Lincolnshire Folk Tales Project

Horkstow Grange

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One of the best known folk songs with a Lincolnshire setting. Horkstow Grange is just south of Horkstow. You can hear Kirsty Hannah’s rendition of the song (2021) here, and read a note by Kirsty about it.

The song concerns a fight between a farm bailiff and a worker, John Span, alias Steeleye, from which the band took its name – though they didn’t record a version of it until 1998. The song was collected by Percy Grainger in the 1900s, with a slightly different melody to the one used here:

We are grateful to Tim Davies for recommending the inclusion of this song on the map. We had initially left it off, but it does tell a story… 

Words by RORY WATERMAN

A note from Anna: Curious about John Span’s nickname, I went digging for the etymology of ‘Steeleye’. Interestingly, the OED records the first use of the adjective ‘steely-eyed’ in 1964 and does not have an entry for ‘steeleye’ itself. The nickname seems unique to the character, and now, irrevocably tied to the folk band. Do you have any theories about what ‘Steeleye’ got such a monicker for? Get in touch.

3 responses to “Horkstow Grange”

  1. Julia Pollock avatar
    Julia Pollock

    It would be great to have a link here to a recording of the song by Kirsty Hannah, a local traditional singer which a deep interest in local folklore who has her music on Bandcamp.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply
    1. lincolnshirefolktalesproject avatar
      lincolnshirefolktalesproject

      Thank you, Julia! We have added a link to that excellent version of the song. Thank you also for the note on Brigg Fair. Again, link added. Please email us at lincolnshirefolktalesproject at gmail ddot com if you’d like to be acknowledged.

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      Reply
      1. delightfullysuperb2d9c0120dc avatar
        delightfullysuperb2d9c0120dc

        No need for personal acknowledgement.

        Like

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● About the project

‘Lincolnshire Folk Tales: Origins, Legacies, Connections, Futures’ is a project funded by the Arts and Humanities Research Council (grant number AH/Y003225/1), and is led by Dr Rory Waterman and the Research Fellow Dr Anna Milon in the School of Arts and Humanities at Nottingham Trent University. The project explores the origins, legacies, intertextual and social connections and futures of Lincolnshire folk tales (LFTs), and is intended to facilitate wider engagement with this heritage from writers, the general public, and scholars.

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