Or, the Squire of Tamworth
A WEALTHY young squire of Tamworth, we hear,He courted a nobleman’s daughter so fair;And for to marry her it was his intent,All friends and relations gave their consent.
The time was appointed for the wedding-day,A young farmer chosen to give her away;As soon as the farmer the young lady did spy,He inflamèd her heart; ‘O, my heart!’ she did cry.
She turned from the squire, but nothing she said,Instead of being married she took to her bed;The thought of the farmer soon run in her mind,A way for to have him she quickly did find.
Coat, waistcoat, and breeches she then did put on,And a hunting she went with her dog and her gun;She hunted all round where the farmer did dwell,Because in her heart she did love him full well:
She oftentimes fired, but nothing she killed,At length the young farmer came into the field;And to discourse with him it was her intent,With her dog and her gun to meet him she went.
‘I thought you had been at the wedding,’ she cried,‘To wait on the squire, and give him his bride.’‘No, sir,’ said the farmer, ‘if the truth I may tell,I’ll not give her away, for I love her too well’
‘Suppose that the lady should grant you her love,You know that the squire your rival will prove.’‘Why, then,’ says the farmer, ‘I’ll take sword in hand,By honour I’ll gain her when she shall command.’
It pleasèd the lady to find him so bold;She gave him a glove that was flowered with gold,And told him she found it when coming along,As she was a hunting with her dog and gun.
The lady went home with a heart full of love,And gave out a notice that she’d lost a glove;And said, ‘Who has found it, and brings it to me,Whoever he is, he my husband shall be.’
The farmer was pleased when he heard of the news,With heart full of joy to the lady he goes:‘Dear, honoured lady, I’ve picked up your glove,And hope you’ll be pleased to grant me your love.’
‘It’s already granted, I will be your bride;I love the sweet breath of a farmer,’ she cried.‘I’ll be mistress of my dairy, and milking my cow,While my jolly brisk farmer is whistling at plough.’
And when she was married she told of her fun,How she went a hunting with her dog and gun:‘And now I’ve got him so fast in my snare,I’ll enjoy him for ever, I vow and declare!’
Words in this poem
- tamworth n.
- One of a long-established English breed of large pigs. They are red, often spotted with black, with a long snout and erect or forwardly pointed ears, and are valued as bacon producers.
- went n.
- Course; way; path; journey; direction.
- dwell v. i.
- To delay; to linger. [OE. dwellen, dwelien, to err, linger, AS. dwellan to deceive, hinder, delay, dwelian to err; akin to Icel. dvelja to delay, tarry, Sw. dväljas to dwell, Dan. dv]
- oftentimes adv.
- Frequently; often; many times. [Often + time. Cf. -wards.]
- honour n.
- Esteem due or paid to worth; high estimation; respect; consideration; reverence; veneration; manifestation of respect or reverence. [OE. honor, honour, onour, onur, OF. honor, onor, honur, onur, honour, onour, F. honneur, fr. L. honor, honos.]
- shall v. i.
- To owe; to be under obligation for. [OE. shal, schal, imp. sholde, scholde, AS. scal, sceal, I am obliged, imp. scolde, sceolde, inf. sculan; akin to OS. skulan, pres. skal, imp. skolda, D. zullen,]
- whoever pron.
- Whatever person; any person who; be or she who; any one who; as, he shall be punished, whoever he may be.
Definitions and etymologies from Webster's Unabridged Dictionary, 1913.
About this text
Or, the Squire of Tamworth is in the public domain. This text is taken from Ancient Poems, Ballads, and Songs of the Peasantry of England, Project Gutenberg ebook #649; the transcription's header, footer and licence were removed and nothing else was changed. You may copy, print and reuse it freely.
Cite as: Robert Bell, Or, the Squire of Tamworth, in Ancient Poems, Ballads and Songs of the Peasantry of England (1857), text of Project Gutenberg ebook #649, Laurel, https://laurelpoetry.com/poem/bell-ancient-poems/or-the-squire-of-tamworth.html, id L11913.
Form and metre
Or, the Squire of Tamworth is 48 lines in 12 stanzas of 4 lines each. The rhyme scheme is AABB, complete in 8 of its 12 stanzas. The metre is anapaestic tetrameter, measured from the stress the words themselves fix (confidence 88%). 89% of its stressed syllables fall where the metre puts the beat. The lines average 10.9 syllables.
See other poems in anapaestic tetrameter.
Measured by Laurel's pipeline, not copied from a handbook: how stress and metre are counted, how rhyme is lettered, how a drifted rhyme is found. Where the dictionary cannot confirm a rhyme the letter is withheld, not guessed.
Rhyme words, stanza by stanza
The word that ends each line, lettered by the rhyme it makes; a dash is a line whose rhyme the dictionary could not confirm.
- 1 AABB hearA · fairA · intentB · consentB
- 2 AABB dayA · awayA · spyB · cryB
- 3 AABB saidA · bedA · mindB · findB
- 4 --AA on · gun · dwellA · wellA
- 5 --AA killed · field · intentA · wentA
- 6 AABB criedA · brideA · tellB · wellB
- 7 AABB loveA · proveA · handB · commandB
- 8 AA-- boldA · goldA · along · gun
- 9 AABB loveA · gloveA · meB · beB
- 10 --AA news · goes · gloveA · loveA
- 11 AABB brideA · criedA · cowB · ploughB
- 12 AABB funA · gunA · snareB · declareB
Scansion, line by line
Each line with its syllable count and the stresses the words themselves fix: / stressed, ˘ unstressed, · a syllable the word leaves free and the metre decides. Read against anapaestic tetrameter. How this is done.
| Line | Syl. | Stress |
|---|---|---|
| A WEALTHY young squire of Tamworth, we hear, | 10 | ·/˘···/˘·· |
| He courted a nobleman’s daughter so fair; | 10 | ·/˘·/˘/˘·· |
| And for to marry her it was his intent, | 11 | ···/˘····˘/ |
| All friends and relations gave their consent. | 10 | ···˘/˘··˘/ |
| The time was appointed for the wedding-day, | 11 | ···˘/˘··/˘· |
| A young farmer chosen to give her away; | 11 | ··/˘/˘···˘/ |
| As soon as the farmer the young lady did spy, | 12 | ····/˘··/˘·· |
| He inflamèd her heart; ‘O, my heart!’ she did cry. | 11 | ··········· |
| She turned from the squire, but nothing she said, | 10 | ······/˘·· |
| Instead of being married she took to her bed; | 11 | ˘/·//˘····· |
| The thought of the farmer soon run in her mind, | 11 | ····/˘····· |
| A way for to have him she quickly did find. | 11 | ·······/˘·· |
| Coat, waistcoat, and breeches she then did put on, | 11 | ·/˘·/˘····· |
| And a hunting she went with her dog and her gun; | 12 | ··/˘········ |
| She hunted all round where the farmer did dwell, | 11 | ·/˘····/˘·· |
| Because in her heart she did love him full well: | 11 | ··········· |
| She oftentimes fired, but nothing she killed, | 10 | ·/˘·/·/˘·· |
| At length the young farmer came into the field; | 11 | ····/˘····· |
| And to discourse with him it was her intent, | 11 | ··/˘·····˘/ |
| With her dog and her gun to meet him she went. | 11 | ··········· |
| ‘I thought you had been at the wedding,’ she cried, | 11 | ·······/˘·· |
| ‘To wait on the squire, and give him his bride.’ | 10 | ·········· |
| ‘No, sir,’ said the farmer, ‘if the truth I may tell, | 12 | ····/˘······ |
| I’ll not give her away, for I love her too well’ | 12 | ····˘/······ |
| ‘Suppose that the lady should grant you her love, | 11 | ˘/··/˘····· |
| You know that the squire your rival will prove.’ | 10 | ······/˘·· |
| ‘Why, then,’ says the farmer, ‘I’ll take sword in hand, | 11 | ····/˘····· |
| By honour I’ll gain her when she shall command.’ | 11 | ·/˘······˘/ |
| It pleasèd the lady to find him so bold; | 10 | ···/˘····· |
| She gave him a glove that was flowered with gold, | 10 | ·······/·· |
| And told him she found it when coming along, | 11 | ·······/˘˘/ |
| As she was a hunting with her dog and gun. | 11 | ····/˘····· |
| The lady went home with a heart full of love, | 11 | ·/˘········ |
| And gave out a notice that she’d lost a glove; | 11 | ····/˘····· |
| And said, ‘Who has found it, and brings it to me, | 11 | ··········· |
| Whoever he is, he my husband shall be.’ | 11 | ˘/˘····/˘·· |
| The farmer was pleased when he heard of the news, | 11 | ·/˘········ |
| With heart full of joy to the lady he goes: | 11 | ·······/˘·· |
| ‘Dear, honoured lady, I’ve picked up your glove, | 10 | ·/˘/˘····· |
| And hope you’ll be pleased to grant me your love.’ | 10 | ·········· |
| ‘It’s already granted, I will be your bride; | 11 | ·˘/˘/˘····· |
| I love the sweet breath of a farmer,’ she cried. | 11 | ·······/˘·· |
| ‘I’ll be mistress of my dairy, and milking my cow, | 13 | ··/˘··/˘·/˘·· |
| While my jolly brisk farmer is whistling at plough.’ | 12 | ··/˘·/˘·/˘·· |
| And when she was married she told of her fun, | 11 | ····/˘····· |
| How she went a hunting with her dog and gun: | 11 | ····/˘····· |
| ‘And now I’ve got him so fast in my snare, | 10 | ·········· |
| I’ll enjoy him for ever, I vow and declare!’ | 11 | ·˘/··/···˘/ |
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