Bailey, Henry

Singer

Collection date: Jul 1914

Area: Somerset - Bridgwater Town

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Henry Bailey of Bridgwater (1844-1919): age 71, 5 sea shanties (FT3000-04) on 10 Jly 1914: Henry’s version of the shanty ‘Lowlands Away’ was published in Sharp’s ‘English Folk-Chanteys’ book (1914) p21.

Henry Bailey was baptised at St Mary’s Bridgwater on 11/2/1844, son of George Bailey, labourer and his wife Anne. He must have gone to sea as a young man because he doesn’t appear to be in any censuses (1861-91). He got married, aged 44, to Blanche Hamblin, a widow 10 years younger than him, on 5/11/1891 at St Mary’s Bridgwater. He seems to have settled down and worked on Bridgwater ships between 1893 and 1913 in the coastal trade. Blanche was on her own in their house in Monmouth St in the 1901 census and in the 1911 census (RG14/14284 sch 109) they were together at 31 Monmouth St Bridgwater. He was 68. He said he had 4 children, 1 of whom had died. Henry died Jan qr 1919 (5c 540).