Poole, Charles

Singer

Collection date: 1911

Area: Gloucestershire

---

Charles Poole sang the carol 'As I sat on a sunny bank' (aka 'I saw three ships' Roud 700) to Constance Birch (Sharp's future wife) in December 1882 at Wotton-under-Edge, Glos. He was aged 12. Constance, who was then 20, was involved with the Sunday school in the town and either noted down the tune (she was a competent violinist) or else she remembered the tune, so that she could sing it to her husband Cecil Sharp nearly 30 years later when he was working on his forthcoming 'English Folk-Carols' book (Dec 1911 Novello).

Charles Poole was baptised at Wootton-under-Edge church on 13 Feb 1870, son of Frederick Poole, labourer, and his wife Mary. In the 1871 census the family were living at The Ark, Sinwell (now Synwell) just to the east of Wotton itself. Charles's mother Mary had died in 1886 but Frederick never remarried. One imagines that Charles had a tough childhood. Details of the rest of his life have not yet been uncovered.

The Gloucestershire Chronicle of 16 Dec 1882 reported that: 'Mrs Birch and her family, the new occupants of The Warren, take a generous interest in the poor of Sinwell, for whom Mrs Birch has started a labourers' club, which is open every evening with coffee, tea etc and books and papers. A Sunday school has been formed...and a night school at the house...and several concerts have been given at The Warren...'