Tom Beech's Last Trip Beechy lay a loading at Exhall Basin Hole Loading of a pair of boats with fifty tons of coal 'Twas in the dreadful winter of eighteen-ninety-three That Beechy loaded up his boats to go to Banbury At Sutton Stop the Toll Clerk came to gauge Tom Beech's boats And Beechy gave him siver coins and showed his loading notes "No credit tolls for number ones," the Toll Clerk said to him Said Beechy "That leaves me two bob to go to Banbury" That night he went to Marston Doles the wind was blowing shrill Snow and sleet came howling down from over Knapton Hill He took his horses to the farm to bed them comfortably The farmer said "You'll never get to the town of Banbury" The next day round the Summit Pound he faced the icy blast And in the Fifteen Bridges length he found the boats were fast All day he tried to break the ice but not a foot moved he Froze up in the summit fifteen miles from Banbury The snow did fall 'til seven days and seven nights were past The drift ran from the towpath head clear up to Beech's mast Two little children and his wife died cold and hungrily Froze up in the summit fifteen miles from Banbury When at last the thaw did come the sun came shinng through We brought the ice-boat smacking round with twenty in her crew But when we came to Beech's boats a frozen corpse was he Froze up in the summit fifteen miles from Banbury Round to the farmhouse we did go to find the reason why In the mid'st of plenty poor Tom Beech he had to die "I had no food to spare for him" the farmer said to we So we killed his chicks and fired his ricks in Beech's memory AG oct99
Thanks to Mudcat for the Digital Tradition!