Singer: Christopher Jay
Christopher Jay met Vaughan Williams on no less than three occasions – Monday 13th when he sang the only song recorded that day; Wednesday 15th when he sang three songs and lastly on Saturday 18th when he sang four more. He had been born in Acle in 1853 and was described as a fisherman on the 1871 census, so he may have been working as a (seasonal) fisherman out of Yarmouth as he was living in lodgings there.
Like Tom Hilton, he would probably have had limited time to sing in a normal week, but the Easter weekend may have enabled Vaughan Williams to note more songs, having been impressed with Mr Jay’s earlier singing. He died in 1939 aged 85, 16 years after Ellen, who had consistently given her age as 6 years younger than she was possibly because she was in fact 3 years older than her husband, and who died in 1923 aged 73.
April 13 1908
Bonny Bunch of Roses (Roud 664)
April 15 1908
April 18 1908
Singer: Walter Debbage
Walter Debbage sang two songs on Wednesday 15th April at Acle Bridge, and three more on Thursday 16th. He added one more on Saturday 18th after Vaughan Williams had met the other Walter Debbage, known as ‘Skipper’ at Ranworth, but did not add any further name or description for the Acle singer despite his distinctive middle name of Manthorpe.
Walter was born in 1857 in Clippesby, just north of Acle, to an agricultural labourer, John Debbage and his wife Elizabeth. By 1871 he was an apprenticed carpenter, but this seems not to have lasted as he was described as a labourer when he married Harriet Gown in 1876, and as an agricultural labourer in 1881. By 1901 he was a marshman living at Acle Bridge as he was in 1911 when he was next door but one to Christopher Jay. He died, aged 72, in 1929.
April 15 1908
Wealthy Farmer’s Son (Roud 1061)
April 16 1908
I’ll Go and ‘List for a Sailor (Roud 1614)
April 18 1908
Singer: Edward Rose
Edward Rose was the landlord of the Bridge Inn at the time of Vaughan Williams’ visit, so was almost certainly present at all the singing there, yet he only contributed one song, on Tuesday 14th. He had been landlord since 1879 having been a farm labourer in Strumpshaw since a boy, marrying Susannah Tubby in 1863 and producing 8 children. He doubled as coal merchant which was quite common for an innkeeper. As Edward Rose himself sang, we can take this as an indication that Acle Bridge Inn, known as The Angel up to possibly 1904, was probably a singing pub. Rose died in 1930 aged 89.
April 14 1908