The Witches of Elswick
Encyclopedia
The Witches of Elswick are an English
A cappella
folk
quartet. They are: Becky Stockwell, Gillian Tolfrey, Bryony Griffith and Fay Hield
. Much of their material comes from traditional music of the British Isles
, including Two Sisters
, Lord Randall
, and Daddy Fox. They also perform more contemporary folk material, such as Once Lived In Service (Peter Bellamy
), Soldier, Soldier (Peter Bellamy, based on the poem by Rudyard Kipling
, Bring Us A Barrel (Keith Marsden). The Witches take their name from Elswick, Tyne and Wear
, where they shared a flat, and is a play on The Witches of Eastwick
.
Gillian (from Jarrow
) and Becky became "drinking buddies", when Becky moved to Newcastle from Broadstairs
in Kent
. Bryony (from Huddersfield
) became friends with the two of them when she moved to the area, to be with her boyfriend, a dancer in a traditional dance team, who practised at the local pub. They then started living in a flat together. When Fay (from Keighley
) starting a degree
course (a BMus in Folk and Traditional Music) in 2001, at Newcastle University
, she moved into the flat, and the group formed later that year.
The group form part of WitchNotes, a seven-part a capella group, with folk musicians Grace Notes. Bryony Griffith also sings and plays fiddle
in folk group The Demon Barbers, which also includes her brother Ben Griffith on drum
s.
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
A cappella
A cappella
A cappella music is specifically solo or group singing without instrumental sound, or a piece intended to be performed in this way. It is the opposite of cantata, which is accompanied singing. A cappella was originally intended to differentiate between Renaissance polyphony and Baroque concertato...
folk
Folk music
Folk music is an English term encompassing both traditional folk music and contemporary folk music. The term originated in the 19th century. Traditional folk music has been defined in several ways: as music transmitted by mouth, as music of the lower classes, and as music with unknown composers....
quartet. They are: Becky Stockwell, Gillian Tolfrey, Bryony Griffith and Fay Hield
Fay Hield
-Career:Hield was part of The Witches of Elswick, with whom she recorded two CDs in their four years together.Fay and her partner Jon Boden run two folk clubs – Royal Traditions and Bright Phoebus ....
. Much of their material comes from traditional music of the British Isles
British Isles
The British Isles are a group of islands off the northwest coast of continental Europe that include the islands of Great Britain and Ireland and over six thousand smaller isles. There are two sovereign states located on the islands: the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and...
, including Two Sisters
The Twa Sisters
"The Twa Sisters" is a murder ballad that recounts the tale of a girl drowned by her sister. It is first known to have appeared on a broadside in 1656 as "The Miller and the King's Daughter." At least 21 English variants exist under several names, including "Minnorie" or "Binnorie", "The Cruel...
, Lord Randall
Lord Randall
"Lord Randall", or "Lord Randal", is an Anglo-Scottish border ballad, a traditional ballad consisting of dialogue. The different versions follow the same general lines: the primary character is poisoned, usually by his sweetheart; this is revealed through a conversation where he reports on the...
, and Daddy Fox. They also perform more contemporary folk material, such as Once Lived In Service (Peter Bellamy
Peter Bellamy
Peter Franklyn Bellamy was an English folk singer. He was a founding member of The Young Tradition but also had a long solo career, recording numerous albums and touring folk clubs and concert halls...
), Soldier, Soldier (Peter Bellamy, based on the poem by Rudyard Kipling
Rudyard Kipling
Joseph Rudyard Kipling was an English poet, short-story writer, and novelist chiefly remembered for his celebration of British imperialism, tales and poems of British soldiers in India, and his tales for children. Kipling received the 1907 Nobel Prize for Literature...
, Bring Us A Barrel (Keith Marsden). The Witches take their name from Elswick, Tyne and Wear
Elswick, Tyne and Wear
Elswick is a ward of the city of Newcastle upon Tyne, England, in the western part of the city, bordering the river Tyne. One of the earliest references to the coal mining industry of the north east occurs in 1330, when it was recorded that the Prior of Tynemouth let a colliery, called Heygrove, at...
, where they shared a flat, and is a play on The Witches of Eastwick
The Witches of Eastwick
The Witches of Eastwick is a 1984 novel by John Updike.-Plot summary:The story, set in the fictional Rhode Island town of Eastwick in the late 1960s, follows the witches Alexandra Spofford, Jane Smart, and Sukie Rougemont, who acquired their powers after leaving or being left by their husbands....
.
Gillian (from Jarrow
Jarrow
Jarrow is a town in Tyne and Wear, England, located on the River Tyne, with a population of 27,526. From the middle of the 19th century until 1935, Jarrow was a centre for shipbuilding, and was the starting point of the Jarrow March against unemployment in 1936.-Foundation:The Angles re-occupied...
) and Becky became "drinking buddies", when Becky moved to Newcastle from Broadstairs
Broadstairs
Broadstairs is a coastal town on the Isle of Thanet in the Thanet district of east Kent, England, about south-east of London. It is part of the civil parish of Broadstairs and St Peter's, which includes St. Peter's and had a population in 2001 of about 24,000. Situated between Margate and...
in Kent
Kent
Kent is a county in southeast England, and is one of the home counties. It borders East Sussex, Surrey and Greater London and has a defined boundary with Essex in the middle of the Thames Estuary. The ceremonial county boundaries of Kent include the shire county of Kent and the unitary borough of...
. Bryony (from Huddersfield
Huddersfield
Huddersfield is a large market town within the Metropolitan Borough of Kirklees, in West Yorkshire, England, situated halfway between Leeds and Manchester. It lies north of London, and south of Bradford, the nearest city....
) became friends with the two of them when she moved to the area, to be with her boyfriend, a dancer in a traditional dance team, who practised at the local pub. They then started living in a flat together. When Fay (from Keighley
Keighley
Keighley is a town and civil parish within the metropolitan borough of the City of Bradford in West Yorkshire, England. It is situated northwest of Bradford and is at the confluence of the River Aire and the River Worth...
) starting a degree
Academic degree
An academic degree is a position and title within a college or university that is usually awarded in recognition of the recipient having either satisfactorily completed a prescribed course of study or having conducted a scholarly endeavour deemed worthy of his or her admission to the degree...
course (a BMus in Folk and Traditional Music) in 2001, at Newcastle University
University of Newcastle upon Tyne
Newcastle University is a major research-intensive university located in Newcastle upon Tyne in the north-east of England. It was established as a School of Medicine and Surgery in 1834 and became the University of Newcastle upon Tyne by an Act of Parliament in August 1963. Newcastle University is...
, she moved into the flat, and the group formed later that year.
The group form part of WitchNotes, a seven-part a capella group, with folk musicians Grace Notes. Bryony Griffith also sings and plays fiddle
Fiddle
The term fiddle may refer to any bowed string musical instrument, most often the violin. It is also a colloquial term for the instrument used by players in all genres, including classical music...
in folk group The Demon Barbers, which also includes her brother Ben Griffith on drum
Drum
The drum is a member of the percussion group of musical instruments, which is technically classified as the membranophones. Drums consist of at least one membrane, called a drumhead or drum skin, that is stretched over a shell and struck, either directly with the player's hands, or with a...
s.
External links
- http://www.themagpiesnest.co.uk/artists/witches-elswick
- http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio4/womanshour/2004_01_tue_03.shtmlAn interview with the group on Woman's HourWoman's HourWoman's Hour is a radio magazine programme broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in the United Kingdom.-History:Created by Norman Collins and originally presented by Alan Ivimey the programme was first broadcast on 7 October 1946 on the BBC's Light Programme . It was transferred to its current home in 1973...
] - BBC - Radio 3 World on Your Street - Musicians' Stories: Fay Hield