A Tragedy of

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A Tragedy of the Fells
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This is one of two songs which refers to an
incident on 13th October, 1891 when Mr John Dent
of Grains o' Beck set out for Cronkley,
accompanied by his younger brother, Joseph and
his cousin Joseph Bowman Dent, in order to gather
their sheep for dipping. During the gathering a
storm arose and during the journey home, one of
the shepherds sadly died. The song was written by
S. Alderson in 1892.
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Now Grains o Beck is know so well, By Lune it
stands and near the fell, Oft mantled with the
snow, The people too are widely known Remembered
for their kindness shown To travellers high and
low. October Twas the thirteenth day, When
three young men did make their way To gather home
their sheep, That one of those who then did
leave, Not one then left did eer conceive, Ere
night in death would sleep.
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The morn was fair and warm indeed, Light clothes
were chosen to make speed, Their purpose to
attain The days were short, so well they
knew That darkness soon would blind their
view, And make their efforts vain. So they sped
on as time flew by, But oh, how altered grew the
sky From that of early morn The spreading clouds
they darker grew, The howling winds they fiercer
blew, So rose the fatal storm.
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Oer Crockleys bleak and dreary fell, For hours
the blast did sweep and swell Till near the close
of day The sheep were gathered then tis
true, But drenched the men and tired too, And
home was far away. So cutting blew the shot-like
hail, The sheep could hardly face the gale And
reeling turned oft round The cold its tale was
telling fast, their limbs were numbing with the
blast Each step along the ground.
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Earth man his own sad tale new best, And so,
could tell unto the rest, But this was done too
late When strength, and nearly life were
gone, This awful secret was made known, That one
was near his fate. Two miles or more they were
away, When John Dent did so sadly say My
strength is at an end As there he stood, or
rather reeled, The others promptly, for too
shield From falling, aid did lend.
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With arms united fast as one, This mortal three
did struggle on, To reach fain friends and
home But how they reeled, how oft they
fell, Amid the darkness on that fell, Alike, is
wrapt in gloom. Then to the wall by the Hurth
end, Johns mortal, mournful march did end, On
earth no more to roam From thence another escort
then (But twas not human not of men) Was to
convey him home.
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Beneath the wall, upon a stone, It was for
Bowman cold and lone- To nurse his dying
friend The younger brother foundering fast, Ere
Arngill House was reached at last To ask their
aid to lend. As each to each the tale did
tell, How John was dying on the fell, To help
would shirk no pains But ere three men did reach
the scene, They only found of what had been, The
cold and dead remains.
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Some time ere this tis said he ceased To shiver,
speak or move the least. All then was still and
drear Thus half a mile from his own fire, In the
cold blast he did expire. That friend and brother
dear. John Bayles by dint of strength amain, His
body bore in grief and pain To his now mournful
home. Awhile to stay, until the day They took his
corpse again away, And laid it in the tomb.
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We will say this and then were done. A finer
spirit, the great sun Did never shine
upon Earths noise and show he did forego, Yet
heaven his worth did know, And there the crown is
won.
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About the Collection This song is taken from a
book entitled 'Those boys of Bondgate ...
etc.'.'Those boys o' Bondgate' is in fact the
title of one of several lectures on the history
of the Darlington area and the Tees Valley to the
west, that make up this collection. The addresses
were given by Charles Percy Nicholson to the
Darlington and Teesdale Naturalists' Field Club
in the early 20th century and were republished in
this collection at the request of Nicholson's
son. One of these addresses is entitled
'Teesdale in ballad and song', and includes a
number of songs and poems from the area. Most of
the offerings are not written in dialect, but
nevertheless do reflect many aspects of life in
rural Teesside during the nineteenth century, and
form one of only a small number of surviving song
collections from this area.