Annotation:Wylam Away
X:1 T:Wylam Away M:6/8 L:1/8 S:John Bell (1783-1864) music manuscript collection (Northumberland, c. 1812) Z:AK/Fiddler’s Companion K:G e/f/|gdB gGB|gdB A2 e/f/|gdB gGB|gdB G2:| |:e|dB/c/d dB/c/d|dB/c/d/B/ A2e|dB/c/d/ dB/c/d|dB/c/d/B/ G2:| |:c|BAG edB|gdB ABc|BAG edB|gdB G2:|]
WYLAM AWAY. AKA and see “Chronicle of the Heart,” "To Wylam Away," "Gingling Geordie," "Wile Him Away." English, Jig (6/8 time). England, Northumberland. G Major. Standard tuning (fiddle). AABBCC (Stokoe & Bruce): AABBCCDDEEFFGGHHIIJJKKLL (Peacock): AABBCCDDEEFFGGHHIIJJKKLLMM (Hall & Stafford). Wikipedia:Wylam is a small village on the river Tyne, in Northumberland. It was prosperous in the latter 18th century, with a colliery, brewery, ironworks, and a waggonway from the mines to the river. The town declined significantly when the colliery closed in 1864.
"The earliest notice we can find of this tune is under the name of 'Gingling Geordie', in an old manuscript book, dated 1694, formerly belonging to (fiddler) Henry Atkinson, of Hartburn, Northumberland. It appeared in Henry Playford's Collection of Tunes for Violin and Flute, dated 1700, and afterwards in several Scottish collections, down to Johnson's Scots Musical Museum, vol. V, p. 382. It was known also by the name of 'Wile (i.e. entice) Him Away', and received the name it is now known by in the district, from having been the distinguishing tune of Walter Blackett, Esq., of Wylam, at the great contested Parliamentary election for the borough of Newcastle, in the year 1741" (Bruce & Stokoe). Bruce and Stokoe’s information is from a note by John Bell (1783-1864) in his c. 1812 music manuscript collection [1] that reads:
The original name of this old Northumbrian tune was “Wile him away,” and it was not till after the contested election of 1774 that it got corrupted into “Wylam away” when the words of an election song were adapted to the tune which introduced the name of Blackett of Wylam.
The tune title appears (as "To Wylam Away") in Henry Robson's list of popular Northumbrian song and dance tunes ("The Northern Minstrel's Budget"), which he published c. 1800.
