HAM/05/37/03	Letter from H.E.D Hammond to Lucy Broadwood (2 Jun 1905) accompanying 55 songs collected in Somerset, plus comments on recent discoveries and details of some singers; also mentions George B. Gardiner	HAM-05-351.gif HAM-05-352.gif HAM-05-353.gif HAM-05-354.gif
Hammond has used stationery from the Castle Hotel, Taunton (still open in 2010), and inserted 
The Vicarage
E Clevedon
Somt
June 2 1905
Dear Madam,
I send you today 56 songs collected in West Somerset. Fifty-three have tunes which accompany them.
Two have none (William Warren's songs.)
There is no number VIII; I thought this to be a vulgar tune with vulgar words.
When Dr Gardiner and I were
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staying before Easter at Minehead we conceived the idea of collecting and trying to collect some of the gleanings of Mr Sharp's harvest.
Dr Gardiner left for Cornwall and during his absence I had the fortune to discover Mrs Gulliver and Ash.
Mrs Gulliver is a wonderful woman and has I really could not guess how many songs somewhere in her head. I think I have got most of the good ones - some are abominations such as 'Won't you tell me why, Robin?' -- but I do not think I have exhausted her store completely. She has nearly all her
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songs from her mother who had them from her mother or from old people who sang them years and years ago.
Ash has all his good songs from his uncle an old soldier.
My brother unearthed H. Congbeare who gave us a couple of songs and several other singers -
Mrs Gibbs of R, Combe who, though 80, still sings Green Brooms &c.
Sergeant Fudge who gave me a variant of 'Geordie', W.Poole of Mynehead of whom we have hopes. Doctor Gardiner joined us at Milverton about three weeks ago and he, my
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brother (R.F.) and myself have since been hunting in all directions. We have discovered a blacksmith and a wheelwright not far from Milverton who knows a few songs, Mrs Flood of Taunton, Mary Rowsell of Taunton (who may know something good) an old man called Barbour of Norton Fitzwarren and others.
I expect we shall be able to send you about 10 more songs in all.
I hope some of the tunes will be of use to you; if not, 'tant pis'; it has been very pleasant collecting then.
If the songs prove to be of any value you should regard
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them as jointly collected by my brother Dr Gardiner & myself. My brother has been indefatiguable in hunting up singers; I have done most of the transcribing and writing up the words and have made a few notes and suggestions upon them not in a spirit of presumption for your edification, but rather for my own pleasure.
I have also been bold enough to take down a few tunes, most of which I have submitted to Mr Jeboult for revisions as to time.
I am not musician enough to be up to all the intricaciesof time but have a good ear and can take down, even if rather laboriously, the right notes and give them their right value. I understand that you have no objection to the fixing on a time being left up to you.
Dr Gardiner's liberality provided the services of Mr H.A. Jeboult organist of S. Mary's Taunton, who spared no pains in taking down the tunes according to the F.S.Society's instructions.
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He is a very nice man to work with, and keen on folk song.
You will find that many of our tunes are merely variants of tunes already known. I have, however, thought it best to send in as many variants as possible, as I suppose they may have some present or future value. You will thus find among the tunes variants of the 'Spotted Cow' and 'Sweet Dundee'.
I have raised a recruit for the Society in the form of Mrs Louis Shore Nightingale, an intimate friend, with whom I am glad to find that you also are well acquainted.
I am
Yours truly
HED Hammond

Dr Gardiner leaves for Hampshire today, I think.