Reportedly sung by Tom Catt.
A very well known hunting song from Cumberland. It was written circa 1824 – originally in Cumbrian dialect – by John Woodcock Graves (1795–1886) in celebration of his friend John Peel (1776–1854), a huntsman from the Lake District. The words were subsequently rewritten in more standard English by Carlisle bookseller George Coward (using the pseudonym Sidney Gilpin), while it was the new musical arrangement by William Metcalfe (1829–1909), organist and choirmaster of Carlisle Cathedral, which became best known around the country. The song’s popularity and longevity would no doubt have been increased by its inclusion in The national song book : a complete collection of the folk-songs, carols, and rounds suggested by the Board of Education, edited and arranged by Sir Charles Villiers Stanford, published by Boosey & Co. in 1905.
For the standard words and tune, see The national song book pp6-7, https://archive.org/details/nationalsongbook00stan/page/6/mode/2up
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