Kent Trad is now launched

It is intended that the Kent Trad website will become a comprehensive resource for songs and singers from Kent. It has been inspired by similar sites for other counties, such as GlosTrad and Sussex Traditions. Far fewer songs have been collected in Kent than in either Gloucestershire or Sussex – in particular, the early 20th century collectors such as Cecil Sharp spent far less time in Kent than some other counties – so the chances are that the songs we do know about are but a very small sample of the songs that were sung in the past by Kentish people. Nevertheless, it’s worth celebrating the songs which have been collected, and making them more widely available. Some of the songs presented on this website may be of largely historical interest, but there’s plenty more that are well worth singing and which, if revived, can bring joy to singers and listeners alike. This isn’t a hypothetical thought – I’m speaking from personal experience, having enjoyed singing folk songs from Kent for many years.

Phase 1 of the Kent Trad project, which is very nearly completed, is concerned with songs noted on paper, rather than recorded onto tape. This covers the collecting activities of the Rev. Philip Parsons, who collected ballads from his Wye parishioners in the 1760s; through to Ralph Vaughan Williams, Cecil Sharp and their contemporaries (who generally seem to have made one collecting trip to Kent and never returned!); through to Francis Collinson of BBC ‘Country Magazine’ fame, who noted down a considerable number of songs in Kent in the 1940s and early 1950s. The site provides a transcription of each song, with biographical details of the singers.

Inevitably, such a project is never actually finished – new information is constantly coming to light. Just today, I’ve got hold of the latest version of the Roud Index, and found a reference to a song and a singer of whom I was previously completely unaware, so details of those will be added to the website in the coming days.

I welcome any information that can be shed on the singers featured on this site. Maybe you’re a descendent of one of the singers, and have anecdotal information about their life, or even some old photographs? If so, do please get in touch with me, via info@kenttrad.org. 

I’ve received help and advice from a number of people in the course of setting up this website, and over the previous 40 years of taking an interest in songs collected in my native county. I’ve listed some of these people under Thanks and Acknowledgments but I must make a special mention of George Frampton, who has been incredibly generous in sharing the fruits of his research over many years, and even this week was happy to double check his notes, and online genealogical sources, in response to a few queries I sent his way. Of course, any errors on the website are entirely my responsibility – do please get in touch if you spot any.

I hope you enjoy using this site. With any luck you’ll discover at least one thing you didn’t know before!

Andy Turner
1st February 2025