PRATTLING WARBLERS, BROADCLYST, 1840.

 In March, 1840, William Barker, the vicar of Broadclyst, was at war with his rustic parishioners over the question of Sunday drinking.   He had summoned before the magistrates the keeper of a beer-shop for serving ale during divine service which naturally caused this vicar to be unpopular with his beer-swilling parishioners. 

The Western Times of 6th March 1840 clearly had sight of these remarkable lines written, and somehow published first by one of William Barker's flock and then, with, I imagine, some difficulty for the typographer, by the newspaper in its original form,  thus: 

"This of a little Cot not built on a rock, 

But it stands on the heath quite secure 

A black bird of Note tried to Set him a floate

And to wash A way from him Strong beer

 Choraus

So Now my boys you Must take Care

And Mind the hours of Prayer

Or Els the black bird will Sind rown

And take A way your Share

Theair is Two Prattling warblers that Prade rown the town

the A Sist the black bird when out of note

the Strach every vain for to Sit him in tune

But the Cot is not quite yeat A floate

Strong beer is its Pride And the house will Abide

In Spite of the black bird or warblers

The will Open their doors, And be Strick to theair hours

And feair Neaither One Nor the Oathers

Choraus

Now you black bird of note mind this is no joke

you  warblers that Prade round the town

Some bird of great fame will Strike Out your name 

And level you flat with the ground."

I have seen 'the' for 'they' before.  It is a phonetic rendering of the leisurely speech of Devon countryfolk.. 

The black bird is the Parson and the two prattling warblers are the Parish Constables.  There seems to me to be real anger expressed here.  Threatening to level parsons and policemen to the ground is in all probability no joke.

I can imagine this 'song' being sung round a table at the  Broadclyst beer-shop in the manner of Tony Lumpkin and his base companions at the Three Pigeons.