Jone o Grinfilt

Jone o Grinfilt is a poem in the Oldham dialect of English. It was written by a man named Joseph Lees from the Glodwick area of the town in 1805. "Grinfilt" is a dialect pronunciation of Greenfield, a village in the neighbouring parish of Saddleworth. The main character believes that the historic county boundary between Lancashire and Yorkshire is a boundary between nations, and he prepares to set off to Oldham in the belief that this is where the French live. At the time of writing, the Napoleonic Wars were under way and Jone is eager to take part. The poem was very popular, and was widely imitated elsewhere in England.

The poem circulated in the form of broadsides and is known to have been sung for King George III. Two broadside ballads naming Jone o Grinfilt in their titles are reproduced by Martha Vicinus in Broadsides of the Industrial North, 1975. One is this poem and the other is better known as "Th' Owdham Wayver" or "The Poor Cotton Weaver". They were probably printed in the mid 19th century; the poem was also printed in John Harland's Ballads and Songs of Lancashire (three editions: 1865, 1875 and 1882).

Says Jone to his woife on a whot summers day,

"Awm resolvt I Grinfilt no lunger to stay;

For awll goo to Owdham os fast os aw can,

So fare thee weel Grinfilt, an fare thee weel Nan;

For a sodger awll be, an brave Owdham awll see,

An awll hae a battle wi th French."

"Dear Jone," said eawr Nan, un hoo bitterly cried,

"Wilt be one o th foote, or theaw means for t ride?"

"Ods eawns! wench awll ride oather ass or a mule,

Ere awll keawr i Grinfilt os black os th owd dule

Booath clemmin, un starvin, un never a fardin,

It ud welly drive ony mon mad."

"Ay, Jone, sin we coom i Grinfilt for t dwell,

Weyn had mony a bare meal, aw con vara weel tell."

"Bare meal, ecod! ay, that aw vara weel know,

Theres bin two days this wick ot weyn had nowt at o;

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