The Farmer's Boy

Origins

The earliest written record of the song is under the name "The Lucky Farmer's Boy" in an 1832 catalogue of street ballads printed in London by James Catnach. In 1857, the compiler of a book of "Songs of the Peasantry of England" wrote; "There is no question that the Farmer's Boy is a very ancient song; it is highly popular amongst the north country lads and lasses. The date of the composition may probably be referred to the commencement of the last century... The song is popular all over the country, and there are numerous printed copies, ancient and modern." Frank Kidson the English musicologist and folk song collector wrote in 1891, "Even now, the popularity of 'The Farmer's Boy' is great among country singers". Although he said that there was little variation in the text, he included three melodies and a fourth in an appendix, none of which is the most widely known one today.

A legend in Little Leigh, Cheshire, suggests that the song is based on the life of the Reverend Thomas Fownes Smith (1802-1866) and was written by his brother-in-law, Charles Whitehead (born 1792). Smith was the minister at Little Leigh Baptist Chapel for more than 30 years, where a plaque in his memory is located on the inside rear wall.

Music

The tune most commonly associated with "The Farmer's Boy" comes from "Ye Sons of Albion", a patriotic song from the Napoleonic Wars. That particular tune and song were first noted in 1909 in Oxfordshire by Janet Blunt of Adderbury Manor. It is this melody that has been arranged as a regimental march for the Royal Canadian Medical Service, a number of Commonwealth regiments and the Princess of Wales's Royal Regiment.