Joshua Gibbons

Joshua Gibbons was a papermaker in the village of Tealby, on the western edge of the Lincolnshire Wolds, where the River Rase provided power for several paper mills. He was also a musician; in 1969 his tunebook was noticed on display at Normanby Hall by Sue Cave, who played violin with the Grimsby group "Broadside". Since then the manuscript has been moved to the North East Lincolnshire Archives at Town Hall Square, Grimsby. Most of the manuscript was published by Peter Sumner in 1997 as "Lincolnshire Collections, Volume 1, The Joshua Gibbons Manuscript" (ISBN 0-9530117). The tunes are not presented in manuscript order, but are grouped, on dubious evidence, in "sets" containing tunes in different times and keys. The original pitches are given, but tunes are transposed into "user-friendly" keys. 186 of the 208 items are included.

Joshua Gibbons was born in 1778 and died in 1871. Little is known about his musical life except for evidence from the manuscript, which is dated 1823. Sumner assumes he was a fiddle player, but the only instruments mentioned in the MS are the clarinet and "recorda" (sic). A number of titles make reference to Rasen band, so he may have played with them in nearby Market Rasen. Reference is also made to tunes from Louth and Caistor, so he may have had contact with groups in those places. Many of the tunes are arranged in two or three parts, suggesting that Gibbons played regularly with other musicians. The complete manuscript has recently been converted into .abc notation and will shortly be available on the Village Music Project website.[1]

Items in the MS are as follows, with VMP numbers:

Gibbons MS List: 1. Go to the Devil and Shake Yourself JGi.001 2. Scotch Laddie, The JGi.002 3. March JGi.003 4. Scots wha hae wi Wallace Bled. JGi.004 5. Willy of the Dale JGi.005 6. Pady Carey JGi.006 7. Rosline Castle. JGi.007 8. Old Towler JGi.008 9. Country Dance JGi.009 10. Triumph JGi.010 11. March. JGi.011 12. Egg Hornpipe JGi.012 13. Irish Quadrilles JGi.013 14. March JGi.014 15. Quick March JGi.015 16. Quick Step JGi.016 17. Quick March JGi.017 18. Roy O'More JGi.018 19. Quick March JGi.019 20. Queens March JGi.020 21. Goose berry Hornpipe, The JGi.021 22. Jem of Aberdeen JGi.022 23. prince of wales H.pipe, The JGi.023 24. Prince of Wales March JGi.024 25. Flowers of Edinborough, The JGi.025 26. Quick Step from Newark JGi.026 27. Yellow hair'd Laddie, The JGi.027 28. Scotch Hornpipe JGi.028 29. In Infancy JGi.029 30. March JGi.030 31. Lincoln Hornpipe JGi.031 32. Seconds to Queens March JGi.032 33. Slow March from 2nd no York Regt Militia JGi.033 34. Drops of Brandy JGi.034 35. Vergins Wish, The JGi.035 36. Black Joke, The JGi.036 37. Smash the Windows JGi.037 38. British Reel, A JGi.038 39. Quick Step JGi.039 40. Cotilion JGi.040 41. Morgiana JGi.041 42. Hast to the wedding JGi.042 43. March - From Newark JGi.043 44. Bounapartes Pettit Dancea JGi.044 45. Untitled Quick Step JGi.045 46. Self, The JGi.046 47. Picknickery JGi.047 48. Picknickery on (C.) JGi.048 49. Battle at Trafalgar, The JGi.049 50. Nymph JGi.050 51. Steam Packet Hornpipe JGi.051 52. Over the Water to Charlie JGi.052 53. O dear What Can the matter be JGi.053 54. Loves a Tyrant Jgi.054 55. Market Rasen Quick Step JGi.055 56. Robin Adair JGi.056 57. Air JGi.057 58. Dandy O JGi.058 59. Paddy Resourse Jgi.059 60. Legacy, The Jgi.060 61. Sweet Robin Jgi.061 62. Oh Nanny JGi.062 63. Mrs Casey JGi.063 64. Soldiers Joy JGi.064 65. Persion JGi.065 66. Black Dance JGi.066 67. Duke of York Quick Step, The JGi.067 68. Market Raisin Feast Quick step JGi.068 69. Miss Hamilton Reel JGi.069 70. Grand Slow March for Raisin Band, A JGi.070 71. Prince of Coborgs Horpipe JGi.071 72. Congress at Laceby, The Jgi.072 73. You May if You Please JGi.073 74. Lass of Richmond Hill, The JGi.074 75. Hungary Waltz JGi.075 76. Now Hungary Waltz as I got it JGi.076 77. Sweet Home JGi.077 78. Morgiana in Ireland JGi.078 79. Brown's Hornpipe JGi.079 80. Quick Step - or Country Dance JGi.080 81. Brunswick Waltz JGi.081 82. Lord Yarborough's March JGi.082 83. Waterloo Dance, The JGi.083 84. Cheshire Waltz JGi.084 85. Daphne Quadrill, La JGi.085 86. Wood Picker, The JGi.086 87. Rose of Allandale JGi.087 88. Glee, A JGi.088 89. Morgan Rattler JGi.089 90. Well Done Jack JGi.090 91. Corporation March Jgi.091 92. Soldiers Cloak, The JGi.092 93. Any thing you please JGi.093 94. London Hornpipe JGi.094 95. Miss Wrights Fancy JGi.095 96. Saint Patrick Day in the Morning JGi.096 97. Shut the door JGi.097 98. Manchester Hornpipe JGi.098 99. Prince of Wales Hornpipe, The JGi.099 100. Mrs MaCloud of Rase on B JGi.100 101. Quick Step JGi.101 102. Dusky Night, The JGi.102 103. Battle of the Nile, The JGi.103 104. Self, The JGi.104 105. Quick March from Louth JGi.105 106. Hornpipe JGi.106 107. Quick Step (from Louth) JGi.107 108. Garland of Love, The JGi.108 109. March in the Battle of Prague JGi.109 110. Kingston Volunteers Slow March JGi.110 111. Dorsetshire March JGi.111 112. Bellisle March JGi.112 113. Speed the Plough JGi.113 114. London March JGi.114 115. Off She goes JGi.115 116. Down with the French JGi.116 117. I will Tell my mammy JGi.117 118. Kingston Volunteers quickstep, The. JGi.117. 119. Quick Step JGi.119 120. Will you Come to the Bower JGi.120 121. Hull Dock March JGi.121 122. Grinders, The. JGi.122 123. Quick Step JGi.123 124. Duke of York March JGi.124 125. Dance, A. JGi.125 126. Quick Step. JGi126 127. Bugale Horn Quick step, The. JGi.127 128. March (from Newark) (No 32). JGi.128 129. Two or three strings to My Bow. JGi.129 130. Jacks Ramble. JGi.130 131. Ferry March. JGi.131 132. Auld Lang Syne. JGi.132 133. Flushing quickstep. JGi.133 134. Bath Waltz. JGi.134 135. Waltz. JGi.135 136. Louth quick step. JGi.136 137. Princess of Wales Waltz. JGi.137 138. Freers quick step. JGi.138 139. Unknown quick step, The. JGi.139 140. divel in Ireland, The. JGi.140 141. Yorkshire man in London, The JGi.141 142. Miss Fishers Hornpipe JGi.142 143. Copenhagen Waltz JGi.143 144. Mrs MaCloud of Rasee JGi.144 145. New Kiss Me Lady JGi.145 146. French Quick Step, A JGi.146 147. Lady Caroline Lee,s Waltz JGi.147 148. Waltz, A JGi.148 149. Sweet Jessie the flower of Dunblane JGi.149- 150. Miss Rumley,s Fancy JGi.150 151. Heaving of the Lead JGi.151 152. Allemand,s Quick Step JGi.152 153. Maid of Lodie, The JGi.153 154. Stoney Steps Hornpipe JGi.154 155. Divel Amongst the Taylors JGi.155 156. Duke of Anglsea Waltz, The JGi.156 157. Rule Britannia JGi.157 158. Waltz, A JGi.158 159. Prince of Orange JGi.159 160. Brunswick Waltz, The JGi.160 161. John of Paris New Way JGi.161 162. Hornpipe JGi.162 163. John of Paris JGi.163 164. Wellington,s Bugle JGi.164 165. Lord Yarboroughs March JGi.165 166. Hansons Waltz JGi.166 167. Blue Beards March JGi.167 168. March, A JGi.168 169. Robin Adair JGi.169 170. Persion JGi.170 171. Miss Twentymans delight JGi.171 172. Miss Buckleys Delight JGi.172 173. Hornsby,s march JGi.173 174. Duke of Kents March JGi.174 175. wind that Blows the Barley down, The JGi.17 176. Edinborough Town JGi.176 177. Conquering Hero JGi.177 178. Whites Snowdon JGi.178 179. Grand March in the Seige of Vallaneens JGi.179 180. Huntsmans Chorus, The JGi.180 181. By a Broom JGi.181 182. Cowider Fair JGi.182 183. Crop the Croppies JGi.183 184. Election Tune, June 1826 JGi.184 185. Muffin man that Kisses the Lasses O, The JGi.185 186. Duke of Wellington JGi.186 187. Queens March JGi.187 188. Something JGi.188 189. Lord Nelson Hornpipe JGi.189 190. Newcastle Hornpipe JGi.190 191. Turnpike Gate JGi.191 192. Slow March JGi.192 193. Quick Step Jgi.193 194. Thorn, The JGi.194 195. Zodice, The JGi.195 196. Swiss Boy, The JGi.196 197. Calder Fair JGi.197 198. New May Moon JGi.198 199. German Spa JGi.199 200. Copenhagen Waltz JGi.200 201. March in Bluebeard JGi.201 202. Lady Cholmondley's Waltz JGi.202 203. Hamburgh Waltz, The JGi.203 204. Woodbine Cottage Quick Step JGi.204 205. Merrily dance the quakers wife JGi.205 206. Selfe, The JGi.206 207. March in Battle of Prague JGi.207 208. New Rigg'd Ship JGi.208