Village Wassailing Event

On 15th January 2011 Branscombe National Trust is holding a traditional Wassailing Event in the village. The school have been very involved in the preparation for this. All the children worked with 'Folk Southwest' to compose a Wassailing Folk Song and children in class 2 have created some batik banners of apples to hang in the National Trust barn on the evening.


The children worked hard to produce their Wassailing song, writing the words and the music, both of which are shown below:
Branscombe Wassail Song

In Branscombe Vale sweet apples grow
And robins nest and feed
And we wassail with crusty bread
And cider showers the trees
And candles bright gleam through the night
And home-made lanterns glow
With shouts and bangs above our heads
To make bad spirits go.

SHOUT Make the trees grow
Plenty of cider
Plenty of juice
And plenty of apples to eat
Lots for us
Lots for the birds
Go away bad things
Wake up good things
Make the trees grow
Wassailing we go
Make the trees grow!

We’ve Ironsides and Golly Knapp
And Thomas Legg and Putt
There’s Old Pig’s Nose and Neverblight
Next to our King’s Fav’rite
With Buttery Door which we adore
And Devonshire Quarrenden
With Slack mi Girdle last not least
And now our Wassail’s done

SHOUT Make the trees grow
Plenty of cider
Plenty of juice
And plenty of apples to eat
Lots for us
Lots for the birds
Go away bad things
Wake up good things
Make the trees grow
Wassailing we go
Make the trees grow!