Alice Harden née Beale, 1870-1939
Baptised Alice Isabella Beale on 6th February 1870 at St Mary the Virgin, Orlestone, she was the fourth child of Charlotte and James Beale. She lived with her parents in Hamstreet until she married David Thomas Harden on 23rd September 1893. He was a labourer, born in Warehorne, and had been living with his parents at 4 Viaduct Terrace, Ham Street. The married couple were living in Viaduct Terrace at the time of the 1901 census; his occupation was given as “Woodcutter & dealer”.
By 1911 they had moved to Newberry Farm, Tonge, where David took up the post of farm bailiff. They had three children: Ethelbert, Ronald and Athelstan Raymond. Alice and her husband appear to have stayed here until his retirement. She died in the second quarter of 1939.
Having noted down a number of songs from her father James Beale in September 1908, Cecil Sharp returned to Hamstreet in October 1911 – round about the time of her father’s death – and noted down three carols from her. Sharp recorded her name as “Mrs Alice Harding of Sittingbourne”, but her married surname was definitely Harden, not Harding.
Her brother Albert Beale recalled in 19541 that their mother led the choir in Hamstreet Chapel, and that the entire family used to sing in the choir, and also go out carolling at Christmas. The songs collected from Alice Harden were presumably part of the repertoire of the carolling party.
Songs
- As I sat on a sunny bank (Roud 700)
- The moon shines bright (Roud 702)
- Seven joys of Mary (Roud 278)
In his English-Folk Carols (1911) Cecil Sharp noted of ‘Sons of Levi’ (Roud 2430) that it was “Sung by Mr. James Beale and Mrs. Harding at Ham Street”, although he does not appear to have taken the song down from Alice Harden, possibly because her version was identical to her father’s.
- Recording of Albert Beale by Peter Kennedy & Maud Karpeles, 14th January 1954 (Folktracks cassette, no number) ↩︎