Isle of Wight dialect, folk song, legends and customs, also links to websites with similar material  

Please email new information to folkonwight@aol.co.uk,

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Old sources

A Country  Dance shown in a drawing in Brading Old Town Hall

 Recording of Isle of Wight Dialect made in 1962. Stanley Cotton, a native of Whitwell, reads tales from WH Long’s Dictionary of the Isle of Wight Dialect and a rhyme from Percy Stone’s ‘Songs of the Soil’. The recording was made by Daphne Griggs, a student at Edinburgh University, as part of her master’s degree project.   1962 Dialect recording

The Bembridge Christmas Boys mummers’ play, photographed around 1906. © Alan R Phillips. ‘From I’m Not Blessed Well Jokin’! – An oral history of Bembridge’ by Alan Robert Phillips (published 2023). (See Books section below for stockists.)

Tales and Legends of the Isle of Wight with the adventures of the author in search of them by Abraham Elder, published 1839. Reprints are available. Stories and Legends    Elder’s Tales

The Vecta Garland by Albert Midlane published 1860. Poem about May Day Customs in Newport, p73. Stories p75, 78 and 86. Vecta Garland

Text of  ‘A Glossary of Words in use in The Isle of Wight (Original Glossary XXIII) compiled by Major Henry Smith RM with additions by C Roach Smith, published by the English Dialect Society in 1881. Reprints are available. This work was a major source for WH Long.   Dialect words and examples of use in dialogue and poetry. Folk Songs sung on the Island, local Superstitions, Customs, Festivities, Sayings, Recreations.   Isle of Wight Words   A link to the copy of XXIII held by Cornell University  Glossary XIII

WH Long’s Dictionary of the Isle of Wight Dialect, Subscribers’ Edition published 1886. Major source of Dialect with examples, Folk Song, Mummers’, Customs.  Long’s Dictionary  Reprints are available, also copies may be available from Isle of Wight Traders, Watchbell Lane, Newport. https://www.facebook.com/p/Isle-of-Wight-Traders-100057134063188/  

Words and tunes from Alice E Gillington’s book Old Isle of Wight Singing Games, published 1909      AG Singing Games 1   AG Singing Games 2

Revival of the Custom of Beating the Bounds of the Fleming estate in 1910.  Boundaries 

Victorian Poetry: Poets of the Wight compiled by Charles John Arnell, published 1922. Includes Dialect poems by Sir Frederick Black, p 238-242 and Percy Goddard Stone p326 and Stories. Poets of Wight

 Songs of the Soil – Poems written in Dialect by Percy Goddard Stone. Percy G Stone was born in London and moved to Merstone in his 30s.  Songs of the soil

Website archive

Website containing words, sheet music and recordings of a large number of Isle of Wight Folk Songs,  also details of Country Dances, Legends, Stories, Festivities and Singing Games.  isleofwightfolkarchive.co.uk

Articles

Extracts from Cock & Bull Stories: Animals in Folklore, Dialect and Cultural History (2008) by Alan R Phillips. on Dialect, Place names, Recreations, Stories: Introduction,  Cats and Dogs,  Cockerels,  Cattle,   Foxes,  Hares,  Insects,  Pigs,   Rats,  Sheep,  

Miscellany, from a variety of sources, of Customs, Sayings, Festivities, Mummers’,  Pastimes and Folk Songs  The way we were

Shroving Customs also cake and treats distributed on New Year’s Day  shroving

Recollections of childrens’ Singing Games and other games played on the Isle of Wight  Games Remembered

Information about Mummers collected by Stephen Roud  Roud collection

Recollections of Folk Song Club venues   Folk venues updated

Article and photograph on Folk Song activity at the Sloop Inn,  by Brian Reeves, originally published in ‘The Bridge’.  Bridge Sloop item

Article and photograph on early Folk Song Clubs by Mike Butler.  Early Clubs

Article on Morris Dancing, local records from 1595 to 2015,  by Brian Reeves, originally published in ‘The Bridge’.  Bridge Morris item

Article on St. Boniface and the Well by Richard Downing. Stories, Legends.   StBonifaceWell

An 1863 Isle of Wight variant of the Folk Song carol ‘ Wold Hark’.  Hark, also Performance  by Brian Reeves

Customs and Legends from St Helens  St Helens

Brief details of 107 paranormal sightings from Legends, Stories and recent reports.   Paranormal records

Newspaper report about a revival of Jack in the Green Customs in Ryde in 1865. Text Discussion of Jack in the Green, including the Ryde report. Mustrad article

University thesis in which James Rayner discusses Celtic influence on the Isle of Wight Dialect.  Rayner’s thesis

Anglo-Saxon Isle of Wight Legends article.  Anglo-Saxon legends

Isle of Wight Christmas Festivities article. Christmas traditions

Short piece about Dialect use in the 1980s. 1980s dialect

The Hidden Heroes website includes the Jute King Arwald’s Story  Percy Goddard Stone, PG Stone and Saint Simon of Atherfield https://iwhiddenheroes.org.uk/st-simon-atherfield/

Early Photographs/Pictures

Photographs from the Stears family. NOTE: The date given for the first photograph may be too early. The costumes shown match those worn by the Esperance dancers from London, their gave first performance and started teaching around the country in 1906.  Morris, Country Dances  Bonchurch Stears

Postcard from 1913 about  King Arwald

Morris dancers in Niton, 1926  Morris 1926

Over 200 Years Ago John Nixon (b.1759-d.1818) Produced This Caricature Of “A Blind Fiddler At Ryde Isle Of Wight” dated 1815. John Nixon was one of the most notable amateur artists working in London in the late eighteenth century, He was best known for his caricatures of urban society. He moved to the Island in his later years.

Folk Revival 1950 onwards

Men of Wight, Morris, early performance MOW 73

Poster for The Withyskinners band – Bernie Brown Dave ? Den Hillier Richard ?  Stan Boyd

Mummers, Morris  Christmas now

School Dance Group  Carisbrooke group

Folkstation 2010 – a compilation by Mike Butler of material from the festival.  https://youtu.be/5w0tgpV3glo

Recorded Media

From Songs for Singing Islanders by Lauri Say and the Island Folk EP, 1968   The Hovercraft Song   UDI for the Isle of Wight   The Isle of Wight for Me

Recordings of the final rehearsal by The Trilanders before their performance in 1971 at Folk Fest 5 (The Scout and Guide National Folk Music Festival) at  The Albert Hall.  The musicians are Martin Tennant, aged 21, Robin Holbrook 18, Jeff Taylor 17, Paul Elliott 17.  The Advertising Man by Laurie Say   https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8iZZ9pz_a9A    Muirsheen Durkin, Irish traditional  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ETTDHDbwE7g

Collection of audio reminiscences from Isle of Wight farmers, with texts, and  photographs. Folk Songs in ‘Pub’. Farming  also from seafarers Sea

First dance of Whitgar Morris, Lilibulero, September 2015 Whitgar

Books

 I’m Not Blessed Well Jokin’! – An oral history of Bembridge by Alan Robert Phillips (published 2023). Based on interviews with local ‘characters’ in the 1970s, recalling stories and memories from late 1800s onwards, also  old photographs such as the picture of The Christmas Boys mummers in Bembridge, 1906.  £12. Available from  Bembridge-  Welcome Stores, Lane End; and  Spinnaker Chandlery, Embankment Road. Elsewhere – Isle of Wight Traders, Watchbell Lane, Newport; Waterstones, Newport;  Medina Bookshop, Cowes;  Ryde Bookshop,  High Street;  Glyn Morgan’s, Shanklin.  £15. By Post

‘Folk On Wight’  by Brian Reeves, describes the Isle of Wight folk scene from 1940s to 2000. Folk Songs, Festivities, Morris Dancing, also CD of the songs. 

‘Legends and Lays of the Isle of Wight’, in Dialect, by Percy Goddard Stone published 1912. This does not seem to be available online but reprints are available.

‘Hampshire and Isle of Wight Folk Tales’ by Michael O’Leary, has fourteen Stories and Legends for the Island. In print.

Anonymous poem, pre 1970s.

The Dictionary of Isle of Wight Dialect by Jack Lavers, pub 1988. Out of print. 

Do you have any additional material or suggestions for links to go on this page? Anything on Isle of Wight traditional culture and history – legends, folk tales, songs, tunes, dances, customs would be great. It is possible to add recordings and videos via a Youtube link. Please email:  folkonwight@aol.co.uk

Thanks for contributions, ideas, loans and help- Ian Anderson, Maurice Bower, Jan Buchanan, Mike Butler, Peter Chick, Sally Colegrove, Richard Downing, Graham Drudge, Keith Grist, Deborah Hollebon, Carole Holmberg, Tony Jones, Steve Love, Jo Palfrey, Alan Phillips, Brian Reeves, Tony Stoneley, Rodney Walmsley, Dave and Anwyl Williams (Isle of Wight Folk Archive), Peter Yardley.