Monk’s Gate ## The story of a song Monk’s Gate is a hamlet on the A281 on the outskirts of Horsham, West Sussex heading toward Brighton. Officially it lies in the parish of Nuthurst. Most will pass its few houses at a bend in the road without a second thought, in fact, in the blink of an eye it is gone. Every time I pass through, usually on my bike, it triggers an ‘earworm’.1 Listen to the tune **Monk’s Gate** here:2 Ralph Vaughan Williams in 1898. [Unknown photographer – British Library, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons] 120 years ago another cyclist passed this way, he was the composer Ralph Vaughan Williams who frequently travelled from his home at Leith Hill House around Surrey and Sussex collecting folk tunes. There were two motivations for this: capturing the soon-to-be-lost musical heritage and as a source of inspiration for his compositions. When he subsequently used a tune it was his practice to name it after the place he heard it. This particular tune was collected on 22 December 1904 when Vaughan Williams visited Harriett and Peter Verrall, who lived at Thrift Cottage. The 1901 census is not as helpful as it might be in identifying the specific property as there are several cottages with that name and together with a row of 6 numbered consecutively which can be identified today. Monk’s Gate (formerly Monk’s Common) showing the location of the ‘Thrift Cottages’ Harriett was born Harriett Richardson in 1855 in nearby Slaugham. Peter and Harriett were married in 1880 in the parish church at nearby Lower Beeding. They had three children, two daughters and a son. In 1901 Peter and Harriet were living in Monk’s Gate with her father Richard Richardson. Both Richard Richardson and Peter Verrall were agricultural labourers. It seems Vaughan Williams visited the Verralls on more than one occasion as another well-known song, the Sussex Carol “On Christmas night all Christians sing”, came from the same source. Both Harriett and Peter were known locally for their folk singing. A year later, in 1905 Harriett won a singing competition sponsored by the West Sussex Gazette. Harriett sang the tune to the words of a folk song, _Our Captain Calls_ : > Our Captain calls all hands to sail tomorrow > Leaving my dear to mourn in grief and sorrow > Dry up those briny tears and leave off weeping > So happy may we live at our next meeting Vaughan Williams adapted the tune to the words of John Bunyan’s song, that appeared in _Pilgrim’s Progress_ originally published in 1678: > He who would valiant be ‘gainst all disaster > Let him in constancy follow the Master. > There’s no discouragement shall make him once relent, > His first avowed intent to be a pilgrim 1,2; 5,6 & 7 Thrift Cottages, Monk’s Gate By the time of the 1911 census, Peter and Harriett had moved to North Street, Horsham and were living with their son. Harriett died in 1918 and Peter died in 1922. Both are buried in an unmarked grave at Hills Cemetery, Horsham. The grave of Peter and Harriett Verrall. Plot G015, Hills Cemetery, Horsham ## And the Monks? There probably were no monks. The place name derives its origins from _Robert le Monek de Rugwyk_ (1344) i.e. Robert, the monk, of Rudgwick. There are several other place names in Sussex that include the element ‘monk’. ## Postscript Read more about Ralph Vaughan Williams and his interest in folk songs at the English Folk Dance and Song Society. The Britsh Library has an extensive collection of Ralph Vaughan Williams manuscript collection. 1. A recurring musical melody or song. A memorable piece of music continuously occupies a person’s mind even after it is no longer being played. 2. Credit: Hymns Without Words, by Richard M S Irwin https://play.hymnswithoutwords.com/he-who-would-valiant-be-monks-gate/ © Copyright : Graham Ward. All rights reserved.

1/2 Earlier this year I wrote about a tune arranged by Ralph Vaughan Williams known as 'Monks Gate' named after a hamlet near Horsham where Williams heard it on 22 December 1904. https://edintone.com/monks-gate/
#VaughanWilliams #MonksGate #FolkSong

#Sussex #Horsham #Monksgate How a beloved Christmas carol was born in a Sussex hamlet
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