Tag: Smarden

William Crampton

William Crampton, 1870-1945

William Henry Crampton was born on 22nd May 1870, and baptised at the Church of St.Michael, Smarden, on 3rd July 1870. His parents were William, a brickmaker, who had been born at Headcorn, and Ellen née Gurr, originally from East Sutton. In 1871 the family were recorded as living at Coopers Cottage, Smarden; 10 years later, they were at Perren Cottage, Smarden. By 1891, now aged 20, William had left home and was out at work, as a waggoner’s mate at Bardleden Farm, just outside the village. At the time of the 1901 census William was once again living with his family, at Berry Court Farm, Smarden. His father was no longer listed as a brickmaker, but as “farmer”; William’s occupation was given as “farmer’s son”.

He married his cousin Kate Town in 1907, and the couple had a son and a daughter, Stanley and Winifred. They continued to live in Smarden: in 1911 they were living at Beggars Bridge, and William was listed as “Waggoner on farm”; in 1921 they were living on the Pluckley Road, and William was employed as a farm labourer by Mr J Buckman Farmer, Biddenden Green (just outside the village, on the Pluckley Road). The 1939 Register shows William, Kate and Stanley at 2 East End Cottage, High Street, Biddenden Green; William is listed simply as “General Labourer”. His obituary in the Kentish Express stated that he had worked on Mr Buckman’s farm for 32 years, until just a few years before his death, while Francis Collinson said that Mr Crampton had worked in agriculture “Until he was nearly 70”. This suggests that he started working on the Buckman farm in around 1908.

When Collinson took down a version of the popular song ‘The Blackbird’ in October 1943, he noted that it came “from William Crampton (my gardener)”. But it seems that, prior to working for Collinson, 6 miles away at Old Surrenden, he had already done gardening work for radio producer Francis Dillon, who had a house at Smarden. According to George Frampton1 “The story goes that, one day, Dillon heard his gardener, who was outside at work,singing The Blackbird.  Collinson was summoned, and the idea of using a singer on Country Magazine was quickly established”. Like the story of Cecil Sharp discovering English folk song after hearing the Somerset gardener John England, this may be a romanticised version of events. Based on the dates given in his MSS, the earliest that we know Francis Collinson noted down any of Mr Crampton’s songs was October 1942, some months after the BBC had begun broadcasting Country Magazine, but that’s not to say that he hadn’t previously heard him singing. And Collinson’s song collecting does seem only to have begun in earnest in 1942.

Mr Crampton died in January 1945. A brief obituary in the Kentish Express, Friday 12th January 1945, ran as follows:

FOLK SINGER.—Mr. William Crampton, of East Cottage, whose funeral took place on Saturday, used to sing folk songs in a traditional style. He was 75 and had been a member of the A.O.F. many years. Up to a few years ago he had worked on Mr. G. Buckman’s farm for 32 years. Among those at the funeral were his widow, Mr. and Mrs. S. Crampton (son and daughter-in-law), Mrs. Moore (daughter), Mr. and Mrs. H. Jarvis, Mrs. Drury (cousin), Miss Ward, Mrs. and Miss Buckman, Mr. E. Ledger, Mrs. Underdown and Mrs. Barnes.

The Maidstone Telegraph, 19th January 1945 reported that the previous Sunday’s Country Magazine programme had featured Smarden’s village grocer, Mr. William Grant, and that “There was also a tribute to Mr. WIlliam Crampton, from the same village, who died recently. William was a fine old type of agricultural labourer, and a grand singer of folk songs”.

The report continued:

A FINE MAN

The tribute to Mr. Crampton, of Smarden, was paid by Mr. Frank Collinson, who said: –
“I intended to butt in before when Mr. Grant was speaking. He comes from Smarden, and both Smarden and English folk song have recently suffered a great loss in the death of William Crampton.
“He was one of the few surviving singing men of England. He had a beautiful style, a fine command of the traditional decoration and a great range of the old songs. We have used several of his in “Country Magazine.”
“Moreover, he was in himself a fine man. Until he was nearly 70 he was an agricultural worker, a lifetime spent in making that landscape as dear to you, Mr. Arlott, and all English countrymen.
“He said to me a month or so ago that he had always managed to give satisfaction in this world and he hoped he’d be able to do the same in the next.”
One of Mr. Crampton’s songs, “The Oyster Girl,” was then rendered by the sextet and John Irwin.
It was stated, that the song was obtained from Mrs. Baker, of Evelyn Road, Maidstone, who learnt it from her father.
Mr. John Arlott was the compere.

It seems likely that William Crampton had a wider repertoire of songs than those that appear in Collinson’s MSS – they contain no reference to him singing ‘The Oyster Girl’, for instance. The local history scrapbooks compiled by Smarden Women’s Institute include music and words for ‘The Blackbird’ from William Crampton, with this note:

Mr. W. Crampton was wagoner for many years to Mr. G. Buckman. He had thirty songs or more and played the accordion as accompaniment. His son Stanley remembers them, and sings them to the accordion; his children know them too.

There are regular mentions in local newspapers in the 1930s of Mr Crampton playing his accordion at Old Friends’ Teas in Smarden. For example on 1st January 1931

During the evening a first-rate programme of songs was given by Miss Gould (Maidstone), Mr. Purcell Mudstone), Mrs. E. Ridley, Mr W. Hills, Mr. W. Palmar, Mr. H. Wood, Messrs. Batt’s Glee party and Mr. C. G. S. Freeland. Mr. Turvey gave some very humorous sketches, and Mr. W. Crampton entertained the company with accordian solos. Miss Gould and Miss M. Buckman presided at the piano.2

Again, on New Year’s Day 1932, Mr W. Crampton was one of those who provided the entertainment, alongside “Messrs. Batt and Millen Bros. (glees)”3 while one year later

Songs were given by Mr. Turvey, of Ashford; Mr. and Mrs. F. Buss, of Maidstone, gave a mandoline recital and songs; Messrs. Batt Bros. gave glees; and Mesdames Ridley and Small and Mr. Purcell, of Maidstone, gave songs, and there were recitations by Miss Evans and Mr. Fretter. Old Folks’ Songs were given by Mr J.H. Buckhurst, of Biddenden, and Mr. W. Crampton entertained with his accordion. The musical accompaniments were taken in turn by Mrs. Buss, Mrs. Ashbee and Miss A. Cornes.4

And in January 1934, when “About 75 old people were entertained in the Schools”, he was one of those who provided the entertainment.5

Stanley Crampton, 1907-1991

The note in the Smarden Women’s Institute scrapbook regarding Stanley singing his father’s songs, and playing the accordion, is the only record we have of his musical activities (other than an enthusiastic account in the Kentish Express of his part in a dramatic and musical entertainment presented by Smarden School in April 1922). He was born 10th June 1907, and was still living with his parents in September 1939. His occupation at that time was farm labourer.

He married Kathleen Mary Addy in 1940, and it would appear that the newly-weds took in a number of evacuees during the War. An article in the Kentish Express of 19th June 1981 reported that the couple had stayed in touch with one of these evacuees, Iris Watson, who was 11 years old when she came to Smarden, and “never forgot the kindness of her “Aunt Mary” in the Kentish village so remote from her Catford home” – indeed, Iris and her husband spent their honeymoon with the Cramptons.

The article also states that Stanley “worked at the brickyard and farmed for 37 years”. Stanley Crampton’s death was registered in the Ashford district in October 1991.

Songs

There are two additional songs which do not appear in Collinson’s MSS, but which are ascribed to William Crampton in copies of Collinson’s books, annotated by his friend Pat Shaw, now held by the VWML:

  • Tarry Trousers (Roud 427) – from Collinson & Dillon, Folk Songs from Country Magazine
  • Bold Fisherman (Roud 291) – from Collinson & Dillon, Songs from the Countryside
  1. Frampton, George, The Millen Family of Bethersden, Kent, Musical Traditions, 2001. https://www.mustrad.org.uk/articles/millens.htm ↩︎
  2. Kentish Express, 10 January 1931 ↩︎
  3. Kentish Express, 08 January 1932 ↩︎
  4. Kentish Express, 06 January 1933 ↩︎
  5. Kent & Sussex Courier, 12 January 1934 ↩︎

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