- Written by
- [Traditional]
- Publication date
- 1794
- Language
- English
- Tags
- disputed credits
- Comments
-
Also known as "The March of the Men of Harlech", a song and military march which is traditionally said to describe events during the seven-year siege of Harlech Castle between 1461 and 1468, when the castle was held by the Lancastrians against the Yorkists as part of the Wars of the Roses.
There are many versions of "Men of Harlech", and there is no single accepted English version.
The music was first published without words during 1794 as Gorhoffedd Gwŷr Harlech—March of the Men of Harlech in the second edition of The Musical and Poetical Relicks of the Welsh Bards, but it is said to be a much earlier folk song. The earliest version of the tune to appear with lyrics, found thus far, comes from a broadside printed c. 1830. Since then, many different versions of the English lyrics have been published. It was published first with Welsh lyrics in Gems of Welsh Melody, edited by the Welsh poet, John Owen (Owain Alaw), published in London, England and Wrexham, Wales, during 1860.
An edition containing Welsh and English lyrics was published in Ruthin, Wales, during 1862. The song was published in Volume II of the 1862 collection Welsh Melodies with the Welsh lyrics by the Welsh poet John Jones (Talhaiarn) and the English lyrics by Thomas Oliphant, President of the Madrigal Society.
Another source attributes the Welsh words to the poet John Ceiriog Hughes, first published during 1890, and says that English words were first published during 1893, but this is clearly predated by the earlier publications - Licensing
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Versions
Men of Harlech written by [Traditional] English
Men of Harlech written by [Traditional] instrumental
| Title | Performer | Release date | Info | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| i | All Through the Night a) Men of Harlech | The Geoff Love Banjos | October 1985 | Medley |