Annotation:Whitehaven Volunteers
X:73 C:Page 37 T:Whitehaven Volunteers. MBe.73 A:England;Cumbria;Towcett B:Matthew Betham MS, Towcett Cumbria, 1815 Z:VMP - Hugh Taylor, 2012 M:2/4 L:1/8 Q:1/4=100 R: N:Someone in a different hand has wrote underneath the title "Whitehaven Volunteers". N:See also a version in Rook from Wigton. N:Has similarities to Petronella, esp the A part. K:G d/c/|BB B/c/A/B/|GGGD|GBdB|e/d/c/B/ Ad/c/| BB B/c/A/B/|GGGD|EcAF|G2- G:| |:d/c/|Bdd e/f/|gd d/e/d/c/|BddB|A/G/A/B/ Ad/c/| Bdd e/f/|g/f/g/a/ gd|BG B/A/G/F/| G2 G:|
WHITEHAVEN VOLUNTEERS. AKA - "March of the Whitehaven Volunteers." English, March or Country Dance Tune (2/4 time). England, Cumbria. G Major. Standard tuning (fiddle). AABB. The melody is in a similar vein to “Petronella.” The melody was entered into the 1840 music manuscript collection of Waverly, Cumbria, musician John Rook. The Whitehaven Volunteers were probably a local militia unit raised during the Napoleonic Wars, from Whitehaven, Cumbria, England, although Barry Callaghan says they were raised for the American War of Independence in 1778. A racing purse in the name of the Whitehaven Volunteers (‘The Whitehaven Volunteers’ Plate’) survived until at least until the mid-1860’s when winners for the Whitehaven racecourse were announced in the racing calendars.
"Whitehaven Volunteers" is a maleable tune and is sometimes played as a hornpipe, schottische or barndance, depending on the amount of “swing” or dotted rhythms are employed.
