Uncle Tom Cobley
Encyclopedia
The phrase Uncle Tom Cobley and all is used in British English
as a humorous
or whimsical way of saying et al., often to express exasperation at the large number of people in a list. The phrase comes from a Devon
folk song
"Widecombe Fair
", collected by Sabine Baring-Gould
. Its chorus
ends with a long list of people: "Bill Brewer, Jan Stewer, Peter Gurney, Peter Davy, Dan'l Whiddon, Harry Hawke, Old Uncle Tom Cobley and all." The surname is spelt as "Cobleigh" in some references.
(for if they did ride to the fair at Widecombe
, they may have travelled some distance).
The strongest claim is held by the village of Spreyton
, to the north of the moor, whose churchyard does indeed contain the grave of a Tom Cobley, buried 11 January 1844.http://www.spreyton.org.uk/tom_cobley.htm However this is said to be the grave of the nephew of the 'real' Tom Cobley, who died in 1794 and whose grave is unmarked. Cobley disapproved of his nephew and kept him out of his will (signed at Pascoe house, Colebrooke).
Old ‘Uncle Tom’ was said to have been an amorous bachelor and when he was young had bright red hair. This characteristic seems to have been to his advantage, for when paternity orders came in thick and fast, he refused to maintain any babies that did not have red hair like himself.
The village has made the most of its link with the folk song. It now has a 'Tom Cobley Cottage' and a 'Tom Cobley Tavern'. There also appears to have been a Bill Brewer who lived in nearby Sticklepath
, and a Pearse family who ran a local mill; in Sticklepath
there is the grave of a Tom Pearse who died in 1875. However, there remains some doubt as to whether this was the same Tom Pearse who features in the song since the earliest recorded Widecombe Fair was held in 1850.
Early in the 20th century, the novelist Beatrice Chase
presented an ‘Uncle Tom’ smock to the organisers of the fair, and now a local resident dressed as Uncle Tom appears at the festivities every year, complete with a grey mare.
include U. T. Cobley as a co-author:
There are also some cases of papers listed with U. T. Cobley as an author in reference lists
, even though the name does not appear in the original paper. This also shows how citation
errors are perpetuated, presumably reflecting a reliance on other citations without checking the original source:
Tom Cobleigh, his mare and the song are also loosely but obviously referenced in the last few lines of the song "Widecombe Fair" by folk duo Show of Hands
. In this version the narrator of the song hints at a more sinister reason for the loan of the horse, he needs it to travel with the others named in the original song to a remote tavern whose landlord he suspects (with good reason) of murdering a young boy. Although it is never stated we can assume that the character in this song intends to take his revenge on the murderer. Steve Knightley
, Show of Hands' lead vocalist and writer of their version, claims that it was inspired by historical research that has suggested that the original folk song may actually have been intended to convey a darker meaning than is commonly supposed.
All along, down along, out along lee.
For I want for to go to Widecombe Fair,
With Bill Brewer, Jan Stewer, Peter Gurney,
Peter Davy, Dan'l Whiddon, Harry Hawke,
Old Uncle Tom Cobley and all,
Old Uncle Tom Cobley and all.
And when shall I see again my grey mare?
All along, down along, out along lee.
By Friday soon, or Saturday noon,
With Bill Brewer, Jan Stewer, Peter Gurney,
Peter Davy, Dan'l Whiddon, Harry Hawke,
Old Uncle Tom Cobley and all,
Old Uncle Tom Cobley and all.
So they harnessed and bridled the old grey mare.
All along, down along, out along lee.
And off they drove to Widecombe fair,
With Bill Brewer, Jan Stewer, Peter Gurney,
Peter Davy, Dan'l Whiddon, Harry Hawke,
Old Uncle Tom Cobley and all,
Old Uncle Tom Cobley and all.
Then Friday came, and Saturday noon.
All along, down along, out along lee.
But Tom Pearce's old mare hath not trotted home,
With Bill Brewer, Jan Stewer, Peter Gurney,
Peter Davy, Dan'l Whiddon, Harry Hawke,
Old Uncle Tom Cobley and all,
Old Uncle Tom Cobley and all.
So Tom Pearce he got up to the top o' the hill.
All along, down along, out along lee.
And he seed his old mare down a-making her will,
With Bill Brewer, Jan Stewer, Peter Gurney,
Peter Davy, Dan'l Whiddon, Harry Hawke,
Old Uncle Tom Cobley and all,
Old Uncle Tom Cobley and all.
So Tom Pearce's old mare, her took sick and died.
All along, down along, out along lee.
And Tom he sat down on a stone, and he cried
With Bill Brewer, Jan Stewer, Peter Gurney,
Peter Davy, Dan'l Whiddon, Harry Hawke,
Old Uncle Tom Cobley and all,
Old Uncle Tom Cobley and all.
But this isn't the end o' this shocking affair.
All along, down along, out along lee.
Nor, though they be dead, of the horrid career
Of Bill Brewer, Jan Stewer, Peter Gurney,
Peter Davy, Dan'l Whiddon, Harry Hawke,
Old Uncle Tom Cobley and all,
Old Uncle Tom Cobley and all.
When the wind whistles cold on the moor of the night.
All along, down along, out along lee.
Tom Pearce's old mare doth appear ghastly white,
With Bill Brewer, Jan Stewer, Peter Gurney,
Peter Davy, Dan'l Whiddon, Harry Hawke,
Old Uncle Tom Cobley and all,
Old Uncle Tom Cobley and all.
And all the long night be heard skirling and groans.
All along, down along, out along lee.
From Tom Pearce's old mare in her rattling bones,
With Bill Brewer, Jan Stewer, Peter Gurney,
Peter Davy, Dan'l Whiddon, Harry Hawke,
Old Uncle Tom Cobley and all,
Old Uncle Tom Cobley and all.
British English
British English, or English , is the broad term used to distinguish the forms of the English language used in the United Kingdom from forms used elsewhere...
as a humorous
Humour
Humour or humor is the tendency of particular cognitive experiences to provoke laughter and provide amusement...
or whimsical way of saying et al., often to express exasperation at the large number of people in a list. The phrase comes from a Devon
Devon
Devon is a large county in southwestern England. The county is sometimes referred to as Devonshire, although the term is rarely used inside the county itself as the county has never been officially "shired", it often indicates a traditional or historical context.The county shares borders with...
folk song
Folk music
Folk music is an English term encompassing both traditional folk music and contemporary folk music. The term originated in the 19th century. Traditional folk music has been defined in several ways: as music transmitted by mouth, as music of the lower classes, and as music with unknown composers....
"Widecombe Fair
Widecombe Fair
Widecombe Fair takes place annually on the second Tuesday in September, attracting thousands of visitors to the tiny Dartmoor village of Widecombe-in-the-Moor...
", collected by Sabine Baring-Gould
Sabine Baring-Gould
The Reverend Sabine Baring-Gould was an English hagiographer, antiquarian, novelist and eclectic scholar. His bibliography consists of more than 1240 publications, though this list continues to grow. His family home, Lew Trenchard Manor near Okehampton, Devon, has been preserved as he had it...
. Its chorus
Refrain
A refrain is the line or lines that are repeated in music or in verse; the "chorus" of a song...
ends with a long list of people: "Bill Brewer, Jan Stewer, Peter Gurney, Peter Davy, Dan'l Whiddon, Harry Hawke, Old Uncle Tom Cobley and all." The surname is spelt as "Cobleigh" in some references.
The historical Tom Cobley
Whether Tom Cobley, or the other characters from the song, ever existed is uncertain. Local historians have attempted to trace them in and around DartmoorDartmoor
Dartmoor is an area of moorland in south Devon, England. Protected by National Park status, it covers .The granite upland dates from the Carboniferous period of geological history. The moorland is capped with many exposed granite hilltops known as tors, providing habitats for Dartmoor wildlife. The...
(for if they did ride to the fair at Widecombe
Widecombe-in-the-Moor
Widecombe-in-the-Moor is a small village located within the heart of the Dartmoor National Park in Devon, England. . The name is thought to derive from 'Withy-combe' which means Willow Valley....
, they may have travelled some distance).
The strongest claim is held by the village of Spreyton
Spreyton
Spreyton is a small rural village just north of Dartmoor in Devon. Spreyton is famous for its connection to the tale of “Old Uncle Tom Cobley and all” who came from, and is thought to be buried in Spreyton...
, to the north of the moor, whose churchyard does indeed contain the grave of a Tom Cobley, buried 11 January 1844.http://www.spreyton.org.uk/tom_cobley.htm However this is said to be the grave of the nephew of the 'real' Tom Cobley, who died in 1794 and whose grave is unmarked. Cobley disapproved of his nephew and kept him out of his will (signed at Pascoe house, Colebrooke).
Old ‘Uncle Tom’ was said to have been an amorous bachelor and when he was young had bright red hair. This characteristic seems to have been to his advantage, for when paternity orders came in thick and fast, he refused to maintain any babies that did not have red hair like himself.
The village has made the most of its link with the folk song. It now has a 'Tom Cobley Cottage' and a 'Tom Cobley Tavern'. There also appears to have been a Bill Brewer who lived in nearby Sticklepath
Sticklepath
Sticklepath is a village on Dartmoor, in the county of Devon, England. Its history is unusual in that, unlike most villages, it did not evolve around a manor. It never had a rectory or a squire...
, and a Pearse family who ran a local mill; in Sticklepath
Sticklepath
Sticklepath is a village on Dartmoor, in the county of Devon, England. Its history is unusual in that, unlike most villages, it did not evolve around a manor. It never had a rectory or a squire...
there is the grave of a Tom Pearse who died in 1875. However, there remains some doubt as to whether this was the same Tom Pearse who features in the song since the earliest recorded Widecombe Fair was held in 1850.
Early in the 20th century, the novelist Beatrice Chase
Beatrice Chase
Beatrice Chase was the pen name for a British writer, who became well known for her Dartmoor-based novels during the first half of the 20th century...
presented an ‘Uncle Tom’ smock to the organisers of the fair, and now a local resident dressed as Uncle Tom appears at the festivities every year, complete with a grey mare.
Scientific papers
There have been instances of scientific papers — where multiple authorship is common — published with "Cobley, U. T." listed as one among a long list of authors. Two papers indexed by ISIInstitute for Scientific Information
The Institute for Scientific Information was founded by Eugene Garfield in 1960. It was acquired by Thomson Scientific & Healthcare in 1992, became known as Thomson ISI and now is part of the Healthcare & Science business of the multi-billion dollar Thomson Reuters Corporation.ISI offered...
include U. T. Cobley as a co-author:
- Nosten F, Luxemburger C, Kyle DE, Ballou WR, Wittes J, Wah E, Chongsuphajaisiddhi T, Gordon DM, White NJ, Sadoff JC, Heppner DG, Bathe K, Blood J, Brockman A, Cobley UT, Hacking D, Hogg D, U KH, Maelankiri L, Chuanak N, Permpanich B, Price R, Raimond D, Schabenberger O, Singharaj P, Singhasivanon P, Slight T, Tulayon S, Tway KL, Ynint T, VincentiDelmas M, deVries A, Webster HK, Randomised double-blind placebo-controlled trial of SPf66 malaria vaccine in children in northwestern Thailand, LANCET 348 (9029): 701-707, doi:10.1016/S0140-6736(96)04465-0, SEP 14 1996. (UT Cobley is listed as a member of the Shoklo SPf66 Malaria Vaccine Trial Group) http://www.sciencedirect.com/science?_ob=ArticleURL&_udi=B6T1B-3RV5DPD-P&_user=1495569&_handle=V-WA-A-W-YA-MsSWYVW-UUW-U-AACUBAUZAY-AAVDYEAVAY-YDUEBVUZW-YA-U&_fmt=summary&_coverDate=09%2F14%2F1996&_rdoc=8&_orig=browse&_srch=%23toc%234886%231996%23996510970%235031!&_cdi=4886&view=c&_acct=C000053194&_version=1&_urlVersion=0&_userid=1495569&md5=9d73f73b4c6d53933a7800ad2a8002d3
- Batich C, Heilbron.E, Hornung V, Ashe AJ, Clark DT, Cobley UT, Kilcast D, Scanlan I, Applications Of Photoelectron Spectroscopy .41. Photoelectron Spectra Of Phosphabenzene, Arsabenzene, And Stibabenzene, Journal Of The American Chemical Society 95 (3): 928-930, doi:10.1021/ja00784a054, 1973 http://pubs3.acs.org/acs/journals/toc.page?incoden=jacsat&indecade=3&involume=95&inissue=3
There are also some cases of papers listed with U. T. Cobley as an author in reference lists
Bibliography
Bibliography , as a practice, is the academic study of books as physical, cultural objects; in this sense, it is also known as bibliology...
, even though the name does not appear in the original paper. This also shows how citation
Citation
Broadly, a citation is a reference to a published or unpublished source . More precisely, a citation is an abbreviated alphanumeric expression Broadly, a citation is a reference to a published or unpublished source (not always the original source). More precisely, a citation is an abbreviated...
errors are perpetuated, presumably reflecting a reliance on other citations without checking the original source:
- A paper by Cross, Heyworth, Murrell, Bockamp, Dexter and Green, published in the journal Oncogene in 1994 http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=pubmed&dopt=Abstract&list_uids=8084606, is frequently listed with the authors cited as "Cross, M. A., Heyworth, C. M., Murrell, A. M., Bockamp, E.-O., Cobley, U. T., Dexter, T. M. & Green, A. R."
Other occurrences
Tom Cobleigh is the name of a chain of pubs/restaurants presently operated by the Spirit Group within the UK.Tom Cobleigh, his mare and the song are also loosely but obviously referenced in the last few lines of the song "Widecombe Fair" by folk duo Show of Hands
Show of Hands
Show of Hands is an English acoustic roots and folk duo comprising singer-songwriter Steve Knightley and multi-instrumentalist Phil Beer. In recent years they have been accompanied on tour and in the studio by jazz double-bassist Miranda Sykes.-Origins:...
. In this version the narrator of the song hints at a more sinister reason for the loan of the horse, he needs it to travel with the others named in the original song to a remote tavern whose landlord he suspects (with good reason) of murdering a young boy. Although it is never stated we can assume that the character in this song intends to take his revenge on the murderer. Steve Knightley
Steve Knightley
Steve Knightley is a singer-songwriter, musician and one half of British acoustic roots duo Show of Hands.-Career:...
, Show of Hands' lead vocalist and writer of their version, claims that it was inspired by historical research that has suggested that the original folk song may actually have been intended to convey a darker meaning than is commonly supposed.
The song lyrics, in full
Tom Pearce, Tom Pearce, lend me your grey mare.All along, down along, out along lee.
For I want for to go to Widecombe Fair,
With Bill Brewer, Jan Stewer, Peter Gurney,
Peter Davy, Dan'l Whiddon, Harry Hawke,
Old Uncle Tom Cobley and all,
Old Uncle Tom Cobley and all.
And when shall I see again my grey mare?
All along, down along, out along lee.
By Friday soon, or Saturday noon,
With Bill Brewer, Jan Stewer, Peter Gurney,
Peter Davy, Dan'l Whiddon, Harry Hawke,
Old Uncle Tom Cobley and all,
Old Uncle Tom Cobley and all.
So they harnessed and bridled the old grey mare.
All along, down along, out along lee.
And off they drove to Widecombe fair,
With Bill Brewer, Jan Stewer, Peter Gurney,
Peter Davy, Dan'l Whiddon, Harry Hawke,
Old Uncle Tom Cobley and all,
Old Uncle Tom Cobley and all.
Then Friday came, and Saturday noon.
All along, down along, out along lee.
But Tom Pearce's old mare hath not trotted home,
With Bill Brewer, Jan Stewer, Peter Gurney,
Peter Davy, Dan'l Whiddon, Harry Hawke,
Old Uncle Tom Cobley and all,
Old Uncle Tom Cobley and all.
So Tom Pearce he got up to the top o' the hill.
All along, down along, out along lee.
And he seed his old mare down a-making her will,
With Bill Brewer, Jan Stewer, Peter Gurney,
Peter Davy, Dan'l Whiddon, Harry Hawke,
Old Uncle Tom Cobley and all,
Old Uncle Tom Cobley and all.
So Tom Pearce's old mare, her took sick and died.
All along, down along, out along lee.
And Tom he sat down on a stone, and he cried
With Bill Brewer, Jan Stewer, Peter Gurney,
Peter Davy, Dan'l Whiddon, Harry Hawke,
Old Uncle Tom Cobley and all,
Old Uncle Tom Cobley and all.
But this isn't the end o' this shocking affair.
All along, down along, out along lee.
Nor, though they be dead, of the horrid career
Of Bill Brewer, Jan Stewer, Peter Gurney,
Peter Davy, Dan'l Whiddon, Harry Hawke,
Old Uncle Tom Cobley and all,
Old Uncle Tom Cobley and all.
When the wind whistles cold on the moor of the night.
All along, down along, out along lee.
Tom Pearce's old mare doth appear ghastly white,
With Bill Brewer, Jan Stewer, Peter Gurney,
Peter Davy, Dan'l Whiddon, Harry Hawke,
Old Uncle Tom Cobley and all,
Old Uncle Tom Cobley and all.
And all the long night be heard skirling and groans.
All along, down along, out along lee.
From Tom Pearce's old mare in her rattling bones,
With Bill Brewer, Jan Stewer, Peter Gurney,
Peter Davy, Dan'l Whiddon, Harry Hawke,
Old Uncle Tom Cobley and all,
Old Uncle Tom Cobley and all.