Now! Then! 2024! - Yorkshire On This Day

Excerpt

The Romans in England once held sway,
The Saxons after them they led the way;
They tugged with the Danes till an overthrow
They both of ’em had from the Norman’s bow.

CHORUS
Yet barring all bother the one or the other,
They all of ’em came to be Kings in their turns.
(From beginning of stanza to D.C.)

Little Billy the Conqueror long did reign,
And Billy, his son, by an arrow was slain.
Harry the First was a scholar bright,
And Stevie was forced for the crown to fight.

Second Harry Plantagenet’s name did bear,
And Coeur-de-Lion was his son and heir.
The great Magna Charta we got from John,
Which Harry the Third set his seal upon.

There was Teddy the First like a lion bold;
But Teddy the Second was bought and sold.
Teddy the Third was his subjects’ pride,
Though his grandson Dicky was popped aside.

Harry the Fourth was a warlike wight,
And Harry the Fifth like a cock would fight.
Poor Harry the Sixth like a chick would pout,
So Teddy, his cousin, kicked him out.

Poor Teddy though Fifth was smothered in bed
By butchering Dick, who was knocked o’t’ head.
Harry the Seventh in fame grew big,
And Harry the Eighth was as fat as a pig.

With Teddy the Sixth we had tranquil days,
But Mary made fire and faggot to blaze.
Good Queen Bess was a glorious dame,
And Bonny King Jammie from Scotland came.

Poor Charlie the First was a martyr made,
And Charlie, his son, was comical blade.
Jammie the Second, when hotly spurred,
“Ran awa’, de ye ken?” from Billy the Third.

Queen Anne was victorious by laud and sea,
And Geordy the First did with glory sway.
Georgy the Second has long been dead,
So long life to the Georgy we’ve got in his stead.

CHORUS.
And may his sons’ sons to the end of the chapter
All of ’em come to be kings in their turns.

Comment

Comment

This is far better than the well-known mnemonic of monarchs:

Willie Willie Harry Stee
Harry Dick John Harry three;
One two three Neds, Richard two
Harrys four five six … then who?

Etc etc.

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Original

Among the contributions which came “through the letter box” last week was one telling of a curious mode of punishment adopted by one of the old race of schoolmasters. This week brings with it an additional schoolmaster story, which is in its way quite as singular as the other; only it tells of teaching, and not of correction. Mr. Thomas Harper, Cawood, near Selby, is the correspondent. He says that when his father went to school there was no Goldsmith’s History or any other work of the same kind used as a reading-book in the village school, and unless the dominie was industrious and conscientious, acquaintance with the three R’s was considered a sufficient show of knowledge for his pupils. But, from what follows, it will be seen that there was an exception to this rule:-

Old Mr. Eaton, the master at Wheldrake, near York, was a model schoolmaster, and took pleasure in going outside the three R’s whenever he found a scholar desirous of learning more. Whether he himself composed the history in rhyme to which I want to draw attention I cannot determine; but I should incline to the opinion that he did. It was used by him from 1770 to 1780, at which time my father was one of his scholars. My father always spoke of him with great respect and veneration. He composed a tune for the history also, and on Saturday afternoons used to have the ditty sung by such of his scholars who chose to take part in it. Thus it was fixed on my father’s memory, and thus it was taught to me fifty years after good old Eaton’s death. I can only say that I have found it of very great use in recalling to my mind the succession of the Kings or the era of any remarkable event, such as the passing of Magna Charta, and the restoration of the Saxon line. I am not aware of its ever being in use anywhere else than at Wheldrake school, now nearly 100 years ago, and I don’t suppose there is another copy of it in existence.

The Romans in England once held sway,
The Saxons after them they led the way;
They tugg’d with the Danes till an overthrow
They both of ’em had from the Norman’s bow.

CHORUS
Yet barring all bother the one or the other,
They all of ’em came to be Kings in their turns.
(From beginning of stanza to D.C.)

Little Billy the Conqueror long did reign,
And Billy, his son, by an arrow was slain.
Harry the First was a scholar bright,
And Stevie was forced for the crown to fight.

Second Harry Plantagenet’s name did bear,
And Coeur-de-Lion was his son and heir.
The great Magna Charta we got from John,
Which Harry the Third set his seal upon.

There was Teddy the First like a lion bold;
But Teddy the Second was bought and sold.
Teddy the Third was his subjects’ pride,
Though his grandson Dicky was popp’d aside.

Harry the Fourth was a warlike wight,
And Harry the Fifth like a cock would fight.
Poor Harry the Sixth like a chick would pout,
So Teddy, his cousin, kick’d him out.

Poor Teddy tho Fifth was smother’d in bed
By butchering Dick, who was knock’d o’th’ head.
Harry the Seventh in fame grew big,
And Harry the Eighth was as fat as a pig.

With Teddy the Sixth we had tranquil days,
But Mary made fire and faggot to blaze.
Good Queen Bess was a glorious dame,
And Bonny King Jammie from Scotland came.

Poor Charlie the First was a martyr made,*
And Charlie, his son, was comical blade.
Jammie the Second, when hotly spurr’d,
“Ran awa’, de ye ken?” from Billy the Third.

Queen Anne was victorious by laud and sea,
And Geordy the First did with glory sway.
Georgy the Second has long been dead,
So long life to the Georgy we’ve got in his stead.

CHORUS.
And may his sons’ sons to the end of the chapter
All of ’em come to be kings in their turns.

* Our young readers will perhaps notice that the poet totally ignores both Cromwell and the Commonwealth.

777 words.

Tags

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• Anglo-Saxon settlement of Britain (2) ·
• Anglo-Saxons (10) ·
• 📌Cawood (Selby) (5), West Riding, now North Yorkshire ·
• Child (17) ·
• Education (8) ·
• History (1) ·
• Leeds Mercury (18), leading Whig newspaper founded by John Hirst in 1718, bought by Nonconformist-Liberal Edward Baines in 1801 and used to advocate some types of social and political reform, remained in the family for two more generations ·
• 📌Leeds (235) ·
• Mnemonic verses of monarchs in England (1) ·
• Mnemonic (1) ·
• Narrative poetry (9) ·
• One-room school (3) ·
• Poetry (70) ·
• Roman Britain (occupation AD 43-410) (8) ·
• Selby (8) ·
• Song (20) ·
• Viking Age (3) ·
• Vikings (6) ·
• Wheldrake (1) ·
• 📌York (164) ·

All tags.

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