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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.”
Bonnets so Blue This is not the tune usually associated with this name (see John Mason’s, Stephen Baldwin’s and Charles Smith’s Bonnets so Blue).
On 11 Sept. Charles Benfield only played the A and B musics. On 31 Dec. he played them identically as before, following them with the C music.