Five Valleys Wassail
In 2017, local folk singer and songwriter Johnny Coppin wrote the Five Valleys Wassail especially for us. You can listen to it here, set to a backdrop of superb photographs of the Wassail and our sister winter festival Stroud Goodwill Evening, courtesy of Martin Fry. The song has become a staple of Stroud Wassail ever since.
The Traditional Stroud Wassail
In 1979 Gwilym Davies recorded someone who remembered the wassailers in Stroud and could sing a verse. You can hear him talking about it here – Stroud Wassailing
According to information provided to the Evesham Journal in 1913 by a Mr Godsell, the Stroud Mummers in the 1870s used to finish their play with various songs, including
Wassail, wassail all over the town,
Our bread it is white our ale it is brown.
Our bowl it is made from some maplin tree,
With my wassailing bowl I drink to thee
Our Stroud Wassail song takes its tune from the 1979 recording, and most of the words from a manuscript reported to be in Stroud Museum. Download Song Sheet
