John "Jack" Shield (1768– 6 August 1848) was an English

songwriter A songwriter is a musician who professionally composes musical compositions or writes lyrics for songs, or both. The writer of the music for a song can be called a composer, although this term tends to be used mainly in the classical music gen ...

. One of his best known and liked songs at the time was " Bob Cranky's Adieu". Shield was a contemporary of the earliest Geordie dialect songwriters Thomas Thompson and

John Selkirk John Selkirk (1782 – 1843) was a Tyneside songwriter of the 18th and 19th century. His best known works are those about Bob Cranky and the Swalwell Hopping. Early life John Selkirk was born in 1782 in Gateshead (just o’er the blue sta ...

Early life

He was born at Broomhaugh, a village in

Northumberland Northumberland () is a county in Northern England, one of two counties in England which border with Scotland. Notable landmarks in the county include Alnwick Castle, Bamburgh Castle, Hadrian's Wall and Hexham Abbey. It is bordered by land on ...

near Riding Mill in the Tyne Valley in 1768. He and his elder brother, Hugh, moved to

Newcastle upon Tyne Newcastle upon Tyne ( RP: , ), or simply Newcastle, is a city and metropolitan borough in Tyne and Wear, England. The city is located on the River Tyne's northern bank and forms the largest part of the Tyneside built-up area. Newcastle is ...

in John's twenties, and the first real mention of him was in 1800 when they were running the family's large wholesale/grocery business, which they had built up. The business was in Middle Street, facing the Cloth Market and opposite where the "White Hart" stood. In 1803, his name is on a petition protesting against taxes. Shield had a free and easy nature, was remarkably quiet and inoffensive, and, it seems, wrote dialect materials as a hobby. His brother Hugh was the opposite and could have a fiery temper. His first poetic/musical offering appeared in 1802 in the '' Newcastle Chronicle'' and he later went on to write well-known

Tyneside Tyneside is a built-up area across the banks of the River Tyne in northern England. Residents of the area are commonly referred to as Geordies. The whole area is surrounded by the North East Green Belt. The population of Tyneside as published i ...

songs about William Scott (alias Cull Billy; alias Silly Billy). He wrote the famous successful appeal for Scott's aid. Two of his other works, "Lord Size" and "Fair Delia" appear in the ''Northern Songster'' in 1806. His song "Oxygen Gas" was noted as being sung at the Theatre Royal, Newcastle.

Later life

Around 1830, the council purchased the family property in Middle Street, together with most of the adjacent property in the area, to demolish them for major improvements. The Shields moved to new premises at the top of Dean Street. Towards the end of 1890, the descendants sold the property and business thus closing the almost-one-hundred-year connection of the family with the area. Hugh Shield was unmarried and retired from the business c. 1830, leaving it to John; Hugh purchased a small estate in Broomhaugh, where he lived in retirement. John Shield was married with a family and moved to a property near St. Andrew's Church, Newgate Street, Newcastle upon Tyne. After Hugh's death, John retired from the business, leaving it to his sons and moved into his brother's estate.

Death

He died, age 80, in Broomhaugh.

Works

His works include: * "The Barber's News (or "Shields in an Uproar") – to the tune of "Miss Bailey's Ghost"; published c. 1805, this song refers to Stephen Kemble, the large manager of the Theatre Royal, Newcastle, capsizing a boat on which he was crossing the

River Tyne The River Tyne is a river in North East England. Its length (excluding tributaries) is . It is formed by the North Tyne and the South Tyne, which converge at Warden Rock near Hexham in Northumberland at a place dubbed 'The Meeting of the Wate ...

between

North North is one of the four compass points or cardinal directions. It is the opposite of south and is perpendicular to east and west. ''North'' is a noun, adjective, or adverb indicating Direction (geometry), direction or geography. Etymology T ...

and

South Shields South Shields () is a coastal town in South Tyneside, Tyne and Wear, England. It is on the south bank of the mouth of the River Tyne. Historically, it was known in Roman times as Arbeia, and as Caer Urfa by Early Middle Ages. According to the 20 ...

. * "Blackett's Field" – makes fun of the local preparations to defend against the possible arrival of

Napoleon Napoleon Bonaparte ; it, Napoleone Bonaparte, ; co, Napulione Buonaparte. (born Napoleone Buonaparte; 15 August 1769 – 5 May 1821), later known by his regnal name Napoleon I, was a French military commander and political leader who ...

and the French. * " Bob Cranky's Adieu" – published c. 1812; Bob Cranky was a fictitious cartoon-like character, rather like the modern Andy Capp, and in this song he joined the Volunteer Association in the march from

Gateshead Gateshead () is a large town in northern England. It is on the River Tyne's southern bank, opposite Newcastle upon Tyne, Newcastle to which it is joined by seven bridges. The town contains the Gateshead Millennium Bridge, Millennium Bridge, Sage ...

to Newcastle upon Tyne * "The Bonny Geatsiders" – published c. 1812; a light-hearted song about a group of volunteers from

who only managed to see action in manoeuvres in the locality * "Defence of the Name of Jack" * "Delia's Answer * "Fair Delia" * "Lines on Gull Billy * "My Lord 'Size" (or "Newcastle in an Uproar") – published c. 1806, remarking on the occasion when one of the Newcastle upon Tyne judges taking part, with other civic dignitaries, in the parade on the

, whilst stepping into or from the barge at

Tynemouth Tynemouth () is a coastal town in the metropolitan borough of North Tyneside, North East England. It is located on the north side of the mouth of the River Tyne, hence its name. It is 8 mi (13 km) east-northeast of Newcastle upon T ...

, slipped into the water * "O No, My Love, No" * "Oxygen Gas" – noted for being sung at the Theatre Royal, Newcastle * "Poor Tom, the Blind Boy" " The Pitman's Revenge (against Bonaparte)" was erroneously credited to John Shield in many early manuscripts. A correction was made in the 1891 edition of ''

Allan's Illustrated Edition of Tyneside Songs and Readings ''Allan's Illustrated Edition of Tyneside Songs and Readings'' is a book of Tyneside popular and traditional songs consisting of approximately 400 song lyrics on over 600 pages, published in 1891. It was reprinted in 1972 by Frank Graham, Newca ...

'' where the writing was credited to George Cameron.

Performances

References

External links

Wor Geordie songwritersFarne folk archives

The Monthly Chronicle of North Country lore and legends with engravings
Date of birth missing 1768 births 1848 deaths 18th-century English businesspeople 18th-century English writers 18th-century English male writers 18th-century English poets 19th-century English businesspeople 19th-century English writers 19th-century English poets British grocers Geordie songwriters Musicians from Newcastle upon Tyne Articles with quotation marks in the title 19th-century male writers {{authority control