The Lincolnshire Poacher - 'Tis my delight on a shiny night!

“The Lincolnshire Poacher” is one of England’s most beloved traditional folk songs — a spirited tale celebrating the freedom, wit, and mischief of the rural poacher. Its origins reach back to the 18th century, when the song was already circulating in broadside form and being sung in alehouses across the Midlands. The earliest printed copy appeared in York around 1776, though its author remains unknown.

The song tells the story of a young apprentice who, after faithfully serving his master for seven years, turns to poaching under the moonlit skies of Lincolnshire. With a cheerful defiance, he delights in outsmarting gamekeepers and takes pride in his exploits.

The verses mix humour and rebellion, reflecting a working man’s independence and resourcefulness in a time when hunting rights were reserved for landowners. Versions of the song also appear in Somerset and Northamptonshire, confirming its wide oral circulation. Over the centuries it has become regarded as the unofficial county anthem of Lincolnshire, even rumoured to have been a favourite of King George IV.

Because of its brisk rhythm, “The Lincolnshire Poacher” was also adopted as a military quick march, used by the Royal Lincolnshire Regiment, the British Intelligence Corps, and Canadian forces. The tune travelled further still, turning up among Australian units in the First World War, and even in the American Civil War.

In the 20th century, it inspired notable classical and popular arrangements:
• Benjamin Britten included it in his 1961 British Folk Songs collection.
• The Brighouse and Rastrick Brass Band released it as a single in 1978 after the success of The Floral Dance.
• Modern interpretations by artists such as Sam Kelly and Jim Moray continue to revive its vitality.

The melody became an enduring cultural signal: used by a mysterious British shortwave station as an interval tune, by BBC Radio Lincolnshire since 1980 as its musical emblem, and even featured in a 1940 wartime film.

In this performance, a male folksinger leads an English-style band — guitar, banjo, accordion, flute, and fiddle — through seven verses of the lively jig-time song. The instruments pair off in alternating verses; all join for the sixth, while extra voices swell on each refrain.

The accompanying visual montage follows the poachers’ tale from dawn woods to moonlit celebration — culminating back at The Lincolnshire Poacher pub, where music, mischief, and camaraderie unite.

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