{"id":787,"date":"2020-01-17T13:07:00","date_gmt":"2020-01-17T13:07:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/aata.dev\/?p=787"},"modified":"2020-01-21T18:01:52","modified_gmt":"2020-01-21T18:01:52","slug":"the-baum-ballads-and-a-bit-of-boris","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/aata.dev\/index.php\/2020\/01\/17\/the-baum-ballads-and-a-bit-of-boris\/","title":{"rendered":"THE BAUM, BALLADS AND A BIT OF BORIS by Michael Higgins"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

THE BAUM, BALLADS AND A BIT OF BORIS<\/strong> by Michael Higgins<\/p>\n\n\n\n

My Boris love song was given its first sounding at The\nBaum in Rochdale on Sunday (see photograph above). Some might feel there is\noften too much anti Boris work read out at these events \u2013 and too much\none-sided politics altogether, so I penned my paean on Sunday afternoon and set\nit to my own tune. The two line verse however is sung to the tune of Charlie Is\nMy Darlin\u2019.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Robin Parker sang a carol to St Greta of Sweden\n(Thunberg) \u2013 one of the Rev Mark Coleman\u2019s alternative Climate Change carols\nperformed at St Chad\u2019s in Rochdale before Christmas. Not everyone is a believer\nand even fear young Greta is being elevated above her ken. However, some don\u2019t\nlike Boris either, whilst others argue he is, at least, entertaining and she\nisn\u2019t. So. come on then, let\u00b4s all sing together.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I\nLove Boris, I love Boris, and Boris loves me<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I\nthink we have an affinity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He\nhas blond hair and so do I and our eyes are blue just like the sky.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He\nhas mop hair And mops love me,<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He\nwears a long tie that flaps upon his knee,<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And\nhe shuffles about, and my oh my,<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He\ncopies me when he rolls his eye.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He\nspeaks good English, Just like me, <\/p>\n\n\n\n

But\nspeaks better French that is the mystery,<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He\nis multilingual and so he might<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Oh\nBoris, Boris, my erudite. He stands right up to lead the fight<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Against\nthe Autocrats and Bureaucrites<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Of\nthe European Union and Luxemburg touts<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And\nunelected institutional louts.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Wine\nin his hand And spilled on his tie, <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Or\non the sofa as he shuffles by,<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Just\nlike you and just like me, I feel we have an affinity,<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2018Tis\nthe British thing  To shuffle on,<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ignoring\nthe doomsayers and everyone,<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Who\nsays Boris cannot get things done,<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Looking\nlike he does with his buttons undone. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Just\nlike me And just like him, <\/p>\n\n\n\n

We\ndance together like angels on a pin,<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Much\nbetter than the Lefties and the Marxist scum,<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We<\/em>\nhave a proper Momentum.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Oh Boris is my darlin\u2019, my darling, my\ndarlin\u2019….Boris is my darlin\u2019- the bold Brexiteer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
Michael Higgins
poet<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

The upper room was packed and there were twenty\nthree Bard From The Baum performers at the latest in more four or five years of\nfolk n\u00b4 poetry nights held monthly on a Sunday Evening. This real ale pub on\nToad Lane in Rochdale is on a historic site between a huge, looming church and\nthe location where thirteen pioneers conceived of the co-operative movement,\nbut a less likely looking bunch of subversive contemporary poets than these here\ntonight is hard to imagine. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Tonight\u00b4s guitarists (including the bar man\ndownstairs popping up to sing two of his own penned songs), the ubiquitous ukelele\nband and some old favourite performance poets – \u00b4Graham\u00b4 was one – and a newer\nbut familiar face called Alan, \u2018rapping\u2019 under the name Gordon Zola was\nanother. Val Chapman and Alfie Fairhurst were there, and Alyson Brailsford (albeit\nmis-cast, by co-compere Eileen Earnshaw, as \u2018Alan\u2019) who sang and recited. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Along with delivering my \u00b4Boris bonus\u00b4 I also\nplugged the Edwin Waugh Dialect Society writing competitions with a deadline of\n31 January (or first meeting in February \u2013 the 12th<\/sup>– if you turn up\nfor the meeting with your entry or entries in person) or any hopefuls can email\nthem to me, as I am not judging.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
Eileen Earnshaw<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Compere Eileen, too, of course, recited. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

In fact, the whole lot did not end till 10pm. A\nfull house and a late finish are evidence that Robin and Eileen certainly have\nresurrected the burning embers after the departure of a certain Norman Warwick,\nwho might have thought he was indispensable.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
the late Jake Thakray<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Nevertheless, after 23 individual performances last evening I cannot remember the subject or content of every one. However Peter Fitton preformed a Charles Causley poem and sang a Jake Thackray song and John Leach read two poems on his favourite subject- women he pursues at dance venues ! I spoke to him in between the action and learned that his latest flame, who he says is \u2018a woman of substance\u2019 has, alas I fear, made it quite clear that she isn\u2019t interested. I told him to keep his chin up and try elsewhere though I hope I have not encouraged a wrong endeavour.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I would remind you that I continue to write my\nlocal history pieces for The Bugle and to enjoy my poetic odysseys with Robin\nParker and Sid Calderbank as we visit the various railways stations of the\nregion that can still offer us a platform for our poetry.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Meanwhile The Edwin Waugh Dialect Society writing\ncontest rules, are available on our web site. Your reader might like to check\nout https:\/\/www.edwinwaughdialectsociety<\/strong>.com<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I am afraid few writers produce dialect these days\nbut I hope a few more will try the standard English options. All entries are\nwelcome.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Meanwhile I have just received a video of the full performance of a\nmagical performance that emerged from the artist residency for Spodden Valley\nRevealed by David Chatton Barker.  This\nis based on a local folktale which tells of a vengeful shape shifting water\nspirit, named The Queen of the Well, who inhabits the well on the summit of\nBrown Wardle Hill. You can see the full performance here:\nhttps:\/\/vimeo.com\/347158154 <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Spodden Valley Revealed will be a new kind of visitor destination,\ncelebrating the stories of the area around Whitworth, in Lancashire, by linking\na dozen historic sites. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Over two years, we are building up this trail of discovery through\nlandscaping works and improving access, but also through a huge programme of\nopportunities to get involved, for people of all ages. We are also\ninvestigating the stories of the area and commissioning artists to create new\nworks of interpretation of those stories and the landscape. Spodden Valley\nRevealed is made possible by investment from National Lottery Heritage Fund.\nThe project was initiated by Whitworth Town Council, and is also supported by\nLancashire Council, Newground Together, Lancashire Environmental Fund, Ernest\nCook Trust, Crook Hill Community Fund, Sylvia Waddilove Foundation and\nRossendale Community Fund. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

You can read more about the project and David\u2019s residency on the\nfollowing links: <\/p>\n\n\n\n

https:\/\/spoddenvalleyrevealed.wordpress.com\/?s=David+Chatton+Barker<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

You can also hear a recording of the Queen of the Well on Soundcloud: <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Forward this email to\nyour friends and family so that they can watch the video too.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The next public reading of the Queen Of The Well\nwill be in February at the Whitaker Museum and Art Gallery in Rossendale.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Since attending the\nworkshop called Writing Divinity I have joined the Travellers, a writing group\nrecently established by an enclave that includes Andrea Sarginson, an award\nwinning writer and a member of Touchstones Creative Writing Group. The group is\nsupported by The Diocese Of Manchester and have met so far in St. Chad\u00b4s church\nin Rochdale and at St. James Church in East Compton. Their first project\ninvolved members in writing for a \u00b4Poetry Christmas Tree\u00b4 and, coincidentally I\nwrote about the The Three Kings Parade which is held in the towns of Lanzarote\nand that I have seen Norman reporting on here on Sidetracks And Detours and\nalso on the pages of The Lanzarote Information web site, (I have attached it\nfor his consideration regarding publication, but it might have to wait until\nnext year, now!) To be honest, I am not particularly pious about joining a\nChristian writing group so I may be an uneasy member. However, the ethos is on\nwriting by Christians rather than necessarily for the church or in promotion of\nChristianity, so we shall see if The Travellers prove to be literary Romanies\nor not.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Didn\u00b4t a poet once say\n\u00b4it is a long way to Bethlehem\u00b4? (Ed. Yes, Michael Higgins, you did !)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

With that in mind I\nshould report that The Reverend Mark Coleman of the St. Chad\u00b4s church referred\nto earlier and of Extinction Rebellion fame is \u00b4leaving the ministry to pursue\nhis other interests.\u00b4<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Performance\npoetry, video making and creative writing notwithstanding I continue to write,\nin my afore mentioned role as local historian for \u00b4The Bugle,\u00b4 The Royton Local\nHistory Society Newsletter. I have been looking back at Christmas 150 years ago\nfor a while now and have been able to find interesting, if not amusing news\nitems from the 1860s editions of the Oldham Chronicle and Oldham Standard.  These two rivals were very political the\nfirst being Liberal and the latter Conservative and both betray the practice of\nthe time by playing politics a basic level. \nThe Chronicle usually gave better coverage of Royton by having\nsympathetic readers and a local correspondent on hand.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The\nStandard perhaps not being so well received in Royton with its \u00b4Seven Liberal\ncouncillors\u00b4 who went on that famous picnic in seven carts and \u00b4came awhoamo i\u00b4\neight\u00b4, often cannot seem to spell local street names properly. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The\nOldham Chronicle is also easier to read on microfilm as an earlier is one of\nthose years and though I strained the best way I could to find overage of local\nevents, their reporter or correspondent, must have been busy elsewhere.  I am afraid the chronicle is only a little\nbetter in that way but cannot compare to coverage of Christmas and New Year\nevents in earlier years.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Yet\nthe Chronicle of January 8th<\/sup> 1870 can claim: \u00b4Royton, as well as\nother places, has kept up the new year and honoured its advent by a series of\ntea parties and other pastimes and amusements. \nNone of the Sunday Schools have allowed it to pass without calling the\nchildren together of various venues in Royton but the reporting is generally\nscarce.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The\nStandard is a poor source, save for the opening of the Haggate Conservative\nWorking Men\u00b4s Club before the Christmas period, itself a reminder that Royton\nhad a firm Conservative base and leadership in the Cooper family of Downey\nHouse.  The Coopers were also staunch\nMethodists, having obtained a licence to open a Methodist preaching house in\n1794 and building the denominations first chapel a few years later behind the\nHope and Anchor pub.  When grander\npremises were later built in Market Street the old chapel became the\nPhilharmonic Institution, home to Royton Brass Band and other community\nentertainments and sports societies.  In\nthe spirit of Christmas the Institution held its own party on December 11th,\nfeaturing Mr Mellor, the ventriloquist, recitations by Mr Butterworth, songs by\nthe Glee Society, whose \u00b4glees, duets and songs, were delivered under the\nleadership of J. Jarvis, Mr Robert Whittaker, JP and mill owner, presided.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The\nCoopers were former farmers turned corn dealers and cotton mill proprietors\nwhose property stretched from Sandy Lane over much of the old Downey Field. In\nthe 1830s they builT Downey mills (spinning and weaving) behind their chapel,\nand in 1844 they built Downey House.   <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
Downey House<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Ironically\nthe effective leader of Royton\u00b4s dominant Liberals, Thomas Seville, JP and mill\nowner, built his new house (Elm House) right next door to Downey House and the\nextreme politics of the day had to become subsumed in neighbourly harmony.  Ironically too, Thomas Seville was also a\nstaunch Anglican and churchwarden at St Paul\u00b4s chapel (later church) which\nstood almost opposite both houses on what was then Chapelside Gardens or Garden\nRoad (now Church Street).  Hence the\nmodern Church Street (Anglican) and the parallel Chapel Street\n(Methodist).  As I write of course Downey\nHouse is now firmly in the hands of Anglicans who use the old mansion as a\nparish centre and community hall.  Such\nis the irony of history.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The\nweather does not seem to be an issue in 1869 as it sometimes was earlier in the\nsixties with either rain spoiling things or snow and ice adding its Christmas\nmagic.  The ice and snow could be used as\ncandle holders for the odd festive waggon on the streets, defying hot wax and\nflame to melt things somewhat.  But the\nweather was indeed important to the Oldham Chronicle for one reason: 12 months\nprior to his death in August Mr Heap had supplied the Chronicle with weekly\nmeteorological reports and was one of the most noted of these were John Butterwoth\nof Haggate, Mr Heap\u00b4s tutor and friend, and John Kay (spelt  Kaye in the Chronicle).  More should be written of these men.  Described as of \u00b4quiet retiring, amiable and\ninoffensive disposition\u00b4 he contributed much to the literature of the day, was\na member of the century old Oldham area mathematical club, and met regularly\nwith fellow mathematicians and geometricians from Manchester and Liverpool.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Rain\nhad spoiled the Wakes holiday in August but it was \u00b4the plague\u00b4 (Foot and\nMouth) which disturbed Royton at Christmas opening up the idea of appointing an\nInspector of Cattle. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

A\ncow of William Rogers at Thornham Fold Farm and 7 cows and 1 bull of William\nTaylor of Tandle Hill Farm were the worst though one cow belonging to John\nWhittaker of Dryclough was affected.  Mr\nTaylor was fined \u00a38 pounds for not reporting the outbreak.  When he protested the magistrates haughtily\ninformed  him that it was his first\noffence and that they could have fined him \u00a340.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

While\nthis drama was unfolding St Paul\u00b4s National Schools held their prize evening\nwith Thomas Sevillle of Elm House in attendance, along with Dr John Kershaw,\nRev. Richard Hill, the long-serving \nvicar, and Mr Hibbert, MP.  Out of\na total of 40 pupils, 32 had gone forward for consideration and 22 had succeeded\nwith good passes.  In the succeeding\nspeeches an opinion was put forward on the looming Education Act and compulsory\neducation for all.  The system might work\nbut only at the expense of \u00b4the lowest scum of the earth\u00b4.  Later on Christmas Eve the rival Wesleyan\nSunday School held their party on Christmas Day for 330 scholars, teachers and\nfriends at the new building in  Market\nStreet, going so far as to \u00b4open\u00b4 one of those new-fangled Christmas  trees which were eventually to replace the\nold household Kissing Bush holly garland. \nThe Rev John Morris of Oldham presided over Christmas songs and\nrecitations.  The Primitive Methodists\nalso held a party for 200 scholars, chaired by Mr John Cooper of Oldham\nalthough the Chronicle reported that this was \u00b4a lengthy programme, which ran\nout of time\u00b4.  The Literary Institute on\nMarket Street held its annual Christmas Eve Dinner for 118, supplied by Mr\nLund, the landlord of the newly built Duke of Edinburgh.  This event was livened by competitions in\nsingle-step dancing for a silk ribbon (won by Adam Hilton) and Waltzing (won by\nDavid Broom and his partner) and other entertainments until \u00b4the small hours of\nmorning\u00b4.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Not\nto be outdone St Paul\u00b4s School held its Annual Teachers Tea Party for 70\nattendees.  Vicar Hill presented bibles\nto firstly John Lees (as a token of respect from fellow teachers), and Mr and\nMrs Thomas Lees, remarking that \u00b4nothing could be so suitable a present for a\nnewly married couple\u00b4.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

After\nsinging and reciting, and after \u00b4the village clock had boomed out the hour of\nmidnight\u00b4 the party proceeded to the vicarage \u00b4where the usual Christmas hymn\nwas sung\u00b4.  The Christmas Hymn, or Kesmas\nHymn, was the name given to John  Byrom\nof Manchester\u00b4s Christians Awake<\/em>.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

There\nis no mention of village waits and carollers strolling round Royton at midnight\nas in former years but that does not mean they were absent.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Likewise\nmuch may have gone on that was not reported. \nVicar Hill was blissfully unaware of the Ritualistic Controversy which\ncaused the Mayor of Oldham to walk out of St Thomas\u00b4s church at Werneth.  Following the Oxford Movement, the vicar and\ncurate had opted to wear traditional \u00b4catholic\u00b4 surplices instead of the\ntraditional Anglican black and white. \nThe issue would eventually affect St Paul\u00b4s but not for many a year yet,\nand no one is recorded as walking out of Royton Churches at Christmastide.  On as sad note however, an inquest was held\nin the new year at the Hare and Hounds, Higginshaw, for a three day old infant\nof John Chadwick \u00b4found dead lying in its mother\u00b4s arms\u00b4.  As the Kesmas Hymn is about the babe in the\nmanger it is hard to equate celebration with bereavement.  Nor is it to equate loss with surplus time\nand money as exhibited at the Royton Agriculture Society\u00b4s meeting in January\nto decide what to do with the bounty of \u00a3120. \n<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And\nso we move into 2020, another year further away from the events described above.\nTo keep abreast of the current news of 150 years ago check out Royton Local\nHistory Society on www.rlhs.co.uk<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

THE BAUM, BALLADS AND A BIT OF BORIS by Michael Higgins My Boris love song was given its first sounding at The Baum in Rochdale on Sunday (see photograph above). Some might feel there is often too much anti Boris work read out at these events \u2013 and too much one-sided politics altogether, so I […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":792,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[13,6],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-787","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-literary","category-performing-arts"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/aata.dev\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/787","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/aata.dev\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/aata.dev\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/aata.dev\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/aata.dev\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=787"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/aata.dev\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/787\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/aata.dev\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/792"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/aata.dev\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=787"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/aata.dev\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=787"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/aata.dev\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=787"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}