thousands of British soldiers made with their lives as they fought in the First World War (and remember that millions died overall). Many songs are associated with this war, bu...
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Season 3
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Episode 11
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16:10
S3 10 One Day In October
In this episode of The Parson and the Songmen we join Mike at Ashwater Church, in the far west of Devon, for a day of 'ringing and singing'.One Day In October are the first four words of a very special song that the Reverend Sabine Barin...
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Season 3
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Episode 10
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15:36
S3 9 Harvest Home
The poet John Keats called Autumn the 'season of mists and mellow fruitfulness'. A time for reflection and also a time when 'all is safely gathered in' before the onset of winter.Those words, of course, come from the harvest hymn We Plou...
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Season 3
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Episode 9
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24:07
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S3 8 Catch Me If You Can
'Catch Me If You Can' is the title of a cassette tape, (originally released in 1978 and please search the interweb if you're too young to know what a cassette tape is) released by Pete Coe who spent a week in the company of a Cornish t...
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Season 3
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Episode 8
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19:11
S3 7 The Dartmoor Fiddler
Hello and welcome back after our summer break!In this episode we focus on William Andrews, a shy farmer from Sheepstor, in a remote part of Dartmoor, Devon. Andrews was not only a farmer though, he was a skilled fiddle player, and was vi...
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Season 3
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Episode 7
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14:14
S3 6 Mandolin, Maestro, Please
Join Mike for a very special 'Parson and the Songmen' this time around! It's not every day that you happen to get to the chance to have a chat with one of the world's leading mandolinists, composers and all round wit, but this is just what Mike...
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Season 3
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Episode 6
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28:39
S3 5 Further Reminiscences
In this fifth episode of the third series of The Parson and the Songmen, Mike explores Sabine's second autobiography 'Further Reminiscences'. In the book he discovers a song that seems to have , astonishingly, escaped Baring-Gould's keen censor...
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Season 3
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Episode 5
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16:25
S3 4 Poptastic!
Firstly, Many Happy Returns to The Parson And The Songmen as it celebrates its Second Birthday with its Fiftieth Episode!In this special episode Mike tells the story of how a song collected by The Reverend Sab...
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Season 3
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Episode 4
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15:31
S3 3 A Garland Of Country Song
The songs published in Songs From The West by the Reverend Sabine Baring-Gould were wholly collected, or particular to, Devon and Cornwall. But what to do with the songs sent to him from other parts of England and beyond?Sabine never dis...
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Season 3
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Episode 3
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18:22
S3 2 No Sleep 'Til....Barnstaple
The publication of folk songs collected by The Reverend Sabine Baring-Gould in Devon and Cornwall made them accessible to the general public, but left Sabine wondering just how he could reach an even wider audience?His answer was to get ...
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Season 3
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Episode 2
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13:07
S3 1 Spring Is In The Air!
Spring has arrived here in North Devon, and it would seem to have had quite an effect on Mike who is full of vim and vigour ( or possibly something stronger...)In this first episode of the the third series of The Parson and the Songmen w...
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14:21
S2 25 Songs From Series Two
Hardly seems a year since the last compilation of music from the first series. But yer us be! Season Two is now complete and we'll finish off in viddy style with the now customary(!) selection of songs from the shows. Geddon Boy!Here is ...
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Season 2
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Episode 25
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28:12
S2 24 April Fool (Far From It Actually!)
Well, we've missed All Fool's Day by a day, but let's celebrate this custom anyway. In this podcast Mike takes a look into its origins and tells some stories about one of Cornwall's great historical pranksters, as recorded by The Reverend Sabin...
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Season 2
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Episode 24
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15:06
S2 23 One Of A Kind!
Recently, Mike went to visit the force of nature that is Moe Keast at her home in Bodmin, Cornwall. Moe is a traditional singer and storyteller and has been a regular at Bodmin Folk Club, with a short break for bringing up children, almost sinc...
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Season 2
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Episode 23
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15:19
S2 22 Gool Peran Lowen!
Gool Peran Lowen! Or for those whose Cornish may be a little rusty, Happy St Piran's Day!St Piran is generally regarded as the patron saint of Cornwall and the 5th March is St Piran's Day which is celebrated in Cornwall in much the same ...
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15:27
S2 21 John Wesley Gave Us A Voice
In this episode of The Parson and the Songmen, Mike investigates the possibility of missing Cornish folk songs. Is there a religious connection and will he solve the case?
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Season 2
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Episode 21
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12:41
S2 20 The Children of Arganteilin (The Story Of The Harp In Cornwall)
Recently, Mike went to visit Barbara Griggs for a chat about the place of the harp in Cornish music. What you are about to listen to is a fascinating podcast, brought to life by the engaging, informative, and witty explanations from Barbara.
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Season 2
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Episode 20
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36:52
S2 19 Another Round In The Falcon Inn
In this episode of The Parson and the Songmen we join The Reverend Sabine Baring Gould and Freddie Bussell for two songs they collected from Samuel Gilbert, landlord of the Falcon Inn at St Mawgan (or Lanherne in the Cornish language). The two ...
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Season 2
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Episode 19
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13:12
S2 18 Our Jolly Wassail!
A Happy New Year To You All! Join Mike in this first podcast of 2025 for the 18th episode of the second series of The Parson and the Songmen. This time around Mr Bosworth looks into the tradition of wassailing, which can involve drinki...
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12:52
S2 17 (Return Of The) Bumper Festive Edition
Happy Christmas! In this episode we join Mike on a road trip around Cornwall to look into the surprising history of carols and their place in the church. If that wasn't enough Mike also delves into the mysterious world of 'the little folk' or p...
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21:48
S2 16 Retying The Celtic Knot
As we near the end of the centenary year of the Reverend Sabine Baring-Gould's death, Mike ponders why the folksong collectors who came after him did not pursue the idea that many of the songs and tunes of Devon and Cornwall had celtic roots? W...
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Season 2
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Episode 16
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18:41
S2 15 A Little Trip To Northern Ireland
Sam Henry was a folk song collector in Northern Ireland who Mike discovered after researching a song from Cornwall for this latest podcast. Digging deeper, Mike wondered if Sam had read Sabine's 'Songs From The West' and taken inspiration?F...
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Season 2
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Episode 15
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14:11
