Jone o Grinfilt
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''Jone o Grinfilt'' is a poem in the
Oldham Oldham is a large town in Greater Manchester, England, amid the Pennines and between the rivers Irk and Medlock, southeast of Rochdale and northeast of Manchester. It is the administrative centre of the Metropolitan Borough of Oldham ...
dialect The term dialect (from Latin , , from the Ancient Greek word , 'discourse', from , 'through' and , 'I speak') can refer to either of two distinctly different types of linguistic phenomena: One usage refers to a variety of a language that is a ...
of
English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ide ...
. It was written by a man named Joseph Lees from the
Glodwick Glodwick is an area of Oldham, Greater Manchester, England. It is south-east of Oldham town centre. Glodwick is a multi-ethnic residential area in the south of Oldham, home particularly to a large community of Pakistanis and British Pakistanis. ...
area of the town in 1805.Crosby, Alan G. (2000) ''The Lancashire Dictionary of Dialect, Tradition and Folklore''. Otley, West Yorkshire: Smith Settle; pp. 119-120 "Grinfilt" is a dialect pronunciation of Greenfield, a village in the neighbouring parish of
Saddleworth Saddleworth is a civil parish of the Metropolitan Borough of Oldham in Greater Manchester, England. It comprises several villages and hamlets as well as suburbs of Oldham on the west side of the Pennine hills. Areas include Austerlands, Del ...
. The main character believes that the historic county boundary between
Lancashire Lancashire ( , ; abbreviated Lancs) is the name of a historic county, ceremonial county, and non-metropolitan county in North West England. The boundaries of these three areas differ significantly. The non-metropolitan county of Lancash ...
and
Yorkshire Yorkshire ( ; abbreviated Yorks), formally known as the County of York, is a historic county in northern England and by far the largest in the United Kingdom. Because of its large area in comparison with other English counties, functions have ...
is a boundary between nations, and he prepares to set off to Oldham in the belief that this is where the French live. At the time of writing, the
Napoleonic Wars The Napoleonic Wars (1803–1815) were a series of major global conflicts pitting the French Empire and its allies, led by Napoleon I, against a fluctuating array of European states formed into various coalitions. It produced a period of Fren ...
were under way and Jone is eager to take part. The poem was very popular, and was widely imitated elsewhere in England. The poem circulated in the form of broadsides and is known to have been sung for King George III. Two broadside ballads naming Jone o Grinfilt in their titles are reproduced by Martha Vicinus in ''Broadsides of the Industrial North'', 1975. One is this poem and the other is better known as "Th' Owdham Wayver" or "The Poor Cotton Weaver". They were probably printed in the mid 19th century; the poem was also printed in
John Harland John Harland (1806–1868) was an English reporter and antiquary. Life Harland was born at Kingston upon Hull, and learned the trade of printing. He gained facility in shorthand, and a report in 1830 of a sermon by John Gooch Robberds led to ...
's ''Ballads and Songs of Lancashire'' (three editions: 1865, 1875 and 1882).


Full text

Says Jone to his woife on a whot summers day, "Awm resolvt i Grinfilt no lunger to stay; For awll goo to Owdham os fast os aw can, So fare thee weel Grinfilt, an fare thee weel Nan; For a sodger awll be, an brave Owdham awll see, An awll hae a battle wi th French." "Dear Jone," said eawr Nan, un hoo bitterly cried, "Wilt be one o th foote, or theaw means for t ride?" "Ods eawns! wench awll ride oather ass or a mule, Ere awll keawr i Grinfilt os black os th owd dule Booath clemmin, un starvin, un never a fardin, It ud welly drive ony mon mad." "Ay, Jone, sin we coom i Grinfilt for t dwell, Weyn had mony a bare meal, aw con vara weel tell." "Bare meal, ecod! ay, that aw vara weel know, Theres bin two days this wick ot weyn had nowt at o; Awm vara near sided, afore awll abide it, Awll feight oather Spanish or French." Then says my Noant Margit, "Ah! Jone, theawrt so whot, Awd neer go to Owdham, boh I England awd stop." "It matters nowt, Madge, for to Owdham awll goo, Awst neer clem to deeoth, boh sumbry shall know: Furst Frenchmon aw find, awll tell him meh mind, Un if hell naw feight, he shall run." Then deawn th broo aw coom, for weh livent at top, Aw thowt awd raich Owdham ere ever aw stop; Ecod! heaw they staret when aw getten to th Mumps, Meh owd hat i my hont, unmeh clogs full o stumps; Boh aw soon towd um, awre gooin to Owdham Un awd hae a battle wi th French. Aw kept eendway thro th lone, un to Owdham aw went, Aw axd a recruit if theyd made up their keawnt? "Nowe, nowe, honest lad" (for he tawked like a king), "Goo iw meh thro th street, un thee aw will bring Wheere, if theawrt willin, theaw may hae a shillin." Ecod! aw thowt this wur rare news. He browt meh to th pleck, where they measurn their height, Un if they bin th height they sen nowt abeawt weight; Aw ratche meh un stretchd meh, un never did flinch: Says th mon, "Aw believe theawrt meh lad to an inch." Aw thowt thisll do; awst hae guineas enoo. Ecod! Owdham, brave Owdham for me. So fare thee weel, Grinfilt, a soger awm made: Awve getten new shoon, un a rare nice cockade; Awll feight for Owd Englond os hard os aw con, Oather French, Dutch, or Spanish, to me its o one; Awll mak em to stare, like a new started hare, Un awll tell em fro Owdham aw coom.


Standardization

Says John to his wife on a hot summer's day, "I'm resolved in Greenfield no longer to stay; For I'll go to Oldham as fast as I can, So fare thee well Greenfield, and fare thee well Nan; For a soldier I'll be, and brave Oldham I'll see, And I'll have a battle with the French." "Dear John," said our Nan, and she bitterly cried, "Wilt thou be one of the Foot, or thou meanst for to ride?" "God's wounds! Wench I'll ride either ass or a mule, Ere I'll cower in Greenfield as black as th' old devil Both freezing and starving, and never a farthing, It would really drive any man mad." "Aye, John, since we came to Greenfield for to dwell, We've had many a bare meal, I can very well tell." "Bare meal, egad! Aye, that I very well know, There's been two days this week when we've had nothing at all; I'm almost decided, before I'll abide it, I'll fight either Spanish or French." Then says my Aunt Margaret, "Ah! John, thou'rt so hot, I'd never go to Oldham, but in England I'd stop." "It matters not, Madge, for to Oldham I'll go, I'm nearly starved to death, but somebody shall know: First Frenchman I find, I'll tell him my mind, And if he'll not fight, he shall run." Then down the brow I came, for we lived at the top, I thought I'd reach Oldham ere ever I stop; Egad! How they stared when I got to the Mumps, My old hat in my hand, and my clogs full of stamps; But I soon told them, I'm going to Oldham And I'd have a battle with the French. I kept straight on through the lane, and to Oldham I went, I asked a recruit if they'd made up their count? "Now, now, honest lad" (for he talked like a king), "Go with me through the street, and thee I will bring Where, if thou'rt willing, thou may have a shilling." Egad! I thought this was remarkable news. He brought me to the place, where they measure their height, And if they are the height they say nothing about weight; I reached and I stretched, and never did flinch: Says the man, "I believe thou'rt my lad to an inch." I thought this'll do; I'll have guineas enough. Egad! Oldham, brave Oldham for me. So fare thee well, Greenfield, a soldier I'm made: I've got new shoes, and a very nice cockade; I'll fight for Old England as hard as I can, Either French, Dutch, or Spanish, to me it's all one; I'll make them stare, like a new started hare, And I'll tell them from Oldham I've come.


See also

*
Lancashire dialect and accent The Lancashire dialect or (colloquially, Lanky) refers to the Northern English vernacular speech of the English county of Lancashire. The region is notable for its tradition of poetry written in the dialect. Scope of Lancashire dialect La ...
*
John Collier (caricaturist) John Collier (18 December 1708 – 14 July 1786) was an English caricaturist and satirical poet known by the pseudonym of Tim Bobbin, or Timothy Bobbin. Collier styled himself as the Lancashire Hogarth. Life and career Born in Urmston, Lancashir ...


References

{{reflist, 2 *Higson, Charles E. (1926) "'Jone o' Grinfilt' and 'Oldham rushbearing'", in ''The Oldham Standard''; Saturday, May 1, 1926 History of the Metropolitan Borough of Oldham English poems 1805 poems