The Songs and Ballads of R. F. Kilvert

THE diary of Robert Francis Kilvert (1840-1879), only partially available in the editions of William Plomer,1 contains references to ballads and songs as well as valuable information on Kilvert's sources, contributing to an understanding of the folklore of Wiltshire and Radnorshire. Until Margaret Baker's study of the Folklore and Customs ofRuralEngland,2 and Jacqueline Simpson's Folklore of the Welsh Border,3 this contribution was not utilized to any great extent; in particular, the ballads which he mentions and the few songs which he records, mostly by name or brief excerpt, to this day have not played much of a role in the evaluation of Border lore

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