William Winter’s Quantocks Tune Book

With an enclosed CD - Music played by Rob Harbron, Miranda Rutter, Nancy Kerr and Tim van Eyken

Country dance and popular tunes from the manuscript of a nineteenth century Somerset village shoemaker

Edited by Geoff Woolfe

William Winter lived in the village of West Bagborough in the Quantocks in Somerset from 1822 to 1861. He played in a church band and noted over 450 tunes in his manuscript book, which was discovered in a second-hand bookshop in 1960. This selection from the manuscript has 377 dance and song tunes dating from the mid 18th century to the 1850s. Thirty two of these tunes have been recorded on the CD included with this book.

The Book contains many rare jigs, hornpipes, waltzes and other dance tunes, as well as interesting versions of more familiar ones. The book also gives interesting information about William Winter’s life and the background to his music.

Published Halsway Manor Society 2007