Cam Ye O’er Frae France
In 1715 there was a Jacobite rebellion in the North of England led by two Northumberland gentry, Thomas Forster and the Earl of Derwentwater. They had hoped to find support in Newcastle but the town was under the control of Whig magistrates who supported King George and barricaded the gates against the Jacobite army. ‘Geordie’ is believed by many to have derived from this event. The song, clearly written by an anti-Jacobite, satirises King George and his courtiers.
Captain Bover & See the Tender Coming
In times of war the Navy had difficulty finding recruits. The answer were the press gangs, which were ruthless, clubbing men and throwing them into tenders which carried them off to receiving ships. Captain John Bouvoir (‘Bover’ to the locals) was brought into Newcastle as regulating officer to try to control the press gangs. However, as the first song testifies, the ordinary citizens still hated the gangs for taking their men away to work in atrocious conditions and to a likely death, so leaving families without a male to help them survive.
Blind Willie Purvis
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The masses on Tyneside have always wanted to be entertained with popular song and this is one of the best pop songs ever. It was a favourite of Blind Willie Purvis. Born in 1752, he made his living by busking in the public houses of Newcastle where people loved to listen to his fiddle playing and singing.
For a’That
Not a Tyneside song, being written by Robbie Burns, who only visited Newcastle once. But I’m pretty certain that this great universal anthem for humankind, written at a time of revolutionary change in Europe would be sung by the ordinary people of Newcastle towards the end of the century.