The Reverend Sabine Baring Gould was an exceptional parson and squire from Devon. He is probably best remembered as the composer of the hymns 'Onward Christian Soldiers' and “Now the Day is Over”.

Born in Exeter in 1834, some 90 years later he died in 1924 at Lewtrenchard Manor, his estate in West Devon.

His foray into collecting folk songs started in 1888 as a dinner guest at the house of his friend Mr Daniel Radford of Mount Tavy. Over dinner the subject turned to if any of the guests knew any of the old Devon folk songs? Some of those present knew the hunting song “Arscott of Tetcott” and some knew” Widecombe Fair.”

But none could recall others in their entirety. Sabine then said, he remembered how, when he was a boy, he had ridden round Dartmoor on his pony and had put up at little taverns. In them he had heard men sing the old Devon folk songs and ballads. Daniel Radford the host of evening said to Sabine, 'Come you are the man to undertake the job of collecting these songs and airs. It must be done at once, or it cannot be done at all, for in a few years they will be lost'.

From his autobiography '1864-94 Further Reminiscences' he wrote.

I shall not forget my walk back next day from Mount Tavy to Lew. My mind was in a ferment. I considered that I was on the out start of a great and important work: and to this day I consider that the recovery of our West-country melodies has been the principal achievement of my life.

It would prove to be quite an achievement!

As Sabine would be the first person to make a collection of the traditional folk songs of Devon and so was responsible for saving a part of Devon's musical heritage.