Unlikely as it may seem, the same person who wrote ‘Onward Christian Soldiers’ also wrote a study of werewolf myths and numerous bestselling ghost and horror stories that put on the same success footing as Dickens. Not to mention having a bibliography that includes some 1200 publications and being a pioneer in folk song collection well before Cecil Sharp. And yet there are few today who will know the name Sabine Baring-Gould.
So, following on from his triumphant projects celebrating the centenaries of Edith Holden and Vaughn Williams, John Palmer has joined forces with Miranda Sykes and Devonian devotee and six-time BBC Folk Awards nominee Jim Causley, two hugely respected figures in the folk genre, for a tour designed to shine a light on this largely forgotten Victorian author and Anglican priest whose work was an influence on Stoker’s Dracula, published two collections of folk songs from Cornwall and Devon and collaborated with Sharp on the seminal English Folk Songs for Schools. His marriage to the teenage daughter of a mill worker, Grace, half his age caused scandal (and was also a source for My Fair Lady) while a fictional biography of Sherlock Holmes revealed him as the detective’s godfather.
Officially launching at Horbury Working Members Club (where Baring-Gould served as a curate and wrote his legendary hymn) in May, the show is touring festivals and folk clubs with music and song from Causley (who has featured many of Sabine-Gould’s in his own Dartmoor-based shows) and Sykes with anecdotes and readings from his writing by Palmer who says:
“It’s surprising that someone who was such a prominent public figure in his day has almost disappeared today. We hope that this show will introduce many more people to Sabine and restore some of the credit he deserves”.
Tour details on Jim’s website: https://www.jimcausley.co.uk/
Taster video:
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