The Famous Duke
by Jon Raven
Come gather round me, bonny lads, a story I will tell,
Of Bridgewater that great Duke, whose name you know right well.
In Lancashire he did dwell, to London town he came
To play the young and sporting blade, and be a man of fame.
Twas there he took to courting – a girl both bright and fair,
And soon he fell in love with her, how they made a comely pair.
But fortune, being cruel to him, it did her love destroy,
For she turned to another blade and left him without joy.
And then the Duke, in spirits low, came home to Worsley town,
Where soon through work and industry his name was quite renown.
Twas there he met with Brindley, the millwright engineer,
And from there they built their grand canal right into Manchester.
Their names spread wide and many came to view their famous scheme,
And talk was rife in Midland towns of what it soon could mean,
If the Brummagem financiers built a cut to carry coal,
From Hampton and the Black Country – it would surely serve us all.
Well gather round me close, my friends, for a secret I’ve been told
That this very day in Brummagem, such a scheme may well unfold.
For in this pub, some men will meet, who have it in their minds,
To start this navigation should they the money find.
The Famous Duke
by Jon Raven
Come gather round me, bonny lads, a story I will tell,
Of Bridgewater that great Duke, whose name you know right well.
In Lancashire he did dwell, to London town he came
To play the young and sporting blade, and be a man of fame.
Twas there he took to courting – a girl both bright and fair,
And soon he fell in love with her, how they made a comely pair.
But fortune, being cruel to him, it did her love destroy,
For she turned to another blade and left him without joy.
And then the Duke, in spirits low, came home to Worsley town,
Where soon through work and industry his name was quite renown.
Twas there he met with Brindley, the millwright engineer,
And from there they built their grand canal right into Manchester.
Their names spread wide and many came to view their famous
scheme,
And talk was rife in Midland towns of what it soon could mean,
If the Brummagem financiers built a cut to carry coal,
From Hampton and the Black Country – it would surely serve us all.
Well gather round me close, my friends, for a secret I’ve been told
That this very day in Brummagem, such a scheme may well unfold.
For in this pub, some men will meet, who have it in their minds,
To start this navigation should they the money find.
