William Barnes, Dialect Poems in the Dorset County Chronicle: (Edinburgh Critical Editions of Nineteenth-Century Texts)

It is commonly believed that William Barnes (1801–1886) steered clear of politics in his poetry. Yet the first poem he ever published in the Dorset dialect was an attack on the enclosures of the village commons in the 1830s. His next eight poems dealt with such topics as rural poverty, penury-induced emigration, the Poor Laws and Corn Laws, and the People’s Charter of 1838. This edition of his dialect poems – arranged in the chronological order of their first publication in the Dorset County Chronicle – exposes the fallacy of the old assumptions about Barnes’s lack of interest in political affairs. It shows the gradual development of Barnes’s artistry as a poet and of the linguistic means through which he set out to represent in writing the key features of the dialect of his native Blackmore Vale.

Table of Contents:
Figures Abbreviations Series Preface Preface Acknowledgements Introduction Timeline Language: Dialectal Features Note on the Text Poems 1–126 (in the broad form of the dialect), DCC 1834–44 1 Rusticus Dolens; Or, Inclosures of Common 2 Rusticus Gaudens. Eclogue 2—The Allotment System 3 Eclogue 3.—Rusticus Narrans. A Cousin down vrom Lon’on 4 Eclogue 4. Rusticus Emigrans. Emigration 5 Eclogue 5. Rusticus Rixans; Or, “The Best Man in the Field” 6 Eclogue VI.—Rusticus Domi. Faether Come Huom 7 Eclogue 7. Rusticus Procus. A bit o’ sly coorten 8 Eclogue 8. Rusticus Res Politicas Animadvertens. The New Poor Laws 9 The Unioners 10 Christmas Invitation 11 The Settle an’ the Girt Wood Vire 12 The Carter 13 The Girt Woak Tree That’s in the Dell 14 The Shepherd o’ the Farm 15 Woodcom’ Fieast 16 The Milk-Maid o’ the Farm 17 Evemen in the Village 18 Liady-Day an’ Ridden House 19 Easter Time 20 Evemen, an’ Maidens Out at Door 21 A Zong 22 May 23 Whitsuntide an’ Club Wa’ken 24 Hay-Miaken 25 Hay-Carren 26 The Work Buoy o’ the Farm 27 The Maid var My Bride 28 Summer Evemen Dance 29 Carn Aturnen Yoller 30 Harvest Huome. The vust piart. The Supper 31 Harvest Huome. Second Piart.—What tha’ done ater Supper 32 The Huomestead 33 Tiaken in Apples 34 Bob the Fiddler 35 Martin’s Tide 36 Keepen Up o’ Chris’mas 37 The Happy Daes When I Wer Young 38 Thomas Ariecommenden Miaster’s Woldest Daeter 39 In the Stillness o’ the Night 40 Uncle Out o’ Debt an’ Out o’ Dannger 41 Sleep Did Come wi’ the Dew 42 The Church an’ Happy Sunday 43 Sweet Music in the Wind 44 Vellen the Tree 45 I Got Two Viel’s 46 Uncle an’ Ant 47 The Wold Waggon 48 The Drove 49 The Common Atook In 50 A Wold Friend 51 Bees A-Zwarmen 52 A-Halen Carn 53 Jenny Out from Huome 54 The Ruose That Deck’d Her Breast 55 Out A-Nutten 56 A Bit o’ Fun 57 Nanny’s Cow 58 The Shep’erd Buoy 59 Haven Oon’s Fortun a-Tuold 60 Grammer’s Shoes 61 Hope a-Left Behine 62 Woak Wer Good Enough Oonce 63 A Witch 64 A Ghost 65 Bringen Oon Gwain o’ Zundays 66 A Good Faether 67 The Spring 68 Readen ov a Headstuone 69 Miary-Ann’s Chile 70 The Beam in Grenley Church 71 Dock Leaves 72 The Woody Holler 73 Jenny’s Ribbons 74 Jian’s Wedden Dae in Marnen 75 Rivers Don’t Gi’e Out 76 Polly be-en Upzides wi’ Tom 77 Beami’ster 78 Wik’s-End in Zummer, in the Wold Vo’ke’s Time 79 Thatchen o’ the Rick 80 The Vaices That Be Gone 81 Poll 82 Looks A-Know’d Avore 83 A Zong Ov Harvest Huom 84 Grenley Water 85 Miaple Leaves Be Yoller 86 The Weather-Biaten Tree 87 Poll’s Jack Da 88 The Ivy 89 Fanny’s Bethda 90 The Vrost 91 The Music o’ the Dead 92 What Dick an’ I Done 93 The Blackbird. [I] 94 The Pliace a Tiale’s a-Tuold o’ 95 Axen Maidens to Goo to Fiair 96 Veels in the Light 97 Hope in Spring 98 Miaken Up a Miff 99 The White Road Up Athirt the Hill 100 Wher We Did Kip Our Flagon 101 Ant’s Tantrums 102 The Stuonen Puorch 103 Farmers’ Sons 104 Jiane 105 Shodon Fiair. The vust piart 106 Shodon Fiair. The rest ō’t 107 The Brook That Runn’d by Gramfer’s 108 Marnen 109 The Viary Veet That I Da Meet 110 Guy Faux’s Night 111 The Dree Woaks 112 The Huomestead a-Vell into Han’ 113 The Welshnut Tree 114 Zitten Out the Wold Year 115 Zunsheen in the Winter 116 The Weepen Liady 117 The Woodlands 118 Evemen Twilight 119 The Evemen Star o’ Zummer 120 The Sky a-Clearen 121 The Meäd a-Mow’d 122 The Clote 123 The Bells of Alderburnham 124 The D’rection Post 125 Night A-Zetten In 126 Jean o’ Grenley Mill Poems 127–338 (in the modified form of the dialect), DCC 1856–86 127 The Bit o’ Ground at Huome. Eclogue 128 The Bachelor 129 The Young that Died in Beauty 130 The Poplars 131 Culver Dell and the Squire 132 The Leane 133 The Motherless Child 134 Bishop’s Caendle 135 The Winter’s Willow 136 My Orchet in Linden Lea 137 The Heare 138 Pentridge by the River 139 OOne Rule 140 The Stage Coach 141 Lydlinch Bells 142 Hallowed Pleaces 143 The Pleace our own Agean 144 Faetherhood 145 Our Abode in Arby Wood 146 Trees be Company 147 The Raïlroad [I] 148 Meary’s Smile 149 Gruffmoody Grim 150 The Maid o’ Newton 151 Our Faethers’ Works 152 Spring 153 Out at Plough 154 Herrenston 155 A Faether Out, an’ Mother Hwome 156 Milken Time 157 Gammony Gay 158 Anngels by the Door 159 The Water Crowvoot 160 The Water-spring in the Leäne 161 The Meäd in June 162 Mindèn House 163 Seats 164 Hay Meaken—Nunchen Time 165 The Scud 166 The Shy Man 167 When Birds be Still 168 Fair Emily ov Yarrow-Mill 169 Early Risen 170 The Sparrow Club 171 Wheat 172 Day’s Work a-done 173 The Lovely Maid ov Elwell Mead 174 The Leädy’s Tower 175 False Friends-like 176 Zun-Zet 177 Riden Hwome at Night 178 Meary Wedded 179 I Know Who 180 Nanny Gill 181 The Wold Vo’k Dead 182 Zellen oones Honey to Buy Zome’hat Sweet 183 The Slanten Light o’ Fall 184 The Wold Wall 185 Sam’el down vrom Lun’on 186 The Stwonen Bwoy upon the Pillar 187 Happiness 188 Bleäke’s House in Blackmwore 189 The Vier-zide 190 Wold Friends a-Met 191 Married peair’s Love Walk 192 Ellen Brine of Allenburn 193 John Bleake at Hwome at Night 194 Ivy-Hall 195 The Waggon A-stooded 196 Fifehead 197 Vo’k A-comen into Church 198 Knowlwood 199 The Linden on the Lawn 200 Gwäin Down the Steps vor Water 201 Good Meäster Collins 202 Childhood 203 Brookwell 204 Gwaïn to Brookwell 205 The thorns in the geäte 206 Dobbin Dead 207 Our Bethpleace 208 Jessie Lee 209 The Lilac 210 The Zummer Hedge 211 The Blackbird [II] 212 The Beän Vield 213 The Windor Freämed wi’ Stwone 214 True Love 215 Wayfearen 216 A Pleäce in Zight 217 Sound o’ Water 218 A Wife a-praïsed 219 The Raïlroad [II] 220 Blackmwore Maïdens 221 The Wife a-lost 222 Thissledown 223 Riddles 224 Leeburn Mill 225 Beauty Undecked 226 The Beäten Paeth 227 Zummer an’ Winter 228 Sha’sbury Feäir 229 Ruth A-ridèn 230 Open Vields 231 Fancy 232 Praïse o’ Do’set 233 My Love’s Guardian Angel 234 The Better vor Zeèn o’ You 235 Don’t Ceäre 236 Fall Time [I] 237 My Love is Good 238 Pity 239 John Bloom in Lon’on 240 Not Goo Hwome To Night 241 Zummer Winds 242 Evenèn Light 243 The Broken Heart 244 Heedless o’ my Love 245 The Giants in Treädes 246 A Life 247 The Little Worold 248 Comèn Hwome 249 Grammer A-crippled 250 Zummer Thoughts in Winter Time 251 The Pillar’d Geäte 252 Body an’ Mind 253 Turnèn Things Off 254 Grief and Gladness 255 Linda Deäne 256 Vields by Watervalls 257 Knapton Tower 258 Two and Two 259 Treät Well Your Wife 260 Danel Dwythen, the Wise Chap 261 Withstanders 262 The Wind in oone’s Feäce 263 The Year-Clock 264 The Turnstile 265 Lindenore 266 Hawthorn Down 267 Tokens 268 Zunday 269 Kindness 270 The Be-twattled Rhymer 271 Changes 272 Blessèns a-left 273 Woakland Dell 274 Love Below the Trees 275 The Flood in Spring 276 The Lew o’ the Rick 277 The Feäir Market Maïd 278 Tweil 279 Childern’s Childern 280 The Rwose in the Dark 281 The New House agetten Wold 282 The Neäme Letters 283 Sheädes 284 Racketèn Joe 285 Fall Time [II] 286 The Widow’s House 287 Times o’ Year 288 Vull a Man 289 Naighbour Plaÿmeätes 290 The Zilver-Weed 291 The Castle Ruins 292 John, Jealous at Shroton Fair 293 The Child an’ the Mowers 294 The Love Child 295 The Echo 296 Woone Smile Mwore 297 Lwonesomeness 298 Slidèn 299 I’m out o’ Door 300 The Two Churches 301 The Lark 302 Woak Hill 303 The Hollor Woak 304 What John wer a-tellèn his Mis’ess out in the Corn-ground 305 The Wheel Routs 306 A Snowy Night 307 Hedger 308 Leaves A-Vallèn 309 The Little Hwomstead 310 The Dorset Militia 311 The Mother’s Dream 312 The Dog wi’ me 313 The Wind at the Door 314 The Sister and Brothers 315 The Lost Little Sister 316 The Surprise 317 Lowshot Light 318 A Wish a-come True 319 The Fall 320 On the Hill 321 Green 322 The Broken Jug 323 The Stream-zide 324 White an’ Blue 325 When we wer Young together 326 Two-peart Zingen 327 Winter A-Comen 328 John Brine Angry 329 White in the Night 330 The Vield Path 331 The Prize Winners 332 Winter Weather 333 Clouds 334 A Dorset Sale 335 The Bars on the Ridge 336 Rings 337 Maiden Newton Fancy Fair 338 The Geate a Vallen to Textual Variants Notes on the Poems Glossarial Notes Key to Phonetic Symbols Appendix: Poems Not Found in DCC Bibliography Index of Titles and First Lines

About the Author :
T. L. Burton is an Emeritus Professor of English Language and Literature at the University of Adelaide. He is co-editor of The Complete Poems of William Barnes, 3 vols (2013–) and the author of William Barnes’s Dialect Poems: A Pronunciation Guide (2010) and The Sound of William Barnes’s Dialect Poems, 3 vols (2013–17). Emma Mason is Professor of English and Comparative Literary Studies at the University of Warwick. She has written widely on Christianity and literature, and, with Mark Knight, edits the New Directions in Religion and Literature series. Her most recent book is Christina Rossetti: Poetry, Ecology, Faith (2018). John Blackmore completed his PhD on nineteenth-century regional writing and nationhood at the University of Exeter in 2023. A researcher, singer-songwriter, and teacher, he has published in Victorian Literary Languages (2022), English (2024), the Thomas Hardy Journal (2024), and the William Barnes Newsletter (2025). His album, Beauty of Blackmore (2017), includes several musical settings of Barnes’s poems.

Review :
William Barnes is a great lyric and political poet, but his achievement has often been obscured by difficulties associated with his dialect. Now, for the first time, the development of his subjects and language are thoroughly illuminated, in an edition which restores Barnes to his rightful eminence among Victorian poets.