Van Diemen's Land or Henry the Poacher, Young Henry's Downfall, Beware Young Men (Roud 221). is an English transportation ballad. It was widely published in broadsides during the 19th century, and was collected from traditional singers in England during the twentieth century. It has been recorded by many singers influenced by the

British folk revival The British folk revival incorporates a number of movements for the collection, preservation and performance of folk music in the United Kingdom and related territories and countries, which had origins as early as the 18th century. It is particul ...

. It is a cautionary tale describing the fate of a man convicted of

poaching Poaching has been defined as the illegal hunting or capturing of wild animals, usually associated with land use rights. Poaching was once performed by impoverished peasants for subsistence purposes and to supplement meager diets. It was set a ...

and sentenced to

transportation Transport (in British English), or transportation (in American English), is the intentional movement of humans, animals, and goods from one location to another. Modes of transport include air, land (rail and road), water, cable, pipeline, ...

to the British penal colony in

Van Diemen's Land Van Diemen's Land was the colonial name of the island of Tasmania used by the British during the European exploration of Australia in the 19th century. A British settlement was established in Van Diemen's Land in 1803 before it became a sep ...

, (modern day

Tasmania ) , nickname = , image_map = Tasmania in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of Tasmania in AustraliaCoordinates: , subdivision_type = Country , subdi ...

). There is another song also called "Van Diemen's Land" which has been collected in England, Scotland, Ireland and the USA. It has a different story and tune. This song is also called "The Gallant Poachers", "The Poacher's Song" and "Poacher Joe".

Synopsis

Henry, the narrator, asks "wild and wicked youths" to listen to "the fate of our poor transports, as you shall understand, the hardships they do undergo upon Van Diemen's LandWhat Will Become of England?; Harry Cox; Rounder Records 11661-1839-2". The narrator describes his upbringing in

Warwickshire Warwickshire (; abbreviated Warks) is a county in the West Midlands region of England. The county town is Warwick, and the largest town is Nuneaton. The county is famous for being the birthplace of William Shakespeare at Stratford-upon-Av ...

Worcestershire Worcestershire ( , ; written abbreviation: Worcs) is a county in the West Midlands of England. The area that is now Worcestershire was absorbed into the unified Kingdom of England in 927, at which time it was constituted as a county (see H ...

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 ...

("My parents reared me tenderly, good learning they give to me"Chorus from the Gallows; Ewan MacColl with Peggy Seeger; Topic Records 12T16), and introduces himself, and then tells us how he and three (or five) companions were arrested while poaching, tried at the Assizes, ("We being old offenders it made our case more hard"Walter Pardon; Farewell, My Own Dear Native Land (Voice of the People); TSCD654) and sentenced to 14 years transportation. He describes the voyage to Australia,

No land, no harbour could we see, and believe it is no lie,
for about us one black water, above us one blue sky

his thoughts about the parents he has left behind, the ship's arrival in Australia and the dismay he and his fellow prisoners felt on seeing "our fellow sufferers there" acting as draught animals "Some was chained unto a harrow and some unto a plough". The transportees are marched to the settlement, and he is sold to a master who treats him well, and for whom he works as a bookkeeper. He even finds a partner, but he is still a prisoner:

He kept a female servant, Rosanna was her name.
For fourteen years a convict, from Worcestershire she came.
We oft-times tell our love tales there where we are so far from home,
For now we're rattling of our chains in foreign lands to roam.

Some versions have a refrain:

Young men, all now beware,
Lest you are drawn into a snare.

Early Versions

Broadsides and early printed versions

Many broadside printers printed this song, often paired with "

All Jolly Fellows that Follow the Plough "All Jolly Fellows that Follow the Plough" (Roud 346) or The Ploughman's Song is an English folk song about the working life of horsemen on an English farm in the days before petrol-driven machinery. Variants have been collected from many traditi ...

Versions Collected from Traditional Singers

The Roud Folk Song index lists 11 versions of this song collected from traditional singers from all over England. Three versions were found in

Norfolk Norfolk () is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in East Anglia in England. It borders Lincolnshire to the north-west, Cambridgeshire to the west and south-west, and Suffolk to the south. Its northern and eastern boundaries are the No ...

, and two in

Hampshire Hampshire (, ; abbreviated to Hants) is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in western South East England on the coast of the English Channel. Home to two major English cities on its south coast, Southampton and Portsmouth, Hampshire ...

. Single versions were collected from Cumberland,

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 ...

Lincolnshire Lincolnshire (abbreviated Lincs.) is a Counties of England, county in the East Midlands of England, with a long coastline on the North Sea to the east. It borders Norfolk to the south-east, Cambridgeshire to the south, Rutland to the south-we ...

Somerset ( en, All The People of Somerset) , locator_map = , coordinates = , region = South West England , established_date = Ancient , established_by = , preceded_by = , origin = , lord_lieutenant_office =Lord Lieutenant of Somerset , lord_ ...

and Sussex.

Recordings

Field Recordings

There are two versions by traditional singers in the

British Library Sound Archive The British Library Sound Archive, formerly the British Institute of Recorded Sound; also known as the National Sound Archive (NSA), in London, England is among the largest collections of recorded sound in the world, including music, spoken word a ...

, one by Norfolk singer Walter Pardon, with the "Young men beware" refrain, recorded by

Reg Hall Reg Hall (20 March 1932 – 6 August 2013) was a former Australian rules footballer who played with Richmond in the Victorian Football League (VFL) and for East Perth in Western Australian Football League (WAFL) While playing football for ...

in 1975, and four verses by an unnamed singer recorded by Stephen Sedley. Walter Pardon also sings his version on the '' Voice of the People'' CD ''Farewell My Own Dear Native Land''.

Harry Cox Harry Fred Cox (27 March 1885 – 6 May 1971), was a Norfolk farmworker and one of the most important singers of traditional English music of the twentieth century, on account of his large repertoire and fine singing style. His music inspired ...

, also from Norfolk, sang "Henry the Poacher" at home in October 1953. Recorded by Peter Kennedy, this version is on the Rounder CD "What Will Become of England? - Harry Cox (1885-1971)". A version by Yorkshire singer Frank Hinchliffe (1923-1995), recorded by Mike Yates, was released on the Topic LP "In Sheffield Park - Traditional Songs from South Yorkshire".

Recordings by revival singers and groups

There is a recording of Louis Killen singing the song in the Keith Summers collection in the British Library Sound Archive.> Recorded versions include:

Ewan McColl James Henry Miller (25 January 1915 – 22 October 1989), better known by his stage name Ewan MacColl, was a Folk music, folk singer-songwriter, folk song collector, Union organizer, labour activist and actor. Born in England to Scottish people, ...

and

Peggy Seeger Margaret "Peggy" Seeger (born June 17, 1935) is an American folk singer. She has lived in Britain for more than 60 years, and was married to the singer and songwriter Ewan MacColl until his death in 1989. First American period Seeger's father ...

on their 1960 LP "Chorus from the Gallows", The Young Tradition,

Shirley Collins Shirley Elizabeth Collins MBE (born 5 July 1935) is an English folk singer who was a significant contributor to the English Folk Revival of the 1960s and 1970s. She often performed and recorded with her sister Dolly, whose accompaniment on ...

and the

Albion Band The Albion Band, also known as The Albion Country Band, The Albion Dance Band, and The Albion Christmas Band, were a British folk rock band, originally brought together and led by musician Ashley Hutchings. Generally considered one of the mo ...

, and The Demon Barbers on their CD "Uncut".The Demon Barbers; Uncut; DJC Records DJC019 2002

References

{{reflist English folk songs English broadside ballads Year of song unknown Songwriter unknown