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Beneath This Ground
In Newcastle’s Ouseburn Valley, tucked between modern housing and old industrial units, sits an open green space. There is nothing unusual until a closer inspection reveals that the paths are made of old gravestones. This is the Ballast Hills Burial Ground. There were periods during the 18th and 19th centuries when more people were buried at Ballast Hills than in all of the other Newcastle burial grounds combined. When it was closed in 1853, an estimated 40,000 people had been laid to rest there. Using newly created poetry and fiddle tunes, this collection of words and music begins to tell their story.
The book includes sheet music for all the tunes, and copies of all the poems. You will receive an audio download straight away. The book will be sent to you in the post.
If you would prefer a digital copy of the book, you can buy that here.
Sample tracks:
Contents/Track list:
1. The Ballad of Ballast Hills (poem), Ballast Hills (tune)
2. The Others (poem), One Another (tune)
3. Hail Mary (poem), Mary Bulcraig (tune)
4. Margaret Angus (a monologue), Compliments To Margaret Angus (tune)
5. For All The Forgotten Children (poem), Lost Play (tune)
6. Poem For The Stillborns (poem), Oh My Child (tune)
7. Three Tiny Little Buds Of The Barley Mow (poem), Little Drummonds (tune)
8. Archangel Boy (poem), Archangel Boy (tune)
9. W. Harley’s Dormitory, 1830 (poem), W. Harley’s Dormitory (tune)
10. By Night (tune), Snatched (poem), Miss Elizabeth Mills (tune)
11. Plague Blues (poem), ERAP2 (tune), ERAP2 (poem)
12. Last Voyage Of The Sad Sailor Boys (poem), Fathoms (tune)
13. Here Be (poem), Rule Of Thumb (tune)
14. Quenched (poem), Quenched (tune)
15. Monsters (poem), Afterdamp (tune), Lament (tune)
16. Lament For Jane Jamieson (poem), A Bottle To Turn Back Time (tune)
17. Here’s Thumping Thanks To Yon Scribe (song), The Bard Of Tyneside (tune)
18. One Autumn Day In Plaguey Park (poem), One Autumn Day (tune)
19. The Registrar’s Judgement By Fenwick’s Dissenters (poem) The Record Keepers (tune)
Music by Miggins Fiddle (Marina Dodgson & Maurice Condie). Poetry by Harry Gallagher.
