Centuries-old ‘village’ folk carols that were once a local tradition across the South West are being revived – thanks to a Wren Music project that aims to ensure they’re never lost again.
Before today’s Christmas carols became popular, communities would sing carols which were unique to their area, and rural parts of the South West were among the strongholds in England for the festive tradition. But the local carols eventually declined during the 20th century and, in some cases, they died out completely.
We’re delighted to be leading the West Country Carols project in three areas of the region where some of the old carols have been rediscovered – Bratton Clovelly in West Devon, Landkey in North Devon and Exmoor.
We’ll be teaching one of the carols from each of the areas to local primary schoolchildren. We are also holding carol singing workshops, where people can learn a village carol in the afternoon before going out carol singing with our singers in the evening, if they wish.
A book of nine of the carols – three from each area – will also be produced. It’s part of a wider project we’re delivering, Westcountry Midwinter Music, which is supported by a National Lottery Project Grant from Arts Council England.
The carols project kicks off on Saturday 9 November, with a day of carol singing training at Filleigh Village Hall, which is open to anyone who wants to learn some of the carols and would like to organise carol singing in their communities. It’s followed in the evening by a concert by The Melrose Quartet from Sheffield, who’ll be singing some of the famous Sheffield Village Carols which have remained a thriving tradition. The workshop is from 10.30am to 4.30pm (£35/£20), and the concert is 8pm to 10.30pm (£12/ £8), or £42/£23 for both events.
Our hope is that the village carols will again become a part of the festive tradition. Marilyn Tucker, our CEO, said: “In some parts of the country, like Sheffield, village carols never died out, they’re sung by communities every year. That’s what we’re looking to bring back in the South West, so that we’re contributing to the national picture of village carols, because we do have a strong tradition of village carols here. They would be sung out and about in the community, rather than in churches, and had more of a folk feel.”
At one time, the West Devon Carols were part and parcel of the Christmas celebrations around the remote villages of the district, when people would visit neighbouring communities to spread some festive cheer. But at some point, possibly in the 1970s, the tradition died out.
They might have been lost forever, had it not been for Bratton Clovelly woman Barbara Cubbin handing a reel-to-reel tape to our Okehampton offices around 30 years ago. With no way of listening to the tape, she asked us if we could transfer it to cassette tape. On it, were five of the West Devon carols, sung by a group of local men and probably recorded in the 1960s. We have since digitised the recording, and transcribed and arranged the five carols for community singing.
The West Devon schools taking part are Boasley Cross Primary in Bratton Clovelly, Northlew & Ashbury Primary, and Okehampton Primary. They will learn one of the West Devon carols and write a new Christmas song with the help of Wren Music. Then, on Saturday 7 December, we’ll be hosting a carols workshop from 2.30pm to 6pm at Church Hall in Okehampton, which anyone can attend.
That will be followed in the evening, with carol singing in the town. Workshop participants are invited to join the carol singers, and children from the three primary schools will be there for the start. Members of Wren Music’s West Devon Folk Choir will also be taking part.
On Exmoor, the village carol tradition is particularly strong. Some of the carols date back to the late 1700s, when preachers would visit rural areas, teaching the carols. Some settled in farmsteads, so the tradition continued. More recently, it was kept alive by local communities, including traditional carolling parties like The Dunster Carollers.
The Exmoor carols being taught in this project are among the 150 which were collected during three decades of research by South West folk song researchers Bob and Jacqueline Patten. The carols are remarkably complete, with music, words and harmonies laid out. In 2013, Wren Music worked with Bob, who has since passed away, and Jacqueline to raise awareness about the carols.
The Exmoor schools taking part are Cutcombe & Exford, Timberscombe, and Dulverton, where children will learn one of the Exmoor carols and write a new Christmas song. The carols workshop will be at Moorland Hall, Wheddon Cross, on Saturday 30 November, 2.30pm to 6pm, followed by community carol singing.
Four years ago, we also worked with locals in Landkey to revive the Landkey carols. It’s thought that the carols here date back to the 1890s, when a horse and cart was used to transport the singers around the country lanes. In the early days, the carol singing journeys would take place every evening for almost two weeks, starting on 24 December and continuing to ‘Old Christmas Day’ on 5 January. Legend has it that the group would reach the last farmhouses at the end of the round at 2am and it would be 6am by the time they got home!
In later years, a tractor and trailer were used, and there was also a period when village tradesmen such as the baker and nurseryman offered the use of their vans to take the carollers out. But over time, the tradition dwindled and the carol singers of Landkey fell silent around 50 years ago. In 2018, a group of villagers asked Wren Music to help revive some of the carols still known about and Landkey Carols is now an annual tradition.
The local schools taking part are Landkey Primary School, The Libra School and Lampard Community School. They will learn one of the Landkey carols and write a new Christmas song. There will be weekly rehearsals leading up to the carolling event in Landkey, which is on 12 December at 7pm.
Marilyn said: “We’re thrilled to have this opportunity to pass on these carols to a new generation. A big ‘thank you’ to everyone who plays the National Lottery, for making it possible.”
If you know of village carols where you live, contact Marilyn at [email protected] or on 01837 53754. To book your place at the launch event or one of local carol singing workshops (cost £5), visit the What’s On section of our website.
