Charles Benfield was the main informant for the Bledington tunes, most of which were noted by Cecil Sharp at Benfield’s house at Bould (Oxon), a hamlet about a mile from Bledington (Glos).
CJ Sharp wrote, 2 September 1909
“Ch. Benfield was fiddler to the Bledington Morris till it lapsed about 15-20 years ago. He afterwards taught some younger men but could not induce them to continue. He is an agricultural labourer and a keen morris dancer. His fiddle was bridge-less and bow-less so he half hummed and half whistled this & following 2 tunes.”
In 1923 R. Kenworthy-Schofield visited Bledington with the Travelling Morrice and noted some tunes from Charles Benfield. They were published in JEFDSS Vol 1, no. 3 p 147-151, Dec 1934. The second version here “was obtained by Dr. A. F. Richards and later verified by the writer [RKS], but was not recognised by [Richard Bond of Idbury & John Hitchman, who both played the first version]. It may have originated because Benfield’s old fingers found certain intervals on his fiddle easier than others, but be that as it may, the tune has somehow slipped into a very unusual mode, and for this reason alone is worth recording, although the first version is certainly nearer the original.” (RKS)

RK Schofield noted Constant Billy from George Hathaway, 14 Aug 1937. The version was identical with C Benfield’s in 1909, except that bar 6 started with two B’s, rather than BC.

note by Charles Menteith