Joseph Ritson was an English antiquary who is well known for editing the first scholarly collection of Robin Hood ballads (1795). After a visit to France in 1791, he became a staunch supporter of the ideals of the French Revolution. He was also an influential vegetarianism activist. He is also known for his collections of English nursery rhymes, such as "Roses Are Red" and "Little Bo-Peep", in Gammer Gurton's Garland or The Nursery Parnassus, published in London by Joseph Johnson.
Kilnsey is a small village in Wharfedale, North Yorkshire, England. It lies on the B6160 road, between the villages of Grassington and Kettlewell, near Arncliffe and just across the River Wharfe from Conistone. The village is 12 miles (19 km) north of Skipton and 3 miles (5 km) south of Kettlewell.
Henry John Todd (1763–1845) was an English Anglican cleric, librarian, and scholar, known as an editor of John Milton.
Samuel Weller Singer (1783–1858) was an English author and scholar on the work of William Shakespeare. He is also now remembered as a pioneer historian of card games.
Joseph Haslewood was an English writer and antiquary. He was a founder of the Roxburghe Club.
"The Keel Row" is a traditional Tyneside folk song evoking the life and work of the keelmen of Newcastle upon Tyne. A closely related song was first published in a Scottish collection of the 1770s, but may be considerably older, and it is unclear whether the tune is Scottish or English in origin.
William Fordyce Mavor was a Scottish teacher, priest and compiler of educational books, many of which passed through numerous editions. He also invented a system of shorthand, which he explained in a treatise entitled 'Universal Stenography’, first published in 1779. He is buried in the church at Woodstock, Oxfordshire, where there is a commemorative plaque.
John Bell (1783–1864) was a printer and avid collector of ballads who played a major part in the recording of the lyrics of popular songs in the north east of England.
Rhymes of Northern Bards is a book of North East England traditional and popular song consisting of approximately 200 song lyrics on over 300 pages, published in 1812. It was reprinted in 1971 by Frank Graham, Newcastle upon Tyne with an introduction by David Harker.
The Bishoprick Garland is a book compiled by Cuthbert Sharp which gives historical details of people, places and events from the Bishopric of Durham, and was published in 1834.
Northumbrian Minstrelsy is a book of 18th and 19th century North East of England folk songs and pipe music, intended to be a lasting historical record. The book was edited by John Stokoe and the Rev John Collingwood Bruce LL.D., F.S.A., and published by and on behalf of the Society of Antiquaries of Newcastle upon Tyne in 1882. It was reprinted in 1965 by Folklore Associates, Hatboro, Pennsyslvania, with a foreword by A. L. Lloyd.
Robert Roxby was an English clerk by profession, and amateur angler, songwriter and poet. He regularly contributed to collections of poems and songs, most prolifically in The Fisher's Garland from around 1823 to 1851.
Bernard Rumney was a bard and musician from Rothbury, Northumberland, England.
Ritson's Northern Garlands , Edited and published by Joseph Ritson, is a compilation of four previously published books on North East music, published in 1810.
Bishopric Garland or Durham Minstrel, Edited and published by Joseph Ritson, is a revised and corrected edition of a book on County Durham music, published in 1792.
Ritson's Northumberland Garland or Newcastle Nightingale, Edited and published by Joseph Ritson, is a revised edition of a book on Northumberland music, published in 1809.
Ritson's North-Country Chorister , Edited and published by Joseph Ritson, is a revised edition of a book on Durham music, published in 1809.
Ancient Engleish Metrical Romanceës (1802) is a collection of Middle English verse romances edited by the antiquary Joseph Ritson; it was the first such collection to be published. The book appeared to mixed reviews and very poor sales, but it continued to be consulted well into the 20th century by scholars, and is considered "a remarkably accurate production for its day".
