Who Killed Cock Robin: British Folk Songs of Crime and Punishment: 2021

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At the heart of traditional song rest the concerns of ordinary people. And folk throughout the centuries have found themselves entangled with the law: abiding by it, breaking it, and being caught and punished by it. Who Killed Cock Robin is an anthology of just such songs compiled by one of Britains senior judges, Stephen Sedley, and most respected and best-loved folk singers, Martin Carthy.

The songs collected here are drawn from manuscripts, broadsides, old songbooks and oral tradition. They are grouped according to the various categories of crime and punishment, from Poaching to The Gallows. Each section contains a historical introduction, and every song is presented with a melody, its lyrics and an illuminating commentary that explores its origins and sources. Together, they present a unique, sometimes comic, often tragic, and always colourful insight into the past, while preserving an important body of song for future generations.

Reviews

'At last, a simple, reader-friendly book on the cause-effect relationship between the CRIMES of the UPPER classes (documented in court and prison records, history books, the lives lost via law, scaffolds, transportation, et al) and the crimes of the lower classes (as documented in folk songs and ballads). The savagery of our toxic system of governance, the endless, pitiless theft of the property and rights of the public are kept in the public memory in the only unassailable form: the oral tradition. A trustworthy, authoritative, edifying and highly enjoyable read. Put it into school curricula.-Peggy Seeger, songwriter, performer and activist, author of First Time Ever 'A rich and rewarding journey through the law and lore of song and balladry. With such outstanding authors/compilers its no surprise whatsoever but their understanding, respect and regard for their source material mean that expertise and scholarship never swamp but only enhance and enlighten the reading experience. As well as opening my eyes to some previously unknown example of legal chicanery or barely believable repressive legislation and practice, every page made me want to sing these songs and ballads of the wronged and the ruthless, the cruel and cunning and the good, the bad - and the lovely. What a great delight of a book.-Willy Russell, playwright and composer, author of Educating Rita and Blood Brothers

Author Bio

Stephen Sedley, after twenty-eight years in practice as a barrister and QC, was appointed a High Court Judge in 1992 and an Appeal Court Judge in 1999. On retiring from the Bench in 2011, he was appointed Visiting Professor of Law at the University of Oxford. He has published a previous collection of folk songs, The Seeds of Love, and several books on the law, and he continues to write on legal matters for the London Review of Books and elsewhere. Martin Carthy MBE is a singer and guitarist and one of Britain's most influential and highly regarded folk musicians. He has performed and recorded solo, as part of The Watersons, Steeleye Span and the Albion Band, and with numerous other musicians, including his wife Norma Waterson and their daughter Eliza Carthy. In 2008, he was awarded an Honorary Fellowship at the University of Central Lancashire, and in 2014 he received the Lifetime Achievement Award at the BBC Radio 2 Folk Awards.