The Battle of Stanhope is about a disagreement between the Lead Miners of Weardale and the Bishop of Durham over game rights. A dispute over poaching.
lyrics
THE BATTLE OF STANHOPE
Chorus
“Bang!” with the piece, the moorhen’s shot,
The bonny moorhen, the bonny moorhen,
Off with the feathers and into the pot.
This was the way of Weardale,
This was the way of the Dale.
Prince Bishop was in Durham, saying his prayers
Suddenly, Bailiffs and Keepers came bursting in,
Interrupting psalm and hymn,
To tell him of this terrible sin.
A terrible sin, his Grace, declared,
To poach his game to feed the bairns,
The lead miners must be caught and tried
For the killing of his Grace’s pride.
Chorus
Up the Dale, in dark of night,
Sneaked the Bishop’s men,
Fathers and sons from their homes they took
And in the Bull Inn locked them up
But did they weep and did they wail?
No.
For the lads of Stanhope were having none
And fetched their fists and sticks and guns
And so was a bonny battle begun
And from the Bull Inn
The Miners were sprung.
Chorus
So, the Bishop’s men, all black and blue,
Broken boned and broken nosed,
Went back to Durham where the Bishop dozed,
Woke him up to tell him that it was still,
“Bang!” with the piece,
The moorhen’s shot,
The bonny moorhen, the bonny moorhen,
Off with the feathers and into the pot.
This was the way of Weardale,
This was the way of the Dale.
Well, the Bishop prayed and the Bishop roared
While the lads of Stanhope cheered and cheered
And went off again to hunt and sing
Of the Battle of Stanhope and the bonny moorhen,
Of how the Bishop was beaten
By the lead mining men.
“Bang!” with the piece,
The moorhen’s shot,
The bonny moorhen, the bonny moorhen,
Off with the feathers and into the pot.
This was the way of Weardale,
This was the way of the Dale. (repeat)
credits
from SINGING THE LEAD,
released October 20, 2014
Written and sung by Tony Morris
TONY MORRIS is an Own Brand Performer and Entertainer who performs his own songs and music.".
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