One verse and the tune were collected by Frank Kidson over a hundred years ago from Kate Thompson of Knaresborough and Leeds, and the source of the other verses is a mystery! There are two separate singers in this feature, both from Yorkshire.
Alice Jones comes from Ripponden, and she sings the song in the show and CD devised by her and Pete Coe to celebrate the collecting of Frank Kidson – The Search for Five Finger Frank.
Kathryn Roberts, born in Barnsley, has recorded the same song on her latest CD, Tomorrow will Follow Today, with her partner Sean Lakeman. Kathryn calls the song ‘The Robber Bridegroom’ and learned it from fellow Barnsley songsters, Derek and Dorothy Elliott whose 1972 recording popularised the song within the revival.
Buy the Spring 2015 edition