Widecombe Fair

Story

The singer asks to borrow Tom Pierce’s old grey mare to go to Widecombe fair. After two days the horse has not returned and she dies. On a cold windy night, she reappears with the long dead fair go-ers - as a ghost.

Why we chose it

A traditional narrative folk song with a ghostly ending.

Where it came from

This folk song originates from Devon and would have been sung and passed down orally for a long time before it was written down or recorded. Some local research suggest that the people names in the song were real people.

Where it went next

It has been recorded many times since the Reverend Sabine Baring-Gould first included it in his book Songs of the West in 1890. Notable artists include Jon Pertwee as Worzel Gummidge and by the King’s Singers.