Welcome, bonny brid

On a wall in the Albert Square area of High Street in Stalybridge is a blue plaque.

The plaque was placed there by Tameside Metropolitan Borough Council commemorating the Lancashire dialect poet Samuel Laycock and is on the site of the Mechanics Institute where he was librarian for six years.

Although born in Yorkshire his family moved to Stalybridge when he was 11 years old and you can read about him here on the gerald-massey.org.uk website.

When I was a youngster my father had a book of poems by various Lancashire dialect poets and the one entitled 'Welcome, bonny brid' about a father's love for his new son has always stuck in my mind.

This is what the website allpoetry.com says about this poem:
This was written in the 1860's during the cotton famine,whilst Laycock's wife was actually giving birth to their 4th child. He stuck himself out of the midwife's way in the corner of the room with pen and paper!
Obviously this was a time of great worry due to the economic situation in Lancashire caused by the cotton embargoes during the American Civil war. But, equally obviously, Laycock was also as happy as any other proud father at the latest addition to the nest (a common image in poetry of the time).
Laycock claimed to have been inspired to write this but unfortunately his inspiration let him down somewhat. The newcomer was a hen not a cock. It was his first daughter!

Here's the poem:

Tha'rt welcome, little bonny brid,
But shouldn't ha' come just when tha did;
      Toimes are bad.
We're short o' pobbies for eawr Joe
But that, of course, tha didn't know,
      Did ta lad?

Aw've often yeard mi feyther tell
'At when aw coom i' th' world misel'
      Trade wur slack;
And neaw it's hard wark pooin' throo—
But aw munno fear thee,-iv aw do
      Thall go back

Cheer up! these toimes 'll awter soon;
Aw'm beawn to beigh another spoon—
      One for thee;—
An' as tha's sich a pratty face
Aw'll let thi have eawr Charley's place
      On mi knee.

God bless thi, love! aw'm fain tha'rt come,
Just try and mak' thisel' awhoam;
      Here's thi nest;
Tha'rt loike thi mother to a tee,
But tha's thi feyther's nose aw see.
      Well, aw'm blest!

Come, come, tha needn't look so shy
Aw am no' blamin' thee, not I;
      Settle deawn,
An' tak this haupney for thisel',
Ther's lots of sugar-sticks to sell
      Deawn i'th' teawn.

Aw know when first aw coom to th' leet,
Aw're fond o'owt at'tasted sweet;
      Tha'll be th' same.
But come, tha's never towd thi dad
What he's to co' thi yet me lad,
      What's thi name?

Hush! hush! tha mustn't cry this way,
But get this sope o' cinder tay
      While it's warm;
Mi mother used to give it me,
When aw wur sicha lad as thee,
      In her arm.

Hush-a-babby, hush-a-bee,—
Oh, what a temper! dear-a-me
      Heaw tha skrikes!
Here's a bit o' sugar, sithee;
Howd thi noise, an' then aw'll gie thee
      Owt tha likes.

We've nobbut getten coarsish fare,
But' eawt o' this tha'll get thi share,
      Never fear.
Aw hope tha'll never want a meal,
But allus fill thi bally weel
      While tha'rt here.

Thi feyther's noan been wed so lung,
An yet tha sees he's middlin' thrung
      Wi' yo' o.
Besides thi little brother Ted
We've one upsteers, asleep i' bed,
      Wi' eawr Joe.

But tho' we've childer two or three,
We'll mak' a bit o' reawm for thee,
      Bless thee lad!
Tha'rt th' prattiest brid we have i' th' nest,
So hutch up closer to mi breast;
      Aw'm thi dad.

I would imagine that anyone not having knowledge of the Lancashire dialect would struggle to make sense of much of this, but the glossary below gives the meaning of some of the words Laycock uses.

Brid --- Bird. The bonny brid refers to the bouncing new born baby.
Pobbies --- Bread soaked with milk
Munno fear --- Mustn't frighten
Beawn to beigh --- Going to buy
Skrikes --- Shrieks or loud crying
Bally --- Belly
Middlin' thrung --- Rather crowded