Turner, Robert

Also known as: Bob Turner

Singer

Collection date: Jan 1905

Area: Devon

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Robert (Bob) Turner at Mariansleigh, North Devon (1831-1914): age 74, 4 songs on 3 Jan 1905: Bob’s song ‘The Mallard’ (FT465 Roud 1517) was written up by Sharp in the Journal of the Folk-Song Society 5 (1916). Click vwml link above. It’s a 2-voice song telling of the eating of parts of a duck – it’s compared in the journal with the French-Canadian song ‘Alouette’.

Bob Turner was born c1831 in Burrington village and married Wilmot Harris, a glover from Ashreigney. They lived at King’s Nympton then Chittlehampton, raising 6 children. Bob was an agricultural labourer all his life. Wilmot must have died in the 1870s and Bob remarried Elizabeth Holcombe (probably a single parent with daughter Emma b1872). Emma died in 1892. The couple lived at Mariansleigh from 1881 to 1911 censuses (1901 ref RG13/2139 f65 p7). Bob died Jan qr 1914 aged 82 (ref Barnstaple 5b 679).