THE LETTERS OF RALPH VAUGHAN WILLIAMS

[15 June 1943]

Dear Mr Wright

In reply to your letter of  June 6th
Bushes & Briars   See Journal of the Folk Society Vol III (No 8) p. 143
Tarry Trowsers  do p. 153
Ward the Pirate do p. 163
On board a ’98 do p. 176

‘Harry the Tailor’ The tune was collected by me in Cambridgeshire 1905 (?) – the words are off a broadside as the original words were very fragmentary.¹

Yrs sincerely

R Vaughan Williams

1. All these songs were published by VW in Folk Songs from the Eastern Counties (Catalogue of Works 1908/1) ‘Harry the Tailor’ was collected as ‘The lousy Tailor’ at Wilburton on 31 August 1906 but VW felt the original words were not publishable – see Catalogue of Works p.38-39. The question to which VW was replying is not clear.