William Barnes, Dialect Poems in the Dorset County Chronicle

by T. L. Burton (Editor), Emma Mason (Editor)

Overview

It is commonly believed that William Barnes (1801–1886) steered clear of politics in his poetry. Yet, the first poem he ever published in the Dorset dialect was an attack on the enclosures of the village commons in the 1830s. His next eight poems dealt with such topics as rural poverty, penury-induced emigration, the Poor Laws and Corn Laws, and the People’s Charter of 1838. This edition of his dialect poems – arranged in the chronological order of their first publication in the Dorset County Chronicle – exposes the fallacy of the old assumptions about Barnes’s lack of interest in political affairs. It shows the gradual development of Barnes’s artistry as a poet and of the linguistic means through which he set out to represent in writing the key features of the dialect of his native Blackmore Vale.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781474401050
Publisher:	Edinburgh University Press
Publication date:	12/31/2025
Series:	Edinburgh Critical Editions of Nineteenth-Century Texts
Pages:	608
Product dimensions:	6.14(w) x 9.21(h) x 0.00(d)

About the Author

T. L. Burton is an Emeritus Professor of English Language and Literature at the University of Adelaide. He is co-editor of The Complete Poems of William Barnes, 3 vols (2013–) and the author of William Barnes’s Dialect Poems: A Pronunciation Guide (2010) and The Sound of William Barnes’s Dialect Poems, 3 vols (2013–17).

Emma Mason is Professor of English and Comparative Literary Studies at the University of Warwick. She has written widely on Christianity and literature, and, with Mark Knight, edits the New Directions in Religion and Literature series. Her most recent book is Christina Rossetti: Poetry, Ecology, Faith (2018).

John Blackmore completed his PhD on nineteenth-century regional writing and nationhood at the University of Exeter in 2023. A researcher, singer-songwriter, and teacher, he has published in Victorian Literary Languages (2022), English (2024), the Thomas Hardy Journal (2024), and the William Barnes Newsletter (2025). His album, Beauty of Blackmore (2017), includes several musical settings of Barnes’s poems.

Table of Contents

Figures
Abbreviations
Series Preface
Preface
Acknowledgements
Introduction
Timeline
Language: Dialectal Features
Note on the Text

Poems 1–126 (in the broad form of the dialect), DCC 1834–44
1 Rusticus Dolens; Or, Inclosures of Common
2 Rusticus Gaudens. Eclogue 2—The Allotment System
3 Eclogue 3.—Rusticus Narrans. A Cousin down vrom Lon’on
4 Eclogue 4. Rusticus Emigrans. Emigration
5 Eclogue 5. Rusticus Rixans; Or, “The Best Man in the Field”
6 Eclogue VI.—Rusticus Domi. Faether Come Huom
7 Eclogue 7. Rusticus Procus. A bit o’ sly coorten
8 Eclogue 8. Rusticus Res Politicas Animadvertens. The New Poor Laws
9 The Unioners
10 Christmas Invitation
11 The Settle an’ the Girt Wood Vire
12 The Carter
13 The Girt Woak Tree That’s in the Dell
14 The Shepherd o’ the Farm
15 Woodcom’ Fieast
16 The Milk-Maid o’ the Farm
17 Evemen in the Village
18 Liady-Day an’ Ridden House
19 Easter Time
20 Evemen, an’ Maidens Out at Door
21 A Zong
22 May
23 Whitsuntide an’ Club Wa’ken
24 Hay-Miaken
25 Hay-Carren
26 The Work Buoy o’ the Farm
27 The Maid var My Bride
28 Summer Evemen Dance
29 Carn Aturnen Yoller
30 Harvest Huome. The vust piart. The Supper
31 Harvest Huome. Second Piart.—What tha’ done ater Supper
32 The Huomestead
33 Tiaken in Apples
34 Bob the Fiddler
35 Martin’s Tide
36 Keepen Up o’ Chris’mas
37 The Happy Daes When I Wer Young
38 Thomas Ariecommenden Miaster’s Woldest Daeter
39 In the Stillness o’ the Night
40 Uncle Out o’ Debt an’ Out o’ Dannger
41 Sleep Did Come wi’ the Dew
42 The Church an’ Happy Sunday
43 Sweet Music in the Wind
44 Vellen the Tree
45 I Got Two Viel’s
46 Uncle an’ Ant
47 The Wold Waggon
48 The Drove
49 The Common Atook In
50 A Wold Friend
51 Bees A-Zwarmen
52 A-Halen Carn
53 Jenny Out from Huome
54 The Ruose That Deck’d Her Breast
55 Out A-Nutten
56 A Bit o’ Fun
57 Nanny’s Cow
58 The Shep’erd Buoy
59 Haven Oon’s Fortun a-Tuold
60 Grammer’s Shoes
61 Hope a-Left Behine
62 Woak Wer Good Enough Oonce
63 A Witch
64 A Ghost
65 Bringen Oon Gwain o’ Zundays
66 A Good Faether
67 The Spring
68 Readen ov a Headstuone
69 Miary-Ann’s Chile
70 The Beam in Grenley Church
71 Dock Leaves
72 The Woody Holler
73 Jenny’s Ribbons
74 Jian’s Wedden Dae in Marnen
75 Rivers Don’t Gi’e Out
76 Polly be-en Upzides wi’ Tom
77 Beami’ster
78 Wik’s-End in Zummer, in the Wold Vo’ke’s Time
79 Thatchen o’ the Rick
80 The Vaices That Be Gone
81 Poll
82 Looks A-Know’d Avore
83 A Zong Ov Harvest Huom
84 Grenley Water
85 Miaple Leaves Be Yoller
86 The Weather-Biaten Tree
87 Poll’s Jack Da
88 The Ivy
89 Fanny’s Bethda
90 The Vrost
91 The Music o’ the Dead
92 What Dick an’ I Done
93 The Blackbird. [I]
94 The Pliace a Tiale’s a-Tuold o’
95 Axen Maidens to Goo to Fiair
96 Veels in the Light
97 Hope in Spring
98 Miaken Up a Miff
99 The White Road Up Athirt the Hill
100 Wher We Did Kip Our Flagon
101 Ant’s Tantrums
102 The Stuonen Puorch
103 Farmers’ Sons
104 Jiane
105 Shodon Fiair. The vust piart
106 Shodon Fiair. The rest ō’t
107 The Brook That Runn’d by Gramfer’s
108 Marnen
109 The Viary Veet That I Da Meet
110 Guy Faux’s Night
111 The Dree Woaks
112 The Huomestead a-Vell into Han’
113 The Welshnut Tree
114 Zitten Out the Wold Year
115 Zunsheen in the Winter
116 The Weepen Liady
117 The Woodlands
118 Evemen Twilight
119 The Evemen Star o’ Zummer
120 The Sky a-Clearen
121 The Meäd a-Mow’d
122 The Clote
123 The Bells of Alderburnham
124 The D’rection Post
125 Night A-Zetten In
126 Jean o’ Grenley Mill

Poems 127–338 (in the modified form of the dialect), DCC 1856–86
127 The Bit o’ Ground at Huome. Eclogue
128 The Bachelor
129 The Young that Died in Beauty
130 The Poplars
131 Culver Dell and the Squire
132 The Leane
133 The Motherless Child
134 Bishop’s Caendle
135 The Winter’s Willow
136 My Orchet in Linden Lea
137 The Heare
138 Pentridge by the River
139 OOne Rule
140 The Stage Coach
141 Lydlinch Bells
142 Hallowed Pleaces
143 The Pleace our own Agean
144 Faetherhood
145 Our Abode in Arby Wood
146 Trees be Company
147 The Raïlroad [I]
148 Meary’s Smile
149 Gruffmoody Grim
150 The Maid o’ Newton
151 Our Faethers’ Works
152 Spring
153 Out at Plough
154 Herrenston
155 A Faether Out, an’ Mother Hwome
156 Milken Time
157 Gammony Gay
158 Anngels by the Door
159 The Water Crowvoot
160 The Water-spring in the Leäne
161 The Meäd in June
162 Mindèn House
163 Seats
164 Hay Meaken—Nunchen Time
165 The Scud
166 The Shy Man
167 When Birds be Still
168 Fair Emily ov Yarrow-Mill
169 Early Risen
170 The Sparrow Club
171 Wheat
172 Day’s Work a-done
173 The Lovely Maid ov Elwell Mead
174 The Leädy’s Tower
175 False Friends-like
176 Zun-Zet
177 Riden Hwome at Night
178 Meary Wedded
179 I Know Who
180 Nanny Gill
181 The Wold Vo’k Dead
182 Zellen oones Honey to Buy Zome’hat Sweet
183 The Slanten Light o’ Fall
184 The Wold Wall
185 Sam’el down vrom Lun’on
186 The Stwonen Bwoy upon the Pillar
187 Happiness
188 Bleäke’s House in Blackmwore
189 The Vier-zide
190 Wold Friends a-Met
191 Married peair’s Love Walk
192 Ellen Brine of Allenburn
193 John Bleake at Hwome at Night
194 Ivy-Hall
195 The Waggon A-stooded
196 Fifehead
197 Vo’k A-comen into Church
198 Knowlwood
199 The Linden on the Lawn
200 Gwäin Down the Steps vor Water
201 Good Meäster Collins
202 Childhood
203 Brookwell
204 Gwaïn to Brookwell
205 The thorns in the geäte
206 Dobbin Dead
207 Our Bethpleace
208 Jessie Lee
209 The Lilac
210 The Zummer Hedge
211 The Blackbird [II]
212 The Beän Vield
213 The Windor Freämed wi’ Stwone
214 True Love
215 Wayfearen
216 A Pleäce in Zight
217 Sound o’ Water
218 A Wife a-praïsed
219 The Raïlroad [II]
220 Blackmwore Maïdens
221 The Wife a-lost
222 Thissledown
223 Riddles
224 Leeburn Mill
225 Beauty Undecked
226 The Beäten Paeth
227 Zummer an’ Winter
228 Sha’sbury Feäir
229 Ruth A-ridèn
230 Open Vields
231 Fancy
232 Praïse o’ Do’set
233 My Love’s Guardian Angel
234 The Better vor Zeèn o’ You
235 Don’t Ceäre
236 Fall Time [I]
237 My Love is Good
238 Pity
239 John Bloom in Lon’on
240 Not Goo Hwome To Night
241 Zummer Winds
242 Evenèn Light
243 The Broken Heart
244 Heedless o’ my Love
245 The Giants in Treädes
246 A Life
247 The Little Worold
248 Comèn Hwome
249 Grammer A-crippled
250 Zummer Thoughts in Winter Time
251 The Pillar’d Geäte
252 Body an’ Mind
253 Turnèn Things Off
254 Grief and Gladness
255 Linda Deäne
256 Vields by Watervalls
257 Knapton Tower
258 Two and Two
259 Treät Well Your Wife
260 Danel Dwythen, the Wise Chap
261 Withstanders
262 The Wind in oone’s Feäce
263 The Year-Clock
264 The Turnstile
265 Lindenore
266 Hawthorn Down
267 Tokens
268 Zunday
269 Kindness
270 The Be-twattled Rhymer
271 Changes
272 Blessèns a-left
273 Woakland Dell
274 Love Below the Trees
275 The Flood in Spring
276 The Lew o’ the Rick
277 The Feäir Market Maïd
278 Tweil
279 Childern’s Childern
280 The Rwose in the Dark
281 The New House agetten Wold
282 The Neäme Letters
283 Sheädes
284 Racketèn Joe
285 Fall Time [II]
286 The Widow’s House
287 Times o’ Year
288 Vull a Man
289 Naighbour Plaÿmeätes
290 The Zilver-Weed
291 The Castle Ruins
292 John, Jealous at Shroton Fair
293 The Child an’ the Mowers
294 The Love Child
295 The Echo
296 Woone Smile Mwore
297 Lwonesomeness
298 Slidèn
299 I’m out o’ Door
300 The Two Churches
301 The Lark
302 Woak Hill
303 The Hollor Woak
304 What John wer a-tellèn his Mis’ess out in the Corn-ground
305 The Wheel Routs
306 A Snowy Night
307 Hedger
308 Leaves A-Vallèn
309 The Little Hwomstead
310 The Dorset Militia
311 The Mother’s Dream
312 The Dog wi’ me
313 The Wind at the Door
314 The Sister and Brothers
315 The Lost Little Sister
316 The Surprise
317 Lowshot Light
318 A Wish a-come True
319 The Fall
320 On the Hill
321 Green
322 The Broken Jug
323 The Stream-zide
324 White an’ Blue
325 When we wer Young together
326 Two-peart Zingen
327 Winter A-Comen
328 John Brine Angry
329 White in the Night
330 The Vield Path
331 The Prize Winners
332 Winter Weather
333 Clouds
334 A Dorset Sale
335 The Bars on the Ridge
336 Rings
337 Maiden Newton Fancy Fair
338 The Geate a Vallen to

Textual Variants
Notes on the Poems
Glossarial Notes
Key to Phonetic Symbols
Appendix: Poems Not Found in DCC
Bibliography
Index of Titles and First Lines

Editorial Reviews

William Barnes is a great lyric and political poet, but his achievement has often been obscured by difficulties associated with his dialect. Now, for the first time, the development of his subjects and language are thoroughly illuminated, in an edition which restores Barnes to his rightful eminence among Victorian poets.

Andrew Motion