I first heard this song sung by Marion McClune when she sang it at The Victoria Hotel,
Carlinghow, Batley at one of the ‘Sunday Night at the Vic’ Sessions in the early 1970s.
Ahr Sally bought a chicken,
And she thought it was a duck,
She took it in the cellar
Wi’ it’s tail cocked up.
Sugar in the basin,
Milk in the cup.
Call again tomorrow
When the rhubub's up.
When the rhubub's up
When the rhubub's up.
Call again tomorrow
When the rhububs up.
Rhubarb is a native of Siberia, it thrives in the clay soil and wet cold winters in Yorkshire. It was there that the method of cultivating the forced rhubarb was developed in the late 19th Century.
The fields were fertilised with large quantities of horse manure and 'night soil' from the nearby urban areas and woollen waste from the"mungo and shoddy" mills in the nearby towns of Batley, Dewsbury and Osset.
In 1877 the forcing of rhubarb began in Yorkshire, the first place in the world to construct special forcing sheds. Cheap coal from local mines was used to heat the sheds, this helped produce rhubarb early in the year when fresh fruit was scarce. Yorkshire Forced Rhubarb (Rheum rhaponticum) is an out of season rhubarb that is first grown outside for a period of two years so that the exposure to frost toughens the roots. The field grown roots are lifted from the ground in November and transplanted into long low darkened forcing sheds. Shed grown rhubarb is usually tender and sweeter tasting than that grown outdoors. Once in the sheds, heat is applied causing the rhubarb to grow quickly in search of light. Without daylight the rhubarb leaves are a green-yellow colour, and the stalks crimson with a smooth texture.
The rhubarb being harvested by candlelight
The Rhubarb is harvested by candle light to maintain the tenderness of the shoots and ensure that growth continues. If the crowns are exposed to too much light they will cease to grow and photosynthesis will occur resulting in a bitter flavour. The sticks are traditionally harvested by candlelight as any exposure to strong light will stunt the growth. The stalks are pulled by hand which stimulates more growth in the smaller shoots left behind.
It was grown in an area known as ‘The Rhubarb Triangle’, now a 9-square-mile triangle in West Yorkshire, between Wakefield, Morley and Rothwell, that includes the townships of Kirkhamgate, East Ardsley, Stanley, Lofthouse and Carlton.
The sign says it all!
In the early 1900’s the rhubarb industry expanded and The Rhubarb Triangle was much bigger, covering an area of about 30 square miles, between Leeds, Bradford and Wakefield. In its heyday in 1939, the area was producing 90% of the world's winter forced rhubarb.
In February 2010, Yorkshire Forced Rhubarb was awarded Protected Designation of Origin status by the European Commission's Protected Food Name scheme. It joined an elite band of food products including Cornish Pasties, Jersey Royal Potatoes, Cornish Pasties and Wensleydale Cheese.
Two types are commonly used in cooking, garden rhubarb, R rhabarbarum, and false rhubarb,
R rhaponticum.
Shop-bought rhubarb is generally a hybrid, usually described as Rheum x hybridum. It is sometimes known as ‘pie plant’ because it is prized for the making of pies and tarts, but due to its extreme tartness, it requires sweetening.
Growing up I always had a fondness for my Mothers homemade apple pies, then suddenly she started making rhubarb pies instead. I thought it was because we had a huge rhubarb patch in my Dad's allotment. I didn’t realise that at the time, 1953, sugar had just been de-rationed, making more readily available the extra amount of sugar required to sweeten the sour tasting rhubarb.
Rhubarb Festival Poster
Wakefield City Council at its 3 day Festival of Food Drink and Rhubarb, held annually in February, celebrates Yorkshire Forced Rhubarb. In 2016 at the festival, David Burnley launched the rhubarb liqueur ‘Rhucello’, Yorkshire’s answer to Italy’s Limoncello.
David Burnley at Wakefield Rhubarb Festival
Image credit: deliciouslyorkshire.co.uk
David, band member and Treasurer of Skelmanthorpe Brass Band, produces ‘Rhucello’ at his home in Horbury, within the Rhubarb Triangle, only using Yorkshire Forced Rhubarb in its production. It has gained a loyal band of followers and his stall at The Great Yorkshire Show was a huge success. It is now readily available at Farm Shops and selected outlets throughout Yorkshire.
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.
© Copyright 2025 Mick Haywood
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