"The Song of the Western Men", also known as "Trelawny", is a Cornish patriotic song, composed by Louisa T. Clare for lyrics by

Robert Stephen Hawker Robert Stephen Hawker (1803–1875) was a British Anglican priest, poet, antiquarian and reputed eccentric, known to his parishioners as Parson Hawker. He is best known as the writer of " The Song of the Western Men" with its chorus line of ...

. The poem was first published anonymously in ''The Royal Devonport Telegraph and Plymouth Chronicle'' in September 1826, over 100 years after the events.

Background

Hawker, a churchman, claimed authorship for the words except for the chorus. He assumed that the Trelawny mentioned in those three lines was Sir Jonathan Trelawny, the

Bishop of Bristol A bishop is an ordained clergy member who is entrusted with a position of authority and oversight in a religious institution. In Christianity, bishops are normally responsible for the governance of dioceses. The role or office of bishop is ...

, who had been imprisoned in the

Tower of London The Tower of London, officially His Majesty's Royal Palace and Fortress of the Tower of London, is a historic castle on the north bank of the River Thames in central London. It lies within the London Borough of Tower Hamlets, which is sep ...

King James II James VII and II (14 October 1633 16 September 1701) was King of England and King of Ireland as James II, and King of Scotland as James VII from the death of his elder brother, Charles II, on 6 February 1685. He was deposed in the Glorious Re ...

in 1688. However it is more likely that it referred to his grandfather, Sir John Trelawny, a Cornish Royalist leader who had been imprisoned by parliament in 1628. The people of Cornwall did not actually march to rescue Trelawny, as told in the song. He was imprisoned in the

for three weeks, then tried and acquitted. Hawker's poem was set to music by Louisa T. Clare in 1861. Hawker was so pleased with Clare's setting, that he sent her another poem of his in hopes of a further success. According to Cornish historian

Robert Morton Nance Robert Morton Nance (1873–1959) was a British writer and leading authority on the Cornish language, a nautical archaeologist, and joint founder of the Old Cornwall Society. Nance wrote many books and pamphlets on the Cornish language, inclu ...

, "The Song of the Western Men" was possibly inspired by the song " Come, all ye jolly tinner boys" which was written more than ten years earlier in about 1807, when

Napoleon Bonaparte 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 wh ...

made threats that would affect trade in Cornwall at the time of the

invasion of Poland The invasion of Poland (1 September – 6 October 1939) was a joint attack on the Republic of Poland by Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union which marked the beginning of World War II. The German invasion began on 1 September 1939, one week aft ...

. "Ye jolly tinner boys" contains the line "Why forty thousand Cornish boys shall know the reason why." In 1881, at the laying of the foundation stone of the Cathedral at Truro, the song was described by Canon Harvey as "... the

national anthem A national anthem is a patriotic musical composition symbolizing and evoking eulogies of the history and traditions of a country or nation. The majority of national anthems are marches or hymns in style. American, Central Asian, and Europea ...

of our dear Cornwall." The song is a regular favourite sung at Cornish rugby union matches and other Cornish gatherings. In some schools in Cornwall, the children are taught the first verse and chorus, and sing it at events such as Murdoch Day and St Piran's Day (5 March). Since 2016 the latter occasion has also seen the "Trelawny Shout" – the song being sung in pubs across Cornwall for charity.

"Trelawny"

A good sword and a trusty hand! A merry heart and true! King James's men shall understand What Cornish lads can do! And have they fixed the where and when? And shall Trelawny die? Here's twenty thousand Cornish men Will know the reason why! And shall Trelawny live? Or shall Trelawny die? Here's twenty thousand Cornish men Will know the reason why! Out spake their Captain brave and bold: A merry wight was he: Though London Tower were Michael's hold, We'll set Trelawny free! We'll cross the Tamar, land to land: The Severn is no stay: With "one and all," and hand in hand; And who shall bid us nay? And shall Trelawny live? Or shall Trelawny die? Here's twenty thousand Cornish men Will know the reason why! And when we come to London Wall, A pleasant sight to view, Come forth! come forth! ye cowards all: Here's men as good as you. Trelawny he's in keep and hold; Trelawny he may die: Here's twenty thousand Cornish bold Will know the reason why And shall Trelawny live? Or shall Trelawny die? Here's twenty thousand Cornish men Will know the reason why!

Translation into Cornish

There are two versions of the song in Cornish. The first was written by

Henry Jenner Henry Jenner (8 August 1848 – 8 May 1934) was a British scholar of the Celtic languages, a Cornish cultural activist, and the chief originator of the Cornish language revival. Jenner was born at St Columb Major on 8 August 1848. He was th ...

in 1905:

Notes

* The original words were written about Sir John Trelawny (grandfather of the Bishop) who was leader of the King's party in Cornwall and on 13 May 1627 was committed to the Tower by the House of Commons for certain "offences against the liberty of free election" and "contempt of the House". * "Michael's hold" may refer to

Archangel Michael Michael (; he, מִיכָאֵל, lit=Who is like El od, translit=Mīḵāʾēl; el, Μιχαήλ, translit=Mikhaḗl; la, Michahel; ar, ميخائيل ، مِيكَالَ ، ميكائيل, translit=Mīkāʾīl, Mīkāl, Mīkhāʾīl), also ...

, commander of the legions of Heaven. Other sources say the line refers to a hold on St Michaels Mount (i.e. a prison or cell). * There is some doubt as to whether the work was entirely original or an adaptation of an earlier tune. * "Trelawny" is often referred to, by anyone who is Cornish, as the "unofficial" Cornish anthem and the most popular which is heard at Cornish rugby union matches and other Cornish gatherings, but the Cornish anthem that has been used by

Gorsedh Kernow Gorsedh Kernow (Cornish Gorsedd) is a non-political Cornish organisation, based in Cornwall, United Kingdom, which exists to maintain the national Celtic spirit of Cornwall. It is based on the Welsh-based Gorsedd, which was founded by Iolo Mo ...

for the last 75 plus years is "

Bro Goth Agan Tasow "" (; "Old Land of our Fathers") is one of the anthems of Cornwall. It is sung in the Cornish language, to the same tune as the Welsh national anthem, "Hen Wlad Fy Nhadau". The Breton anthem, "Bro Gozh ma Zadoù", also uses the same tune. " ...

" ("The Land of My Fathers", or, literally, "Old Country of our Fathers") with a similar tune to the Welsh national anthem ("

Hen Wlad Fy Nhadau "" () is the official national anthem of Wales. The title, taken from the first words of the song, means "Old Land of My Fathers" in Welsh, usually rendered in English as simply "Land of My Fathers". The words were written by Evan James and ...

") and the Breton national anthem. "Bro Goth Agan Tasow" is not heard so often, as it is sung in Cornish). Those who prefer an anthem in English often use "

Hail to the Homeland Hail to the Homeland is one of the unofficial anthems of Cornwall, in the south west of the UK. It was composed by the Cornish musician Kenneth Pelmear who composed and arranged many works for church and male voice choirs and brass bands. The ...

References

External links

"The Song of The Western Men" at RobertStephenHawker.co.uk

The Life and Letters of R. S. Hawker
from the

Internet Archive The Internet Archive is an American digital library with the stated mission of "universal access to all knowledge". It provides free public access to collections of digitized materials, including websites, software applications/games, music, ...

Words in Cornish
from the

Federation of Old Cornwall Societies The Federation of Old Cornwall Societies (FOCS) was formed in 1924, on the initiative of Robert Morton Nance, with the objective of collecting and maintaining "all those ancient things that make the spirit of Cornwall — its traditions, its old ...