Mick Haywood's Song Wordbook

Batley Years

Leeds Years Batley Years

Dick Drummond's Grey Mare
or Dewsbury Fair

From the singing of Marian McClune, (formerly Haley), who along with her daughter Kathy Lyons regularly performed it as a duet on the Sunday Night Sing at the Victoria, Carlinghow, most of her songs were learnt as a girl from her father who performed on the West Riding Music Hall circuit.

Man driving a horse in a small cart

Tom Cannon At Lee Gap Fair - BBC Bradford & West Yorkshire 18th November 2014

Lee Gap Fair (Dewsbury Fair)


Baghill Green off Heybeck Lane, West Ardsley near Dewsbury is the home of the annual Lee Gap Fair. The fair was originally granted by Royal Charter to the monks of Woodkirk Priory by King Edward 1, making it reputedly England's oldest Charter Fair still in existence. The Charter does not tie the fair into any one site; it just requires that it be held in the parish of Woodkirk or the township of West
Ardsley.

Trade at the originally named ‘Woodkirk Fair’, was centred on wool, cloth and horses, with dealers in cloth arriving in the Fair's medieval heyday from Spain, France and the Low Countries. When King Stephen came to the throne, in 1136 he issued a charter, promising to uphold the laws of his immediate predecessor, King Henry 1 and also those of King Edward 1. This charter is still in existence.



Crowd and man with walking stick in front of Welsh ponies

Jimmy Adams selling Welsh Ponies,
Lee Gap Fair, August 1965.
Image: Leodis, David Atkinson Archive

In its heyday, the horse fair lasted from 24th August known as ‘First Lee’ until 17th September known as ‘Latter Lee’. It remained under the control of the monks until Henry V111’s Dissolution of the Monasteries in 1540. It is believed the then local Vicar Dr Lee was instrumental in getting the fair reinstated and from this the name 'Lee Gap Fair', was derived. As the horse trade has diminished, now it only takes place on two days, ‘First Lee’ and ‘Latter Lee’ and if either date happens to fall on a Sunday, the fair moves to Monday instead. Today, the Fair is organised by the travelling community, and is attended mainly by Gypsies and Travellers to trade in horses, and a place where the far flung elements of gypsy families meet. In the last couple of years there has been a renaissance due to the involvement of Leeds GATE Gypsy and Traveller Exchange.

Horse trading at the Fair is still done in the traditional manner, deals being sealed with a spit on the palm and a shake of the hand.

Dick Drummond's Grey Mare (Dewsbury Fair

Old Dick Drummond he had a grey mare
He took it down to Dewsbury Fair
It wouldn't fetch a farthing bit
So he brought it back and sold it.

CHORUS
Fol-de-riddle-ler, diddle-ler, diddle-lido,
Fol-de-riddle-ler, diddle-ler, diddle-lido.
Fol-de-riddle-ler, diddle-ler, diddle-lido.
Fol-de-riddle-lido.

He took it into Soothill woods
He thought it id do it a bit 0' good.
It ran wi' it's head agean a tree
An' our old mare was fit to dee.

We fetched it some watter in a kit
An' our owd mare drunk every bit.
We fetched some treacle in a spoo-in
An' our grey mare worked all t'afternooin.

His mare set off on a three legged trot
It' ended up in the barbers shop
The barber said if tha dont push off
I'll cut thi whiskers clean slap off.

My wife's mother that's my mother in law
Tried to give me a bit of old jaw
If she'd been a woman, and not been a man
I'd have knocked out her teeth wit a corned beef can.

Owd Dick Drummond as drunk as an egg
He fell down and broke his wooden leg
The Doctor come an the Doctor said,
Its not me tha wants it’s a Joiner.

Throw out the anchor hoist up the sail
Never tie a knot in a bulldogs tail,
I allus remembers, if I dont forget
To take me umbrella, if it comes on wet.

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About Mick

Mick Haywood is a traditional folk singer & folk song collector who has run and organised folk clubs and festivals for many years. He now lives in Whitby, North Yorkshire.

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