Calvert, William

Dancer

Collection date: Jan 1913

Area: Yorkshire

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William Calvert of Askham Richard sword dance (1841-1928): Sharp visited Askham Richard, 6 miles SW of York, on 16 Jan 1913 and interviewed 3 men – William Calvert (singer on), Robert Gilson (fiddler) and Samuel Bland (leader). Calvert was the man who sang each individual dancer into the team ready to dance. His song ‘Here comes little Trim Bush, that comical lad’ is FT2814 and his contributions are written up in Folk Dance Notes 3 pp14,17. Calvert lived in Escrick for 7 years and got the Trim Bush and Clown narrative from there.

William Calvert was baptized on 7/2/1841 at Askham Richard, son of Nathaniel Calvert, agricultural labourer and his wife Mary. William was a gardener all his working life and moved around to find work. He married Sarah Foster at Bolton Percy on 1/10/1863. They had 4 children and moved to Dringhouses, 5 miles to the east of Askham Richard by 1891 census and they were there in the next two censuses. William died in York in 1928.

Thanks to Kevin Holland for information provided.