LOST West Devon folk carols have been rediscovered and are set to be sung again – in time for Christmas

The West Devon Carols are distinct to the district and became popular towards the end of the 19th century, when most locals would have been familiar with them – although documents suggest their origins go back much further than that.

Many have been lost to the passage of time, but five have now have been revived by Okehampton-based Wren Music. The charity is holding a workshop in December for a new generation to learn them, before performing them as part of a Folk Carols by Candlelight concert at the town’s St James Chapel.

“At one time, these carols would have been well-known and sung throughout communities in West Devon, where there was a strong tradition of village carol singing,” said Marilyn Tucker from Wren Music. “The carols are different to the carols that are popular today, they’re more folksy, and are from the non-conformist tradition of this area. They would have been more at home being sung out and about, rather than in a chapel. It was a way of cheering everyone up in the middle of a long, dark winter.”

The carols were first brought to Wren Music’s attention around 30 years ago, when Barbara Cubbin from Bratton Clovelly, brought a reel-to-reel tape recording from the 1960: “These five carols were on there, being sung by a band of local men in unaccompanied harmony,” explained Marilyn. “so we know the carols were probably still being sung in communities in West Devon going into the 1970s.”

She added: “Barbara had no way of listening to them, so she asked if we could transfer the recordings to tape. We did one for her, and we did one for our archive of traditional South West song collections.”

Wren Music has renamed the carols Hark, The Music of the Cherubs; Let Christians All Awake; Hark, ‘Tis Angels Singing; These Earthly Pleasures; and Awake, Awake, Ye People All.

Wren’s professional musicians noted down the scores and transcribed the words and taught them to a local group, The Packhorse Singers, and children at the primary school in Bratton Clovelly:

“Now, 30 years later, we feel it’s time to revive them, and revive them for good,” said Marilyn. “Hopefully, they’ll become popular again so that they can be sung in communities across the district every year.”

The West Devon Carols workshop takes place from 2pm-5pm on Sunday 10 December at the Church Hall in Market Street in Okehampton and is open to everyone who wants also to join in with singing them at Folk Carols by Candlelight at St James Chapel on Thursday 14 December, 7pm-8.30pm.

Some lines from These Earthly Pleasures were missing on the original tape, and, it is hoped they can be found for the concert.

Wren Music also revived the Landkey Carols in north Devon to bring forward the Landkey Carols. More on Wren Music at www.wrenmusic.co.uk