Margaret Palmer - Exmoor Maid
Produced as a valuable folk archive, these are the last known recordings of the West Country’s Margaret Palmer (January 1932 – September 2014), a traditional singer and story-teller from Devon. She was born to the farming life on Exmoor, moving as a child to her stepfather’s farm near Chawleigh, where she spent the rest of her days.
During four recorded sessions in her final years (between 2012 and 2014) Margaret talks about her life and shares some of her favourite songs, stories and witty tales, accompanied by nothing but a glass or two of ‘a little something necessary’.
This double-CD of 26 tracks represents Margaret’s varied repertoire learned and collected throughout her life from sources including her family, Exmoor hill farmers’ shearing parties, singing at school during the War, music hall, and the influence of other performers.
Even in failing health, her sense of fun and fondness for her Exmoor heritage remained steadfast. Thank you Margaret for your love, laughter and legacy.
Proceeds from this CD are used to support the RFU Injured Players Foundation.
Track List - Disk 1
- Jim the Carter’s Lad
- I Am a Jolly Farmer
- Tales: Childhood
- Bampton Ho!
- Tales: Singing
- Parson Brown’s Sheep
- The Salt
- Tom, Dick and Harry
- The Volunteer Organist
- A Bit of Binder String
- The Lunatic Asylum / The Pig and the Inebriate
- Tom the Farmer’s Boy
Track List - Disk 2
- The Old Apple Tree
- Young Rover
- We Knew What She Meant
- The Coincidence
- He Was a Market Gardener
- Tales: Romance
- Put On Your Old Grey Suit Now
- Only a Working Man
- What a Tragedy!
- I Do Like an Egg for My Tea
- Green Pastures
- That Little Old Country Church House
- The Village Where I Went to School
- No-one Expected Me