West, Charles

Singer

Collection date: Aug 1908

Area: Somerset - Bridgwater Surrounds

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Charles West of Broomfield nr Bridgwater (1826-1909): age 82, 5 songs 1 Aug 1908: When Sharp added his versions of the ‘Turtle Dove’ song to those collected by Butterworth and Vaughan Williams in the Folk Song Journal 4 (1913), he noted that Mr Charles West had been too ill and feeble to sing the tune properly to him but did recite the verses. Sharp got 4 other songs from Charles.

Charles West was baptised at Broomfield church on 12/3/1826, son of John West, labourer and his wife Charlotte. He married Emma Hake at Taunton St James on 1/12/1851 and they had 3 children but Emma died in 1874. Charles, 54, was remarried to Jane West (no relation), 39, daughter of Robert West, gardener at Broomfield on 6/5/1880. They were together in cottages at Rasshill Farm (modern map Raswell Farm) in both 1891 and 1901 censuses (latter ref RG13/2281 f23 p4). Just over a mile away from singer James Lovell. Charles died October qr 1909 aged 82 (5c 215).