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 particu ...

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

poaching Poaching is 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 against the huntin ...

and sentenced to

transportation Transport (in British English) or transportation (in American English) is the intentional Motion, movement of humans, animals, and cargo, goods from one location to another. Mode of transport, Modes of transport include aviation, air, land tr ...

to the British penal colony in

Van Diemen's Land Van Diemen's Land was the colonial name of the island of Tasmania during the European exploration of Australia, European exploration and colonisation of Australia in the 19th century. The Aboriginal Tasmanians, Aboriginal-inhabited island wa ...

, (modern day

Tasmania Tasmania (; palawa kani: ''Lutruwita'') is an island States and territories of Australia, state of Australia. It is located to the south of the Mainland Australia, Australian mainland, and is separated from it by the Bass Strait. The sta ...

). 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 Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in the West Midlands (region), West Midlands of England. It is bordered by Staffordshire and Leicestershire to the north, Northamptonshire to the east, Ox ...

Worcestershire Worcestershire ( , ; written abbreviation: Worcs) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in the West Midlands (region), West Midlands of England. It is bordered by Shropshire, Staffordshire, and the West Midlands (county), West ...

Lancashire Lancashire ( , ; abbreviated ''Lancs'') is a ceremonial county in North West England. It is bordered by Cumbria to the north, North Yorkshire and West Yorkshire to the east, Greater Manchester and Merseyside to the south, and the Irish Sea to ...

("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".

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 counties of England, ceremonial county in England, located in East Anglia and officially part of the East of England region. It borders Lincolnshire and The Wash to the north-west, the North Sea to the north and eas ...

, and two in

Hampshire Hampshire (, ; abbreviated to Hants.) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South East England. It is bordered by Berkshire to the north, Surrey and West Sussex to the east, the Isle of Wight across the Solent to the south, ...

. Single versions were collected from

Cumberland Cumberland ( ) is an area of North West England which was historically a county. The county was bordered by Northumberland to the north-east, County Durham to the east, Westmorland to the south-east, Lancashire to the south, and the Scottish ...

Yorkshire Yorkshire ( ) is an area of Northern England which was History of Yorkshire, historically a county. Despite no longer being used for administration, Yorkshire retains a strong regional identity. The county was named after its county town, the ...

Lincolnshire Lincolnshire (), abbreviated ''Lincs'', is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in the East Midlands and Yorkshire and the Humber regions of England. It is bordered by the East Riding of Yorkshire across the Humber estuary to th ...

Somerset Somerset ( , ), Archaism, archaically Somersetshire ( , , ) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South West England. It is bordered by the Bristol Channel, Gloucestershire, and Bristol to the north, Wiltshire to the east ...

and

Sussex Sussex (Help:IPA/English, /ˈsʌsɪks/; from the Old English ''Sūþseaxe''; lit. 'South Saxons'; 'Sussex') is an area within South East England that was historically a kingdom of Sussex, kingdom and, later, a Historic counties of England, ...

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 ...

, one by Norfolk singer Walter Pardon, with the "Young men beware" refrain, recorded by Reg Hall 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 inspire ...

, 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 British folk singer-songwriter, folk song collector, labour activist and actor. Born in England to Scottish parents, he is known as ...

and

Peggy Seeger Margaret "Peggy" Seeger (born June 17, 1935) is an American Folk music, folk singer and songwriter. She has lived in Britain for more than 60 years and was married to the singer-songwriter Ewan MacColl until his death in 1989. She is a member ...

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 British Folk Revival of the 1960s and 1970s. She often performed and recorded with her sister Dolly, whose accompaniment on ...

and the Albion Band, 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 Songs with unknown songwriters