The Modern Antiquarian. Stone Circles, Ancient Sites, Neolithic Monuments, Ancient Monuments, Prehistoric Sites, Megalithic MysteriesThe Modern Antiquarian

Uffington White Horse

Hill Figure

Folklore

THE BALLAD OF THE WHITE HORSE.


"The owld White Horse wants zettin' to rights;
And the squire hev promised good cheer,
Zo we'll gee un a scrape to kip 'un in shape,
And a'll last for many a year.

A was made a long, long time ago,
Wi' a dale o' labour and pains,
By King Alfred the Great when he spwiled their consate,
And caddled thay wosberds the Danes.

The Bleawin Stwun, in days gone by,
Wur King Arthur's bugle harn,
And the tharnin tree you med plainly zee,
As is called King Alfred's tharn.

There'll be backsword play and climmin the powl,
And a race for a pig and a cheese;
And us thinks as hisn's a dummel sowl
As dwoan't care for zich spwoarts as these."

from Thomas Hughes's 1859 book 'The Scouring of the White Horse'.
Rhiannon Posted by Rhiannon
19th August 2004ce
Edited 15th October 2006ce

Comments (1)

'Caddle' is 'Worried' and 'Wosberds' is local (Wessex) dialect for 'Warbirds' (i.e. the Danes) wysefool Posted by wysefool
13th May 2007ce
You must be logged in to add a comment