"Song of the ''Mary White''" is a

ballad A ballad is a form of verse, often a narrative set to music. Ballads derive from the medieval French ''chanson balladée'' or ''ballade'', which were originally "dance songs". Ballads were particularly characteristic of the popular poetry and ...

written in

Broadstairs Broadstairs is a coastal town on the Isle of Thanet in the Thanet district of east Kent, England, about east of London. It is part of the civil parish of Broadstairs and St Peter's, which includes St Peter's, and had a population in 2011 of ...

, England in the early 1850s. It has been suggested that news of the loss of the Irish

packet Packet may refer to: * A small container or pouch ** Packet (container), a small single use container ** Cigarette packet ** Sugar packet * Network packet, a formatted unit of data carried by a packet-mode computer network * Packet radio, a form ...

''Royal Adelaide'' with 250 lives, on the sands off

Margate Margate is a seaside resort, seaside town on the north coast of Kent in south-east England. The town is estimated to be 1.5 miles long, north-east of Canterbury and includes Cliftonville, Garlinge, Palm Bay, UK, Palm Bay and Westbrook, Kent, ...

on 6 April 1850, prompted Thomas White to present one of his

lifeboats Lifeboat may refer to: Rescue vessels * Lifeboat (shipboard), a small craft aboard a ship to allow for emergency escape * Lifeboat (rescue), a boat designed for sea rescues * Airborne lifeboat, an air-dropped boat used to save downed airmen A ...

to his home town of

that summer. The lifeboat saw its first use on 6 March 1851, when the

brig A brig is a type of sailing vessel defined by its rig: two masts which are both square rig, square-rigged. Brigs originated in the second half of the 18th century and were a common type of smaller merchant vessel or warship from then until the ...

''Mary White'' became trapped on the

Goodwin Sands Goodwin Sands is a sandbank at the southern end of the North Sea lying off the Deal coast in Kent, England. The area consists of a layer of approximately depth of fine sand resting on an Upper Chalk platform belonging to the same geologi ...

during a severe

gale A gale is a strong wind; the word is typically used as a descriptor in nautical contexts. The U.S. National Weather Service defines a gale as sustained surface winds moving at a speed of between 34 and 47 knots (, or ).Peter W. Barlow.
Broadstairs: Past and Present
', pp. 8–11 (Parsons Sisters; 1882) The lifeboat itself was subsequently named the '' Mary White'' in recognition of the strange coincidence of the recurrence of the name White in this story: Thomas and John the lifeboat builders, the name of the brig ''Mary White'', and also the name of its captain, Mr White.

Lyrics

:Come all you jolly sailors bold, and landsmen too, attend, :I am inclined to sing in praise of those eight gallant men, :who boldly left their native shore as you shall understand, :to save the lives of those poor souls upon the Goodwin Sand. :''Chorus'' :Britons all, both young and old, think of those jolly sailors bold. :On Thursday, 'twas March the sixth, the wind blew from the land :which drove the fated ''Mary White'' upon the Goodwin Sands. :The lifeboat's crew from Broadstairs flew, with hearts so light and gay, :Right gallantly they made the wreck, those precious lives to save. :''Chorus'' :John Crouch, a gallant sailor bold, likewise George Castle too, :George Wales, Richard Crouch, this day, my praise is due to you :Sol Holbourn, Sackett Ansel, John Wales, with great delight :So gallantly did venture off to save the ''Mary White''. :''Chorus'' :Ned Chittingden, 17 your health I drink, I drink with thee, :Times three and for your valour, my brave men, you shall rewarded be. :''Chorus'' :You've done your best, and saved the lives of seven poor souls this day; :May God receive the other three who did get cast away. :''Chorus'' :So to conclude and finish now, my song is at an end, :May God above a blessing give to those eight gallant men! :''Chorus''

References

{{reflist Ballads