Welcome to The Briercliffe Society Forum

David emailed this to me.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4QPbTOSFm0A

OLD PENDLE
Old Pendle, old Pendle, thou standest alone
Twixt Burnley and Clitheroe, Whalley and Colne
Where Hodder and Ribble's fair waters do meet
With Barley and Downham content at thy feet.

Where witches will ride on a cold winter's night
We'll not tell a soul and we'll bolt our doors tight
We'll sit by the fire and keep ourselves warm
Until once again we mun walk on thine arm.

Old Pendle, old Pendle, o'er moorland and fell
In beauty and loveliness ever to dwell
Through life's fateful journey where'er we may be
We'll pause in our labours and oft think on thee.

Old Pendle, old Pendle - majestic, sublime
Thy praises shall ring till the end of all time
In beauty eternal thy banner unfurled
Thou dearest and grandest old hill in the world!

Old Pendle, old Pendle, thou standest alone
Twixt Burnley and Clitheroe, Whalley and Colne
Where Hodder and Ribble's fair waters do meet
With Barley and Downham content at thy feet.

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Mel

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http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cuHTbni99h8&feature=related

Bill Connolly giving a review of Pendle and the witches

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Mel

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We learned the Old Pendle song in school when I was eight. I liked it a lot. Even now I remembered the words to the first verse, but the tune seems slightly different in the recording.

Three others we learned that same year were The Skye Boat Song, Shenandoah, and one called Dashing Away with the Smoothing Iron. The words were:

Twas on a Monday morning
When I beheld my darling
She looked so neat and charming
In every high degree
She looked so neat and nimble-o
A washing of her linen-0

Dashing away with the smoothing iron
Dashing away with the smoothing iron
She stole my heart away.

Then the song went through every day of the week, with the refrain at the end of each verse. I can't remember the other verses. We sang it with great gusto!

I can't hold a tune at all, but we had great singing classes that year.

Joan

Hiya Joan, I remember singing it too, think the other verses went like this:

Tuesday- A hanging out her linen o.
Wednesday- A starching of her linen o.
Thursday- A ironing of her linen o.
Friday- A folding of her linen o.
Saturday- A airing of her linen o.
Sunday- A wearing of her linen o.

Singing it now in me head.
Stephanie.

Hi Gloria,

I've been singing it in my head, for the last two days. I remembered the Sunday one, Wearing of her linen-o, but not the others. Thanks for filling me in.

Laundry must have been a huge job before the days of washing machines, what with large families and a rainy climate, so difficulty with drying. Maybe they just didn't wash clothes as often as we do. In the house where I grew up, we had a wooden rack which we lowered down from the ceiling with a pulley. We also placed the folded clothes there after the ironing was done. Ironing was one of the few chores I enjoyed, fortunately, because it was my job.

Joan

Joan, Hi, but I think you are getting Stephanie and I mixed up. I'd put it down to age but I am sure you are only 47yrs like me
Gloria

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Gloria

I'd be dangerous with a brain.

I still have a rack, would'nt be without it.
I still have my Grans copper posser as well, but needless to say, I dont use that ha ha.
It was me Joan that filled you in about Dashing away with a smoothing iron.
Stephanie.

Mel, Kris------don't you dare say a word

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Gloria

I'd be dangerous with a brain.

Moi! Je ne rêve de cela

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Mel

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Oh oui tu le ferais.

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Gloria

I'd be dangerous with a brain.

_________________
Mel

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Right, Stephanie, I knew it was you who filled me in about the song. Can't think where my mind was. Age, Gloria? It couldn't possibly be that, at 47, could it?

Joan

David has sent another Youtube snippet. I'm not too sure about the music but the pictures are interesting.
http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=o-j1pGx_yqQ

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Mel

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I remember singing these as well. I had forgotten all about them.

I also remember every Easter climbing Pendle hill and going through New Church and Barley to get to it.

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Trish ...

Welcome to the forum Jack Sparrow.
I seem to recall mum telling me that my Nan would climb the hill at Easter

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Mel

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