Frederick George Gardner

Frederick George Gardner (1830 - 1927) was born in Marylebone, London. By 1851 he had moved to Oxfordshire and was lodging in North Leigh with John Webb and his family, including his son George who was 5 years older. They worked as agricultural labourers, whilst John's eldest daughter was involved in one of the big domestic industries of the area, glove making. It was in 1851 that Fred Gardner went to the septennial "great meeting at a Lamb Ale at Woodstock" - as he described it to Cecil Sharp (see below). After marrying his wife Mary, he set up shop in Corn Street, Witney as a baker. The couple had 6 children there but, after the early death of his wife at the age of 45 (in early 1880), his two youngest children, Alfred and Florece Ann stayed at home and helped with the business until his death in February 1927 at the ripe old age of 97 years.
He was visited by Cecil Sharp in April 1912 and gave him several morris dance tunes - presumably those used by the North Leigh Set:
2324 Morris Dance

Paul Burgess

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References

(1) Wortley MSS., interview with Elizabeth Watkins, 1 September 1957, cited in a letter from Wortley, dated 12 November 1974, in the Forest of Dean Morris Men collection.
(2) Sharp MSS., 'Folk Dance Notes' 1, ff.86-87, interview with Henry Allen, Stratford-on-Avon, 27 August 1909.
(3) Sharp MSS., field notebook (words) 4 (14 August - 3 September 1909), interview with Henry Allen, Stratford-on-Avon, Warwickshire, 27 August 1909.
(4) Sharp MSS., 'Folk Tunes', 11 (April - September 1909), nos.2323-4, interview with Henry Allen, Stratford-on-Avon, 27 August 1909.