An Eskdale Christmas Carol
The following is to be found in the handwritten journal of W. S. Sykes at Whitehaven Archives (YDSO 81/1/2) dating from the 1920s. The text has a Victorian flavour and the tune is possibly the traditional carol: What Shall We Sing At Christmas? I am aware that Grasmere has its own Christmas carol so it was nice to discover that Eskdale has one too. Does anyone know any more about it? The lownin (lonning) is Parson's Passage but I didn't know about the figure above Christcliff (is this where the name Christ-cliff comes from?). And I don't quite understand the obsession with grey lichen - is that a special feature in Eskdale? In any case, it would be lovely to hear this sung again in the valley so if there are any singing groups planning a Christmas concert, help yourself!
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The following lines were sent to me by the Rev J W Hall, late vicar of Eskdale. Also received them from a parishioner, Miss Hillou, at Christmas 1927.
What shall we sing, what shall we sing
As a cradle song for our baby King?
Of a lonely Dale and rough stone walls
And the music of many waterfalls
Of St Catherine's church and her holy well
Of a figure stretched across a fell?*
Of a narrow lownin** and lichen grey
And Dalesfolk tramping the churchward way
Is this a song HE would like to hear
If we sing with voices sweet and clear?
What shall we bring, what shall we bring
As a birthday gift for our Baby King
Shall we gather HIM the lichen grey
On Christmas morn as we went our way
To St Catherine's Church on the river shore
There to greet Him and adorn
Grey lichen - but now for all to see
All stained with red as a Holly Tree
As red as red as our saviour's blood
Which He shed for us on the Holy Rood
As red as the wine of the Heavenly food
Shall we gather HIM lichen upon our way
Grey lichen - but now all red and grey.
The lichens a symbol from you and me
That grey and poor as our lives may be
Yet given to HIM they become all gay
Then let us take lichen to HIM today
Let us give our lives to our Baby King
And ask him to perfect our offering
That our sinful lives may be cleansed by his blood
And our selfish lives crossed by His Holy Rood
Our feeble lives straightened by Heavenly good
Our souls and bodies are the gifts we bring
This Christmas tide to our Baby King
If these we offer, if these we bring
Then, as a cradle song - we may sing
Of a lonely Dale and rouge stone walls
And the music of many waterfalls
Of St Catherine's Church and her holy well
Of a figure stretched across a fell
Of a narrow lownin and lichen grey
And Dalesfolk tramping churchward way
Quite sure our giving will make HIM glad
That little Kingley Peasant lad.
* Above Christcliff, the Rev J W Hall believes that the conformation of the fell with his hangers and ridges had a strange resemblance to a human form stretched across the fell, as if on a cross.
** The lownin is the church road - very narrow and walked from near the Vicarage (also from Dalegarth) to Bell Hill.
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