Christmas Carols in 1700

I thought it would be interesting this year to put together a list of Christmas Carols that existed around the early 1700's. These might have been sung by ship's crews as part of a Christmas celebration. At the end is a You Tube video of a boy's choir singing A Coventry Carol.

Enjoy!

"While Shepherds Watched" dates back to 1703. The words for While shepherds watched were written by Nahum Tate, who was the Poet Laureate in the reign of Queen Anne, and Nicholas Brady. Only the Psalms of David were sung in the Anglican Church prior to that time. Tate and Brady were the first to paraphrase the psalms for singing in rhyme which then became distinctive of their work. The familiar melody used for While Shepherds Watched was taken from "Siroe," an opera by George Frederick Handel. On a lighter note children love to parody the words “While shepherds watched their flocks by night” and replacing them with “While Shepherds wash their socks by night!” 

From : 10 Christmas Carols of The 18th Century

Written by Rick Brainard

Parent Category: 18th Century History Articles

Category: Society and Culture

The Origin of Christmas Carols & Music

Carols are banned but bounce back
Christmas carols were banned between 1649 and 1660 in England by Oliver Cromwell who thought that Christmas should be a solemn day. (Cromwell also abolished the monarchy.) When Protestants, inspired by Martin Luther, took to the joy of Christmas carols, many had to flee Europe under pressure from the Catholic Church. They took the Christmas carols with them to their new homes across the world. In 1649, John de Brebeur wrote the first American Christmas carol, called Jesus is Born.
Fortunately, in Europe, when carols couldn't be sung in Churches, they found a stage elsewhere. The world's most famous religious play, the Passion Play, was staged in Oberammergau, Germany in 1634 (and has been performed every 10 years since). In the 1700s, the music by Mendelssohn and Händel was adapted and used as Christmas carols.

SOURCE: http://www.didyouknow.cd/xmas/xmascarols.htm

Adeste Fideles (O Come All Ye Faithful) - 1700's: The text to the Carol O Come All Ye Faithful was originally written in Latin (Adeste Fideles) and was intended to be a hymn, it is attributed to John Wade, an Englishman. The music to O Come All Ye Faithful was composed by fellow Englishman John Reading in the early 1700s. The tune was first published in a collection known as "Cantus Diversi" in 1751. In 1841 Rev. Frederick Oakley is reputed to have worked on the familiar translation of O Come All Ye Faithful which replaced the older Latin lyrics "Adeste Fideles". (SOURCE: http://www.carols.org.uk/o_come_all_ye_faithful.htm)

Coventry Carol - 1534: The words and lyrics of the' Coventry Carol' were written by Robert Croo in 1534 for the traditional Coventry Plays and included in the Pageant of the Shearman and Tailors Guild which depicted Herod's slaughter of the innocents. The composer of the music is unknown but is also believed to date back to the 1500's. Henry Ramsden Bramley (1833-1917) and John Stainer (1840-1901) were the first to attribute the Coventry Carol which they included in 'Christmas Carols New and Old' in 1878.

I Saw Three Ships - 1666: Words: Traditional; First Publication Date: John Forbes' Cantus, 2nd. ed. (1666), Music: Traditional English.

Pat-A-Pan - 1700's: Words and Music: Guillô, Pran Ton Tamborin, Bernard de la Monnoye, c. 1700 (1641-1728)

From: http://www.digitalgothic.net/Sanctuary/carols.htm

Listen to A Coventry Carol: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QIvH5GdY4JE

 

Last Will & Testament of Mary Hallett

"Last Will & Testament of Mary Hallett" Barnstable County Probate Records Vol.8. April 19, 1734. In the Name of God Amen, this 19th day of April A. Dom. 1734.

Cape Cod legend has it that this woman may have been Samu­el Bel­lam­y's lover prior to his turn­ing pi­rate. She died in 1751.

          I, Mary Hallet of Yarmouth in the County of Barnstable New Eng­land Spin­ster being sound in Mind but sick in body ther­efore Calling to mind my Mortallity do make this my last Will and Testa­ment. First of all I Give and Com­mend my Soul into the hands of God who Gave it and my body to the Earth to be buried in Decent Mannner at ye Direc­tion of my Exec. hereafter Named not Doubting but at the Resurrec­tion I shall Receive the Same again by the Al­mighty Power of God & as to my Worldly Estate I dispose of it in the following Manner Vizt. in the first place I Give and bequeath to my Sister _____ Griffith my Wearing Appearell Including my two Gold Rings but not my Gold Bead­s, also I Give to my said Sis­ter my two Silver Spoons also One half of what Re­mains of my _____ Estate.

The other half of my Estate I Give to be Equally Divided among my Brethren and the Children of my Deceasd. Brother and Sister that is to Say one Sixth part of said Half to my Bro­ther Andrew Hallet one Sixth part to John Hallet one sixth part to the Surviving Children of Joseph Hallet one sixth part thereof to the Sur­viving Children of Samll Hallet Both my Deceased Breth­ren, one sixth part to Seth Hal­let and one sixth part to the Sur­viving Children of my Deceased Sister Thankfull Basset. Fi­nally I do consti­tute and Appoint my two Broth­ers Andrew Hallet and John Hal­let Exec. to this my last will and Testa­ment.  In Witness whereof I have here unto set my hand and seal the day and year above written.

Signed, Sealed, Published and De­clared by the Said Mary Hal­let to be her last will and Testamt. in presence of

Mary Ha­llet

Thomas Hallett

Jonathan Hallett

Jonathan Hallett Jr.

More about what happened after the sinking of the Whydah

"John Newman to Governor Shute" Gloucester. May 12, 1717. Massachusetts Archives 51:290.

May it please yr. Excelonsy,

           This morning my Self & some of the malitia of our town received Information of a sloop that was come into our town this morning that gave an account that they had bin taken by the pirates and Immediately we sent for two of the men that came in the Sloop, whos names are John Pearce & Richard Martin who gave the following account & Information, who say, that they being on bord a Sloop of which one Mr. Daniel Collins was master belonging to this town of Glocestor and in their way to the Eastward on a fishing voyage on the tenth day of this instant about Eight of the clock in the morning we being about fourty Leagues to the Eastward of Cape Ann we saw a small sloop to windward of us of about twenty five Tuns which we tooke to be a fisherman & she bore down towards us & we saw but four men on bord her & when she came prittey nigh shee hailed us & asked wher wee belonged & we told them to Cape Ann & we asked wher they belonged they said to Boston & immediately there came up on deck severall men more well armed & Immediately they run us on bord and four of them Jumpt on board our vessell which was a sloope of about fourty tuns & took us prisoners  there was nineteen of the Pirates & they tould us that they ware the only men that Escaped that belonged to the Ship that run on shoar at Cape Cod and that they made there Escape in the long boat & said that they had taken three Shallops & three Scooners that belonged to Marbleh­ead & had sett them att liberty again to goe about there business and did them noe damage. 

They kept us prisoners about twelve hours in which time they tooke what goods & things that was on bord ther Sloop which was severall Chests Trunks & bail goods and brought them on bord our sloop and then they gave [?] us & two men more which came home with us one of which men belonged to the Sloop they ware in when she was taken, the Sloop which we came home in & bid us make the best of our way home. 

They Kept our master & two more of our men & the Master that did belong to the Sloop they ware in when they tooke her. And they tould our master that as soon as they could meet with a vessell that they liked they would sett him & his vessell att liberty again & if they did not meete with a vessell in a little time they would sett him & his vessell at Liberty in Twenty five days and that they would sattisfy him well for what damage he should sustain by being put out of his way & then we came away from them, and when we left them they stood away about South South East but did not tell us where they Intended to goe. They also gave us acct. of three sloop more that ware on the Coast of Tenn Gunns apeice & with a hundred & niney men in Each Sloope.

            Our people are prittey much surprized for feare any of said Pirates should come on Shoar and Rob us we haveing noe fortifica­tion to secure Our harbour though we shall be as careful as we can & have Ordered a watch & also designe to Keep aware to see if we can make any discovery. Mr. Allin the [?] hear of who is Ensigne of one of our foott companies was present when the above named persons were Examined  wee would humbly crave your Excelonsy's advice for any thing further that may be done and if we can gain any further Information shall forwith according to my duty acquaint your Exocelensy with it.

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For the Love of a Pirate

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The Pirate's Curse

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Sneak Peek Day 2 - Take another look at my book The Whydah Pirates Speak

John Julian
The Teenage Pirate
By Laura Nelson

There are only two known survivors of the April 1717 wreck of the Whydah, commanded by Sam Bellamy: Thomas Davis, a carpenter, and John Julian, a pilot.¹ Although the majority of historical records list John as a Cape Cod Indian, further research by the team recovering artifacts from the wreck site reveals that he was actually a Miskito Indian from the region of Nicaragua and Honduras in Central America called the Costa de Miskitos (the Mosquito Coast).

John was probably around 16 years old when he became the Whydah's pilot and guided it in and out of hidden harbors through the difficult waters of Cape Cod.” (Clifford, Real, 81)

According to William Dampier, who interacted with the Miskito Indians circa 1687, “They are tall, well made, raw-boned, lusty, strong, and nimble of foot; long visaged, lank black hair, look stern, hard favour’d, and of a dark Copper-colour Complexion. . . . Their chiefest employment in their own Country is to strike Fish, Turtle, or Manatee . . . . For this they are esteemed and coveted by all Privateers; for one or two of them in a Ship will maintain 100 men: So that when we careen our Ships, we choose commonly such places where there is plenty of Turtle or Manatee for these Moskito Men to strike: and it is very rare to find Privateers destitute of one or more of them, when the Commander, or most of the Men are English . . . .” (Dampier, 7-8)

In addition to their fishing skills, Dampier also wrote, “They are very ingenious at throwing the Lance, Fisgig, Harpoon, or any manner of Dart.”² (Dampier, 7) He then goes on to comment that “. . . they often come with the Seamen.” (Dampier, 10)

Colin Woodard in his book The Republic of Pirates states that John “had served with Bellamy aboard his periaguas.”³ (Woodard, 185) While there is no specific record of how John joined Sam Bellamy's crew, in March 1715, Bellamy was with a band of pirates that operated in the Bay of Honduras, the region where the Miskito Indians lived.

It was fairly common that when a pirate crew captured a slave ship still carrying its cargo, many slaves, once freed, joined the pirates.⁴ Even if they lacked skills as seamen, they often had martial skills that made them valuable to their new crews. Many learned sailing skills after joining the pirates. “Blacks received shares of booty and enjoyed other perquisites of crew membership, including the right to vote. Rewards and incentives appear to have been based on an individual's ability to function effectively within the pirate crew rather than on skin color.” (Kinkor, 200)

Black men were well represented amongst pirate crews.

*Blackbeard's crew was 60 percent black;
*Edward England's crew of 300 included about 80 black pirates;
*Half of John Lewis's crew of 80 were black men from English colonies;
*On his last voyage, Christopher Condent's crew of some 500 pirates included an estimated 200 black men;
*Bart Roberts's crew included 70 black men out of a total of 267; and
*Two pirate crews, the names of their commanders unknown, were almost 100 percent black. (Clifford, Real, 80)

According to A General History of the Pyrates, when Captain Olivier Levasseur (also known as La Buse, the Buzzard) met up with Howell Davis off the coast of Gambia, half of his crew were blacks.